mgerboc's reviews
278 reviews

The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty by Sebastian Barry

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann

challenging dark mysterious 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

3.25

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

dark emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens

adventurous emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.5

Blood and Bone by Ian C. Esslemont

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-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

Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian C. Esslemont

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

AsiaTown Cleveland: From Tong Wars to Dim Sum by Alan F. Dutka

informative fast-paced

3.0

Really interesting if you want Cleveland-specific history about Chinese and more broadly East Asian immigration to the area. It's one of my favorite neighborhoods in Cleveland and is home to basically all my favorite restaurants, so it was cool seeing how that all developed. However, keep in mind that this is the work of an amateur and the writing is pretty bad. But it's short enough to get through in a sitting or two and contains enough interesting information that I didn't mind as much as if I weren't nostalgically connected to it.

Who Is the City For?: Architecture, Equity, and the Public Realm in Chicago by Blair Kamin

challenging hopeful informative fast-paced

4.0

Hit Man by Lawrence Block

dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0