maddness22's reviews
708 reviews

Christmas at Corgi Cove: A Novel by Annie England Noblin

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Decent enough cozy read! Christmas doesn't start until after the 50% mark and the leads' chemistry feels a bit shallow, but gosh the setting and cast of characters are just too cute and cozy. The doggies have excellent scenes worthy of rom-com gold and contribute plenty to the plot. Very cute and very quick read for the holidays! 
On The Way To The Wedding by Julia Quinn

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adventurous emotional funny 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? Yes

4.5

Gosh it felt like it took me ages to finish this (literally two minutes before it was set to auto-return to the library) but I really liked it!!! The drama at the end had me putting my phone on airplane mode so I could listen without interruption, the villain was an actual nefarious character, and I loved my sweet boy Gregory who is unafraid to commit minor felonies in the name of True Love™ while also remaining completely unaware of his surroundings. A great way to end this mostly inconsistent in quality series! 
The Anxious Generation: How The Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

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informative slow-paced

4.0

It's more of a parenting book than I expected which, in hindsight, I probably should've expected. Some of the stats and situations presented are really spooky, but I enjoyed a lot of the points given on how social media is influencing the next generation. The chapters on gender were a bit flat and didn't really give a whole lot of nuance. I did enjoy the book, but it makes me terrified for the state of childhood these days and I hope more people become cognizant of the effects social media and constant screens are having on our society. 
The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

The millennials (me) crave community. This was charming! I fell in love with the heart of the ensemble cast and the relationships they built with each other from their lonely worlds. It offers an interesting conversation about authenticity and what it actually entails if someone is allowed to define their own authentic nature. I wasn't a huge fan of the third act and thought it dragged out for too long (especially with the romance that didn't make much sense) but the community building aspect and the fact it faces the messier parts of life without apology were really compelling.
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

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adventurous inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A darling quick read that is a tremendous love letter to books and the heart of reading. The magical realism is well done and I enjoyed the takes on the fast fashion of modern publishing and how books add fulfillment to our lives. I didn't enjoy that it very much is very anti-"easy reading" as I think there's still benefits to "easy" reads that don't necessarily challenge a reader but can still entertain them or provide additional insight. Still enjoyable for anyone who loves books though
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Not really for me. I thought all of the characters were remade to be incredibly entitled and the reviews I'm reading spoil that it gets incredibly transphobic down the line. I've heard great things about Curtis Sittenfield and was hoping to add another book of hers to my collection, but this one seems to be a miss. I'll keep trying with her other works since I did enjoy Prep.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

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hopeful informative relaxing medium-paced

4.75

A brilliant and validating read! My therapist recommended this to help me gain more confidence with my introverted identity and interests and it didn't fail in this mission. I really enjoyed the in-depth studies on how introversion is a benefit in our world in various aspects of society. Some sections are better articulated than others, but overall this is a wonderful love letter to introversion that reduces a lot of shame associated with it and shines light to how our extroverted society could benefit from more introspection. 
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
I technically finished this book because I fell asleep around the 50% mark and it played out until the end without a sleep timer but I don't want to go back and actually finish it because there wasn't any real story in this snooze fest. Don't tell my book club. 
Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow

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

2.5

I really don't know why I finished this. The characters are flat and insufferable. It's incredibly dialogue heavy, but the dialogue is stilted and sounds the same across every character. The mystery also has enough holes in it to be considered cheese. But I enjoyed the cozy atmosphere and the food descriptions were incredibly delicious. I'm pretty sure I only stuck around to experience more of the foodie scenes because I truly enjoyed them and lingered with those scenes longer than expected. 
Pumpkin Spice Peril by Jenn McKinlay

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lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

As expected, this was a quick and delightful cozy little mystery. There actually wasn't that much fall theming to this as I expected. But even though I fell into this series 12 books deep, I loved the entire cast and the love they had for each other. The mystery was actually a bit compelling too with plenty of suspects to keep me roped in on the "whodunit" aspect. With how cozy the environment is and the love between the large cast of characters, I'm absolutely going to read the rest of this series as a comfort read slowly but surely as they become available at the library in between my other reads. 

I'm also very inspired for my baking era now. I even put the book down a couple times to check out some recipes for things.