mcteags's reviews
105 reviews

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

4.75

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.

100 pages in and I had to return the book to the lib,,, not sure I care enough to request it again? 👀😩

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

emotional inspiring reflective 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? Yes

3.0

Really wanted to love this sequel but I really wasn't as invested as I wanted to be? Would suggest rereading the first one to be more emotionally into the stakes in this one

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.0

Totally late to the party -- I think everyone I know read this in high school and I'm not usually one to hop on "this book is so good" hype, but I really enjoyed reading this! The world building is beautiful and really stirred an interest in the fantasy that is hard for me to buy into generally!!

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-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

3.0

I wanted to like this book more than I did, mostly due to the non sequitur stories that loosely formed a plot. It took almost 100 pages for me to understand what the real storyline was. 

It was beautifully written and I really enjoyed the individual storyline, but wanted more from it to learn more about the history. While it wasn't the book for me, I would still highly recommend it to others.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

3.5

This is a really quick, easy read -- perfect for a jump start back into reading. I picked it up one night and had it finished by the next day's afternoon. While it's not the most complex book, I found the characters intriguing and lovable and was invested in the story within the first 20 pages.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

I wanted to like this more than I did but it was a quick and easy read and I was rooting for them to get together by the end. I felt like some of the relationship development was cast aside for plot that wasn't entirely necessary but the world building was was nice! 

Wranglestone by Darren Charlton

adventurous dark 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 loved this book! I was in the mood for something a little more dark/ horror than my typical read so I picked it up on a whim and I was so pleasantly surprised. 

The setting of the national parks amidst a zombie apocalypse is fun and provides for unique challenges. I liked the romance (although a bit fast paced??) but I was all in as soon as I started reading.

Include Me Out by Katherine Silver, María Sonia Cristoff

challenging reflective slow-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? It's complicated

2.25

While I found parts of this book interesting, especially the tidbits about Mara's experience as a translator, it got lost in all the extensive descriptions of taxidermy and horses. I enjoyed the historical notes included in each chapter but wished there was more of a connection to what was going on in the story. 

Overall, this book was interesting, reflective, and challenging. Although I did not connect with it in the way I had hoped when I picked it up, I'm sure others will.

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

adventurous mysterious 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

3.25