sarahkorn's reviews
200 reviews

Broad Band by Claire L. Evans

hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

This could easily have been 3x as long, but with the density of information it also benefits from brevity. It was cool reading a narrative of women & the Internet that wasn't a mommy blogger expose or influencer tell all.

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

At times I found this slow and Hai was a difficult narrator to connect to --there were times where the narration and historical retrospection seemed to differ from what one would expect from an uneducated young girl. Di was by far the most complex character and I think I would have preferred it from her POV. 

However, I did ultimately appreciate this book and it made me interested in reading more historical fiction from this era.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

At nearly 500 pages, the length of this book had turned me off for quite some time. But when I had the opportunity to get it for free as Book of the Month's 2024 Book of the Year, I figured I'd give it a shot and I am so glad I did.

This book is perfect for fans of Twin Peaks and/or twisty mysteries that aren't particularly scary or violent. At no point in the book did I know where it would end up and at times I couldn't put it down. The ending was immensely satisfying. A powerful story of children freeing themselves from their parents' burdens and becoming, well, self reliant. I would recommend this book to anyone!

The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew by Maggie Bullock

medium-paced

3.5

Listened to the audiobook. I thought this was okay. I really liked the beginning and the thoughtful cultural analysis of economic class and how ready-to-wear prep clothing helped promote a specific ideal. I would have liked more of that and less about IPOs and the company's seemingly endless financial struggles, which got old after a while. Emily Cinader and Jenna Lyons are by far the more interesting characters in J. Crew's story, I didn't care so much about all their seemingly inept male CEOs.

The reflections on the evolutions of retail were somewhat interesting, but definitely written for an audience that lived it firsthand. Catalogs were pretty much done by the time I had my own spending money (I'm more the Madewell generation I think). Thought it was interesting as J. Crew is really making a comeback but not as juicy as I had hoped

Care and Feeding by Laurie Woolever

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

Laurie Woolever has spent much of her life in the shadow of two great men in food & food media, but she has a powerful voice and important story all of her own. I couldn't put this book down! I wish her continued sobriety and healing.

The Highlander's Return by Lynsay Sands

adventurous inspiring lighthearted mysterious

4.0

Isola by Allegra Goodman

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

3.5

I wanted to love this so bad but it missed the mark for me in many areas. The pacing was slow and often dragged, I wanted more from the romance, and while Marguerite certainly developed into a strong character she somehow lacked the feminist heroine energy that I believe was intended for her. It was also very religious, which I understand is important for historical accuracy, but there were points where it really bordered on Christian fiction for me and I wondered if I had missed the point of this book entirely. Didn't hate it but ultimately a bit unsatisfied.

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

3.5

I enjoyed The Roundhouse, and wanted to like this one more. Erdrich's writing is extraordinary, there were just too many characters that I had a hard time getting invested in any of the storylines.

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

5.0