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stacyrenee's reviews
411 reviews
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Adult
Historical fiction
Pulitzer Prize Winner (2017)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Cora, a slave working on a cotton plantation in Georgia, is told about the Underground Railroad and attempts to flee to wherever it is she can be free but things go terribly wrong and she ends up being hunted by a slave catcher.
This is sort of an ‘alt-history’ but only in the sense that the Underground Railroad in this story is quite literally a series of tunnels under the ground that runaway slaves use to escape to freedom (instead of just safe rooms and cellars).
This is a brutal and heart wrenching narrative, not entirely new to me but absolutely worth the read and reflection.
There is a mini-series adaptation but I think it can only be watched on Prime 😒
Historical fiction
Pulitzer Prize Winner (2017)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Cora, a slave working on a cotton plantation in Georgia, is told about the Underground Railroad and attempts to flee to wherever it is she can be free but things go terribly wrong and she ends up being hunted by a slave catcher.
This is sort of an ‘alt-history’ but only in the sense that the Underground Railroad in this story is quite literally a series of tunnels under the ground that runaway slaves use to escape to freedom (instead of just safe rooms and cellars).
This is a brutal and heart wrenching narrative, not entirely new to me but absolutely worth the read and reflection.
There is a mini-series adaptation but I think it can only be watched on Prime 😒
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Middle-grade
historical fiction
1st in the Seeds of America trilogy
Scott O'Dell Award winner
About a 13yo slave girl turned spy during the Revolutionary War.
1776
Rhode Island to NYC
historical fiction
1st in the Seeds of America trilogy
Scott O'Dell Award winner
About a 13yo slave girl turned spy during the Revolutionary War.
1776
Rhode Island to NYC
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
3.5
American classic
This was my last quick read of 2024, read in the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, mostly because it’s one I’ve started in the past and has sat on my currently reading list for so long that I couldn’t remember if it was even a reread or not.
This one is about a pampered pet dog named Buck that is stolen & sold off as a sled dog and must learn to adapt and survive and find his place in the order of the world.
The dog doesn’t die. Such a plus these days.
This was my last quick read of 2024, read in the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, mostly because it’s one I’ve started in the past and has sat on my currently reading list for so long that I couldn’t remember if it was even a reread or not.
This one is about a pampered pet dog named Buck that is stolen & sold off as a sled dog and must learn to adapt and survive and find his place in the order of the world.
The dog doesn’t die. Such a plus these days.
woke up no light by Leila Mottley
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Adult
Poetry collection
From the author of Nightcrawling (on my tbr)
Beautifully written, emotional, inspiring, but also heartbreaking and a bit disturbing (ie, Elijah McClain’s last words)
There is pain, there is joy. Scars and inner turmoil. Love and body positivity.
Poetry collection
From the author of Nightcrawling (on my tbr)
Beautifully written, emotional, inspiring, but also heartbreaking and a bit disturbing (ie, Elijah McClain’s last words)
There is pain, there is joy. Scars and inner turmoil. Love and body positivity.
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
YA
Fantasy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is the 10th book in the Wayward Children series (starts w/ ‘Every Heart A Doorway’)
and is a stand-alone within the series featuring a Russian-born girl named Nadya who was born with only one arm and ends up adopted by an American couple who need her to be perfect. Watching the turtles at a local park’s pond is her only bit of joy and one day there is a reflection of a door in the pond that Nadya falls into, finding herself in a whole new world.
This is a portal fantasy series, for fans of Alice in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia, just with many characters and similarly magical portal doors that lead to fascinating new worlds, sometimes revisited.
Fantasy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is the 10th book in the Wayward Children series (starts w/ ‘Every Heart A Doorway’)
and is a stand-alone within the series featuring a Russian-born girl named Nadya who was born with only one arm and ends up adopted by an American couple who need her to be perfect. Watching the turtles at a local park’s pond is her only bit of joy and one day there is a reflection of a door in the pond that Nadya falls into, finding herself in a whole new world.
This is a portal fantasy series, for fans of Alice in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia, just with many characters and similarly magical portal doors that lead to fascinating new worlds, sometimes revisited.
To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Adult
Historical fiction
Told in a series of letters, articles, photographs, etc.
Tells the story of a Colonel who embarks on an expedition to uncharted Alaskan territory
And the wife who was left behind because of her pregnancy
Historical fiction
Told in a series of letters, articles, photographs, etc.
Tells the story of a Colonel who embarks on an expedition to uncharted Alaskan territory
And the wife who was left behind because of her pregnancy
Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal by Olivie Blake
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Adult
Fantasy
Short stories
Contains some ‘spice’ 🌶
Fantasy
Short stories
Contains some ‘spice’ 🌶
Lost on a Mountain in Maine by Donn Fendler, Joseph Egan
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
3.0
Recommended ages: 9+
Nonfiction
Memoir
About a boy who ends up lost on a mountain in Maine for two weeks
Includes some religious undertones
Has a late-2024 film adaptation - haven’t seen it yet
Nonfiction
Memoir
About a boy who ends up lost on a mountain in Maine for two weeks
Includes some religious undertones
Has a late-2024 film adaptation - haven’t seen it yet
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Contemporary fiction
*Banned Book
Set in New Hampshire
Starts with a school shooting, then breaks down the how and why of it, plus a twist ending.
*Banned Book
Set in New Hampshire
Starts with a school shooting, then breaks down the how and why of it, plus a twist ending.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Adult
Classic
Crime Mystery
3.5 stars
The 10th book in the Hercule Poirot series
Poirot investigates a murder while traveling by train from Istanbul
Watched the film adaptation afterward!
Classic
Crime Mystery
3.5 stars
The 10th book in the Hercule Poirot series
Poirot investigates a murder while traveling by train from Istanbul
Watched the film adaptation afterward!