bookmaddie's reviews
1116 reviews

Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

A fun little romp with mostly good stories and funny situations.
The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey

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

4.5

Another banger from Chidgey. Such a unique concept that unfolds into a wrenching, emotional story. Tama is an endearing, sometimes infuriating narrator, who wants the best for those he loves, but doesn’t always know how to get there. Chidgey takes a somewhat kooky idea and injects it with such emotion, wisdom, and genius.

Thank you Europa for my advanced copy that I took far too long to read!
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A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

What a sweet and lovely book!! I was warmed to my soul by this. Gorgeous writing, compassionate, generous, funny.
The Terrible: A Storyteller's Memoir by Yrsa Daley-Ward

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

The writing style wasn’t for me, but I enjoyed the author’s narration featuring her brother.
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Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
I can do this no longer. I thought this would be a fun thriller to binge but I am not thrilled. Also, this feels like two books in one. I wish the White Alice section was its own book! I am intrigued! But then I’m pulled away to Rose, who’s story is moving slow but is somewhat interesting, or to Grant, a spoiled wimp. Can’t say I’m compelled. Alas!
Someone Like Us: A novel by Dinaw Mengestu

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emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.75

Got somewhere in the end, but at what cost? I was bored & mildly confused at times
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The Character of Rain by Amélie Nothomb

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funny mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

What an odd little book. Unlike anything I’ve read. Quite funny! Some dated language.
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Isola by Allegra Goodman

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I read this straight after reading THE WAGER, so I was on a bit of a shipwreck/survival kick to start the new year. Read into that what you will! Regardless, this story slowly closes in on you and becomes unputdownable. It’s an adventure story, love story & survival story all wrapped into one. And bonus points—it’s based on a true story!

The beginning was a tad slow for me, I think because Marguerite is so isolated, both physically and mentally. In a world constrained by faith, there isn’t much room for a young woman to grow, and pushing boundaries never leads to any good. After Marguerite is taken from her childhood home in France, she is sent across the sea to New France to try and establish a French colony. But on the voyage, she strays, and as retribution, she is left on an uninhabited island with her maid and her lover.

For me, the story really took off when Marguerite began to rebel and question the world around her. She wonders why she’s seen as the one who doesn’t fit, rather than the society she lives in. Her personality blossoms as she grows older, and I found the sections of her surviving on the island to be quite poignant and a thoughtful evolution of her character. She is brash, charming, clever, and unwilling to relinquish her agency over her life.

The ending, while a bit neat, was deeply satisfying and warm. After such a dark & chilly time on a northern island, Marguerite deserved some warmth in the end. And it’s all pretty true! It’s astounding to me that in the 1500s a woman could manage to survive in the wild for years, and then make her way back across an entire ocean. 😮‍💨 Couldn’t be me..

Thanks @thedialpress and @netgalley for my digital review copy! ISOLA is out on Feb 4th!
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The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann

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adventurous dark informative mysterious medium-paced

4.25

A rousing tale. Hard to believe men’s desire for money and glory forced them to go through this hell, but sure! Couldn’t be me.
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Fire Exit by Morgan Talty

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A book where nothing happens but everything does. Really gorgeous
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