suzanna_m's reviews
1576 reviews

Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton

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4.0

The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing by Lara Love Hardin

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Well -written, moving, insightful, hopeful, and sad.

I appreciated her critique of the CJS and how they tend to focus on punishment over rehabilitation. I would have liked a bit more discussion on her privilege.
Water by John Boyne

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dark mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

Would be solid 5 if it was twice as long! I was so immersed in Willow's story I didn't want this to end. Excited to read the rest of the Elements and hope she returns.

Boyne packs a real punch in this slim volume, dealing with loss, grief, misogyny, solitude, and accountability. At times devastating, at others light and humourous. 
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

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

3.0

I didn't like this as much as her other work, and maybe that's because it's her first work. I'll still go back for more Butler. 

I loved the premise, but I found the execution poor. The lesson seems to be slavery is bad. Do we need reminding? The other lesson is that it's easy to accept your shackles. But should it be? And the third is that racists don't change, which can be true but is definitely a bit of a bummer. 

I found the characters one dimensional and it bugged me how everyone was just like, alright, time travel, no biggie, even the people in the 1800s. It also bugged me that a Black women, during the 2nd wave of feminism, would just accept her fate.
The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman

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funny fast-paced

4.0

Sweet and silly, classic feel-good story by Backman.
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte

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

4.0

A funny indictment on relationships, rejection, and online culture. I don't think I understand the ending but still enjoyed the stories.
The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This didn't work for me. 

Had it not been TJ Klune I wouldn't have stuck with it ... nothing happened until 1/3 in. And then it felt too similar to Cerulean Sea, although I guess that was technically a rip off of this one. I didn't realize this was an earlier work just getting a new cover, so I think his style and storytelling have just gotten better. He found his groove but didn't have it yet for this one. Plus, had an explicit sex scene which just felt unnecessary. 

I'll still read more Klune but perhaps not all of his earlier work.
Black Boys Like Me: Confrontations with Race, Identity, and Belonging by Matthew R. Morris

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challenging informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

Again, I hate rating memoirs. Picked this up to explore a new perspective and it delivered, although I still feel quite in the dark. But that's OK...as a white woman I'll never truly understand the Black man experience, but I did learn quite a lot. Appreciated the memoir in essays style and liked the Canadian connection. Hope he writes more.
Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Short stories that examine womanhood through the lenses of motherhood, sex, love, marriage, loss, grief, violence, abuse, racism, and sexism. Most of the women aren't so much difficult as experiencing difficulties.

Phenomenally written, but I felt disappointed that some of the stories ended so soon. A few could be powerful novels. As shorts, there is less time for character development and complexity.
The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron

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

4.0

Swashbuckling fun!

This plot driven novel follows the violent life of legendary but possibly fictional queer, female, mulatto, pirate, Jacquotte Delahaye. 

There's some depth to the characters but primarily this is just an entertaining read. Some minor characters stand out.