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tracithomas's reviews
1010 reviews

Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds

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lighthearted fast-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

4.0

This is a really sweet book for young Black boys about sex. Some of the structural stuff didn't work for me, but I loved the main character and his girlfriend and some of the scenes with his loved ones. It is a tender little book that reminds you that the kids will be alright.
Into the Uncut Grass by Trevor Noah

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

4.0

This was a super cute children's book about different ways to see the world and approach disagreements. I loved it and so did my kids! 
Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky

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

4.0

This is poetry and narrative together. Somber. Beautiful. A powerful look at war and disability in a creative and resonant way. 
What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

This book is A+. It has inspired climate activism in me. The form is brilliant. Dr. Johnson makes you fall in love with her passion and outlook. This is such a fantastic holistic way to see climate and our responsibilities. Yes. 
Gone Wolf by Amber McBride

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challenging dark emotional sad 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

3.0

I think this is a very sweet book for young folks. I liked the idea of it but think the execution in two parts left me wanting more of a wrap up from the first part and less overall from the second. 
Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America by Paola Ramos

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informative fast-paced

4.0

I liked a lot of the reporting and found the early sections really good. Toward the end the book lost it’s thesis and meanders for a bit before a very strong last chapter. She makes some really good points and generally this is a very solid book. 
Elysium: A Black Diamond Vacation Romance by DL White

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lighthearted 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

4.0

The dialogue in this book is so good. I liked the middle aged couple and found their conflicts to be adult ones which I appreciated. Really good sex scenes. It’s a hair long. 
Yr Dead by Sam Sax

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dark funny 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? Yes

3.0

This is an experimental novel that is heavy on character and basically has no plot at all. I like the writing and some sentences bowled me over, but the fragmentary style left me feeling unmoored. It was hard to tell what was happening in certain sections. If you like books that play a lot with form and the idea of a novel, this would be good for you.
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

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lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

I’m an Ina fan but found this book pretty boring. I couldn’t stop listening but can’t tell you why. It was a lot of her grocery lists and real estate choices. A lot. She’s super rich and had been extremely fortunate through her life and career. I learned a lot of details about her life but nothing actually major or unexpected about her as a woman. It felt surface. And yet I finished and didn’t hate it. Ina magic I guess. 
Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

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

3.0

I was pretty underwhelmed with this book. It is not my kind of novel, it is a lot of musings and not a lot of plot. The way the character's musings are presented felt a lot like they could've been an essay but were thinly veiled as fiction. I loved KCV's nonfiction and feel her writing is stronger in that form and that this book was trying to do that in fiction that didn't land for me.