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moserk's reviews
80 reviews
The Goodbye Man by Jeffery Deaver
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
Lighthearted and full of sass, I found myself laughing a lot along the way.
For example, on traveling, Sloane likens herself to "a cat who urgently need to be on the other side of the room for no apparent reason" and that's laugh-out-loud hilarious, even for a dog person.
The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
Advice from a Blob: How to Find Peace in this Messy, Beautiful, Chaotic Existence by Lennnie
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This little 11-min audio from everyone's favorite gender neutral blob might just be you new favorite comfort read.
Daily gentle reminders/mantras.
Daily gentle reminders/mantras.
Beyond the Wand: The Magic & Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I always feel so strange at the mere idea of rating a memoir....but I found this particularly well done and hey, a 5-star rating never hurt.
Psst...Tom Felton narrates the audiobook and it has a bonus chapter not in the first publishing. Enjoy.
There's a reservedness about Tom's story where he shares while keeping certain pieces close and without oversharing or speaking ill of others. Yes, there's some behind-the-scenes bits on Harry Potter - but it's much more than that.
Psst...Tom Felton narrates the audiobook and it has a bonus chapter not in the first publishing. Enjoy.
There's a reservedness about Tom's story where he shares while keeping certain pieces close and without oversharing or speaking ill of others. Yes, there's some behind-the-scenes bits on Harry Potter - but it's much more than that.
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.0
The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.5
Love the premise - YA read with big themes and their intersectionality:
- immigrants/immigration
- LGBTQIA identities and their acceptance/lack thereof
- familial roles
- medical/healthcare ethics,
but execution fell short of my high hopes + left me wanting more. That said, really happy to know this exists in YA.
The pace felt rushed - just 50 more pages to shed more light, please! And some pieces really lacked clarity - although, maybe some of this is due to the focus on character/topic diversity, which again, I much appreciated. I (literally) felt like this story was all over the place - couldn't keep our location sequence sorted.
Worth noting: I had both a physical and audio copy of this and understood better during my physical chapters. At first I thought the detail disconnect was a symptom of my audio portions, but a quick peek at other reviews tells me that I'm not alone here.
The pace felt rushed - just 50 more pages to shed more light, please! And some pieces really lacked clarity - although, maybe some of this is due to the focus on character/topic diversity, which again, I much appreciated. I (literally) felt like this story was all over the place - couldn't keep our location sequence sorted.
Worth noting: I had both a physical and audio copy of this and understood better during my physical chapters. At first I thought the detail disconnect was a symptom of my audio portions, but a quick peek at other reviews tells me that I'm not alone here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Grief, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, and Homophobia
Ronit & Jamil by Pamela L. Laskin
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Setting aside my thoughts on the setting and the author's handling of a modern-day Romeo & Juliet but with an Israeli girl and Palestinian boy, this still missed the mark and fell incredibly flat for me.
I found the split POV difficult to follow (if not for the audiobook, I undoubtedly would have misinterpreted Jamil's sections as Ronit's words and vice verse) but appreciated the use of ghazal poem structure (although, I understand this requires at least a 5 couplet structure, and note that Ronit's first ghazal is only 4 couplets).
It's a 1-hr read if you feel called.
I found the split POV difficult to follow (if not for the audiobook, I undoubtedly would have misinterpreted Jamil's sections as Ronit's words and vice verse) but appreciated the use of ghazal poem structure (although, I understand this requires at least a 5 couplet structure, and note that Ronit's first ghazal is only 4 couplets).
It's a 1-hr read if you feel called.
After the Lights Go Out by John Vercher
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
To say I 'enjoyed' this would be wrong, but I'd recommend the read, yes. My heart absolutely aches for our main character.
Xavier "Scarecrow" Wallace is a mixed race MMA fighter looking to return to the ring following a 1-year suspension, while also battling CTE. Parallel to all this (as if it weren't enough), Xavier is forced to watch his father (Sam) battle dementia, an ugly disease which soon reveals a side Xavier never knew existed - one that might well explain why his mother left his father all those years ago; some people aren't what the seem once their filter is removed.
A heart-wrenching story of many battles, both in and out of the ring. I found it heavy, but well written. Feels like one that will stick with me awhile.
Xavier "Scarecrow" Wallace is a mixed race MMA fighter looking to return to the ring following a 1-year suspension, while also battling CTE. Parallel to all this (as if it weren't enough), Xavier is forced to watch his father (Sam) battle dementia, an ugly disease which soon reveals a side Xavier never knew existed - one that might well explain why his mother left his father all those years ago; some people aren't what the seem once their filter is removed.
A heart-wrenching story of many battles, both in and out of the ring. I found it heavy, but well written. Feels like one that will stick with me awhile.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit, Blood, Self harm, Death of parent, and Eating disorder