oashackelford's reviews
331 reviews

GHOSTS: The Button House Archives by Simon Farnaby, Ben Willbond, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, Martha Howe-Douglas, Mathew Baynton

funny informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin

adventurous funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

Although I was disappointed by what ended up being in the box in the end, I did think that the overall message of the book was good and it made me think about the way that I use the internet.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime by Leonie Swann

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Please Unsubscribe, Thanks!: How to Take Back Our Time, Attention, and Purpose in a World Designed to Bury Us in Bullshit by Julio Vincent Gambuto

challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced

3.0

I like some of the advice that he gives in the book, but some of it feels untenable to me. He advises unsubscribing from your kids school and only looking in if it is important, ummmm, no. That is a really hard thing to do as a parent. I cannot make myself unreachable for the purpose of finding peace, it's something that is just a little to much at this time. 

Merchant of Venice (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes

challenging medium-paced

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

2.75

 I like the trickery of the play but I wish it was because Shylock is a genuinely bad dude who does evil for a living. Instead he is just a Jewish man who does his job and is tired of being mocked and harassed all the time and they take everything from him in such an illegal way. They don't honor their contract and they take him for everything that he is worth.

I think it would be a lot more enjoyable to watch the trickery if Shylock in any way really deserved it, but he doesn't. Even Othello is treated with more dignity. 

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Leonie Swann

adventurous funny mysterious relaxing 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? It's complicated

5.0

The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's by Hanna Alkaf

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

They never explicitly describe what happens to the main character, but it is clear what happened to her

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

dark funny sad slow-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? No

3.5

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

adventurous funny medium-paced

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

4.0

 

I like that the author had the main character living in the Alaskan wilderness for six years prior to this story taking place. The motivation for the villain is a little vague and lacking, but the things that the kids do to survive feel really realistic and that makes the book really enjoyable.