oashackelford's Reviews (358)

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind

Nate Bargatze

5.0

funny lighthearted medium-paced

The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas

4.5

adventurous challenging 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: Complicated

In the beginning I felt that the book was moving fast, even though he was imprisoned for 14 years, but by the time he gets around to settling his revenge on his victims, that part is a slow burn and it takes quite a while for the hammer to drop.

The Ladies Rewrite the Rules

Suzanne Allain

3.75

funny lighthearted medium-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: No

Under the Cover of Mercy

Rebecca Connolly

3.5

emotional informative inspiring medium-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: No

I just didn't like the way the book ended. The writing is good, but I massively disliked the ending

Piranesi

Susanna Clarke

4.5

challenging hopeful 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: No

Yellowface

R.F. Kuang

5.0

challenging funny tense 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: Yes

This is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time. The author does such a good job of putting you inside Juniper's head and walking you through the mental gymnastics that you would have to go through in order to justify stealing your deceased friend's manuscript.

I kept thinking that her actions could not get worse, and then it would get worse. You feel anxiety and empathy for June until you remember that what she is doing is so unbelievably wrong. I got this to read on the beach, and I was a little worried that it might not be quite engrossing enough for me to tune out distractions, but boy was I wrong.

This book was so difficult to put down and it was a very fun read.

Content Warnings