lucybbookstuff's reviews
365 reviews

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This was a very sweet read!

I got this as a gift and had never heard of it before. Honestly only picked it up thanks to my TBR jar deciding my fate. And I'm glad I did!

It is a very lovely "book book" that does that theme very well, without being too cheesy or preachy. And also happens to tell multiple beautiful human stories with themes of forgiveness, both of yourself and others, and self-actualization, no matter your age. Also really appreciated the compassionate treatment of imprisoned women, by the characters and the author.

A bit cozier than I usually go for, but it was nice. :) And definitely well-written, and an appropriate length for what it is. Good audiobook too! (I ended up immersion reading most of it.)

There was one subplot I loathed 💀 and found almost entirely unnecessary. But at least it ended in a satisfactory way.

Mad Ship by Robin Hobb

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Oh my GOD!!!!!!!

I'm gonna need 3-5 business days to process that ending! Absolutely incredible! There's no way I can put more than a few weeks between this and Ship of Destiny!

Much of this book was very slow setup - not complaining, it's all necessary and done so well, and I've know from the very start of Assassin's Apprentice that I can trust Hobb's process. And MY GOD did she come through with an epic Hobbicane!!! (My word for her wild endings, a la "Sanderlanche.")

The expansion of the lore in this trilogy is AMAZING. The way she feeds it to us in this book especially is so perfect. And just the lore itself..... it's hard to fathom how smart Robin Hobb is and how well-planned this entire series is. The tie-ins to events in the Farseer trilogy as well were so sparse but always SO exciting! And that one huge character realization I had... 🤌🏻🤩

The character development as well, for practically everyone in this book, was so good and often so satisfying. Hobb's character work and knowledge of humanity is seriously unmatched.

As always, I feel devastated that this series will ever have to end. But this time I feel less like I have to draw it out. Things are heating up substantially and I'm not going to be able to make it last as long as I originally planned. Let's do this. 👊🏻

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

This book is cheesy, a bit oversimplified, and almost certainly VERY historically inaccurate.

But damn if it didn't make me cry! 😭

Just a little weepy at the end there, but still. (If this ever becomes a movie, I will sob.) It was a lovely story. A sweet and defiant queer love story in a very cool setting, portraying many very relatable human experiences.

TJR is a writer of popcorn fiction. But what's another word for popcorn in this context? Accessible. This was a quick and easy read that still felt real and packed an emotional punch.

She may not be a master of prose or very subtle with her themes, but she can tell a damn story. Sometimes that's all you really need. It's not usually what I gravitate towards these days (I picked this up for book club), but it 1000% has value.

That probably sounds condescending, which is not my intention, but alas. I'm probably a bit of a snob these days, but I'll own it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Regardless, I'd like to think

Joan and Vanessa are out there somewhere, married and growing old together. Frances is thriving in the life of her choosing. And Barbara is miserable and rotting. :)

Edit after book club: I'm raising my rating from 4 to 4.25! We had such a great discussion and I found myself sharing a lot of things I really liked about this book, so it deserves the boost. :)

The Winners: A Novel by Fredrik Backman

emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Did this book need to exist? Maybe not. But this town deserved a grand finale.

Was it perhaps a bit too long? Yes. Would I still have read it if it were 2000 pages? Absolutely.

I just adore this community so much. You love them, you hate them, you cheer them on, you want to smack them. Most importantly, you understand them. Even if you'd never be them in a thousand years, even if you vehemently despise the sport they all worship. Backman's writing makes you feel like you live there anyway. Like these people are your people and you'd do anything for them, even when you'd also do anything to make them see sense.

He is one of my favorite character writers of all time. Even though Beartown didn't need to extend beyond book 1, I would read a new book about it every year. Just to be back with my people.

That said, he did seem to wrap it up here. And that's probably for the best.

I can't give this book 5 stars because it was too long and had perhaps a few too many threads. Some things felt a little too fleshed-out that didn't need to be, while others felt rushed and abrupt by the end. I also read it at a very busy time, so it had many stops and starts, which is my fault, but still probably affected my experience, and is definitely muddling my overall feelings about it.

It's not a 5 star book, but it's a 5 star series. A 5 star town. I love this town but also fuck this town. But only I can say that. Because it's my town.

Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary, Resilient, Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

An excellent memoir essay collection! She seamlessly wove together some general education on disability issues/topics with her own experiences. I had to listen to it in 2 days due to my libby hold expiring, but I found that very easy to do. Her writing and narration are fun and friendly and, dare I say, accessible. It was a very good, informative, quick read.

