madsmacmath's reviews
217 reviews

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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

5.0

I finished it a few hours ago and I can’t stop thinking about Sidney and Henry.

My favorite genre of book (sad, gay, character-based stories in history) and this one earned its place in the collection.

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

dark emotional funny inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

About to make this book my new obsession.

It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight a Pandemic by Jack Lowery

challenging emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

This should be how all history is written.

A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes

adventurous funny reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

I’d buy the book if the whole thing was 10. The Dream and Parenthesis.

Letters to a Young Writer by Colum McCann

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I’ve read this book a few times, and I think nearly every line has been underlined or highlighted in the process.

No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering by Thích Nhất Hạnh

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola
Did not finish book. Stopped at 62%.

I just…lost interest.

The first couple of stories were really lovely, like a mythology version of Sex Lives of African Women but then I just, without even a lot of reason, stopped caring.

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

dark funny inspiring tense fast-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? Yes

4.25

This book is really vibrant, clever, absurdist, and fun.

A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories by Mariana Enríquez

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

You know what you’re gonna get with Mariana and this is it.

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I read the memoir first, which is why I think I liked the memoir better.

I wish I hadn’t read the memoir first.