thegr8estangell's reviews
649 reviews

The Will of the Many by James Islington

adventurous mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

Wow. That was amazing. I loved it. That ending? What the FUCK is going on?! 

Blackouts by Justin Torres

inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

Heady, literary fiction isn’t my cup of tea usually. But this one has pictures so I thought, why not? And I’m glad I did because it was good. It was strange and weird in a good way. Very unique. The author is an excellent storyteller. I enjoyed it. I think knowing who was talking when would’ve helped me a lot. I had to go back and reread parts bc I couldn’t tell who was talking. Overall it was good, I can see why it won its awards. 

The Free People's Village by Sim Kern

reflective medium-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

This was an interesting read. Some parts were super corny and cringe and really hard to read bc of the 2nd hand embarrassment. I get the message the author was going for, but I don’t think their actual writing chops are that strong. It was just, eh?

Like their ideologies were so hamfisted into the book that it was annoying at points. It was very “here is what I learned and you should do this too bc I say so” and not a lot of exploration of the ideologies. I do, however, want to read the assata Shakur autobiography now. I knew of her but I didn’t know there was a book.

The main character didn’t grow though? Like by the end I fully wanted her to use her lessons and knowledge and do something serious but in the end she was still just a coward. Idk it disappointed me.

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

God damn I needed this book. I loved it. Amazing. So fucking cute. Just as good as the first one. Love this family. 

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer

inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book had an invaluable perspective that really helped me understand the post wounded knee life on the reservation. It was informative, inspiring, and incredibly interesting. While Dee Brown’s book got into the nitty gritty of the tragedy of Native American, this book gets into the triumph, the fighting spirit, and the relentless resilience and resistance of the Native peoples. They’re still here, they’re still fighting, and damn was this a good book. 

Marshmallow Mountain by A.J. Truman, M.A. Wardell

funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

Loved it 

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

So, this was actually pretty good. So many people shat on this when it came out but I liked it! It was good, fun, tense, and fairly unique and interesting in that King way. 

Can he still not write women without mentioning their breasts when it has nothing to do with what is going on? No. 

But! The plot was cool, the shining stuff was cool, the powers were cool and it was neat seeing what happened to Danny. Overall I liked it! 

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown

dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

Holy shit that was depressing. What the Americans did to the natives is unforgivable. It was just… horrific. The cruelty of it all. My god. 

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.75

Ooof. That was hard 

Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.

Will pick up later