maddys's reviews
167 reviews

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price

funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.5

Stay and Fight by Madeline ffitch

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

Unique, heartwarming, emotional, political - a mesmerizing read from beginning to end. The characters are often unlikeable, but the compelling story maintained my interest. Ffitch encourages us to envision a different way of life, a different world, and to see the grey in between black and white, right and wrong. 

What I Talk about When I Talk about Running by Haruki Murakami

inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

As someone who enjoys both running and writing, this book resonated with me in a way I think only other runners and/or writers can appreciate. I enjoyed Murakami's narration and his subtle humour and wit. A really lovely, easygoing read. 

The 4% Fix by Karma Brown

informative medium-paced

4.0

Brown delivers on what she sets out to do: persuading readers to try out a 5-am wake up to pursue their hobbies and passions, with tangible strategies and tools to achieve this. As with most self-help/productivity books, this one is repetitive and fluffy at times, though I enjoyed the experience of reading The 4% Fix; it's quick, easy, and straightforward. And if it's a testament to the quality of this book, I've been waking up earlier since finishing this book a few weeks ago. Would recommend this for anyone interested in productivity, habit change, and improving the quality of their day-to-day living. 

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

4.0

Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive & Creative Self by Manoush Zomorodi

informative inspiring medium-paced

3.75

This is a solid book on the consequences of our hyper-plugged in world and the benefits of stepping back, mindfully disengaging from these distractions, and giving yourself regular opportunities to be 'bored'. In the absence of a phone or distraction, we allow our brains to wonder, to search for stimulation in our thoughts and surroundings. This can be beneficial to our emotional wellbeing and mental health, creativity, and productivity. 

Zomorodi provides a plethora of studies and quotes to support her central argument for detaching from the constant need to use our phones. As an avid reader of productivity, behaviour change, digital minimalism, and the like, much of the content in this book has been written about before and this book felt more like a meta-analysis of existing literature rather than new and innovative ideas or thoughts, though Zomorodi does provide a 7-day challenge for readers to try out. There were some really interesting tidbits in here, like the value of in-person conversations versus texting and how to effectively use technology as a distraction or stress-reliever (and avoid getting sucked in). 

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Then She Was Gone is a fast read full of creepy vibes, cliffhangers, and interpersonal drama. I enjoyed this book and breezed through it. I appreciated how Jewell revealed many key elements of the mystery early on, leading me to develop some early hypotheses that made me want to keep reading even more to confirm if I was on the right path. The characters were multifaceted and I enjoyed how Jewell weaved in the Mack family dynamics into the overall story. 

Overall, I'd categorize this as a good "beach read" - fun and held my attention, but nothing to write home about. Still, I'd recommend it!

A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0