madisonwray's reviews
568 reviews

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

IDK WHAT SHE PUTS IN HER BOOKS. The yearning??? Top top tier
All The Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley

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emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Admittedly, I was apprehensive about this one. I thought this would be a “thinks very highly of itself art novel.” I am so glad I was so wrong. Yes, this is about art, but it’s about the beauty of what art captures, what we learn when we put ourselves into art and think about art. It’s also about grief. About how we move in the world when we grieve. And what we learn from that too. This is a beautiful book, that my goodness makes me want to go to a museum! It is also a celebration of a job we don’t often think of, and the beauty found in a sense of camaraderie and collegiality.
Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir

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

4.0

What a fun twist on a classic fairytale!!
Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews Edwards

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funny informative lighthearted reflective slow-paced

5.0

Worth it just to close my eyes and imagine Julie talking to me drinking some tea together 
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

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challenging dark mysterious sad fast-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

You know what to expect. And are still surprised.
Negative Space by Lilly Dancyger

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

An incredible work of love and remembrance. Part memoir part memorial. Completely spell binding. The relationship between memory and truth. Can they be reconciled? The pervasiveness of grief. I will be thinking about this one for a long time
Be Holding: A Poem by Ross Gay

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emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

Even the acknowledgments are written beautifully
The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This was a charming and delightful read, perfect for someone whose favorite show is “If These Walls Could Talk” except the narrator is an adorably precocious Victorian ghost cat

I think someone who is familiar with or is from Edinburgh or just Scotland in general would love this. But for me, being wholly unfamiliar with the city, had a hard time connecting with the setting and characters. It was fun to piece together the different moments in history, and the footnotes were a fun touch.

Overall a cozy time, and a fun exercise in what would sweet Walter be up to as a ghost cat?
Legendary by Stephanie Garber

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

SO fun!!! At the beginning I was wary because it felt so much like the first one, but honestly I loved Tella way more and knowing all about the game made it more interesting and strategic. Also DANTE!!!!!