thenienke's reviews
32 reviews

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

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

4.25

Wrecked by Lauren Asher

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slow-paced

0.5

Hate read with my partner. Still as laughably bad as the others. 
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

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

3.0

Glad I read it. A look into the culture of the time, and an important literary work. I did enjoy it, especially the travel description and Dean’s character progression through Sal’s perspective, but the treatment of women and minorities was still hard to stomach at times. 
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A classic I’ve read bits of over the years, and I finally read the whole thing. Favorite book of 2024 
Beartown by Fredrik Backman

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emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Maaaaaaaaaaan. Read for book club
Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.75

The prose, the full characters and the funny dialogue made this book. Read for book club
Behind the Wand: The Life and Times of Tom Felton by Tom Felton

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

2.75

Was a 2.5 until I switched to audio book for the last few chapters, which were the most interesting anyway imo. Tom Felton does a real good job narrating and bringing life to frankly boring prose. I read this for book club. 
Campaigning for Hearts and Minds: How Emotional Appeals in Political Ads Work by Ted Brader

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informative slow-paced
Read this for a research project on local political ads, adding it to my StoryGraph because I can’t believe I had the sheer will to finish it all (I definitely didn’t need to). 
We Could Be Heroes by Philip Ellis

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

3.5