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batmayne_reads's reviews
183 reviews
Fearless and Free: A Memoir by Josephine Baker
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
The amazing memoir of THE Josephine Baker in her OWN words!! Originally written and published in 1949 *though the memoir extends well into the 1960s/70s
the fabulous, opulent story of her early life in Harlem to taking Paris by storm
We learn of her iconic outfits, lifestyle and ambitions. How she danced from the street corners to the top of the world
Josephine describes her courageous passion for human rights , becoming a decorated spy in WWII for the French resistance to the March on Washington to boycott segregated concert venues, having witnessed the racism of the world vs the USA
Josephine Baker has always been an inspirational woman but to read her memoir is an entirely new enriching experience!!
the fabulous, opulent story of her early life in Harlem to taking Paris by storm
We learn of her iconic outfits, lifestyle and ambitions. How she danced from the street corners to the top of the world
Josephine describes her courageous passion for human rights , becoming a decorated spy in WWII for the French resistance to the March on Washington to boycott segregated concert venues, having witnessed the racism of the world vs the USA
Josephine Baker has always been an inspirational woman but to read her memoir is an entirely new enriching experience!!
EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1 by Corinna Bechko, Jay Stephens, J. Holtham, Chris Condon, Jason Aaron, Matt Kindt, Tyler Crook, Stephanie Phillips, Amy Roy, Brian Azzarello
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Volume 1 feature collections #1-4 of dark, gory, horrifying, emotional nostalgic fun!
i was constantly being reminded of my childhood kids horror shows on YTV and Teletoon!!
perfect for all horror fans! produced by the EC Comics who gave us childhood favourites such as Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Horror
13 short stories narrated by the Grave Diggeri imagined the iconic voice of the crypt keeper the entire time
from the horrors of Hollywood to apocalyptic earth to down right monstrous humans, there is something for everyone
i was constantly being reminded of my childhood kids horror shows on YTV and Teletoon!!
perfect for all horror fans! produced by the EC Comics who gave us childhood favourites such as Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Horror
13 short stories narrated by the Grave Digger
from the horrors of Hollywood to apocalyptic earth to down right monstrous humans, there is something for everyone
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Morgana and Oz Vol 2 by Miyuli
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Episodes 20-39 of the webtoon
following the events of the 1st volume, morgana and cat oz escape the monsters in the forest after leaving the winterberry mansion and arrive at a witch doctors house injured
the doctor reveals more information around how spells work and history of humans/ witches/ vampires but creates more questions surrounding who is controlling the dark magic
morgana changes oz back to human form (permanently?) and decides she is strong enough to break the vampire blood thirst curse
in this cutes, fantasy teen romance, morgana and oz must trust each other and work together to find morganas missing family member and stop the growing evil
following the events of the 1st volume, morgana and cat oz escape the monsters in the forest after leaving the winterberry mansion and arrive at a witch doctors house injured
the doctor reveals more information around how spells work and history of humans/ witches/ vampires but creates more questions surrounding who is controlling the dark magic
morgana changes oz back to human form (permanently?) and decides she is strong enough to break the vampire blood thirst curse
in this cutes, fantasy teen romance, morgana and oz must trust each other and work together to find morganas missing family member and stop the growing evil
We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
a story of 2 sisters growing up and writing their letters of love, sadness and pains of childhood, growing apart, surviving and the power of imagination
Sigrid is the mc for the 1st part the novel telling her side of what happened in a suicide letter narrated to her sister Margit
going over their abusive childhood and the choices they made that sent them on different paths, this was a heartbreakingly beautiful story to read but had some dark humor that DID help lighten the mood
the one thing that will keep them together is their bond for dreaming, creating and imagining a whole new world to fix theirs
perfect for any vc andrews fans!
Sigrid is the mc for the 1st part the novel telling her side of what happened in a suicide letter narrated to her sister Margit
going over their abusive childhood and the choices they made that sent them on different paths, this was a heartbreakingly beautiful story to read but had some dark humor that DID help lighten the mood
the one thing that will keep them together is their bond for dreaming, creating and imagining a whole new world to fix theirs
perfect for any vc andrews fans!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
in their basement they created new worlds that replaced theirs with toys, her barbie broke my heart
calling their parents swamp monsters
part 3 was the hardest since it was after sigrids attempt
Death and the Librarian by Victoria Gilbert
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.5
suspensful, yet lighthearted murder mystery (its not like hide from your child thriller but a cozy murder mystery)
it reminded me of an agatha christie series *15 books* and thought it was funny that this was the 9th installment in this series
during summer time virginia, a murder happens at the annual arts festival and all fingers point to kurt kendrick a local art dealer and past suspect of another murder that took place years ago
library director amy muir doesn't believe kurt would murder anyone being a family friend and the godfather of her 6 year old twins
amy is contracted to help with the investigation as the library is the towns only record system, she slowly becomes involved more and it becomes a race against time to prove kurts innocence, find the true murder and possibly close a 30? year old cold case
it reminded me of an agatha christie series *15 books* and thought it was funny that this was the 9th installment in this series
during summer time virginia, a murder happens at the annual arts festival and all fingers point to kurt kendrick a local art dealer and past suspect of another murder that took place years ago
library director amy muir doesn't believe kurt would murder anyone being a family friend and the godfather of her 6 year old twins
amy is contracted to help with the investigation as the library is the towns only record system, she slowly becomes involved more and it becomes a race against time to prove kurts innocence, find the true murder and possibly close a 30? year old cold case
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder and Gaslighting
it was very tongue and cheek married couples murder mystery but it seemed like she would leave her husband for kurt
the murders didnt really have much to do with each other, the aunt and uncle held the most information and gaslit everyone
Walking Disaster : My Life Through Heaven and Hell by Deryck Whibley
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
the amazing and dark story of sum 41s deryck whibley
from his childhood to present time deryck walks us through the highs and lows of trying to make it big and share his music with the world
meeting possibly hundreds of other artists and having the best and worst times of being a punk star, we get to see the side of derycks life that wasnt media-ized
his memoir had me laughing, crying and made seeing them LIVE so much more meaningful!
