mmrohbock's reviews
744 reviews

Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World by Chris Lowney

informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

4⭐

While probably not a book I'd recommend to many, this was a good blend of history, religion and leadership skills that I enjoyed and thought had some excellent anecdotes. (And yes this is not my normal read but this was a gift from a work colleague last year and I'm just glad I'll be able to tell them I finally read it next week.)

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

4.5

4.5⭐

Charmaine Wilkerson is unparalleled in her ability to weave stories together. What starts as a story of different timelines and characters comes together in this beautiful blend of family history, a horrible tragedy and bit of mystery trying to figure out how they connect beyond their love of an old jar created by an enslaved man. After starting off slightly slow, I could not put this one down. If you (like me) love the books Homegoing and Black Cake, I think you'll love this one too.

Hardly Strangers by A.C. Robinson

emotional hopeful fast-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

3.75

3.75⭐
R🌶️

This novella was so Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist coded if Nick and Norah were adults who lived in LA. 

And yes I know how niche that makes this review!

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.5

4.5⭐

What a fun book 100 for me! This book gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings I love from a good book. A lonely thoughtful traveler finds friendship, helps people, saves her people a little bit and discovers that she doesn't have to be so lonely after all. If you loved the Spellshop but wanted a little bit more conflict (but not too much!), you'll love this one.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

5⭐
No 🌶️ but still feels spicy?!

Ummm I think I'm going to need 3-4 business days to recover from this book and write a good review. This book was EVERYTHING. Figure skating, competition, rivals turned friends, lovers turned enemies, the Olympics, a bit of a throuple and a Wuthering Height's retelling all in the same book!! I couldn't put this down and I couldn't guess where the twists and pirouettes and jumps were headed next.

If you loved Spinning Out on Netflix (or The Cutting Edge) and Daisy Jones and the Six and classical novels, you MUST read this in 2025. It was good. Read it so we can gush over it together.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

challenging emotional informative relaxing tense fast-paced

4.5

4.5⭐ on 🎧

One of the most poetic writers of our time. Also I just love when dads write books that are basically love letters to their kids.

I'll Get Back to You by Becca Grischow

hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

3.75⭐
PG🌶️

Wow did I forget how painfully awkward being twenty-one was until reading this book!! Murphy was truly the character still figuring out what an adult meant and I think so many twenty-somethings will see themselves in this book, even if the romance lacked some spark. I'm so happy for Becca's first book with her actual name on it and look forward to seeing more formally written by her in the future!

Bonus points for references to my alma mater references though--go Illini 🙂

There There by Tommy Orange

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

4⭐ on 🎧

This is a tough book to review. There are so many characters focused on in such a short book that sometimes I got lost, but there was so much value in showing all these different people and their lives. This is one of those important books that I think actually deserves to be longer!

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

4⭐
G🌶️

If you're over the sappy Christmas books set in places like Evergreen Mistletoe Falls, why not try this little romp of Christmas falling in love meets murder mystery? Honestly the perfect book to curl up with by the fire while you're visiting family I've tried holidays so you can figure out which of your cousins is most likely to kill you for your fortune.

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop

emotional funny inspiring fast-paced

I will always adore Emily Gilmore & Kelly Bishop.