oenophile_bibliophile's reviews
443 reviews

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.75

I get the appeal, but this was too slow and I didn’t really care about the human characters and all their failed communication that drove the entire plot. 

It also really irritated me that the octopus just magically knew things to drive the plot forward.

How did he know where the driver licence was in the first place? How did he know that Tova would recognize the last name on it as Daphne’s?

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

4.25

Really beautifully written and really eloquently balanced abuse alongside respect for her Rastafarian father

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein

informative slow-paced

3.0

She spent a lot of time forcing world events to fit into her thesis and ignored the other factors at play (mainly good old fashioned corruption). An interesting read, but it was far from perfect.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

relaxing slow-paced

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

2.0

This was just boring, and prose was a bit pretentious at times… I also hated the ending

Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life & Sudden Death by Laura Cumming
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.

I’m sure others would appreciate the prose, but for me, it just feels wrong to read lengthy descriptions of paintings and how the author feels about them…

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.

Just too long to carry on when it’s not grabbing me and I don’t care what happens to any of the characters

Beach Read by Emily Henry

dark emotional funny hopeful medium-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

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny slow-paced

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

2.5

Being hot and having anxiety is not a personality. Two medical doctors lacking the most basic of communication skills was just annoying. Huge disappointment given how much I loved Part of your World.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

Loved the concept, but the writing wasn’t great. The voices of the two narrators were pretty much indistinguishable.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

The way the author just so completely is the voice of the narrator. Incredible.