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lilleeboi's reviews
52 reviews
The Outside by Ada Hoffmann
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I read this as a buddy read with my good friend. We tend to have wildly different tastes, but neither of us were big fans of this book, and we rarely had more positive things to say about it than negative. It's slightly surreal and weird -- and above all, frustrating to get through -- but you will find better surrealism and better, weirder weird fiction out there. Another friend, a native Mandarin speaker, informs me that our distaste and frustration are likely more than a translation issue.
It was interesting, and it wasn't bad (my reading partner disagrees 😂), but I wouldn't recommend it.
It was interesting, and it wasn't bad (my reading partner disagrees 😂), but I wouldn't recommend it.
Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Theory by Rick Szostak, Allen F. Repko
slow-paced
2.0
Extremely disappointing. I like to have physical copies of my textbooks and keep them for future reference, but I wish I hadn't bought this one. Our class could have had one copy to share between all of us and been completely fine. I can't even sell this in good conscience.
There are countless redundancies throughout each chapter. The authors repeat themselves often. Their prescribed method is surely helpful to some people (and there was some good information hidden among the needless fluff, so it wasn't a TOTAL waste) but it makes sweeping assumptions about the readers' experience and ability. The authors are Authorities^TM with very little citation, and their continued reminders for the reader to check their disciplinary biases seem hypocritically unheeded by the authors themselves. I genuinely think this would be more appropriately marketed toward junior high and high school students for how much the reader is talked down to.
This textbook could have been an email.
There are countless redundancies throughout each chapter. The authors repeat themselves often. Their prescribed method is surely helpful to some people (and there was some good information hidden among the needless fluff, so it wasn't a TOTAL waste) but it makes sweeping assumptions about the readers' experience and ability. The authors are Authorities^TM with very little citation, and their continued reminders for the reader to check their disciplinary biases seem hypocritically unheeded by the authors themselves. I genuinely think this would be more appropriately marketed toward junior high and high school students for how much the reader is talked down to.
This textbook could have been an email.
Letters from Prison to Sophie Liebknecht: July 1916–October 1918 by Rosa Luxemburg
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Ashes of my Dreams by Stella Shepard
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
The story is captivating and touches on important historical/regional issues which are still highly relevant today. The main character starts out as quite immature, but she grew on me very quickly and I was always on her side. The writing style isn't one that I would typically gravitate toward to, which is why it's only a 4-stars for me - I suspect a more seasoned reader of the genre would rate it more highly. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to those hailing from a small town.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexism
Moderate: Grief, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Forced institutionalization
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Whip Me, Beat Me, Make Me Write Hot Sex by Tymber Dalton
fast-paced
3.0
This book is good place to start if you know nothing about BDSM and want to write a kinky sex scene. If you have experience with BDSM and are more looking for tips on style and *how* to write BDSM effectively (rather than *what* to write to make it accurate), you will not find that here.
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0