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bamboobones_rory's reviews
433 reviews
The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation by Alan Lew
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Lots of characters kept being introduced with no plot. More like a series of random facts about people than a story.
Avi Cantor Has Six Months To Live by Sacha Lamb
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
We've Been Too Patient: Voices from Radical Mental Health--Stories and Research Challenging the Biomedical Model by L.D. Green, Kelechi Ubozoh
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Awakening Compassion: Meditation Practice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.75
The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People -- And Break Free by Stephanie Moulton Sarkis
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
4.75
Very clear and it also gives examples of behaviors and traits that gaslighters may have, or in people who may gaslight occasionally from poor coping mechanisms. Examples go through different environments like friendship, work, relationships, and family.
My own frame of reference is reading this a year out from being gaslit about my sense of reality and learning to trust my perceptions again, and this information about traits and red flags was valuable to me and painful to realize warning signs I missed in the past. There is also a list of what healthy relationships and communication look like. The concrete examples will be useful to others who struggle to figure out if people are emotionally safe or what social signals to look for, and will be helpful for those who are trusting regardless of warning signs.
My own frame of reference is reading this a year out from being gaslit about my sense of reality and learning to trust my perceptions again, and this information about traits and red flags was valuable to me and painful to realize warning signs I missed in the past. There is also a list of what healthy relationships and communication look like. The concrete examples will be useful to others who struggle to figure out if people are emotionally safe or what social signals to look for, and will be helpful for those who are trusting regardless of warning signs.
The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
This novella had a lot of potential with the great characters and themes, but it tries to do to much in a short space, and so the world building details and plot become rushed- rattling off the background info for the reader, then switching to a slow scene slice-of-life description. I was excited about the plot and it's cool to see a non-binary MC in a Persian inspired fantasy world, but overall the book fell flat by trying to do way too much in a short number of pages. It seems like it should be a full length novel or multiple books for the level of worldbuilding, or else the plot itself could be a short story. This seems like the kinda of jam-packing a story that new authors who are excited about their world do. I think Naseem Jamnia is an author to keep an eye on for future books.