Solito by Javier Zamora

dark emotional hopeful tense slow-paced

4.0

This is a very worthwhile memoir, especially as a white US citizen (and specifically living in a border state) at this current moment in 2025. It was very illuminating for me about the often harrowing details of the undocumented immigrant experience. They are most often just regular people, trying to find a better life for themselves and keep their families afloat. It shouldn't have to be this way. Zamora told his story in painstaking detail and I'm so glad he did. Most of us could stand to learn more about what undocumented immigrants go through.

I do have a couple of complaints that are entirely personal preferences, but they still kept me from having a better experience.

Zamora is a very good writer, and his memory for these events is incredible. However, the book did feel long and I think he probably could have left out a fair amount of detail and kept the same impact. I definitely understand the decision to be so detailed and to make us feel the suffocating monotony and claustrophobia of his experience. But nonetheless, it made my reading/listening experience somewhat tedious.

The biggest thing though, is just that I've learned that I strongly prefer memoirs that have present-day reflection interspersed. I do not typically love memoirs that are told entirely from the past POV; simply the "this happened, that happened" narrative of their life. For some reason, I feel disconnected from the story when it's told that way.

This book has an epilogue from the perspective of present-day Javier Zamora, catching us up to date. I felt the most emotion during that section, because he was reflecting on his past rather than just telling me about it.

Like I said, entirely personal preference. But I still HIGHLY recommend this book for expanding one's empathy and knowledge, especially to my fellow Americans.

Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.

Had this paused for a while. I was hoping to read both Sheff memoirs, but I started this one and was not into it at all. So thought I'd do David's first and then return to this.

Haven't gotten to David's yet, but let's be honest, I probably won't finish this.

It wasn't bad. I just don't really like memoirs that are written entirely from the past POV. I prefer some present-day reflection mixed in. And apart from that, he really was not shying away from the gorey details of his addiction and it was honestly making me physically ill.

Glad he told his story and I'm so glad he's doing well in sobriety, but yeah. I'm good.

Dreams of Sorrow by Shauna Lawless

dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

Another excellent novella in the Gael Song saga! This one fits SO well after book 2.

A heartbreaking backstory for a character I didn't think we would hear from directly. Plus some backstory for one of the most detestable villains I've ever read. 😒

Maybe because it's been a couple months since I read book 2, but I didn't feel quite as connected to this one. Hence the 4.25 instead of 4.5. Still very good, though.

Really looking forward to the third novel and novella!

On Vicious Worlds by Bethany Jacobs

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.25

Still really enjoying this series! This one was not quite on par with book 1 for me, but still very good.

I enjoyed the various mysteries, the political intrigue was top notch, and the world continues to be fascinating and extremely well-built.

However, this second installment definitely drove home that the character work is on the backburner after those other things. Which is fine and fair, I just really wanted more from the characters and their relationships. Everything is a bit surface level, and motivations aren't especially fleshed out.

Especially for the villains. The mysteries were so interesting, but whenever we got to an actual reveal, it kinda fell flat for me. Not enough villain backstory or hints dropped.

That said, I do really like our main characters, and I really enjoy the other elements and I'm having a lot of fun with this series. Really looking forward to book 3 in November and seeing what becomes of the Treble! 👀

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Enthusiastic 5 stars. I can't imagine awarding this book anything less.

Absolute perfection.

I'm still sitting here with a broken heart. And yet, I feel it also gave me the tools to piece myself back together.

I don't know what it says about me, but I love when a book (or any media) can make me feel this way. It's a sign of a truly talented artist. Any old sad scene can make me feel a bit sad. But not everything can make me feel shattered, ruined, literally physically depressed. Make me explore the depths of human emotion. It hurts, but it's a great feeling to know I get to experience such great art. I feel incredibly lucky.

Her prose is unbelievably gorgeous. It was not overwritten at all, very succinct, very easy to read. But managed to convey such humanity. My favorite character writers of all time always have this ability to cut to the core of the human experience. They could be writing the feeling of a character in 1500s England, but I'll find that feeling so utterly relatable while sitting with my 21st century comforts.

She also managed to provide such vivid imagery. I'm rarely able to imagine the visuals of a book so well.

And that's all to say nothing of the beautiful, heartrending story she conveyed. Even though it must all be either conjecture or completely imagined (even bordering on magical realism occasionally). She made me believe it wholeheartedly, and I never once felt tripped up by thoughts of what the real history might be.

This book is one in a million. Beautiful and devastating. It is safe to say Maggie O'Farrell is a new favorite author.