auroraleighs's reviews
116 reviews

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

A classic and such an emotional and unforgettable story! A wonderful celebration of blackness, womanhood, spirituality, and the bonds between women. I really liked the confessional letter format and how it worked into the ending.

The Last Man by Mary Shelley

dark inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.75

This book is such a sad and beautiful allegory for the wretchedness Shelley was feeling at this point in her life, and it's another one of her great achievements in pioneering science fiction. The plot is a little ponderous and inexplicable at times, but the vision of loneliness and destruction at the heart of this novel overshadows any flaws. It's interesting to see a future apocalyptic vision before they had become commonplace in culture: Shelley's 2090s are near identical to the 1820s, for example.

I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel

dark tense 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

3.25

This was an interesting read and a great commentary on the toxicity of social media & influencer culture. I would have like a little more from the plot though, and the blog-post writing format took some getting used to.

Doctor Who: The Giggle by James Goss

adventurous funny medium-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

3.75

Another fun target novelization. I thought the parts written by the toymaker (and the puzzles) were quite funny.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

(reread)

All's Well by Mona Awad

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This book was fresh, wicked, and wildly entertaining. Sometimes Shakespeare rewrites can feel stale, but the way this novel incorporates elements of both All's Well and Macbeth makes it enjoyably unpredictable. It's also a great novel about the psychology of pain; the torment of it and the politics of expressing it. An overall great read.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

Finally got around to reading this after avoiding it for years as I hated Jamaica Inn so much: but Rebecca is a far stronger book. Very entertaining and a gothic classic for a reason. There are some piercingly human and relatable pieces of writing in it. And Mrs. Danvers is an unforgettable creation for sure.

Books and You by W. Somerset Maugham

funny informative medium-paced

3.75

My grandfather told me that once in 1954 Maugham yelled at him for tipping a bellboy at the Dorchester Hotel; and each successive page of this book proved that this was exactly the kind of guy he was. 

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

dark tense medium-paced

3.75

I had a hard time getting into this one for some reason, but overall I found it interesting. I think the story behind the writing of the book itself is far, far more interesting than the book itself, so I look forward to reading more about that.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

Mostly a great read for the fifty page introduction where Hawthorne tears his coworkers to absolute SHREDS just because he can. But more importantly when he refers to a squirrel as a "choleric and humourous little personage". So cute.