robyncoleman's reviews
117 reviews

Nowhere to Be Found by Bae Suah

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

2.0

This is a short novella, exploring themes of family, gender expectations in society (aka familial and marriage pressure) and difficult relationships. It’s a dark, reflective read. 2 stars

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

challenging reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

Everyone’s got a passion. And most people are celebrated for being the outstanding outlier, the top percentile, the best of the best in the most prestigious industry. But that looks different when not viewed from the lens of “society”. This book explores someone who is happy working an “average” life. It’s celebrates mundanity, and being passionate about personal goals that may not be understood by everyone around you. The MC is not striving for what society deems the best, but a passion that comes from internal desires. I enjoyed the message of this book! 3-3.5 stars

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

This is a very mysterious read. I really enjoyed the story of this book. It was very thought provoking, and was evidently written with a lot of care and pondering. It revealed just enough to keep me reading but withheld just enough to keep me questioning. Don’t think it is for everyone. I could see how the story could seem “boring” to some people. But I wasn’t one of those people so I give it a 3.5-4 star rating.

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

The author states that " Writing this book is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done." And it's a very believable assertion.

My initial thoughts when reading memoir were:

- This is written (exceedingly well) with extraordinary honesty
- These are very uncomfortable and difficult thoughts and concepts
- I don't think I have the right to rate this book

Intense intimacy is poured out onto the pages of this book. It felt like I was reading someone's raw stream of consciousness. It feels like Roxane Gay doesn't hold back anything to the reader... and this truth and display of vulnerability is unmatched in many things I've read.

It's by no means a light or casual read. It's intense, and chaotic and acutely human. On a self-conceited level, it challenged me as a reader to confront personal biases, my relationship with my own body image, food and much more. I believe all readers will interact with this book differently. But from my POV and my reading experience it could receive no less than 5 stars.

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

2.5

I have to admit, this was a poor end to the trilogy. The plot felt messy to me. I was engaged but not at the edge of my seat… The story felt jammed with a lot of content but nothing was thoroughly explored. Ending was sweet but something just felt off. 2.5 stars

An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

I like animals. I like this book. It’s a no brainer really.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious about the animal sensory experience. It’s extremely informative and well researched. Very well written and poses good arguments and theories about how the human experience is simply that. We simply cannot experience life through the senses of others.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

5.0

In a unexpected turn of events, this book upgraded from a solid 4 stars to a sensational 5 star book. Perhaps reflections and parallels from my own life improved my reading experience. Regardless, I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys morally ambiguous characters (or real people with real and sometimes contradictory emotions and actions).

In short it revolves around two people who love each other at different points of their lives and all the chaos and consequence that comes from spontaneous decisions. It discusses topics such as addiction, family trauma, gender, sexual orientation - mingled with the raw complexities of love, relationships and difficult human emotions. Ugly things are hidden among people, and this book challenges the reader to see these flaws in a new light.

Additional points, as most of the book takes place in the grimy yet romanticised mirage that New York offers love.

Gaffs: Why No One Can Get a House, and What We Can Do About It by Rory Hearne

challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.5

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

This was a thought provoking and reflective read. Honestly, it required some “big brain” thinking and I had to search the definitions for a lot of academic wording used. I like the arguments and pondering that Tolentino mused through. It was greatly researched, and has a great reference index at the back for cited literature (I added a lot of these to my own tbr!). 3 stars overall

Beautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood by Qian Julie Wang

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A raw, beautiful yet harrowing reality of being a child growing up in New York as an undocumented immigrant in the 90’s. Honestly this book was so touching to read. 5 stars… what a story