cookieclutter's reviews
24 reviews

Moby-Dick: Or, the Whale by Herman Melville
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.

Read the book for a class, but didn't end up finishing it before the term ended. I didn't find the book interesting enough to finish once I didn't have an obligation to read it.

Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson

funny lighthearted 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

4.0

Combine corporate warfare with ancient magic and you got Enchanted Inc. While there could be something to say about healthy work culture, the book mostly focuses on how the hidden magical world intersects with modern office politics. In terms of fantasy, magic and spells are the main focus. I liked how the magic was something that could be bought and sold in its own special economy. There were some outdated terms/phrasing that only a book published in 2005 would have. Nothing egregious, but something that made me cringe when it popped up. Thankfully these are fairly spaced out and I forgot them as the book focused on Katie and her time at MSI. I found Katie to be relatable and surprisingly sensible. She reacted to situations in a way any reasonable person was and it was nice to see her become more confident in her abilities. I also enjoyed the supporting characters and how the author brought back certain characters later in the story. I'm not a big fan when a seemingly minor character suddenly becomes important, but I felt the writing made it obvious who could be brought back and who was fated to stay in that chapter. Overall, while this first book hints at greater conflicts, the stakes are relatively low which made it easy for me to enjoy the reading experience of having intellectual property theft in the same sentence as a polymorph spell. If you're looking for a lighthearted book with fast pacing and an interesting concept, consider checking this title out. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Blood

There is a scene in which Katie is walking back from work by herself when she is attacked by an unnamed assailant. While sexual assault is not specifically mentioned (and she is swiftly rescued with minimal impact), there is attempted assault of some kind and the amount of time the writing spends on the scene may be upsetting for some readers.

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Cursing, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Religious bigotry

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

100% recommend the audiobook, as narrated by the author. I prefer reading memoirs this way especially if the author is the narrator as it adds a personal touch to the reading experience. It also helps with hearing how words are pronounced.

Zauner beautifully explores the mother-daughter relationship through the lens of a multiethnic family. As a second-gen immigrant & person of mixed ethnicity, I found myself relating a lot to Zauner, especially in the last two chapters. The emphasis on food served so much more to the story than just a way to make readers hungry. I often found myself craving the foods described while also experiencing the emotions felt by the author in each chapter. If you're searching for a food memoir with a bit of everything, consider checking out "Crying in H-Mart".

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Abortion, and Alcohol

The Good Samaritan by John Marrs
Did not finish book. Stopped at 65%.

While I was enjoying the book, I

had a suspicion the ending would not pay out for the amount of mind games being played between the characters. It was getting in the way of me enjoying the book so I glanced at the last few chapters and decided it was not worth continuing. I wasn't necessarily wanting a happy ending, more so wanting to see Laura getting her just deserts but I didn't feel that happened so I decided to DNF

. Not sure if any of those were spoilers but it was a major factor for me DNF this book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, and Blood

Minor: Cancer

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

funny lighthearted reflective 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

3.75

Don't read this book if you're fully expecting a rom-com. Yes, there is a romance, but the main focus of the book is the protagonist's journey on finding what happiness and life fulfillment means to her. A little over halfway through the book, the pacing becomes a bit muddy and there's a lot of whiplash towards the end, but it's overall not a bad read. Keep in mind that this book was published in 2005, so even though it takes place in the "modern world", there are things the protagonist can't do (like use her phone to look up how to cook on Google). I also felt a bit disappointed that a pretty major plotline doesn't really get resolved. It starts making progress towards that, but you don't really get a resolution. Normally this wouldn't bother me but it seems a bit strange especially seeing how deeply this plotline affected the main character.

The Accidental Text by Becky Monson

funny lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

Beneath this fluffy romance about a chance meeting lies a very realistic look at grief. Anyone who has lost a close friend, relative, or pet will be able to especially relate to the protagonist as she struggles to cope with her grief when everyone else seems to have moved on. The romance helps to keep things light but it doesn't overshadow or disrupt the grieving process--if anything, these two aspects are closely intertwined with each other.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Cancer and Car accident

Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol

Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Lots of long exposition and explanation dumping. From the first few pages, we already know the main character's life story. The descriptions of the baking and cooking were nice, but other times the descriptions felt unnecessary and seemed like the author was talking down to the audience. Often times I felt that the dialogue got interrupted by these spiels. I ended up liking the side characters a lot more than the main character, so I'll probably keep reading the series just to see more of them.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Self harm, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Alcohol