readingmermaid's reviews
337 reviews

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Passing by Nella Larsen

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funny 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? Yes

4.5

Reckless by Selena Montgomery

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

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dark emotional sad tense medium-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? No

4.25

Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood by bell hooks

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dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.25

This memoir is less a play-by-play of growing up, and more so captures the feeling of being young and feeling like you belong. It covers topics like sexuality, race, age, and class through the eyes of a young bell hooks. In some chapters, bell hooks is speaking in first person and in others, she switches to third person. The third person chapters took a little getting used to, but also allows bell hooks to comment on her past from an adult perspective. (Example: lines like "We did not know we were poor" or "The girl didn't understand why her mother was angry.") Overall the writing style feels nostalgic and poetic even with her use of mostly simple, demonstrative sentences. 
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

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

5.0

I read the battle royale chapter in high school, as part of SAT prep and didn't touch the book again. I don't think I was really ready to process it then, but reading it as an adult, it's clear why Invisible Man is a classic. It's a complex book about at racial identity told by a narrator that I liked, pitied, understood, and wanted to slap in the face. I'm sure even now I didn't catch/understand everything, but I enjoyed it so much.
Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

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challenging emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I love books with lots of different voices, so this book immediately called out to me. Of Women and Salt is about several generations of Cuban women, all with their own difficult choices to make. There are women who left Cuba and those who didn't; those who miss their homes and those who don't. The family dynamics were the most interesting part, and I also learned more about the immigrant experience that I didn't know before. 5 stars!
Concentrate: Poems by Courtney Faye Taylor

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challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

4.0

Into Every Generation A Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts by Evan Ross Katz

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funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0