vics_reads's reviews
42 reviews

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

challenging dark funny informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Jo Cox: More in Common by Brendan Cox

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Cried and smiled the whole way through. What a tragic loss! 

Stranger Planet by Nathan W. Pyle

funny relaxing fast-paced

3.75

Making It: How Love, Kindness and Community Helped Me Repair My Life by Jay Blades

funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Abandonment

Minor: Drug use

Ten Things I Hate About Me: How to stay alive with a brain that's trying to kill you by Joe Tracini

dark sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

The Hike by Lucy Clarke

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No

2.0

It was meh. I was looking forward to this one based on my enjoyment The Castaways. Four old friends arrange a holiday/catch up which happens to be  hiking up a mountain in Norway. <spolier>They are not prepared, fall out which each other and come across drugs which they take, then get chased by the drug dealers. Oh please as if.</spolier> There were pockets of tention but not edge of your seat stuff. It was meh.

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

dark funny sad slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No

3.0

So well written you can visualise it like a film. Sorry but I didn't love it like I know lots have. It's awfully tragic which I get is reality then and still now for some. I appreciated the humour in it. Catalogue shopping. It felt very long. I lost interest at times. The writing was stunning.

Josh Widdicombe: Watching The 90s: A Childhood Memoir by Josh Widdicombe

funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.0

Actual LOL moments at a lot TV shows I wasted my time on too. But the harsh trip down memory lane of Michael Buerk presenting 999 and finishing with his catchphrase 'don't have nightmares' after you'd just watched a kid on a normal day have an accident with a javelin. Anyway TV was big back in the day. 

The Rule of Three by Sam Ripley

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No

2.0

📖OUT 22.06.2023📖
. 
𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶
𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦
. 
Loved the sound of it.
The ending of chapter 1 was a slap in the face.
Then personally I struggled a lot. Picked up a bit from chapter 43 but overall it didn't feel like a 'chilling suspense thriller' it was marketed as. Gifted proof

Wish We Knew What to Say: Talking with Children About Race by Pragya Agarwal

challenging informative fast-paced

5.0

Educate yourself. Recognise your privilege. Have uncomfortable conversations. The earlier you start the better. Children are like sponges who look to you whether you are a parent, educator, friend, in the community. They are not born racist. We must celebrate skin colour, culture and ways of life in order to celebrate it, we must see it. Don't whitewash their view of the world. A brilliant book to support you with talking to children about race.