quasinaut's reviews
199 reviews

How to Manage Your Eco-Anxiety: An Empowering Guide for Young People by Anouchka Grose

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
I wasn't the right audience for this book, but I hope young readers can get some good out of it!
Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

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emotional funny 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? It's complicated

3.0

This was a bit of a miss for me. The banter - between Sewanee and Adaku and between Sewanee and Brock - often came off as too punched up and unrealistic. There were a few times it made me laugh, or Julia Whelan had a particularly evocative analogy, but other times I was just rolling my eyes.

Also, I let a couple months pass before reviewing this so honestly I've forgotten what actually happens, plot point wise, in the book. Oops.
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Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I read this book a month and a half too early! Would have been quite fitting for October. I loved the characters and their interactions, the Boston adventures, the mysterious circumstances. Some elements of the premise were confusing to me - things feel into place so oddly sometimes - but overall very enjoyable. 

Also, this exchange between Dorry and Tuesday is everything: 
"For now, we're just-friends." 
"I hate that," said Tuesday. Dorry looked stung, and Tuesday put a hand on her arm. "I hate that phrase. I know you don't think of being friends with Ned as being just anything." Her voice felt thick and she coughed it loose. "Don't cheat your friendships. Don't ask them to mean less to you than they do, or think they only have value if they're a stop on the way to a real relationship." Dorry rolled her eyes. "All relationships are real," said Tuesday. "Friendship can be as deep as the ocean. It's all a kind of love, and love isn't any one kind of thing."
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Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic by g. haron davis

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Hit or miss, as many short story collections can be, but on the whole this was a great anthology of stories centered on trans characters and creators. One or two of the stories were truly standouts!
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The Royals And The Ramblers by Sam Starbuck

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

4.5

Well this was a goddamn delight! Always fun to hang out with these characters, and meet new ones in the ever-expanding Shivadhverse.
The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn

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adventurous emotional reflective 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

3.25

Mixed emotions about this one. Jess was so independent - perhaps justifiably so - and it was painful to see how much she second-guessed her sister's view of her. But also she needed to learn how to communicate with her sister as an (almost) adult! 

I liked Jess's growth, but the overall premise was meh to me. Granted, I'm not a fan of true crime podcasts. I found the book to be rather forgettable. 
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The Changeover: A Supernatural Romance by Margaret Mahy

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4.0

When Laura Chant's little brother Jacko is possessed, she seeks out help from a family of witches. I found it slow to get into, but the book's second half moves along. I loved Laura's POV and her interactions with teenage witch Sorry Carlisle. A fascinating look at 1984 New Zealand, too!

(Originally reviewed for CML Summer Reading 2019)
The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

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4.25

16-year-old Melati is trapped in the middle of the 1969 Chinese-Malay riots in Kuala Lumpur. It was fascinating experiencing these harrowing few days through Melati's eyes, especially as she fights with her OCD. The prose was odd as some points - Melati's actions were quite passive - but overall a wonderful debut book. 

(Originally reviewed for CML Summer Reading 2019)
Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards

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4.0

I read this years ago and was due for a reread. A whimsical adventure! And it has this thought-provoking quote: 
Have you noticed how nobody looks up? Nobody looks at chimneys, or trees against the sky, or the tops of buildings. Everybody just looks down at the pavement or their shoes. The whole world could pass them by and people wouldn't notice.

(Originally reviewed for CML Summer Reading 2019)
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

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challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Oh, this is a complicated book to rate and review, because Queenie is a complicated character to read about. 

I appreciated seeing the development of Queenie and her relationships with her friends, her grandparents, aunt, and cousin, her mother, her boss, and the men in her life - and how each of them respected (or didn't) Queenie's boundaries and choices, while at the same time we get glimpses of how other characters' lives are going and what roles Queenie plays. 

Is she a good friend? Is she a good daughter and granddaughter? Is she a good worker? Nothing is so black and white, good and bad, of course, but I was rooting for Queenie, even when she seemed determined to make destructive decisions.
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