leslielopezholder's reviews
364 reviews

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I loved getting to get back into the world of Roz and Brightbill! However, I did not like this one as much as the first one as I felt the second half was rushed and because of that, we didn't get to see as much of those tender moments that made us fall in love with the characters.

The Body in Question by Jill Ciment

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a quick and really enjoyable read. To see the flaws of the characters being drawn out especially as it was mirrored in the courtroom. However, maybe I wanted things to be a little more straightforward, as I really wanted to dive in deeper into the court case itself. 

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.25

I grew up occasionally seeing Barefoot Contessa on TV although I wouldn't say I was an avid watcher of her show. But I did have this persona that I built up in my mind of her, which is completely my fault, and unfortunately, I was a little let down in reading this memoir. I often felt annoyed with Ina and at some point it just felt like I was reading a house flipper's roll call. Also, the editing process could've used another round to get rid of 99% of the exclamation marks as they made the writing feel awkward and like I was reading a teenager's diary.

However, it is an easy read and I found parts of her life incredibly interesting.

Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes

emotional informative reflective tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did but I had to fight to get through it. The content of the book was actually interesting and informative. I especially loved and respected that the author did not tell us more specifics about hula to keep it as a closed practice. 

However, there were some structural changes I felt the book needed to get it closer its potential.  One of them is that I would've enjoyed this more if it was in the perspective of one the characters. Even if the perspective shifted in each section, but the third person omniscient didn't work for me here. I also enjoyed the second half much more, which makes me think that the book was in need of much more dialogue between the characters to engage and connect with them more. While the history of Hawaii is incredibly important, there might have been a better way to build that into the story rather than just outright telling it. 

Also, small point but as someone who was not familiar with many of the terms used, it would have been incredibly helpful to have a glossary that I could refer to.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I hate to be one of those people who compare the book with the movie, but I have to do it. I had seen this series around the library on occasion and so when I saw the movie come out, I disregarded it as a children's movie. But then I saw so many people raving about it online and went to go see it. It was truly an incredible and touching movie, so much that I saw it twice!

However, I think that that influenced my expectations of this book. I still loved it and found it to be almost as heartwarming. But I preferred the plot and character choices that they made in the movie. 

Despite that, this is still a book I would recommend to anyone who loves stories with found family, that center nature, and that puts the spotlight on the good in the world.

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay

dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense

3.25

I love a good dark comedy, especially when they expose an often unseen perspective like this one. I audibly laughed on multiple occasions. However, there were some parts that I felt crossed the line and took away from this experience for me. For example, the parts meant to poke fun at fat/overweight people were incredibly hard as this stigma often results in receiving poor quality medical care.

The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell by Lucia Osborne-Crowley

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

At last! A book about a court case that actually has a logical flow. AND it's easy to digest for readers of different interests, i.e. those of us who are more fiction-heavy readers can understand it and for those who are more non-fiction readers will still find interesting information in it. The issue at hand makes it all the more impactful. I learned so much from this book, from the way harm manifests in childhood sexual abuse survivors as they become adults and even about court proceedings. Yes, you learn more about Epstein and Maxwell (especially for me because I wasn't paying attention to the court case in real time), but there is so much more valuable knowledge to gain from reading this.

What brought down the score for me was the amount of repetition throughout the book got to be a nuisance by the time I finished. For example, "impeachment evidence" was explained about 3 times. Some of the final few chapters also felt like a duplication of other parts in the book.

The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

SO CUTE. Second chances, found family, finding purpose,

"enemies" to lovers,

this just brought my heart so much joy. And yes yes, it might have been predictable, but I had fun just watching (or rather, reading) it all happen.

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Nothing happens for the first half of the book. Then the second half gets crammed with action, but by then I just wanted the book to end already. I was hoping for a more unique ending or a twist to surprise me but I felt it just fizzled out.

The premise of it was interesting but I wish the author did more with it.

That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

I think this book had the potential to be a 5 star book! The content of it was obviously phenomenal. I love libraries, librarians, and books. And to read the perspective of someone fighting against book bans was incredibly inspiring. However, I find books that don't use a chronological structure are very often misses for me. It often felt repetitive (even sentence right next to each other), which dulled the intrigue of the events described.

One interesting note is that this was a bit of a unique experience for me as a reader as I was not aware that the author has a more conservative background. I actually think it added to the nuance of what I did enjoy from the book! If I were to sit down with the author and talk through some political topics, I may not fully agree with them. But I can definitely respect the growth that she had, admitting to past regrets and owning up to her privilege.