yvejr's reviews
130 reviews

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

5.0

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang

5.0

Living Beautifully: with Uncertainty and Change by Pema Chödrön

5.0

At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails with Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Others by Sarah Bakewell
Did not finish book. Stopped at 49%.

Library book due! Planning to check it out again this summer. 

Sourdough Culture: A History of Bread Making from Ancient to Modern Bakers by Eric Pallant
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.

Library book was due. Maybe I’ll borrow it again one day. Well written and engaging!

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.

Not enough time to finish it on the first library loan. Intending to finish later in the year. 

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

5.0

A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life by Ayelet Waldman

funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

I learned a lot about drug history and research from this book, which I didn’t expect. The writing was enjoyable and funny. 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

The pace was way too slow for me. I  kept zoning out. I might try reading a hard copy or ebook sometime in the future. 

Open House by Elizabeth Berg

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

3.5

This was a good story well with a good pace. It was easy to feel what the character was feeling during her separation and finding how to stand on her own. There were some good friendship and family themes, sweet moments reflecting on her life and how she integrated the past, present and moved toward the future. 

I thought King was a lovely character and was both happy and annoyed when they ended up together. It was heartwarming and inspiring like true love - someone she felt comfortable with and accepted by. But also annoying that she kind of needed someone’s approval. I can relate, but part of me would prefer to read a tale were that’s not the case for the main character, where she can grow beyond that.