katymaryreads's reviews
883 reviews

Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Fun, slightly odd, mystery story. Partly epistolatory, which I appreciated. Quirky but likable characters.
Goldenrod by Maggie Smith

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

Enjoyable collection of poems dealing with everyday thoughts and emotions and images from nature. I especially liked the poems dealing with the author's children.
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

Beautiful, lyrical and observant, mixing knowledge and love for the natural world with very personal reminiscences.
The Dry by Jane Harper

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

4.0

A fast-moving mystery set against a small dying drought-ridden Australian town. I liked the flashbacks to the earlier mystery, and the way the two cases were explored together, but I cared more about the solution to the mystery than about the characters.
The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal

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adventurous challenging emotional informative sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A continuation of the story begun in The Calculating Stars, and just as good. A focus on racism rathr than sexism in this one, and some interesting character development.
The Very Short History of the Israel - Palestine Conflict by Ilan Pappé

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challenging informative medium-paced

4.0

Informative and infuriating.
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a wonderful book full of real, believable, flawed characters. Their interactions were as much a part of the story as the space travel. Issues of sexism, misogyny and racism made this a thought-provoking read, and the space travel and astronaut training details were fascinating.
Wahala by Nikki May

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

3.5

This was enjoyable, but a bit chaotic and mixed up. None of the characters were entirely likable. I hated the ending.
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

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challenging emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Funny, clever, sad in places. I will never get tired of these characters.
Mascot by Traci Sorell, Charles Waters

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challenging informative inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A middle grade/YA novel about a school mascot seen as racist by some but not by others. Did a good job of portraying different points of view and of being sympathetic to those on both sides of the debate. Also a lesson in how to be an ally without taking over from those who should be centre stage.