renreads2much's reviews
56 reviews

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

Such a beautiful book. It really touched me and changed the way I looked at certain things. 

  • Feels like a philosphy book with a really good story on top
  • I love how the dialouge is formatted along with how it is just written/spoken by the characters
  • I notice a lot of aspects from DBT/CBT therapy in here which I think is really interesting and cool. I like that those aspects are included because it helps make those ideas more digestable and accessible to understand. 
  • God its so depressing in the beginning, but honestly, Morrie as a character and how he paints life, makes it NOT depressing. He just shares how life is, and how to accept death.  His messages are extremely powerful.
  • Just so many important lessons and such good quotes that I'm gonna be carrying with me for the rest of my life. I really think that everyone can get one important takeaway from this book. 

Hard to put down once you start, although the story itself feels kinda slow, its not because you're literally speeding through it that's how good this book is. Finished it in pretty much one day. 
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Lost Girls: Short Stories by Ellen Birkett Morris

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted relaxing sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

God I really love this book, I feel so connected to the writing and its just really beautiful and simple as a whole. But the stories are complex individually. 

  • Stories vary in length 
  • I love the writing style. Its easy to understand yet still poetic and meaningful 
  • I like how all the stories are so different from one another. One is not like the other
  • I really enjoyed how the main characters are so diverse in age. As it shows what their lives are like at different stages and how their age may affect their relationship with girl/womanhood. Which shows how you never stop growing as a person. It doesnt matter how old you are. You are still a girl on the inside.
  • Intimacy is a big theme, sometimes related to sex not always
(sex is mentioned more than once. sometimes graphic sometimes not.)
  • Some stories are based around small moments that are then stretched out to be a longer more interesting story, while others are complex and large naturally
  • The way that each story starts is so intriguing, and I loved each ending. The beginnings and endings were always satisfying
  • Some of the stories have strange, offputting, and unexpected themes. Not mad about it. But it was just really interesting. 

This book was not what I expected, it was even better. 
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When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

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

4.25

This is my second time reading this, however, the first time I read this was when I was in sixth grade. (which was 4-5 years ago LOL)
  • Tbh, would def be a five stars if my standards for what I rate five stars wasnt super strict.
  • This book really felt like we were watching what the world is like from a twelve years old perspective, it really brought me back to middleschool
  • Hard to put down, and was SO interesting. it felt quick to read since the chapters were really short
  • I love the family dynamics shown, especially Miranda and her mother and the two of them with Richard
  • I love the formatting, too good. 
  • The writing feels so real, and really paints a picture in your head of the scenery. 

LOVE THIS BOOK TBH
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Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto by Chuck Klosterman

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funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

  • Is funny but also intellectual at the same time.
  • Sometimes the essays start off sounding kind of dumb and silly. But then usually evolves into something bigger.
  • Mentions famous people and media that I dont know or care to know, but the good thing is that Im still able to understand his points and what he is trying to say. 
  • Has a philosophical feel despite the absurdity. 
  • Talks about people with influence's role in our views and why we see things the way we do.
  • Most ideas are centered in America/are western based.
  • Sometimes I have no idea what the fuck hes talking about LOL the book overall feels like you're stuck at a party not knowing anyone and you somehow got stuck in a conversation with stoner who is obsessed with media analysis and thinking. 
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

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

3.75

  • Talks about mental illness and depression in a raw and real way, unafraid to talk about the disgusting parts
  • Shows manipulation, toxic relationships and unhealthy reliance well. 
  • Really nice pace, length, and sentence structure. 
  • Strange, gross, and weird things are very present in here. 
  • Shows complexities of familial relationships and mixed feelings about them.
  • Small theme of grief and or loss
  • Female friendship and jealousy
  • Power dynamics
The first time I read this in 2022, I was not that big of a fan. But I think the more you read this book, the more you like it and can find new things you didn't notice each time you experience it. 
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Gift from the Sea: 50th Anniversary Edition by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

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hopeful informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

3.5

  • The first I notice is that the writing style is lyrical and poetic
  • I really love the messages that are said in here. They're really important, true, and impactful
  • Talks a bit about women's struggle and a women's life in America
  • talks about the importance and beauty in being alone and why we should spend more time by ourselves
  • Gender roles are brought up often
  • Everything is accessible and easy to understand (at least for me) 
  • Focuses on heterosexual love and relationships. So it is probably not applicable to everyone/every relationship. (As this was written and published in 1955)
Circe by Madeline Miller

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adventurous challenging dark 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

4.75

(Read this for School)
Very poetic writing, its so descriptive and feels like water flowing over my brain. One thing is that it claims to be a feminist retelling, and although there are themes of feminism, I feel like it shows more of what its like to be a woman and is somewhat a cautionary tale. 
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The Girl That Can't Get a Girlfriend by Mieri Hiranishi

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

3.5

READ IN ONE SITTING AT THE LIBRARY, I AM NOT RELIABLE 
  • Kind of sad but humorous which makes it a quick easy read
  • Self discovery
  • Themes of growing up, adulthood, and disappointment
  • Gay ash LOL (obviously, look at the title)
Unfamiliar, Vol. 1 by Haley Newsome

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

READ IN ONE SITTING AT LIBRARY, DOES NOT GO IN DEPTH 
  • Pretty simple, themes of slice of life are incorporated
  • SUCH a cute art style
  • Love seeing the character relationships and learning more about the characters as they go
  • Cute friendships and adventures
  • I love the world that the characters are in and the design 
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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

2.5

(Had to read for school) 
  • Yadriel is so annoying rude and self centered
  • Characters were somewhat sterotypical
  • Misogny is present but underlying
  • Julian and Purrcasso carried 
  • World building and setting is cool