Take a photo of a barcode or cover
okinreads's reviews
78 reviews
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was fun and quick! Parts of this book were pretty creepy and unsettling. Overall a good message and I enjoyed the story. Writing style definitely YA aligned which I don’t usually enjoy as much. Things I could figure out myself as the reader were, imo, over explained. But I really liked the main characters.
Gunk Baby by Jamie Marina Lau
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The Dinner by Herman Koch
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Dinner is a book that takes place over the course of a dinner between two couples at an upscale restaurant. Over the course of the meal, you learn more about each character and why they agreed to meet in the first place.
I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the experience of seeing everything through Paul’s perspective. At the beginning, I just thought he was a little snarky but overall a normal guy who liked to eat at regular restaurants and spend time with his family. I took his word for it that his brother was pretentious and I could see where he was coming from. However, after a few comments here and there that gave me pause, I started questioning his point of view. By the end, things completely devolved and I was left decently shocked by how far the parents were willing to go.
One thing I found interesting was that going in, I knew there was something that the kids did that was pretty bad from the book’s description. I had assumed that the main plot of the book would involve revealing whatever it was. Instead, it was revealed very early on. The intrigue for me after that was trying to figure out how the four parents actually felt about it. Personally, I really liked being dragged along through Paul’s weird outlook and picking out the red flags when he would describe memories of past events.
Overall, really enjoyable for me!
I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the experience of seeing everything through Paul’s perspective. At the beginning, I just thought he was a little snarky but overall a normal guy who liked to eat at regular restaurants and spend time with his family. I took his word for it that his brother was pretentious and I could see where he was coming from. However, after a few comments here and there that gave me pause, I started questioning his point of view. By the end, things completely devolved and I was left decently shocked by how far the parents were willing to go.
One thing I found interesting was that going in, I knew there was something that the kids did that was pretty bad from the book’s description. I had assumed that the main plot of the book would involve revealing whatever it was. Instead, it was revealed very early on. The intrigue for me after that was trying to figure out how the four parents actually felt about it. Personally, I really liked being dragged along through Paul’s weird outlook and picking out the red flags when he would describe memories of past events.
Overall, really enjoyable for me!
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
adventurous
funny
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? It's complicated
3.75
This book was great! Fast paced and short, I finished in one sitting. The main character is so interesting in how she sees the world and herself. Working at a convenient store sounds decently terrible and the way she describes the mundane tasks with such whole hearted passion compared to how she views everything else in her life really gripped me. Like what do you mean you don’t understand why you should care about your nephew but feel full body joy at the thought of mopping the floors?? I’m obsessed!
I read Earthlings first and love that book and this story definitely feels similar in some ways but doesn’t go quite as far. Because of that, I did feel like something was missing. At the same time, though, I respect how the book wrapped up and I enjoyed her revelation at the end about herself and what she wants to do with her life.
I read Earthlings first and love that book and this story definitely feels similar in some ways but doesn’t go quite as far. Because of that, I did feel like something was missing. At the same time, though, I respect how the book wrapped up and I enjoyed her revelation at the end about herself and what she wants to do with her life.
The Crocodile Bride by Ashleigh Bell Pedersen
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Immersive, detailed, and emotionally charged from beginning to end. A slow start as characters are introduced, but the pace picks up and I found myself really invested in the well being of many of the characters. The characters were complex and interesting and I loved getting insight into each generation of the family. At parts the story felt really grounded and straight to the point and at other times was more abstract and emotional and I enjoyed that back and forth. There are a lot of difficult topics in this book, so mind the content warnings, but really an amazing book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, and Sexual assault
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Reading this book was such a wild ride! I went into this book knowing next to nothing. I had seen one tik tok about it being disturbing but no info was given and I read the description before checking out the ebook at the library, which also gave no real information about the tone or plot of this book. I was completely blindsided by the intensity of this story. I sat and read the whole thing in one sitting and I couldn’t look away until it was over.
I felt completely engrossed and upset reading about the Natsuki’s family life and experiences as a child and seeing how she described everything she went through and the coping strategies she had developed in order to continue on living. It was just so extremely sad. When she’s an adult and sees her cousin again and fully describes her relationship with her husband, it was so shocking and upsetting to fully realize that she is still fully immersed in the coping strategies and world that she created for herself as a kid. I found myself hoping that the book would end with proof that she really was an alien all along for her sake!
This book is intense. Like others have said, I would advise looking at the trigger warnings before reading, unless you have experience with and an interest in disturbing books. It was an engaging and thought provoking book! One of the best but most disturbing stories I’ve read.
