sarahxify's reviews
692 reviews

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

slow-paced

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

2.0

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

challenging emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

slow-paced

3.0

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

informative medium-paced

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

4.0

Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet

lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.0

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This was a slow start for me, but after the first 200-300 pages I found it really picked up and I thoroughly enjoyed it. An impressively complex world with a huge array of well-developed characters. Maybe the closest thing to A Song of Ice and Fire I've read, so if you're trying to fill an ASOIAF-shaped hole in your heart, I strongly recommend it. 

It has a lot of similar plot points to other epic fantasies, but was overall well-written and j enjoyed it. I do think that the sexual content of this book is definitely overblown (heh). Although there are reasonably explicit sex scenes in this book, they're all still pretty fade-to-black in my opinion. There is explicit description of BDSM practices though so if you're not comfortable reading about those this might be one to skip. 

Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro

emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No

5.0

A very intimate and challenging look at what it is like to live with a debilitating illness. Piñeiro masterfully puts you inside the head of Elena, an older woman with Parkinson's disease who is trying to find answers about her daughter's apparent suicide. Reading the way Elena is treated by people as she tries to navigate her daily life and find answers about her daughter's death made for eye-opening and at times, very heavy and emotional reading. I really recommend this, especially if you have no personal experience with this kind of illness. 

We also discussed this in episode 70 of the Bookcast Club podcast where we covered the International Booker 2022 shortlist, although I hadn't finished the book at that time. Episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1116755/10694500

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

slow-paced

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

3.0

Discussed in episode 72 of the Bookcast Club podcast. Episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1116755/10843318

The White Girl by Tony Birch

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild

dark informative slow-paced

5.0