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bites_of_books's reviews
776 reviews
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Orbital is a beautiful work of writing that gives a unique perspective on Earth from the point of view of 6 cosmonauts traveling on the ISS around Earth. We also get snippets of a group of astronauts heading to the moon at the same time.
It's a book that made me stop and think about our place on this Earth and the universe at large. The writing is exquisite, potentially too much so for some but for me it was intoxicating in the best way. I loved the snippets of the cosmonauts thinking about the Earth and the way that looking at it from such a long distance can create a different perspective on pretty much everything. Things like a falling tear and even them falling asleep to a movie about space can create beautiful scenes that showcase what humans are all about.
The social commentary throughout was also spot on, touching on things like climate change, political borders, technology, etc.
This could already very well be at the top of my favorite books of 2025, and it's the first one I read!
I'd recommend it to anyone who loves intricate and beautiful writing, space, philosophy, and just a unique perspective on humans.
It's a book that made me stop and think about our place on this Earth and the universe at large. The writing is exquisite, potentially too much so for some but for me it was intoxicating in the best way. I loved the snippets of the cosmonauts thinking about the Earth and the way that looking at it from such a long distance can create a different perspective on pretty much everything. Things like a falling tear and even them falling asleep to a movie about space can create beautiful scenes that showcase what humans are all about.
The social commentary throughout was also spot on, touching on things like climate change, political borders, technology, etc.
This could already very well be at the top of my favorite books of 2025, and it's the first one I read!
I'd recommend it to anyone who loves intricate and beautiful writing, space, philosophy, and just a unique perspective on humans.
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really like Rice's writing style, he is able to be immersive and atmospheric, blurring the edges of dreams and reality, just wonderful. I loved the use of the Anishinaabe language throughout the book and the importance given to stories, the elders, and dreams within the community.
At first I didn't like that a white man had to enter the story but by the end I understood why Rice decided to follow this plotline. Overall I really enjoyed this book, I learned a lot and will definitely be looking for more of his books.
At first I didn't like that a white man had to enter the story but by the end I understood why Rice decided to follow this plotline. Overall I really enjoyed this book, I learned a lot and will definitely be looking for more of his books.
25 Days by Per Jacobsen
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- 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
The author mentions in the afterword that he put a couple of rules in place for how he wrote this book. One of the rules was to have each chapter be part of an advent calendar, with 25 chapters in total. The second was that there was a specific order for the POVs for each day. For me, none of this worked. There was no way to see the action that was happening to different characters on certain days and we also missed the reactions of those characters who were in the middle of the action.
It might have been more enjoyable if I had read it all the way through in a day or two instead of trying to force myself to follow the author's instructions.
It might have been more enjoyable if I had read it all the way through in a day or two instead of trying to force myself to follow the author's instructions.
Algorithms to Live by: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Tom Griffiths, Brian Christian
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Just not interesting for me
Strange Love by Ann Aguirre
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
I couldn't believe how endearing the MCs were in this book! I was very invested throughout the book, the world was super interesting and I wanted to explore it all, the culture was rich and complex, the romance was just right for me.
I will be continuing with this series since I feel like I can trust the author and her stories. Highly recommend!
I will be continuing with this series since I feel like I can trust the author and her stories. Highly recommend!
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
Did not finish book. Stopped at 53%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 53%.
Some of the author's decisions were simply bad. Why would you change the age of Emilia to 13 from 18 when she got married? That's historically not accurate. Also, in the modern timeline we have a black gay best friend who is all stereotype with zero nuance. I thought this book was supposed to uplift and inspire people but the only thing it did was put unnecessary and false trauma on top of trauma for Emilia and give zero nuance to Melina's story. Also what's with the enemies to lovers plot line for Melina?! How was that necessary?
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
The story of Ruthie and Joe is so sad and so necessary. I loved the writing and the complex characters. It would be easy to be set against the kidnapping family, but even with those characters, there was complexity throughout the book.
Ruthie's journey is hard to read, mostly because of the gaslighting that she endures. I think many things did happen to her and she didn't get to have much agency, but that felt like a big part of the point of the story in this case.
Joe was a potentially unlikeable character who did grow for me and his story is truly heartbreaking. His emotional journey was difficult to connect to at times but there were certain moments that were so heartfelt and real for me that I couldn't help but want to just wrap him up in a blanket.
I'd love to read more of Peters' books! I simply loved her writing, at times I was so wrapped up in it that I did forget everything that was going on around me. That's a great book for me!
Ruthie's journey is hard to read, mostly because of the gaslighting that she endures. I think many things did happen to her and she didn't get to have much agency, but that felt like a big part of the point of the story in this case.
Joe was a potentially unlikeable character who did grow for me and his story is truly heartbreaking. His emotional journey was difficult to connect to at times but there were certain moments that were so heartfelt and real for me that I couldn't help but want to just wrap him up in a blanket.
I'd love to read more of Peters' books! I simply loved her writing, at times I was so wrapped up in it that I did forget everything that was going on around me. That's a great book for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? No
4.0
A reflection of what we can learn from looking into the past. The interactions we could have had, information we missed, memories that fade and we can't help but want to hang on to them. This is a collection of intersecting characters that use a time travel mechanism to travel to the past and for the duration of a hot cup of coffee, try and see what they might have missed in the past. The stories are all connected and make up a beautiful picture of a community that supports each other and helps each other through the rough times while celebrating the happy times.
The only reason why I didn't give it the whole 5 stars is because it became a tad repetitive at times. Otherwise, a great book.
The only reason why I didn't give it the whole 5 stars is because it became a tad repetitive at times. Otherwise, a great book.
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
4.75
What a delight of a book! It's such a special story told via letters about the relationship between a woman in New York City and a bookseller in London. It's a great reminder of cherishing the relationships that matter to us, how some friendships may come and go but their impact could be long lasting.
I'd definitely recommend it to all.
I'd definitely recommend it to all.