madsmacmath's reviews
217 reviews

You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

It’s really fun and precious.

Schitts Creek meets Red White and Royal Blue meets Single All the Way (or literally any Hallmark Christmas movie).

Exactly what you’d want and expect from a gay, christmas, pro-mental health romcom.

Of Blood and Sweat: Black Lives and the Making of White Power and Wealth by Clyde W Ford

challenging dark inspiring sad tense slow-paced

4.75

Perhaps my most annotated book.

This book needs to be read by every American and it needs to be taught in every American History 101 class. It won’t be, because we live in an unfortunate 2024 timeline. Which makes it perhaps even more relevant and necessary today.

The only caveat (?), if it can be called that, is that it’s dense. I’m a fast reader and it took me twice as long to finish. Slower readers be warned but not deterred!

The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.75

Why isn’t this book more popular?! Highly recommend. 

It is absolutely heartbreaking, moving, and a tribute to all the lives stolen by those who would use AIDS as another weapon of hate. 

If you grew up gay in the south and long for a place you can never return, you’ll get it. 

Lie with Me by Philippe Besson

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.25

Maybe I’ve just read too many books like this. Maybe I should have read a physical copy and not the audiobook. Maybe I’m just prejudiced against the French. 

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

dark mysterious tense 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

2.75

It felt overdone, with the adjectives and the high-brow references. The Halloween aesthetic was on point, but that was about it for me.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

For a book that’s 500 pages long, it’s a quick read. The POVs are short and the cliff-hanger plot twists keep you engaged. The northeast, summer camp in the Adirondacks is also a true, aesthetic, unsettling vibe.

I wouldn’t say I was surprised by the plot twists but there were definitely a lot of options for the theories that she plays with as you’re reading. 

If you’re looking for a really engaging literary thriller, this one meets the mark.

All Fours by Miranda July

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

2.75

I love an unhinged main character. I love a stream-of-consciousness journey of self-discovery. I love messy characters who need to find themselves.

And while I didn’t hate it, this just didn’t do it for me. I’m happy there is midlife, menopause representation and I see how readers could find themselves in this book.

I felt like our girl just needed a therapist and someone to explain ethical non-monogamy to her. She annoyed me early on and the writing style couldn’t quite pull me out of that.

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Sometimes Adjei-Brenyah’s writing can be hard to follow; there are a lot of dystopian descriptions, characters, and strange character names. It’s not always my favorite and it can feel a little clunky at times.

But holy shit, which is the same feeling I had while reading Friday Black. You read his footnotes and suddenly the line between fiction and reality is alarmingly blurry. It leaves you screaming and it damn-well should.

Committed: On Meaning and Madwomen by Suzanne Scanlon

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Good book; great new TBR.

The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

dark reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

Queer coded, not a queer love story. Don’t let them deceive you.

I wonder what Oscar Wilde would think of a world where boys can kiss boys and twenty year olds get botox.