jenwestpfahl's reviews
263 reviews
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
A delightful little mystery with a word of romance thrown in. I look forward to continuing the series.
Bridge to America by Linda Glaser
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A good YA book about what it was like, from a child’s perspective, to be an impoverished Eastern European Jew and then an American immigrant in the 1920s.
Lone Women by Victor LaValle
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. There is a lot going on in this book. I couldn’t put it down and now I can’t stop thinking about it. Not really sure what to make of it but I recommend it!
The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth
dark
slow-paced
2.0
This book needed a heavy-handed editor. The endless descriptions of Christmas displays in downtown storefronts and other details were so boring and made the book nearly twice as long as it needed to be. I ended up skimming the last 20% just to find out if they figured out who the killer was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the format of not knowing the victim till the end and the changing viewpoints. It was well written but it’s hard to really enjoy a book where each character is more despicable than the last.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Murder, Self harm, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide attempt
This Is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival by Robert Barron
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
A really great explanation of Catholic beliefs about the Eucharist. Bring your dictionary and your thinking cap because Bishop Barron uses big words and a complex writing style.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
emotional
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
This has a similar vibe to Orphan Train but the modern half of it felt a bit more plausible. I sped through this book in two days because I had to know exactly where the threads led and met up. Very well done story with a mix of tragic and bittersweet storylines.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
So slow with so much unneeded detail. I was expecting a lot more insightfulness than I got from this famous conversion memoir, especially toward the end. But it wasn’t there. All in all not a very memorable story.
Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity by Saundra Dalton-Smith
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.0
I read an article by the author and was absolutely fascinated by the concept so I got the book. I’m still fascinated by the concept and will likely think and talk about it forever: But the book was a bit lacking in substance. I did glean a few more nuggets than what I had gotten from the original article but I was expecting more.
It was a little heavy on the anecdotes from patients’ lives and light on evidence for how to best accomplish each type of rest. The author does give 3 applications for each type of rest but some seemed kind of uninspired. Or maybe I just felt that way about types of rest that I’m not lacking in.
I couldn’t read most of the second half (gifts of rest). I read two of the chapters and skimmed two. I was bored and felt like I was reading a stream of consciousness journal where someone is working out how to arrive at point rather than presenting one. And there wasn’t much in those chapters that I couldn’t have come up with myself.
I found the assessment tool to be accurate for me and I am going to sign up for the 30 day challenge to see if more actionable things come from that.
It was a little heavy on the anecdotes from patients’ lives and light on evidence for how to best accomplish each type of rest. The author does give 3 applications for each type of rest but some seemed kind of uninspired. Or maybe I just felt that way about types of rest that I’m not lacking in.
I couldn’t read most of the second half (gifts of rest). I read two of the chapters and skimmed two. I was bored and felt like I was reading a stream of consciousness journal where someone is working out how to arrive at point rather than presenting one. And there wasn’t much in those chapters that I couldn’t have come up with myself.
I found the assessment tool to be accurate for me and I am going to sign up for the 30 day challenge to see if more actionable things come from that.
The Galveston Diet: The Doctor-Developed, Patient-Proven Plan to Burn Fat and Tame Your Hormonal Symptoms by Mary Claire Haver, MD
informative
fast-paced
3.0
I’ve never read a diet book before so I have nothing to compare it to. But I learned several things that I am already putting into practice although I’m not following the whole plan. The boom was an easy read with formatting that made it easy to skim or even skip parts that I wasn’t super interested in, like the personal success stories.