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purplepenning's reviews
1669 reviews
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Vomit
Minor: Death
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Great fun! A globetrotting mystery adventure with a quirky cast that includes a frighteningly competent body guard, her curmudgeonly ex-copper father-in-law, her high-rolling author client, plus bosses and bad guys, celebrities and wannabes, a cat called Trouble and a pub quiz team. You might have some of the mystery solved by the end, but Osman's writing is so compelling you'll read at a gallop and be happy for the ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, and Death of parent
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Narnia vibes in the best possible way! Other than the Hedwig moment, I was all in and can't wait for the next installment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
James by Percival Everett
5.0
Just brilliant. Goes down fast but sticks to your ribs. Go ahead and take seconds — you know you missed something the first time around.
I don't keep many of the books I buy, but this one is going on my shelf right next to Huckleberry Finn. Honestly, it should be packaged with every copy of Huck Finn sold, loaned, or taught from this day forward.
I don't keep many of the books I buy, but this one is going on my shelf right next to Huckleberry Finn. Honestly, it should be packaged with every copy of Huck Finn sold, loaned, or taught from this day forward.
Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Frustrating. I might've enjoyed this story as a tighter duology, but definitely not as a paced out trilogy.
Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I have a couple of core issues with this one (like wtf, Ravi ?!) — but boy what a ride! And it's pretty funny if you like flippantly snarky slacker humor.
Kind of Hunger Games meets Gideon the Ninth via Agatha Christie and Aesop's fables as written by F.T. Lukens?
Kind of Hunger Games meets Gideon the Ninth via Agatha Christie and Aesop's fables as written by F.T. Lukens?
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness
Nevermore Bookstore by Cynthia St. Aubin, Kerrigan Byrne
Not my jam (and not paranormal romance, if that's the vibe the cover is serving up to you) but if you want a contemporary grumpy-sunshine romance between a bookstore owner with chronic illness and a tortured ex-Ranger with complex PTSD, in a Pacific Northwest small-town dramedy with a little mystery and more than a little steam ... well then — ignore what the cover is serving and dive right in! There's also a pretty good cast of friendly small town looney toons and a giant cat named Kevin Costner.