livelyghost's reviews
121 reviews

Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

reflective slow-paced

3.0

Murder and Mamon by Mia P. Manansala

funny hopeful slow-paced

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

3.0

We’re getting a little too sweet here. Like girl someone basically in your family just got murdered how are you not freaking the heck out?? The ending felt like a stretch. I don’t know, I loved the first book so much but everything feels so glowingly positive and forced at this point I don’t know how much I want to keep reading. 

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

We’re only a few months into 2024, but this might be my book of the year. Carrie Soto is a black-and-white, victory-or-failure kind of thinker whose world and self-worth are rocked when a younger player takes her record in her tenth year of retirement. Obscenely competitive, Soto reenters the game to take her title back. Through this she renegotiates her relationship with her father, other competitors, the viewing public, and herself. The Greek chorus of news excerpts is a great touch. I loved that this book tackled so many of the trappings of modern womanhood without necessarily being obvious about it, and the change in Carrie felt real. A perfectly executed story that pulled me in every time I opened the book. 

Trouble by Lex Croucher

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Absolutely hell yeah. We love a lady lying to keep her sister from succumbing to mysterious Regency illness by taking a job as a governess with only the intent to steal. We love a hot bisexual, ineffable dad. I loved all of these characters, especially Grace who is just trying to find some peace and joy in this house. A delightful romance with a good sense of humor.

The Butcher and the Vegetarian: One Woman's Romp Through a World of Men, Meat, and Moral Crisis by Tara Austen Weaver

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

Girl you’re not talking to a doctor, you’re talking to an acupuncturist. 

My Planet: Finding Humor in the Oddest Places by Mary Roach

funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.5

I’ve only read Mary Roach’s pop-science books, so starting a collection of her Reader’s Digest columns took a little time to get used to, but I enjoyed her sweet anecdotes and great sense of humor. 

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

We’re in familiar territory here in Michaelides’s third book. In keeping with his previous novels there’s a Greek-heavy setting, characters that you never feel you should exactly trust, and 4 page chapters that are built to make you say “I could finish one more” until it’s midnight and your reading comprehension is dwindling. I loved The Silent Patient and The Maidens, but there was just something about this one that left me unfulfilled. The last four or five twists left me more confused than shocked, and the final ultimate actions each character takes to feel a sense of justice feel like nonsensical overreactions. I enjoyed the world building through the first 3/4ths of the book, but the payoff just felt overwrought to me. As a “more is more” kind of girl I’m surprised to say I would have enjoyed toning the final act down just a tad. 

Additional note: if you haven’t read The Silent Patient yet read that first, lest you be greatly spoiled. 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating by Charles Spence

adventurous funny informative slow-paced

5.0

I won’t be able to stop thinking about this book for a while! I listened to it as an audiobook and wish I had read a physical copy instead so I could look at all the citations. This pop science book focuses on what creates a great or memorable eating experience. The author covers multiple settings, from planes to packaged snacks at home to haute cuisine. As someone outside of the food scene but eagerly looking in, it made me look forward to my next meal out where I can see how many tips and tricks I notice at play. I would love to have gotten more into the nitty gritty and less into the multiple mentions of the Futurists but would totally recommend this book for anyone interested in an overview of what connects food, memory, and satisfaction.