ellieangel's reviews
97 reviews

The Buddha and the Borderline: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder through Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Buddhism, and Online Dating by Kiera Van Gelder

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

It’s a bit funny to be rating this book, haha. I was going to give it 5 stars, but he gave the Bonneville Salt Flats 3.5 stars which is just ridiculous.  

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach

adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer

challenging informative sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Sexual violence, and Violence

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Self harm

Looking Like a Language, Sounding Like a Race: Raciolinguistic Ideologies and the Learning of Latinidad by Jonathan Rosa

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Self harm, and Abortion

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

Minor: Eating disorder

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

adventurous mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Eating disorder

My major complaint about this book is that the author talks about food in a really black and white way: healthy or BAD, and uses characters struggling with food as a bad metaphor for lack of self confidence. I think this content could be triggering for someone who struggles with eating disorders even though there’s no explicit talk of eating disorders (at least not named as such).

Homegirls by Norma Mendoza-Denton

challenging informative medium-paced

4.0

This book is a lot more accessible to a general audience than a lot of Linguistics books.  Parts of it read almost like a novel, so it’s not as dry as some academic texts.  Really appreciated an ethnographic analysis of gangs that isn’t focused on drugs and violence.