readwithev's reviews
178 reviews

Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

adventurous 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? No

3.5

Oh No She Didn't: The Top 100 Style Mistakes Women Make and How to Avoid Them by Clinton Kelly
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.

Snarky/sassy comments regarding fashion mistakes. None of it was all that funny. I thought it would have helpful advice, but it was predominantly commentary and pictures. The “fashion mistakes” were short 1-2 pages. Nit worth finishing.

Revenge by Yōko Ogawa

dark emotional sad tense fast-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? No

4.0

I enjoyed how all 11 tales are woven together in a creepy fashion. Some of the characters are elder, some middle aged, and others young adults. All the chapters are written in 1st person, which conveys their limited perspectives and unique voices. Some of the characters are likable while others are eerie and have ill intentions.
The only reason this book doesn’t get a 5 star ⭐️ review is that I thought it would be scarier. For example, the old man/uncle who was a curator for the museum of torture, i thought his chapter was anti-climactic. Also the wife being cheated on by her doctor husband, she wasn’t as full of blinded rage as I expected.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, and Grief

Where We Come from by Oscar Cásares

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I wish I could give this book 10 stars. Each character is rich in their development, their emotional conflict and family turmoil. There are 3 main characters: Nina, her godson Orlando (12 yrs old) and a young boy named Daniel (13-15 yrs). We also have some interesting italicized paragraphs from a few side characters. These short paragraphs add to the main characters’ history or provide additional context to the story’s themes of familial love, sacrifice, desperation, or anxiety. I love the unique voices Cásares uses for each character. I enjoyed seeing Orlando develop from naive and sad to more empathetic, hopeful, and curious about others. I think Beto (Nina’s brother) was an interesting point of conflict. His half-hearted devotion to his mother, prejudice against immigrants (even though he’s also one), and desire to control others’ decisions. He also looked down on people he thought were “too educated.” An indication of his self-consciousness.
The book is primarily character driven and centers on family sacrifice, separation, devotion, the danger of secrets, and having hope in the midst of great sadness.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Death of parent, and Deportation

Circe by Madeline Miller

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

The writing style is rich and poetic without feeling weighed down with adjectives. Ogawa also expresses emotions clearly with great similes. She focuses on characters rather than plot. The Memory Police aren’t the primary focus of the book.  “what makes our memories important? How do they shape us? Can we keep living without certain memories?” These are the questions Ogawa’s characters ask themselves.
The ending fell a bit flat for me so that’s why the book only gets 3.75 stars. I wish there was more conclusion with what and who exactly the memory police are and what happens to the survivors on the island. Even if the main female character doesn’t remember these details or if they’re told to us (the reader) through a flashback or second means, i would have liked these details.

We never find how how the memory police were created, who’s the main source of authority, why they choose specific objects to disappear, etc. The main female character doesn’t try to stop the memory police and one tries to form a military resistance against them. However, she and others do form safe houses and a boating-escape attempt is mentioned. These lack of violent resistance against the Memory Police was most interesting to me. As if the loss of items (and therefor themselves) created a docile population. We also never learn the main female character’s name, the old man’s name or R’s full name. Its as if the memory of names has been erased from the characters’ minds too. I  love that the main female character’s novel about the typist is a frame or allegory for what’s happening in her life.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

A Thousand Times You Lose Your Treasure by Hoa Nguyen

emotional sad

3.75

In This Economy?: How Money & Markets Really Work by Kyla Scanlon

informative inspiring medium-paced

3.75

This book is a great beginner’s intro to economics with easy to understand graphics, historical examples, references, and illustrations. Scanlon focuses on the humanity of economics, the emotional decisions that can drive our purchasing power, as well as policy. I would have liked more info on the following topics: insurance, retirement savings and the future, public and private equity, how corporations avoid taxes and other loopholes. Her writing style has a casual Gen Z tone that is empathetic, critical, and curious. She has a healthy dose of skepticism without being condescending or cynical either.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Pros:

• Multiple characters (male & female with varying ages)
• Following Sunja and her family across 3 generations 
• 3rd person omniscient POV
• foreshadowing
• I liked that Solomon’s romances did not work out but he learned from them
• Noa’s college romance epiphany
• I liked Solomon’s decision to leave big banking and choose his family

Cons:

• Slow pacing
• Hansu doesn’t seem that dangerous. His yakuza ties are heavily implied but we only witness him beat a woman once. (I’m not saying that’s a serious offense, just that it’s not gang level to me).
• when of Sunja’s affair with Hansu is to Noa, I expected Mozasu to find out too, but he never does. I thought that was disappointing. It would be been more interesting if Mozasu eventually found out and confronted Sunja too.
• Yoseb dies “off screen

Overall, this book is a 4. I liked a lot of elements. It’s a slow build family drama with lots of side characters too.