ros_scallydandler's reviews
185 reviews

Gabriel's Moon by William Boyd

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
No review yet as read for the booktube prize.
Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks

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challenging dark tense fast-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

Powerful drama.
Oromay by Baalu Girma

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny medium-paced

4.75

A striking novel. Once I got past the turgid speeches in chapter 4 it took off and I was caught up in events of the Red Star Campaign and the experiences of Tsegaye the journalist as his faith in the revolution and in himself is undermined by war, intrigue and love. The banning of the book in Ethiopia straight after publication and disappearance of the author a few months later add a poignancy to reading this and helped me not take offence at some attitudes that reflect the time and place it was written. 
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda

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

3.75

I was initially enthralled but this waned somewhat. 
A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie

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

4.5

Christie's depiction of Miss Marple is perfect in this one. A small English village, an entertaining cast of characters, the after effects of WWII and plenty of clues to keep the reader guessing. 
The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey

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informative medium-paced

4.0

Enlightening and full of vivid anecdotes.  I love this sort of book that pulls together ideas from more academic studies and presents it for the general reader in an entertaining and digestible form. 
The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

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

4.0

Still a joy despite being something of a retread of earlier Holmes stories.
A Crack in the Wall by Claudia Piñeiro

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

3.75

The Borrowed Hills by Scott Preston

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

3.75

Vigorous, often vivid with a tremendous sense of place but it became increasingly chaotic and over reliant on violent scenes.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

I'm glad to have finally read this but sadly some sections have not dated well.