paperback_cat's reviews
1468 reviews

Horror Stories: A Memoir by Liz Phair

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2.5

I need to stop reading memoirs 😬 because they seem to mostly make me like the person less.

But anyways, this IS quite well written. I liked the chapters that leant more into the personal essay style, where Liz relates her life experiences to the general human experience. I did not like the chapters where she was clearly being a terrible person and/or talking about general privileged-person issues that (to me) aren't really worth being published, although I'm sure some people would enjoy those stories and/or find them relatable.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ not for me.
Edge of Tomorrow by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

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3.5

This was a re-read but wow, my memory sucks! I'd forgotten a lot. It was probably made worse because it's quite different from the movie, which I've watched multiple times.
Apparently I'd also forgotten the bits at the beginning where the MC describes all the women with a very Male Gaze 😬 but luckily that stopped in the second half.

I wish this had been a bit longer (I could have done with a bit more explanation at times) but it did a lot with the short length.

I'd recommend this for fans of Andy Weir, but with more action and a little less science :)
Provenance by Ann Leckie

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4.0

This is very relatable for a book where the main character is dealing with alien politics and conspiracies.  It wasn't as mind-bending as the trilogy that this is a spin-off from, although the complexity did build in a satisfying way.

We got a bit of the very alien-feeling aliens, which I enjoyed (although I was sad about the lack of Translators). Ann Leckie is so great at writing and exploring different cultures. I especially liked the family dynamics and friendships in this one.
Witch Hat Atelier, Volume 5 by Kamome Shirahama

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funny

2.5

This series is just riding the line between continuing and dnfing for me.
It's a bit slow even though it is cute. I'll probably keep going a bit more because it's a nice easy read for when I'm low on brain power (I'm not calling people who love this dumb, I promise! There are some cool ideas, but it's so slow to progress them, and really, more character focused with lessons and struggles that I personally just don't connect with)
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

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challenging dark emotional
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was so great! (while being full of many terrible things).
Sciona is such a passionate character who goes through a lot of growth. And I loved the female rage of both her and Thomil's daughter (I'm not attempting to spell her name because I listened to the audiobook lol and can't find it on google - but the audiobook narrator is amazing so I'm not mad about it).

The magic system is so unique and scientific, making the high mage's sexism oh too realistic.
I figured out what was going on early on, but that didn't take away from the 'oh shit' feeling once everything started going down.

I didn't like the second half of the Sword of Kaigen, so I'm glad to be able to get on the hype train for this one :)
Rise of Empire by Michael J. Sullivan

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adventurous funny medium-paced

4.0

This series is so solid. I love the humour and I love the characters.
I will admit there are quite a few side characters and this book added even more, so I sometimes struggle to keep track of them all. And there are parts of the plot that are a bit slow, but it all turns out to be important in the end. I love the way the bigger world and plot are slowly revealing themselves.