paigej101's reviews
94 reviews

A Thousand Mornings: Poems by Mary Oliver

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.75

I wish I had been able to attend one of Mary Oliver's classes before she passed away. Her poetry is a play on the stress and pain of our human overthinking to nature pulling us out

It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

A lot of the language is repeated and I do feel this book could be condensed because of that. However, it is not a long book but does require taking notes and going back over chapters. If you are being thorough. It can be an emotional journey, but one perhaps worth taking

Cat Person and Other Stories by Kristen Roupenian

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

An interesting collection of short stories. Although most reviews seem to be coming from "cat person" I actually found it the least interesting of all the stories. Ending with milk wishes, about death and endings, was very poetic and Kristen Roupenian has a knack for streaming together realistic horrors of reality. "The good guy" was the longest and it's one that had me looking and thinking, "how many pages are left in this one" but then it gets better towards the end.

Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten

adventurous dark fast-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

4.75

Not at all what you are expecting! Great twists and turns, quick dialogue that keeps your attention.

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

reflective slow-paced

2.0

Be impeccable with your word. Don't take anything personally. Don't make assumptions. Always do your best

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

4.75

“The sun is perfect and you woke this morning. You have enough language in your mouth to be understood. You have a name, and someone wants to call it. Five fingers on your hand and someone wants to hold it. If we start there, every beautify thing that has existed, and will ever exist is possible. If we start there, everything for a moment is right in the world.”
A complex and thoughtful poetry book, well worth the read.

A Blue Sky Like This by Mona Awad

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

You Shall Know Our Velocity! by Dave Eggers

adventurous emotional reflective slow-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

3.5

"you give chaos, chaos gives back"
"The point is to offer yourself to death and see if you're chosen"
The two main characters are a juxtapose of each other which creates a great dynamic during their travels. Eggers can string words together to really make you think.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

informative reflective tense 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? Yes

4.0

I listened to the free audio on YouTube through Mrs.Pam reads and Portola- Butler Continuation School. I watched the movie years ago and the book definitely adds new context, especially around the violence. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Abandonment

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.0

A quick audiobook from the journal entries of a woman going insane. The use of old language like "dreadfully autistic" to describe decor is fun linguistically.