from his childhood to present time deryck walks us through the highs and lows of trying to make it big and share his music with the world
meeting possibly hundreds of other artists and having the best and worst times of being a punk star, we get to see the side of derycks life that wasnt media-ized
his memoir had me laughing, crying and made seeing them LIVE so much more meaningful!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
5.0
a fun, adventurous romance of finding yourself and self expression
chloe brown of her boring life style and personality
after a near death experience she decides to create a list of 7 things that will help her "get a life"
after spying on next door neighbour red morgan, the moody handyman and painter, chloe sees he is the perfect candidate to helping her check off her prompts, she just needs to over come her shyness
along the way red reveals more about himself and it creates tension between the two and their growing romance
chloe brown of her boring life style and personality
after a near death experience she decides to create a list of 7 things that will help her "get a life"
after spying on next door neighbour red morgan, the moody handyman and painter, chloe sees he is the perfect candidate to helping her check off her prompts, she just needs to over come her shyness
along the way red reveals more about himself and it creates tension between the two and their growing romance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
5.0
a beautiful queer victorian romance!
the audiobook had multicast for the 2 mcs and i found the one voice to be a little to similar to Cara Delavigne and made it a little hard to concentrate
Beth is the daughter of a widow slowly losing money and status, and must marry into a wealthy family
Gwen is the daughter of a wealthy lord and has no intention of ever marrying
when they meet they discover not only do they have alot in common but their parents had past courting history!
All they have to do is get them together without falling in love themselvesthey fall
i may not have gotten the ending i wanted but this was so much fun and cozy!!!
the audiobook had multicast for the 2 mcs and i found the one voice to be a little to similar to Cara Delavigne and made it a little hard to concentrate
Beth is the daughter of a widow slowly losing money and status, and must marry into a wealthy family
Gwen is the daughter of a wealthy lord and has no intention of ever marrying
when they meet they discover not only do they have alot in common but their parents had past courting history!
All they have to do is get them together without falling in love themselves
i may not have gotten the ending i wanted but this was so much fun and cozy!!!
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
a funny, suspenseful historical thriller
the story follows the MC: chief, a native american man who has been institutionalized for his mental well being
when a new resident Randall joins the ward trouble starts to brew between randall and Big Nurse Ratchet
randall is boisterous, fun loving brawler and rebel while nurse ratchet is considered the dictator of the ward even going over doctors heads
it starts out as fun with patients gambling, smuggling goods and finding ways to get conjugal visits, it turns evil when a patient goes into harms way and nurse ratchet can use her hidden tool of torture: LOBOTOMIES
the story follows the MC: chief, a native american man who has been institutionalized for his mental well being
when a new resident Randall joins the ward trouble starts to brew between randall and Big Nurse Ratchet
randall is boisterous, fun loving brawler and rebel while nurse ratchet is considered the dictator of the ward even going over doctors heads
it starts out as fun with patients gambling, smuggling goods and finding ways to get conjugal visits, it turns evil when a patient goes into harms way and nurse ratchet can use her hidden tool of torture: LOBOTOMIES
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
American Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters and the Mysterious Fad that Haunted a Nation by Barb Rosenstock
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
3.5
Review would be higher but ebook formatting was terrible and made it extremely difficult to read
the story of the fox sisters and the effect they left on america
starting in march of 1848, they have an supernatural experience leading them to believe they are able to communicate with spirits beyond us
they become prominent in the media by becoming famous mediums doing public exhibitions and celebrity seances
after the civil war, solider deaths are 1/4 people and the sisters are contacted by desperate families
the media starts to question whether they are fake feeding off the hurt people or if its the female stigma of living in a mans world (SHES A WITCH BURN HER)
the story of the fox sisters and the effect they left on america
starting in march of 1848, they have an supernatural experience leading them to believe they are able to communicate with spirits beyond us
they become prominent in the media by becoming famous mediums doing public exhibitions and celebrity seances
after the civil war, solider deaths are 1/4 people and the sisters are contacted by desperate families
the media starts to question whether they are fake feeding off the hurt people or if its the female stigma of living in a mans world (SHES A WITCH BURN HER)