oceanwriter's reviews
617 reviews

K Is in Trouble (A Graphic Novel) by Gary Clement

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adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I know I’m not the target audience for this book but there have been many similar books that I’ve enjoyed. This wasn’t one of them. It legitimately made me anxious. Leave this poor boy alone. 
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The Girl from the Channel Islands: A WWII Novel by Jenny Lecoat

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emotional hopeful 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? No

2.0

I’m catching up on my book reviews and I barely remember this one aside from generally feeling ‘meh’ about the characters and story. Disappointing as the book is based on a true story. Just wasn’t memorable for me. 
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Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

1.0

I usually enjoy travel memoirs like this but I struggled so much with this one. I only pushed through it because it was short. All hope was lost for a worthwhile confusion when the author compared gutting a chicken to sex (and this wasn’t the only metaphor thrown out there). More pretension than heart. 
Essex County by Jeff Lemire

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A series of stories set in a small Canadian town. I liked the generational connections between them all and the themes of loss and grief. 
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The Librarian of Auschwitz: The Graphic Novel by Salva Rubio

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dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I somehow enjoyed the graphic novel adaption more than the original novel? Not sure why it hit so differently, but I’m glad I got to experience it again. 
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Everything Is OK by Debbie Tung

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emotional fast-paced

5.0

I can’t even put my thoughts into words with this one. It was beautiful. 
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Utopia by Thomas More

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challenging informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

1.0

This entire book felt like an existential crisis. I have no idea what I walked away with other than confusion. 
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Beartown by Fredrik Backman

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

3.0

I’ve really enjoyed other books by Fredrik Backman and his writing never fails to speak to me. I wasn’t super into the plot of this one not being a hockey fan (or sports fan in general), but there were a lot of passages and moments I really liked. I did go into this thinking my heart was going to shatter completely… I think I made it more devastating in my mind than it turned out to be. 
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Veridian Sterling Fakes It by Jennifer Gooch Hummer

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

1.25

I don’t know what I expected this book to be about, but this wasn’t it. 
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The Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire

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

3.5

Loved the inspiration behind this book! I do wish it had been a little more fleshed out, but I enjoyed it. 
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