saintcormorant's reviews
85 reviews

Zoot Suit by Jorge Huerta, Edna Ochoa, Luis Valdez

hopeful informative tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

New Waves by Kevin Nguyen

emotional funny hopeful slow-paced

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

5.0

I started this book in 2023, entered an extreme depression and reading slump before finishing it, then went for it again a few days ago. Cynically brilliant work. At first while reading it I felt like Margo was almost painfully manic pixie dream girl, but then it became clear that this impression was purposeful, and it wore off by halfway through as I discovered more about her while reading. I still can't decide if I'm satisfied with the ending or not. Guess it needs more time to sink in.

Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth of Humankind, Volume 1 by Yuval Noah Harari

adventurous informative fast-paced

5.0

Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman

adventurous challenging dark funny 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? Yes

5.0

Best book I've read in a long time. Very clever. Depressingly realistic.

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd

adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This was a very fun and unique book. I have deducted 0.25 of a star because the author had one habit I found annoying- instead of saying (for example) "the man had a red beard and dark eyes," they would write "the man was red of beard and dark of eyes." This happened frequently enough that it disrupted the flow of my reading at times. The book was still very enjoyable though. Very atmospheric.

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

challenging funny reflective slow-paced

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

2.75

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

challenging dark funny reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Very well written and intriguing book. That being said, it is really not an easy read at all. A lot of semi-philosophical tangents and lengthy metaphors, and although the ending made sense with the story, it was just really depressing.  Still- in a sea of zombie books, this is a unique one. 

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Thrust by Lidia Yuknavitch

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

The more I reflect on this book, the less I like it. I couldn't make sense of the different storylines until the final few chapters, which may be okay for some but I actually like to understand what's going when I read. The poetic style of writing didn't make up for the confusion of the plot. Also, way too many people laying eggs. Probably wouldn't have finished this book, but I bought it with my own money so I felt obligated.

Armada by Ernest Cline

4.25