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danteandvirgil's reviews
131 reviews
Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Cute as heck!!! It has been a while since I read volume 4 and this volume was a great refresher on how much I love the characters and writing in this series.
As a teacher too, this series (both as comics and as a show) is a great resource for teens to explore these ideas and have examples on how to discuss the ebbs and flows of relationships. Like bro if I got something out of it about communication, then a teen could for sure.
Bittersweet for the final volume next. I’ll need to dive into the novels maybe???
As a teacher too, this series (both as comics and as a show) is a great resource for teens to explore these ideas and have examples on how to discuss the ebbs and flows of relationships. Like bro if I got something out of it about communication, then a teen could for sure.
Stay True by Hua Hsu
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I enjoyed the exploration of friendship here. A heart-wrenching telling of the author’s friendship with Ken. I was holding out for this to be gay and it never did which is sad but I can’t knock the book for that.
Writing was funny and poignant. I underlined and saved several quotes.
“Even then, they understood that American life is unbounded promise and hypocrisy, faith and greed, new spectrums of joy and self-doubt, freedom enabled by enslavement. All of these things at once.”
“Friendship is about the willingness to know, rather than be known.”
“You draw on your students’ energies, and you learn just as much as you teach”
“I hadn’t known rolling a joint for someone else could communicate such compassion and deep care”
Writing was funny and poignant. I underlined and saved several quotes.
“Even then, they understood that American life is unbounded promise and hypocrisy, faith and greed, new spectrums of joy and self-doubt, freedom enabled by enslavement. All of these things at once.”
“Friendship is about the willingness to know, rather than be known.”
“You draw on your students’ energies, and you learn just as much as you teach”
“I hadn’t known rolling a joint for someone else could communicate such compassion and deep care”
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
A banger!!!!
What a sequel. To best the first is hard and Cixin Liu really did it here. When we jumped forward in time we went much more futuristic sci fi and that’s my shit. I found the various wallfacer stories satisfying but it took us a long time to get there. The mind changing story mostly went nowhere.were the people mostly mind swapped then? Bc they were so confident and so violently reacted to the battle at Jupiter?
Very curious about the third!
What a sequel. To best the first is hard and Cixin Liu really did it here. When we jumped forward in time we went much more futuristic sci fi and that’s my shit. I found the various wallfacer stories satisfying but it took us a long time to get there. The mind changing story mostly went nowhere.
Very curious about the third!
Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
A relief of a read after the third book which didn’t wow me. This one felt more grounded and the characters were engaging to read. I liked the shift in perspective from third to first person, new to the series.
I’m growing less amused or patient with the repetitive rule explanations. Reactions from the customers seem more appropriate at this point if it affects their decision to go to the past, as he did in one of the stories in this. But I don’t see why the rules are gone over again and again. I read in one of them that the stories of the first book were originally part of separately published chapters? Maybe? From a magazine or blog or something? So maybe it’s that?
I’m growing less amused or patient with the repetitive rule explanations. Reactions from the customers seem more appropriate at this point if it affects their decision to go to the past, as he did in one of the stories in this. But I don’t see why the rules are gone over again and again. I read in one of them that the stories of the first book were originally part of separately published chapters? Maybe? From a magazine or blog or something? So maybe it’s that?
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
What a sequel!! This kept me fixated like the first one once the action started picking up. I read the first one a few years ago while teaching English so I kept thinking back to those classes as I read.
I did pause for a long time about 60% of the way through. I was going to buddy read this with a buddy but she seems to not going to read it for forever. I started in the summer and decided to pause right whenGrant’s murder happened. Shit was getting good so I told her I’d wait for her but as it came to needing something after Dark Forest, this felt perfect. Sorry, buddy 😅😅
The mystery takes a long time setting up. Breadcrumbs are laid out but come together in a satisfying way. The action, the heist, the mystery was fun to read while also being challenging emotionally. Boulley handles the topic well and with respect.
