maggies's reviews
639 reviews

Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America by Alec MacGillis, Stefan Alexander MacGillis

informative medium-paced

4.0

Data and stories to back up what I already believed, but well-packaged imo

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

emotional sad medium-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? It's complicated

2.0

Too melodramatic. Jake wasn't leading man material and his whole situation was red flags galore. Sadie goes down further in my estimation for loving him.

Murtagh by Christopher Paolini

adventurous emotional tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

Murtagh is(was) admittedly not a favorite of mine, but that's all changed now! I loved reading about his relationship with Thorn, and I appreciated learning about his traumas and beginning to better understand him. Some parts were difficult and/or boring to read, and the pacing felt off at times, but I mostly just loved returning to Alagaësia for a new story!

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

emotional mysterious 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

4.0

A quick read, hugely emotional by the end. It took a bit longer than I would have liked to get past the whining about Eddie being gone and start learning new things, but the payoff was ultimately worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Grief

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig

reflective slow-paced

5.0

Meditative. Listening to the audiobook was a bit like ASMR. My favorites:

• ozurie – feeling torn between the life you want and the life you have
• proluctance – the paradoxical urge to avoid doing something you’ve been looking forward to; perpetually waiting around for the right state of mind, stretching out the bliss of anticipation as long as you can
• hanker sore - finding a person so attractive it actually kinda pisses you off
• wytai (acronym of When You Think About It) - a feature of modern civilization that suddenly strikes you as absurd and grotesque

Bad Actors by Mick Herron

adventurous funny tense 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? Yes

5.0

So Herron really upped his game on this one—I loved it! The bit of Bad Actors was so well done, and when I finally got it, boy did I get it. I'm super happy I decided to read on in the series, and now I'm looking forward to book #9, slated to be released in 2025.

Just Friends by Holly McCulloch

emotional funny medium-paced

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

2.0

Quirky but not, flawed but not, apparently amazing at everything but has really low self-esteem, scenes that felt like they wouldn't be out of place in Bridget Jones. Not my favorite.

Slough House by Mick Herron

funny mysterious tense 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? Yes

3.0

The political machinations somehow both have higher stakes and are less interesting in this book than in earlier entries to the series. I definitely skim-listened to those episodes, which didn't help my comprehension. There's a chance I would have stopped reading the series after this one but for that cliffhanger. Not sure what that says about the quality of the book vs me as a reader.

Joe Country by Mick Herron

adventurous funny tense 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? Yes

3.0

Important note: I still very much enjoyed this book. But...compared to earlier installments in the series, this one lacked something. The turnover of characters keeps the series fresh but also slightly harder to follow, harder to care. I've become attached to Jackson Lamb, I think, simply because he's the only one I can't imagine Herron killing off. Ah well, will keep reading.

The Upside of Falling by Alex Light

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.0

Easy to read but kind of forgettable. Didn't read like real life, more like fan fiction fantasy.