tspoon3330's reviews
480 reviews

The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Did not finish book. Stopped at 61%.

The writing style felt like most of the story was summarized. There were character arcs about characters I didnt care about. As the story moved along, the constant dehumanization of Black people made it harder to root for or care about anybody in the story. I found myself rolling my eyes and trying to ignore the way the families referred to Black people as souless animals. Then i started towonder why I attempting to make myself read this story at all. So i decided to swtich to something more enjoyable.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Just as captivating and full of har  lessons and heart as I remember. A must read. A searing look at the jim crow south and the determination it takes to live with courage in the face of overwhelming odds.

The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

another fast and taut thriller by McFadden. The twist didn't shock me, but it was still so fun to listen to. The other narrator for the reveal ruined it for me, though. The main narrator did a wonderful job acting out the story that when his part came on, it sounded like a let down in comparison.

Either way, it's still a fun thrilling read. The kind that had you talking back to the characters and telling them to run!

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

A fun thriller to dive into. Nothing challenging or thought provoking, but it gets the job done. Then ending left me scratching my head with questions, though. I'm left wondering how certain characters were able to reach the ending they did given the circumstances of their actions. 

All in all it was an entertaining read.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

adventurous dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

4.75

Action packed and full of heart. I adore the Alaki, their Uruni, and everyone in their newly found family just as much as I did the first time.

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A masterful tale of dark secrets that fester in a supposedly idyllic small town. The Stephens's fight for freedom and justice left me breathless at one moment, and hollering the next. I flew through this book since, much like most of Due's work, it snatched me by the throat and refuse  to let me go. It's a startling reminder that there are way too many secrets about this country that certain people don't want us to know. Only by keeping those histories alive can we be sure it never happens again. 

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Slow and introspective. I expected more magic realism than there was. It was more heartfelt and full of everyone growing in their own ways.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.

I was riding with Dantes until I got to the part about how he "always wanted a dumb servant" and waited until Ali's tongue was cur out before deciding to save him. Not interested in the reading about a slave owner who uses human beings the way he does. I immediately lost interest in his quest for revenge and began to hope someone would run him through with a very sharp blade. It's always a risk to read so-called classics when you're black.

Glory Be by Danielle Arceneaux

funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

 A somewhat fun read, but I'm not sure if I'll be reading the next books in the series.

What Never Happened by Rachel Howzell Hall

mysterious slow-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? Yes

2.75

Not as thrilling or riveting as some of her other work. For some reason this one didn't have me itching to find out who did what. I felt like I figured out who the guilty parties were before I was supposed to. Having said that, it was still an entertaining read. I do think the story probably would ha e been better if it had been trimmed down a bit. Collette seemed to just have things happening to her, but she wasn't proactive for much of the story.

The relationships were all around unpleasant. The main love interest was bland and I couldn't connect with it. Her friends were more like frenemies so, there was nothing for me to enjoy there. And I often just wanted to drop kick her aunt in the throat.

This one was a weird one because although it was flawed, it wasn't the worst story I have read. Maybe Years from now I'll have more of an appreciation for it.