read_al_about_it's reviews
13 reviews

We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This is a hard review to write because I really loved the narrator of this audiobook, and the writing was rightfully harrowing, intense, and eloquent. But listening to this as an audiobook felt all over the place. It might have helped if I got a chapter breakdown where the narrator was instructed to specify the chapter and title (if any exist in the text) between the story breaks but I can't say that with certainty. I will say is that the first hour or two were fabulous and kept me hoping that I would catch back on again. But I was truly lost when the story swapped characters and only gained interest in the story pace again in the last two hours or so of the storyline. 

With all of that being said... I think reading this book is likely an entirely different experience! I hold myself accountable for not stopping the audiobook and continuing with the paper novel. I do think everyones experience will be completely different with the authors unique style of storytelling. And last but not least it is important to note that I have by no means written off this author or the idea of editing my review in its entirety if I decide to revisit the book in text form as it was meant to be experienced. 
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Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

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fast-paced
I don't even know how to rate this, so because it's a memoir I won't. What I will do is tell you that I am a white woman listening to this at the age of 29 in 2021 and it was a difficult thing to hear. There was abuse that was glazed over, and many moments where I felt like McConaughey wasn't recognizing his privilege for the first two thirds of the book. The last third was pleasant, and ultimately I do think that I learned something from it. It's not my job to judge what someone gleans from the life that they've lived. However it is my job to take what I can from what others choose to share with me. Its undeniable that McConaughey is an amazing storyteller because it's exactly what has made him so popular in the film industry. I think this is absolutely worth a read, even if it's just to see life from a completely different perspective. This was a good lesson in setting aside my beliefs for a moment to listen to someone else's experiences and how they handled hard situations. I don't agree with much of what he said, or how he dealt with many of his experiences in the moment. I think he is privileged beyond comparison, and has had many of these experiences because he is a traditionally good looking white man. I also don't think that discounts any of the good he has done, or how he got to where he is. I wish it was openly recognized by him in the book, but we can't make people do things just because we want them done. All in all, it was a rollercoaster I am happy I went on, and I am also glad is over. 
His Favorites by Kate Walbert

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

A harrowing truthful expression of what it is like to be a young woman who doesn't always make the correct choices. 
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

If you want a fast read Karen Mc Manus is always my first go to. I believe this was her first book but it was the last of hers that I read and the one that I loved the very most. 
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The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

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adventurous mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Karen McManus' writing hits me in a few literary places that aren't touched upon often. On one hand as an adult reading YA I need a certain level of writing to keep me entertained. But on the other I am usually reading YA to enjoy a quickly evolving plot and lighter subject matter. Somehow McManus is able to hit both every single time for me. I love the setting of this story being on an island, as the other pieces I have read of hers are set in a high school, but also enjoy that they are working within this affluent family that owns basically everything on the island. I feel as if there were many tropes that could have been used that would've really flattened the storyline but every single time I expected one I was met with more fun character analysis and backstory instead. One of the characters we are experiencing through the novel is from a flashback, and their story added so much depth and was a very necessary part of understanding the family dynamic. 

All in all a really fast and fun summer read for me! 


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American Gods by Neil Gaiman

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is a solid 4 for me. It’s so many things I love but I don’t think this contemporary setting is my jive. I curse like a sailor but the profanity and the sexual remarks I could’ve gone completely without in this novel.
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Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-To-Zion Journey Through Every National Park by Conor Knighton

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

What an amazing story wrapped within the year long experience Knighton had at these beautiful parks. I heard about this on the radio and had to pick it up. It was everything I hoped it would be and even more. Instead of rambling descriptions of the parks I got the perfect amount of experience and history in every story he told!
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World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Such an amazing read! Wouldn't surprise me at all if this turned out to be one of the best pieces I read this year. This is not something I would normally pick up but I am so happy that I did. 
Mythos by Stephen Fry

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adventurous funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS AUDIOBOOK! Fry is a fascinating story teller who kept me engaged for every moment of this book. I listened on the way to work, while walking the dogs, in the shower, while I got ready in the mornings, and I was never disengaged from the narrative. Are these stories we have heard before? Absolutely! Have they been told in a new way? These stories have been given new life in Fry's retellings. 
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