bookedbymadeline's reviews
907 reviews

adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The Resurrectionist follows James as he enters the world of surgical schools and body snatching in this dark academia/historical gothic novel (with a side of romance)! Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the eARC 🎉

Atmospheric in its depictions of 19th century Scotland! The writing style/language also adds to the story and makes the characters feel more realistic. This was an interesting look at the body snatching industry for the purposes of advancing medical/scientific knowledge, and the moral questions that come along with the industry!

It started off well but the last 50% was a total slog 🙃 The novel’s pacing was all over the place, the first 30% or so was great and the last 15% exciting, but the middle slumped and the main action is at the beginning and end of the novel only.

The seriousness of the plot mixed with the funny, loveable moments between the characters was a great balance! But at times it felt like we were missing things as we got long slow burn depictions of the events throughout the book but then we’d skip weeks at a time, coming into a new chapter at what felt like mid scene. While I loved the cast of characters and the main romance, I felt like I was missing pieces of the puzzle for their relationship.

The synopsis talks about Burke and Hare but we don’t see them until towards the end so it led to feeling rushed in that respect of the plot and I feel like the execution could have been better if the novel stuck to the body snatching industry and anatomy schools’ rivalries as opposed to shoehorning in these serial killers into the mix.

Finally, the chapters were too long for my taste so despite how interesting the story was, I often times set it aside because I didn’t want to sit through another 30 minute chapter 😭 Even if the previous chapter ended on a cliffhanger I was preferring to scroll on my phone than continue the book.

Overall it was entertaining and has made me want to research Burke and Hare, as well as 19th century body snatching further, but it fell flat in some areas as well making it a slower read than I anticipated.

Rep: achillean romance

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Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly

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emotional funny reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly for a buddy read and had so much fun! I started reading this on Everand and 4 chapters in I already wanted to buy my own copy so I can highlight all the amazing lines and moments of humor/relatability (but will be waiting until the paperback release) ☺️

I love learning about the family’s history and their relationships with one another! The characters felt so real and relatable. There were humorous moments but also moments of vulnerability and heartache. The book had me laughing out loud and also wanting to hug G and V 🩷 Also the characters were complex and flawed so I loved their journey of growing/finding themselves.

I related a lot to both MCs with their anxious overthinking and literal thinking. The anxiety and OCD rep was really well done; it made the characters feel even more realistic. The novel is all vibes no plot and felt like you were becoming part of their family, getting a glimpse into their daily lives and problems! I can’t wait to see what Reilly writes next 😍

Rep: Māori author and MCs, Gay MC and side character, Lesbian MC, Bi Side character/love interest, anxiety, OCD, queer and autistic author

“This book is for hot autistic people, people from the city, people who have been mistaken for a different ethnicity, queer and trans people who are tired of being strong and just want to do jokes, tall girls, and haters” I loved this from the acknowledgments

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Smouldering Charcoal by Paul Tiyambe Zeleza

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slow-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Switching character perspectives could be abrupt and confusing in the beginning. Told through 3rd person narration but switches views to multiple characters throughout the chapters. We mainly hear from 4 main characters: Chola, Mchere, Catherine, and Nambe.

Most intrigued by Chola’s chapters, looking at the Malawi political landscape, as opposed to Mchere and Nambe’s home life especially with how violent and uncaring Mchere can be at times towards Nambe.

The beginning was very slow going and then the last third felt so rushed to wrap up the story. There could also be too much telling over showing at times. Most of the book explores class differences and political turmoil as dissidents (also called Subversives) are arrested, imprisoned, and tortured.

Overall it was an interesting exploration of resistance in post-colonial Malawi but was not the easiest, most engaging read despite its short length.

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The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

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emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Took a little while to get into it because it could be too much telling over showing at times.

I loved getting to know Mukesh and Aleisha! But I felt like we didn’t get to know Aleisha as well as we could have. There were so many loose ends with her story that just get abandoned.

I did skim some paragraphs, especially in the Rebecca section, because I didn’t want spoilers. I think this is one I’d recommend only if you’ve either read all the books on the list already or don’t mind having some spoilers!

There’s a lot of characters to keep track of and I felt like it was almost too much at times. I understand though that it was probably the author’s intention to show the connection that books/reading can provide among so many different people.

This book was so heartwarming and emotional. It’s ironic reading a book about books, community, and libraries when I’m reading this for my book club and borrowed it from my local library 🤭

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Stronger Than Infertility: The Essential Guide to Navigating Every Step of Your Journey by Heather Huhman

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emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

4.0

Some parts can be helpful but a lot of the medical advice I knew already as I picked this book up 2.5 years into treatments. I also didn’t like the mentions throughout of BMI because it’s not backed in science!! It’s made up BS so I hate to see it being brought up in this book as a potential reason for infertility.

I liked that when the author mentions alternatives to conceiving, like adoption, she reminds readers that adoption is not a consolation prize and needs to be because of the child not because you can’t have a child yourself which a lot of people seem to forget 🙃

The sections about emotions and knowing when to step away were the most helpful for me because it’s what I struggle with the most throughout the journey.

As with any self help book grounded in medical/science related topics but not written by a Dr- it can be helpful to have someone to relate to but always consult a MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL over trusting advice from a podcaster. The emotional tips and advice were helpful but the medical stuff was overwhelming more than providing helpful info. It’s verrrrryyyy US focused so felt narrow in its scope and Unrelatable for me in many sections.

