carolineolesky's reviews
46 reviews

mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

5.0

I remember wanting to read this when I was a kid but never getting to it, and honestly I’m glad I read it as an adult and now I want to go back and reread a wrinkle in time. Somewhat ironically, I read my mother’s copy of a wrinkle in time from the 70s. I think this book says a lot about the power of compassion and curiosity.

Degrees of Equality: Abolitionist Colleges and the Politics of Race by John Frederick Bell

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informative medium-paced

4.5

Like most academic nonfiction, this was incredibly detailed and informative but dense. I appreciated that the author used accessible language and never over complicated anything.

Not the Worst Friend in the World by Anne Rellihan

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mysterious medium-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

Not the Worst Friend in the World is a story of friendship amongst preteen girls. It deals with many of the complicated parts of being a tween: strong emotions, family troubles, and growing up. I was hooked on this book and wanted to see what would happen to all the characters in the end. I will be recommending this book to my students.

Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan

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dark emotional sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I quite liked this book, which focused on a family's trauma and how it unfolds in a mysterious incident amongst children. I feel like the character of Tom had a weird amount of development, you knew quite a bit about him but not enough, personally I would have liked his character to be a it more or less developed. Overall, very well written and a good expose on intergenerational trauma.

Content Warnings

In True Face: A Woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked by Jonna Mendez

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hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

This book is a personal narrative about the life a female spy in the CIA from the 1960s-1990s. The author describes well her different missions and jobs. I was hooked on the parts where she talked about the different missions she was on. She also details in specificity the sexism she experienced in her work which proved interesting and frustrating. I struggled at times because the story was not always told in chronological order and that wasn't conveyed clearly. I also felt like the author had very repetitive language. Lastly, while the author provides strong criticism of the sexism she faced, she does not address her privilege as a white woman which comes off as a bit short sighted.

Murder at an Irish Chipper by Carlene O'Connor

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funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Overall I enjoyed this book, but I found it concerning how the one Black character was portrayed. I found it troublesome that her race was used to differentiate her as an outsider, simply stating she was a Londoner would have gotten the same point across. In addition, she was the only character whose race was explicitly mentioned. Lastly, she was, to my recollection, the only character whose physical appearance wasn't described in detail, her looks were simply described as Black. I would have liked to have seen the author find a way to respectfully describe this characters appearance without disparaging or oversexualizing her as opposed to ignoring describing her at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for sending me a free advanced digital edition.

The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater

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dark emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

Really hard and informative read about youth and the criminal justice system.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

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challenging emotional