strauberry's reviews
514 reviews

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Holy cow. Haven’t loved a book like this in so long. Williams expertly writes her characters and expertly develops tension (sexual and otherwise) between them. It’s  heartbreaking and hopeful. 
I just felt like I knew each character so deeply and was rooting for them all to be okay. And it’s funny but not in an annoying trying to be relatable to the youth way. 

I wouldn’t say this is a romance book however I think it is romantic and the sexual tension and the sex scenes are expertly written and not cringey.  I tend to find most sex scenes in romance novels a little bit cringey and not realistic. But this impressed me. 

And just a side note I loved the audio book version. The narrator, Mela Lee, did such a great job with all the characters. And she didn’t do that annoying thing that a lot of female narrators often do which is make their voice really deep and weird so much so that it pulls me out of the story. Lee expertly changes her inflection to give it a more masculine vibe but it doesn’t feel forced. She also changes her voice when she speaks from Audre’s perspective, but doesn’t make it feel like she’s using a “baby voice”

All around love

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I’ve never read Carrie but heard about this modern retelling and wow it was great. I wish the ending had been given a little more info about Kenny’s plans (while still being vague of course) but overall great novel and does a great job of building tension between all the characters even while switching POVs

Daindreth's Sorceress by Elisabeth Wheatley

adventurous challenging mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.75

The second half of this really ramps things up and starts pulling in all the story beats. I hope the last book is like the second half of this book

Chlorine by Jade Song

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

3.0

I just didn’t connect with this one. It was violent and a grotesque in a way that I don’t enjoy in novels. That’s a personal issue and I’m sure works for some people. I really wish the mermaid imagery and obsession was more prevelant in the middle part of the book. It kinda felt like the obsession with stories and the objective perspective of the mermaid Ren fell to the wayside after she started having sex. I like the magical realism of it all however it just didn’t come together in a way that satisfied me. 

I did appreciate the love for Chungking express tho what a great film

A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon

adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Dirty Secret by Mira Lyn Kelly

lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

Decent enough romance novel. Aliveness was better than usual compared to a lot of the other romance novels I’ve read

Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing by David Naimon, Ursula K. Le Guin

funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Le Guin is a true master of her craft and cares about craft and literature in all forms. Truthfully I have never read any of her work except this collection of interviews. But it has convinced me to get down deep into her work. She is very careful and intelligent about the world of literature. I can’t wait to read her literature and her other writing. What a delightful woman!

Mating in Captivity: Reconciling the Erotic and the Domestic by Esther Perel

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

I like looking at case studies etc. but I wish she had given more outright advice or guidance to incorporate into your own personal life or evaluate your behaviors to see how you can improve. The essays and exploration and questions raised were great and she did a good job exploring aspects and validating peoples feelings. Some instances are dated though (as to be expected with a nearly 20 yr old book) but still monumental and relevant 

Daindreth's Traitor by Elisabeth Wheatley

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

adventurous challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5