readingmermaid's reviews
336 reviews

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

Novels & Stories: The Lottery / The Haunting of Hill House / We Have Always Lived in the Castle / Other Stories and Sketches by Shirley Jackson

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dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.75

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

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funny mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

The boom had some funny and interesting moments but in the end I felt like the writer just bailed—like she’d set up too many threads to close so she went with an ending where she didn’t have to tie them up. Disappointing read because I’d heard such good things.

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper

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challenging funny informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

Every so often, I'd have to put this book down and really think about a line or two before moving on. I mean that in a good way. This book definitely challenged my thinking while also affirming some of my own experiences.

I do think some of the essays went on a little long. There would come a point when I thought the point of the essay had been clearly made, but the author kept going anyway. Not always saying something new, sometimes just adding more examples of the same points.

Fences by August Wilson

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reflective fast-paced

4.0

The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

Good Women: Stories by Halle Hill

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emotional reflective fast-paced