msmichaela's Reviews (546)

challenging dark tense medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Whew, took me a while to get through this. Dystopian fiction is not my jam, nor is theology. Despite those factors and how incredibly dark and realistic Butler’s vision of the future is, I’m so glad I read it. 
funny lighthearted fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Such an enjoyable page-turner. I was oddly distracted by Guillory’s descriptions of physical positions / movements, which didn’t really make sense, but that hardly detracted from the fun.  

This is an odd book about a really unusual protagonist. Reads a bit too much like an MFA project to me. 
funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

I love Talia Hibbert but holy cow, the main characters could not so much as take a step without three sentences of description. I found this surprisingly tedious at times for an otherwise really enjoyable, spicy romance. 
dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Spare, emotional, food-heavy memoir with recipes. Its only flaw is that it is too short! 
dark emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
informative reflective medium-paced

Fascinating, depressing look at American food culture—including the wellness / organic / farm-to-table movements. Virginia Sole-Smith is an excellent reporter and a deeply sympathetic narrator; I’ve since followed her other work. I’m not sure this book comes to a larger conclusion than that American attitudes about food and weight are deeply disordered; as the family member of someone dealing with an actual eating disorder I was hoping for something more actionable, but the problems are too large for simple solutions. 
emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I really enjoyed this novel about a Chinese American young man and his complicated relationship with his identity, as well as his biological and adopted parents. There was a tiny bit too much plot complication, but that’s a minor quibble. 

We Ride Upon Sticks

Quan Barry

DID NOT FINISH: 30%

My brain is extra sludgy of late, and this novel contains both a million characters and a heavily foreshadowed SOMETHING that was driving me crazy. I did not click with the narrative structure in the lest. 
funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Lippman is just what you want in a memoirist: a bit hard on herself; a bit easy on most other people; and appropriately, hilariously harsh about a select few. Would I like her to be my friend? 100%.