smellburpee's reviews
135 reviews

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

5.0

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

5.0

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

P. Djèlí Clark takes the reader along for a mystery that unfolds perfectly. I recommend The Dead Cat Tail Assassins for anyone looking for a book to sweep them away & keep them guessing at every turn. 

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

5.0

I started listening to this book on July 22, 2023 and I finished it today, January 16, 2024. Usually, I'm the type of person to put an audio book on 1.5-2.0 speed and breeze through it while cooking or cleaning the apartment. I tried to do that with They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us. Not so much speeding up the recording, as Abdurraqib narrates the book, but trying to listen while otherwise occupied. I quit that pretty early on after finding myself crying in my kitchen after listening to Abdurraqib's essay on Prince's life and death still holding a sponge and dirty dishes in my hand.

A flawless book of essays where Abdurraqib takes significant moments in pop culture, whether it be a certain concert, album, basketball game or otherwise, and uses that moment to flow into a discussion of the broader cultural moment. Or even just a significant moment in his life. I highly recommend the audio book as Abdurrqib, poet at heart, has a distinct rhythm to his writing. Savor this one. 

Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura

dark emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

The ultimate cautionary tale about why one shouldn't meet their heroes. Villarreal-Moura explores power, agency, and leaves readers with the truth that it can always get better.

The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell

emotional funny hopeful informative medium-paced

5.0

Montell gifts readers with the perfect balm for making sense of the world right now. She doesn't make the difficult things go away or seem smaller than they are. Rather, Montell gives readers the tools to make sense of it all through humorous anecdotes and razor sharp wit.  

Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

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

5.0

I have loved every book in the Singing Hills Cycle, and Mammoth at the Gates is no exception. Vo once again manages to take the reader through a beautiful world while creating rich characters and deeply felt emotion in just over one hundred pages. Mammoth at the Gates is a beautiful addition to the series.  

“You Just Need to Lose Weight”: And 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon

5.0

The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

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

5.0

The perfect ending to the perfect trilogy. Stewart is a master of plot & world building. 

Old Enough by Haley Jakobson

emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is fucking perfect.