robin_duguay's reviews
293 reviews

Baking Bad by Kim M. Watt

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

Cozy mystery featuring delightfully troublesome women “of a certain age” and their secret dragon friends. A little all over the place and the mystery itself was pretty dull, but it’s hard not to like the dragons with their love of good snacks and solving mysteries. Prepare for a lot of tea and cake. 

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley

emotional medium-paced

3.5

Darkness on the Edge of Town by Adam Christopher
Did not finish book.

This isn't a Stranger Things story. It's a generic detective story they assigned as backstory to Hopper, with a few interludes with Hopper and Eleven as he tells her about his time as a detective in "the big city" before he came to Hawkins. 

Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

This book was so annoying - should have been a DNF but I finished out of spite. A good 50% of it spent mysteriously alluding to something awful that happened at “the barbecue.” If only we hadn’t gone to the barbecue. Do you ever wonder what our life would be life if we hadn’t gone to the barbecue? Apparently everyone is acting weird and marriages are in trouble because of it but we don’t know enough about anyone to really know how different or to have developed any emotional investment. 

If you can’t take it anymore and want to at least know what happened at “the barbecue” to explain why everyone is acting funny:

One of Clementine’s girls nearly drowns in the fountain.

You’re welcome. 

A slurry of “revelations” come in the last few chapters, but lacked the emotional punch intended because I was never made to care enough in the first place. 

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

4.5

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

Orc decides to put down her sword and leave the adventuring party behind, opens a coffee shop. I can’t describe Legends & Lattes much better than the cover blurb from Seanan McGuire - sweet, beautiful, and kind. 

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.0