The characters are complex like the first book and I’m still excited for the first book’s upcoming adaptation!
I did pause for a long time about 60% of the way through. I was going to buddy read this with a buddy but she seems to not going to read it for forever. I started in the summer and decided to pause right when
The mystery takes a long time setting up. Breadcrumbs are laid out but come together in a satisfying way. The action, the heist, the mystery was fun to read while also being challenging emotionally. Boulley handles the topic well and with respect.
The characters are complex like the first book and I’m still excited for the first book’s upcoming adaptation!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Murder
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Car accident
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Immediate thoughts:
Big takeaway is that we better leave Britney tf alone!!! Let this woman live!!
Michelle Williams was an excellent narrator as well.
Big takeaway is that we better leave Britney tf alone!!! Let this woman live!!
Michelle Williams was an excellent narrator as well.
Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
This was overall an okay adventure. Minnie drives a mobile library with her new cat Eddie. I was drawn to this book, predictably, because of the cat and the desire to read a cozy mystery.
The pace was really slow. I didn't really mind this because I was listening to the audiobook as I often did other things. The book is digestible this way but I did miss some details as I went. This story spends a lot of time meandering around daily life of Minnie who worries about the library and the murder and her own life most of the time. I would have preferred a more condensed, edited read. This book could have been shorter with a more focused lens for me to enjoy it more. The narrative voice was kind of frustrating as she'd either say something totally unrelated or try to crack a joke that would sometimes land with a brief exhale from my nose.I did laugh at "You can't trust someone named Kyle that chooses to go by Larry"
I was surprised to see that there 10 or 11 more in the series??? And they are all about this length??? I'm not sure I was sold to continue in the series. Would love a shorter, cozier mystery.
PS the audiobook narrator was great! Her cat MURRS were cute and funny.
The pace was really slow. I didn't really mind this because I was listening to the audiobook as I often did other things. The book is digestible this way but I did miss some details as I went. This story spends a lot of time meandering around daily life of Minnie who worries about the library and the murder and her own life most of the time. I would have preferred a more condensed, edited read. This book could have been shorter with a more focused lens for me to enjoy it more. The narrative voice was kind of frustrating as she'd either say something totally unrelated or try to crack a joke that would sometimes land with a brief exhale from my nose.
I was surprised to see that there 10 or 11 more in the series??? And they are all about this length??? I'm not sure I was sold to continue in the series. Would love a shorter, cozier mystery.
PS the audiobook narrator was great! Her cat MURRS were cute and funny.
Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
Cute!!!!
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
I was recommended this book by my coworker after seeing around the internet. Hefty read! With two more 😱
Like @bojangles I was surprised that this alien invasion story does not even see alien invasion in the first book. The political drama was engaging to read most of the time though could drag on at points. I wonder the motivations and reasoning of welcoming the aliens to invade. Replacing one regime for another? Idk man. Curious to see how they deal with the now 400 year time span (at this point I’ve begun the sequel and I see we will span those years so strap in babes).
I thought the chapters in the VR game were really fun, and I enjoyed reading how the characters figured out the THREE BODY PROBLEM 🤪🤪
Like @bojangles I was surprised that this alien invasion story does not even see alien invasion in the first book. The political drama was engaging to read most of the time though could drag on at points. I wonder the motivations and reasoning of welcoming the aliens to invade. Replacing one regime for another? Idk man. Curious to see how they deal with the now 400 year time span (at this point I’ve begun the sequel and I see we will span those years so strap in babes).
I thought the chapters in the VR game were really fun, and I enjoyed reading how the characters figured out the THREE BODY PROBLEM 🤪🤪
Tales from the Café by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
Another BANGER. This was so cozy and heartfelt and fun. I love the whimsy that the author takes with the magical realism aspects, allowing them to just be without excessive explanation, especially with such a great cast of characters that shine.
A quick read too as I’ve been slogged with The Dark Forest!
A quick read too as I’ve been slogged with The Dark Forest!