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bburkard's reviews
1163 reviews
Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
Lovely War by Julie Berry
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
A World in a Drop of Water: Exploring with a Microscope by Virginia Silverstein, Alvin Silverstein
informative
slow-paced
3.0
I, Juan de Pareja: The Story of a Great Painter and the Slave He Helped Become a Great Artist by Elizabeth Borton De Trevino
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I tried. This book has beautiful writing and an interesting premise, but it feels simultaneously too cluttered and too sparse. It reminds me very much of the same feeling I had watching the recently released Rebel Moon on Netflix where it was flashy and intricate, but so much of it was surface level and ultimately rushed or crammed in, nothing really fully fleshed out or meaningful.
I'm 130 pages in and I just don't really care, I keep thinking about other books I'd rather be reading. Bummer because I really enjoy a good Baba Yaga story, but gosh the main character just doesn't feel like a Baba Yaga, there is no sign of character development or strong plot for that matter. She's missing key elements of Baba Yaga-ness. After listening to a book club discussion which basically said what I did here I'm pretty confident in dnf'ing this one indefinitely, just not for me.
I'm 130 pages in and I just don't really care, I keep thinking about other books I'd rather be reading. Bummer because I really enjoy a good Baba Yaga story, but gosh the main character just doesn't feel like a Baba Yaga, there is no sign of character development or strong plot for that matter. She's missing key elements of Baba Yaga-ness. After listening to a book club discussion which basically said what I did here I'm pretty confident in dnf'ing this one indefinitely, just not for me.