Overall it’s an excellent guide that you can skip around and read what’s most needed for you. I skipped a lot of chapters because they didn’t apply to me but would recommend if you’re in the US. If you’re not, a memoir might be more helpful/insightful

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Saints of the Household by Ari Tison

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Listened to this on audio and really felt pulled in from the start! Saints of the Household by Ari Tison is a YA contemporary novel that looks at two brothers, Max and Jay, told in alternating POVs. The book also sometimes has poems throughout. One of the only YA novels I’ve read where it’s more vibes than plot and I loved it!

The chapters are short and the book mainly explores a violent event that land Jay and Max into counseling, their family dynamics, and indigenous stories from their Bribri background. Author and characters are Bribri, which is one of the indigenous groups of modern day Costa Rica!

I loved getting to hear the stories and learn more about Bribri culture. I also loved the narration itself, the narrators did such a great job that at times you really hear the emotion in their voices!

Overall this was such a moving, unique story that I knew from the start would be a new favorite! The novel explores brotherhood, generational trauma, and healing especially how it looks different for everyone. I would highly recommend this especially on audio 🧡

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Daughters of the Nile by Zahra Barri

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.

This is one of those books where the synopsis sounds right up my alley, with everything I love in a litfic. But the execution fell flat for me. Nadia’s chapters were unbearable with the amount of mundane details, telling over showing, and ultimately I couldn’t continue after she assaults TWO PEOPLE. Not disclosing your STI and not using protection when you are contagious is assault and I had no desire to read this book afterwards

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The Persephone Code by Julia Golding

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.

Maybe I’m just a bitter curmudgeon but my god that dialogue is awful. The cheesiest dialogue I’ve ever read and the villain goes on this whole weird monologue “ooh I’m so evil” quips in the first chapter like leave some imagination for us. This god awful dumpster trash sure has the nerve to compare itself to Da Vinci Code. It’s so in your face slamming you into the point rather than being clever. I could see my brain the amount of times I rolled my eyes in a single chapter

The Rise of Nerd Politics: Digital Activism and Political Change by John Postill

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.

Boring and reads like an academic textbook. Maybe more for academics than the casual reader?

I’m learning my lesson with Pluto Press-don’t buy a bunch of books because they sound interesting but instead look for articles on the topic because most of the books I’ve chosen are either outdated already or are too academically dry. I’ve studied digital activism through the lense of the Arab Uprisings and that research was more exciting than this book

The Palestine Laboratory: how Israel exports the technology of occupation around the world by Antony Loewenstein

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challenging dark informative slow-paced

3.5

While a very informative and important read, I had a lot of issues with the writing style-It felt very disjointed and scattered. It’s a lot of facts, figures, dates, etc jumping back and forth (and sometimes back again) without making connections or expanding further on each subject, or even leading my into it with some form of introduction to the new subject.

For example, there’s a chapter about 9/11 but we keep bouncing between Colombian cartels in the 1980s then quoting present day Israeli journalists or human rights lawyers then talking about the Rwandan genocide, then going back to 9/11 only to steer away from it again?!

Every chapter just feels the same: “here’s every company and technology Israel is selling and here’s a human rights lawyer I’m consulting oh by the way we’re 120 pages in now let me tell you who he is and about his work and oh now let’s talk about his lawsuits and the countries Israel has built ties with” on a never ending loop!!! No chapter is actually about what the title suggests

It feels like the author is trying to fit in so much information and is more like a history class where the teacher wants you to memorize facts without actually educating you on the rest of the context/understanding the connections and the ‘why’ of it all.

It's informative and important but I really struggled to feel engaged. It could be so info heavy at times without any additional background that it felt like drowning in information without fully grasping everything.

Aside from the writing style, the only complaint I have content wise is that the author has a lot of negative views on Pali resistance and often positions things as "we all just have to get along."

The only reason I didn't DNF is because there's no other book on this topic and with this amount of information. I'd recommend starting with other books first before trying to dive into this, otherwise it can be overwhelming. I think it's still an important read and can be educational. For now I'll use this as a starting point for independent research and would recommend picking this up with no expectations based on chapter titles and really taking your time with it.

Also please the best way I can put into words, how once again everything is connected and why everyone should care about a Free 🍉, no matter where you live:

1)Lots of examples of Israel working closely with countries and leaders who aligned with "Yahtzees" in ww2 and yet Israel respected them, invited them to h0l0caust museums, and works closely with them-just another example of why Israel doesn’t actually give a sh*t about Jewish people/H0l0caust survivors
2)Face recognition technology
3)Collecting and selling digital data including from “encrypted apps”
4)Using drones to survey migrants (before letting them drown)
5)Selling weapons to fund gsides in: Rwanda, Bosnia, El Salvador, China, India (to name a few)
6)Working closely with US police through ADL exchange program to train together
7)NSA and Israel work together to collect data and create surveillance technology to monitor activist phones

8)They partner with the US and EU-making contracts for millions or billions in surveillance technology and weapons, which these western countries can then use of their own citizens just like Israel does to Palestinians

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bookedbymadeline's reviews 907 reviews

bookedbymadeline's reviews
907 reviews