oceanwriter's reviews
731 reviews

One Piece, Volume 17: Hiriluk's Cherry Blossoms by Eiichiro Oda, Eiichiro Oda

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

3.5

I'm kind of in love with Chopper aww.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, and Grief

Minor: Fatphobia and Alcohol

One Piece, Volume 16: Carrying On His Will by Eiichiro Oda, Eiichiro Oda

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

3.75

Okay but am I the only one who couldn't stop thinking of Chopper's backstory as a retelling of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Grief

Minor: Bullying, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Angels of the Pacific: A Novel of World War II by Elise Hooper

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

4.0

Reading this book echoed memories I had reading 'When We Had Wings'. The characters had great chemistry. What I enjoyed most was this specific Resistance plot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and War

Moderate: Racism and Rape

Minor: Grief

The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

This story struck the right chords with me. I laughed out loud a couple of times and could find myself relating to Lucas. Over the top, yes, but that was part of its charm.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Violence, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Annie by Thomas Meehan

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-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

5.0

This story will never get old. I love all of the extra scenes, too, that aren't in the musical or movie adaptions. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Child abuse

Moderate: Death of parent

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

dark emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

2.75

A somewhat different read for me! My knowledge of Shakespeare and his works are minimal and largely based on pop culture references and spoofs, so there is an element of the book I could personally appreciate to the fullest. Given this, I was more drawn to the modern storyline. There were some beautiful quotes I enjoyed as well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Abortion

Moderate: Child death and Miscarriage

Minor: Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

One Piece, Volume 15: Straight Ahead!!! by Eiichiro Oda, Eiichiro Oda

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

Literally so stressed for Nami right now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Medical content

Minor: Fatphobia, Grief, and Alcohol

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

3.0

I keep hearing people recommend Lynn Painter's books so I figured I'd give them a go. The bookseller who checked out the three books I purchased was enthusiastically recommending them as well. Not surprisingly, I got my expectations up super high. I enjoyed the book and found it sweet, however, I wasn't as hooked as I expected to be. I'm still looking forward to reading the others I purchased. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Car accident, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cursing, Death, and Infidelity

Minor: Bullying

War of 1812: A History From Beginning to End by Henry Freeman

informative fast-paced

3.0

A good summary of the War of 1812. It's not a complete study guide, but a decent briefing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Kill the Beast by Serena Valentino

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

2.5

This was my first time reading a book from this series and it wasn’t for me. The writing style hindered my enjoyment immensely. I would have lived to have connected with the characters more instead of a distant narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Sexism, and Alcohol