zazzyb's reviews
48 reviews

Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez

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challenging informative sad medium-paced

4.5

This is certainly a deep and insightful read. Its a book that I think every woman should read, its one I will suggest to my friends and family both men and women.

The author strips back the layers to the basics, men and women and asks us are we biased, we believe we aren't but we truly are.

This is a love letter to all the women who have complained before that their work clothes aren't designed for them and the women who complain that medicine is biased against periods. The women are forgotten in the male centred world. 

I would give this 5* which is totally deserves -- but it is very info heavy so can be a little confusing at points and there is a lot of statistics which means I did put it down a few times. 
Otherwise this was a fabulous read.

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Conspiracy Theories: A Compendium of History's Greatest Mysteries and More Recent Cover-Ups by Jamie King

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informative slow-paced

1.5

Very interesting read however there was a huge lack of information and details on some of the conspiracy theories, I recognise this is more a list and you could look them up but if the font was smaller, the pages better formatted you could add more detail without adding tons of extra pages. 

Its great to have a list but you could get a list off google, also some of the conspiracy theories do come across strangely written like the author believed some to me true and others not and that effected how they wrote them down.

overall interesting but too basic in information
The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.25

I'm very torn on this book because 
1) it is diaries of carrie fisher but 
2) its just poems from carrie fisher albeit written when she was younger
its definitely a misleading book, its not about when she was making star wars but more about the affair she and Harrison ford had during making star wars.
It is a good read, but I feel the book could have been longer, the poems could have been shorter. If you need a good description of how little star wars is really discussed, mark hamill was mentioned maybe 3 times in the book. This should have been really marketed as a book about their love affair.

Another reason I have reviewed it so low is he depiction of fans which is brutal in parts and is highly descriptive in others.

“When I was initially approached about going to Comic-Con, the giant comic book convention, I said, 'I wouldn't be caught dead at one of those has-been roundups." But, as it turns out, I've been caught alive at those roundups often enough to wish I was dead.” 

While I appreciate not all fans are nice, the discussions around even what seem like nice or mildly nice fans is hard to stomach. 

Overall 3.25* for the nostalgia and the insight into carrie fishers mind during her younger years but a disappointing read.

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Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, J.K. Rowling

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informative lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

not much to say on this, its just a beastiary, a hogwarts library book with a bit of extra info, nothing much, just meh. not really memorable. I had forgotten half the creatures by the end of the book. I listened to the audiobook and yes it is narrated nicely by Eddie Redmayne but there isn't anything special or fantastic about the book. 
I'm honestly stunned how a trilogy of movies was made around this character, I was bored, but I was also bored by the fantastic beasts movies which had none of the magic that I expected.
Harry potter fan here saying its just ok.
King of Immortal Tithe by Ben Alderson

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

3.0

This is a hard book to review for me, I really do enjoy the premise of the Darkmourn universe and I'm always going to try and read M/M because LGBT books are something I am diving more into.
However I put this book down so many times and I was really looking forward to it, I had preordered it and everything.
The universe was very interesting, the plot interesting but I just couldn't vibe with Arlo as a main character, he was 80% well written but missing something I can't put my finger on. Probably the teenage angst that was turned up to 11
Again I found with the end of the book the plot was tidied up but the ending was too similar to The first book Lord of eternal night and I predicted the end only a few chapters in. (view spoiler)
I certainly will look at getting the next darkmourn book but I hope the author improves on both the writing style and the premise.

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My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

first thoughts ----Holy crap this family is messed up. Her sister is a true psycho. 
I really enjoyed this book, I started it years before, gave up and it lived on my bookshelf for ages.
So dec came and I was nowhere near my yearly target so manic short book reading it was. I will say this book felt very short, I would have liked it to have been longer and more detailed.

Braithwaite really manages to draw you into her world, you want to know who the next victim will be, will Korede ever get her happy ever after. Its full of slight twists and you really do feel for this woman who puts her family first without any thought to her happiness. 

Great read and a really interesting concept, wish it was longer and more in-depth however

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The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5*'s
I'm back reading romance and what a way to start with this book 
This is one of the cutest books I have read in a while and that is saying a lot since I'm a lover of fanfic. This has all the tropes I love and adore, fake dating, grumpy meets sunshine and scientists falling in love. 

I binged this beautiful book all evening and only my burning eyes stopped me reading it through the night, I certainly have another author to go searching for. 
Adam is the grumpy teacher who will do anything to stop people making Olive miserable or Olive making herself miserable and I am living for it.
I will be reading this again

I finished it and could not stop talking about, squealing and I still ,2 weeks later, can't think of anything bad about, maybe I'll edit my review once my rose tinted glasses disappear but I don't want to.
I just want to enjoy the book because it was such a beautiful love story with science. end of. also very cute.

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Once Upon a Tyne: Our Story Celebrating 30 Years Together on Telly by Declan Donnelly, Anthony McPartlin

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

5.0

5* Cheeky chat and great stories

I've been a fan of ant & dec since watching pop idol and I loved watching Saturday night takeaway. Despite their personas on TV they always seemed so relatable and friendly and little me loved it. So I have been looking forward to this book for ages.

I wasn't disappointed, in their signature style this book really feels like they are telling their story from the beginnings at Byker Grove to winning how many NTA's for best presenter. They slip effortlessly from Ant to Dec. I read the physical book for the photos but I already have the audiobook downloaded to hear the cheeky chat I have enjoyed for many years when I next get into the car

They also included bits from some of their well known friends in show business however unfortunately it came across slightly boasting, it would have been nicer to include these quotes as more stories. 

In the hardcover edition there are plenty of photos, embarrassing of course which really show how far they have come. Overall I laughed a lot with this book and throughly enjoyed myself.