yvejr's reviews
132 reviews

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.

 

The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber, David Wengrow
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.

Still planning to read this but haven’t been in the right space for it. What I have read was fascinating and full of hope.  

Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.

The first two chapters were really slow. I am all for clear and well-defined definitions, but I think Graeber overdid it even for me. He spent a lot of time just exploring and defining what constitutes a bullshit job. This could have been condensed. 

I skipped ahead to the fourth chapter and then got into it a bit. I set it down for another book that grabbed my attention and now the library audio book is due! I will just need to come back to this some other time in the future (maybe) because it feels a little bit too dismal for me right now to renew the loan. 

I got a good bit out of reading the original article and don’t really feel the need to read the whole book in this case. 

Marie Kondo's Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life by Marie Kondo

inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

3.75

I enjoyed this book. It was a relaxing quick read with inspiring images and ideas. Marie Kondo recommends that we imagine and find our ideal lives at home, and then adjust our home to help us achieve it. This is a sensible and logical approach is presented  in a down to earth and unpretentious way with all of the gratitude and joy we have come to expect from Marie Kondo.  

My greatest take away from this book is to cultivate joy and appreciation for my space as I slowly build the life I want. What I want from my life in my home is unique to me, and changes over time with the stages of life. 

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.

I felt bored listening to this. There were interesting elements, but the plot was moving so slowly. It felt like a YA read which isn’t my cup of tea - since it was focused on a main character so young. By 15% of the book she had turned 14. Maybe I’ll come back to this one day but for now it’s just too slow of a pace. 

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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

4.0

This book surprised me more than once. I didn’t realize it was based off of real life. I loved the characters, learning more about the land and people of Kentucky, and the Great Depression. It gives me more context to my grandparents lives during these years and complements what I’ve learned about the west and east coast at this time in history. 

There were many heartbreaking moments in the book but uplifting ones too. It’s an amazing story of Cussy Mary, the book woman, as she journeys dangerous trails to connect with and serve her struggling community through precious and difficult to come by books. It was amazing to think what books meant when now they are so much less precious to us, and written word and knowledge is available to so many of us via the internet. 

Beautiful writing and lovable characters - especially I loved Junia her recused pack mule! I loved the narrator and her beautiful accent. I may check out the sequel after giving this one a little while to soak in my heart and mind. 

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

As a sci-fi thriller, it was a pretty easy read - no complex world building, all sci-fi concepts introduced easily. Fits well into our current times with things like climate effects and CRISPR. 

I enjoyed the plot very much. It touched on many current events and concerns. Actually it’s the first book I’ve read that has stats about COVID-19 as a past reference (this is set in the future). I enjoyed the upgrades - very interesting ideas - and the descriptions of how his mind was working. I especially liked the conclusion in the epilogue. 

I had trouble connecting with the character due to the writing style. The writer uses very short one sentence paragraphs that made it feel very choppy and hard to get into for me. I suspect the audio version would prevent that.

Plenty of insightful thoughts and points in the book. 

I feel it would make a good show because then there’d be more emotion in it.

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

4.0

The Overstory by Richard Powers

hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0