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loischanel's reviews
312 reviews
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
The suble art of not giving a f*ck is a quippy, down-to-earth, self-improvement book about developing strong values that help us determine what's truly important in life and therefore what is worthy of our f*cks. It makes some solid points about embracing mediocrity, and changing how we interpret bad moments in our life, but I felt like it lacked a layer of specificity and made lots of broad, blanket statements about how to solve life's problems. The author presents his arguements as one-size-fits-all solutions, which I found irksome. It was an engaging read but it did have me raising my eyebrows on several occasions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Francesc Miralles, Héctor García
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Ikigai is a self-improvement book with a really inspiring message about finding purpose in life, health and well-being and spirituality. It carries a lot of influence and will definitely leave a lasting impression on your general outlook towards the rest of your life. Unfortunately the compound message of the book didn't always feel cohesive to me but I still really enjoyed it. It's an accessible, user-friendly read that I completed in a day.
My Other Husband by Dorothy Koomson
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
An easily accessible and tense thriller
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual violence
Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo
dark
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really love and admire this book for its linguistic skill and hopeful message
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Grief
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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
3.0
The final revival of Opal & Nev is a fictitious biographical novel about the riotous rise to fame of an oddly compelling interracial Afropunk duo. The story imagines the 70s era music industry as it was but with the coupling of Opal & Nev as part of the canon. The narrative has an interesting interview style structure, encompassing several different testimonies from the artists, producers, industry experts, journalists, such as the main narrator and family members. I thought its style and musicality was conceptualised well and it has a loud activist voice, personified through its boldy daring and confident heroine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A vividly imagined warrior type fantasy about two races of people, Omehi and Hedeni, locked in a never-ending war until one of them is completely exterminated. Tau Solarin is a commoner born into the unfalteringly classist Omehi tribe and wants nothing to do with the war. That is until he witnesses his father being killed in front of his very eyes by haughty Nobles and in his effort to seek revenge, Tau is thrown into the thick of battle as he strives to become a stronger fighter. Rage of Dragons is darkly magical, beastly and unrelenting.
I thought for what was supposed to be a matriarchy, the writing did convey some typically male-dominant narratives such as when Tau refers to a woman character he meets towards the end of the book as a "child" and continues to infantalise her despite acknowledging that they are about the same age and height, as well as other bits of dialogue throughout. A high level of reverence is given to women in this fantasy but their representation didn't always hit the right notes.
I was however, pulled into the story and the ending lends itself nicely to the sequel.
I thought for what was supposed to be a matriarchy, the writing did convey some typically male-dominant narratives such as when Tau refers to a woman character he meets towards the end of the book as a "child" and continues to infantalise her despite acknowledging that they are about the same age and height, as well as other bits of dialogue throughout. A high level of reverence is given to women in this fantasy but their representation didn't always hit the right notes.
I was however, pulled into the story and the ending lends itself nicely to the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Colonisation
Bi-Furious by Chelsi Robichaud
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I was so excited to read this and it ended up being so disappointing. The pacing was all over the place, the plot twist at the end involving the character Melodie didn't work and the book is guilty of the very biphobia it also tries to challenge.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia and Bullying
Minor: Outing
The Bi-ble: New Testimonials by Ellen Desmond, Lauren Nickodemus
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Outing
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
A heart-wrenching story about channeling anger and grief to overcome adversity. Chilling yet hopeful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racism, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Police brutality
Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.0
Emotional, heart-warming and fun with an enticing sapphic romance. I love the humour and the angry, feminist, lesbian/bi energy coupled with its delicate and sentient vulnerability.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent