maddiehardick's reviews
11 reviews

Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck

challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Black Tide by K.C. Jones

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

2.5

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

I’ve always loved everything I’ve read by Murakami, and after reading his (admittedly dated, at this point) sort-of-memoire, I’ve come to respect and admire him as a person as well. His style here is lighthearted but reflective and even a bit mystical as always. Another great, quick read from my favorite author.

Severance by Ling Ma

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I’ve always loved Murakami’s writing since I was in high school, and as I’ve gotten older I’ve been able to not only love it but also see it for what it is: a novel written by a Japanese man who grew up in the 70s. Some of his writing of the female characters in his novels, including this one, reflects the rather primitive view that women are unknowable and mysterious. As a result, his female characters tend to be over sexualised and not very deep. Almost as if they are just symbols and signs in the male journey. 

Other than that sort of thing, I find Murakami’s poignant and meandering way of writing as moving and tender as ever. And also, there is some genuinely great humor in this story. Loved the characters, especially Hoshino. This book will always hold a special place in my heart.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

funny reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

I was obsessed with the 2013 Luhrmann movie, but never read the book until now (2023). I was surprised at how much the movie made the story a bit romance-centric when really it seems like The Great Gatsby is a commentary on the cruelty of wealth and the disillusionment that comes with it. Incredible read - not 5 stars because it’s quite dated at this point and some of the references and diction reflect that.