libbykerns's reviews
306 reviews

Tarr by Wyndham Lewis, Scott W. Klein

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challenging reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Tarr has what is either the most fitting or least satisfying book ending i’ve read maybe ever. i can’t decide which. i read this book for class & appreciate it… and even enjoyed it at times. many complicated feelings, to be further unwound at a later point (maybe)
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Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
i just didn’t connect with the characters?? idk but it wasn’t doing it for me
Decadent Conservatism: Aesthetics, Politics, and the Past by Alex Murray

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

about to write a full academic review elsewhere, but this was a fascinating and informative book. i would highly recommend for anyone interested in the fin-de-siècle period of British literary history and Victorianism or for those who prefer the modern movement. 
Love Marriage by Monica Ali

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emotional funny mysterious 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? Yes

3.75

you know it’s messy when there’s a therapist pov
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-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? Yes

5.0

tentative 5 stars but holy— this is amazing. beautiful. brilliant. RICH. i can’t wait to reread. 
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

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

4.0

yeah this slaps. am i obsessed? maybe not. did i have a good time? yes. 
Intention by G.E.M. Anscombe

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challenging slow-paced

4.0

i just a little lost in the weeds of time at the end (not convinced the future is important… or unsure how important it is. ends with a sort of internal multiplicity which i suppose is created by time?) but this was a really interesting read and i think, especially after i have class on it, that i will often return to this text. 

also surprisingly readable for the type of philosophy it is
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

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

4.0

Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

this is my worst nightmare and also there somehow wasn’t enough urine
(book wasn’t badly written, per se—i just didn’t like it)
Customs: Poems by Solmaz Sharif

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4.5

wow. just wow. 

there was a few poems i liked in the first section, but both sections two and three blew me away. this collection will definitely bear (and deserve!) a reread.