smallredboy's reviews
162 reviews

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

HAUNTING book. I much prefer it to The Haunting of Hill House; I absolutely adored Merricat's point of view, and I loved her codependent relationship with her sister. It was such a tragedy and very intriguing.

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Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman by Abby Chava Stein

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emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

4.5

I really enjoyed it! It was a very thoughtful memoir, and I'm excited to read more from Abby Stein.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

4.5

It's a beautifully written book; some parts were a bit of a lull and I didn't find myself liking them, mostly the sudden end to Dinah and Shelem's romance, but afterward the book took shape again and I found it really enjoyable. As much as I'm only woman-adjacent nowadays, the depictions of womanhood and mother-daughter relationships were really tender and I loved them.

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The Orchard: A Novel by David Hopen

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.75

I read nearly half of this book in one sitting. Incredibly entrenching read, fascinating thoughts that quarrel with God in every possible way imaginable. The characters were alive, albeit some of the cast sometimes got mixed up in my head, but I loved Aryeh's point-of-view and how simply odd he was, as so was Evan. I think Evan Stark may be one of my favorite characters in fiction in a while. I love a tortured genius.

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Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus by Monica Murphy, Bill Wasik

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challenging dark informative medium-paced

5.0

Thrilling read! Very interesting stuff about the history of rabies; from remedies in the ancient world to Louis Pasteur to the first person who survived rabies without getting a vaccine first. It doesn't focus too much on the science, which while some people may be bothered by it I found it better as I'm not very good at science---what was told about it, though, was understandable and interesting.

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The Doctor Who Fooled the World: Andrew Wakefield's war on vaccines by Brian Deer

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challenging dark funny informative medium-paced

5.0

Holy shit this book is really good. Deer's prose grips you and pulls you right in with no stops or breaks; sometimes it's downright distressing, sometimes it's hilarious. He speaks from a place of knowledge and I loved reading this very detailed breakdown of the facts and how we got here, to the anti-vaccine crisis of today. Very good book.

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