oboejess's reviews
219 reviews

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

challenging dark mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

3.0

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

funny lighthearted reflective 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? No

5.0

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall

dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.5

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

4.5

The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak

adventurous 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? Yes

2.5

Milkman by Anna Burns
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.

Couldn’t get into it

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan

emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

4.5

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.

I couldn’t get into the story.  It traveled between too many POVs too quickly.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

I feel like the alternate title of this book should be Just When You Think It Can’t Get Worse, It Does.

Having said that, this is one of the best books I’ve read.  I just wanted to hug Jude and take care of him.  The things he endured, the things he accomplished, and the people he surrounded himself with kept me in the story.  

There is one point where I threw the book across the room.  There are several points where I had to set the book aside for a period of time before picking it back up.  So, take care of yourself as you read this.  But, man, what a fantastic piece of literature!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Car accident, Suicide attempt

Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation by Andrew Marantz

informative medium-paced

3.0