I felt completely engrossed and upset reading about the Natsuki’s family life and experiences as a child and seeing how she described everything she went through and the coping strategies she had developed in order to continue on living. It was just so extremely sad. When she’s an adult and sees her cousin again and fully describes her relationship with her husband, it was so shocking and upsetting to fully realize that she is still fully immersed in the coping strategies and world that she created for herself as a kid. I found myself hoping that the book would end with proof that she really was an alien all along for her sake!
This book is intense. Like others have said, I would advise looking at the trigger warnings before reading, unless you have experience with and an interest in disturbing books. It was an engaging and thought provoking book! One of the best but most disturbing stories I’ve read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Suicide attempt
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
I really enjoyed this book! Something that I found unique and helpful was that the author included a lot of relatable examples that showed exactly how to use what he’s talking about in the book. I enjoy reading about enlightenment and inner peace, but a lot of the time it can feel confusing, especially when I’m trying to imagine how to apply the teachings into my own life. Because of the examples the author included, I feel like I can actually use some of what he talked about to directly improve my mindset and life in general immediately. My experience reading most of this book involved reading a chapter or so in one sitting and then applying what he said to my life and mindset and then going back to the book the next day. This is the main reason I’m rating this book 5 stars - it is an easy to understand, practical book, that gives clear examples and strategies for what to do. The only two things that I didn’t like as much about this book are 1) it’s repetitive and 2) it becomes explicitly religious in the final chapter. The repetitiveness was fine, because different people will need to see concepts in different ways to understand. But I didn’t really like how in the last chapter, the author begins outright talking about God and that if you see ultimate beauty in things then that is god seeing through you, not you seeing on your own. Growing up non-religious, I found this to be uncomfortable wording and I just didn’t resonate with it as much. But I’d still highly recommend this book!
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: how to heal from distant, rejecting, or self-Involved-parents by Lindsay C. Gibson
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.75
I found this book to be incredibly helpful and informative. I listened to the audiobook version, which I think helped it feel more engaging. The author goes over a few major sections that include what it means to be emotionally immature and specifically how this influences parenting, the impact of being raised by emotionally immature parents on the child, and finally resources and strategies for navigating life as an adult after having these experiences. There were exercises throughout the book to help you through the process and I found them to be really helpful. After finishing the book, I feel like I have more confidence and a stronger capability when it comes to assessing my needs, setting boundaries, and navigating future interactions with a focus on self care and self love. Very exciting!! I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who struggles in their relationship with their parents, grandparents, in laws, or if you just want to better understand emotional immaturity.
There were a few things that do hold this book back in my opinion. The first thing is that I didn’t see the author ever state the cultural context she comes from or what lens to read the book in. To me, everything is cultural, so that felt like a crucial piece that was missing. I did my own research on the author and figured out she is a white American, but I think it would’ve been useful to acknowledge that that’s her background and the context for her research. The second thing is that she sections off the children of emotionally immature parents into two types: internalizers and externalizers. She spends a great deal of time focusing on internalizers and their traits, internal beliefs, typical ways they express themselves in this context, and ways to cope with some of the unhealthy thought patterns they have. She also states that if you’re reading her book, you’re most likely an internalizer. I was hoping she would go into as much depth with externalizers, but she really just said that typically externalizers become emotionally immature parents later in life, blame their problems on others, and don’t seek out self awareness, and she left it at that. I didn’t appreciate this model and although she says you can have traits from both sides, I don’t see why a binary system is helpful in the first place. Internalizers are absolutely emotionally immature as well and primarily focusing on the negative aspects of externalizers felt very strange to me.
Overall, despite my complaints, I did still find this book to be helpful and insightful! I would recommend taking the internalizer/externalizer binary less seriously, but to hear what she says and take what you specifically need from the book.
There were a few things that do hold this book back in my opinion. The first thing is that I didn’t see the author ever state the cultural context she comes from or what lens to read the book in. To me, everything is cultural, so that felt like a crucial piece that was missing. I did my own research on the author and figured out she is a white American, but I think it would’ve been useful to acknowledge that that’s her background and the context for her research. The second thing is that she sections off the children of emotionally immature parents into two types: internalizers and externalizers. She spends a great deal of time focusing on internalizers and their traits, internal beliefs, typical ways they express themselves in this context, and ways to cope with some of the unhealthy thought patterns they have. She also states that if you’re reading her book, you’re most likely an internalizer. I was hoping she would go into as much depth with externalizers, but she really just said that typically externalizers become emotionally immature parents later in life, blame their problems on others, and don’t seek out self awareness, and she left it at that. I didn’t appreciate this model and although she says you can have traits from both sides, I don’t see why a binary system is helpful in the first place. Internalizers are absolutely emotionally immature as well and primarily focusing on the negative aspects of externalizers felt very strange to me.
Overall, despite my complaints, I did still find this book to be helpful and insightful! I would recommend taking the internalizer/externalizer binary less seriously, but to hear what she says and take what you specifically need from the book.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75