pkc's reviews
396 reviews

And the Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts

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challenging informative reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart

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

4.0

I'd have previously said that it was infeasible that a book, part of whose plot is a push and pull a la Bertolt Brecht, could have an antagonist that wasn't one single person. 

Surely one person has a claim to a child and the other simply does not. Not so, in this gorgeous and sad book. The temerity of humanity is the undercurrent here and cruelty is the driver, but it's an achingly beautiful story in the end.
Nature Poem by Tommy Pico

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challenging mysterious reflective

2.0

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

Alexis Hall’s prose shines once again in this regency romance with a difference. I absolutely adored the main characters of Viola and Gracewood and I was fully engaged and rooting for them throughout. I appreciated how this was book was about two lost souls finding their new beginnings with each other, but wrapped in all the lace and crinoline that the ton permits. The queer rep was glorious and I loved the subversion of the power trope. Alexis Hall always writes such amazing romantic leads who, despite their flaws, I wind up rooting for. I only deducted a star because the pacing at the front was strange with an early revelation and it knocked me off kilter slightly. But apart from that, for the language and the romance, this was a slam dunk.
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The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman

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hopeful informative sad fast-paced

5.0

I knew nothing about this play, except for the top line plot - a young man is beaten bloody in an apparent hate crime and left to die alone. While that is absolutely grotesque, this finds itself being a story about hope, kindness. I was particularly intrigued by the rippling effect of hateful acts when
Reggie finds out that Matthew was HIV positive and by attending and investigating the crime scene, she may have been exposed to HIV so has to take AZT to try and stave off infection
.

It goes without saying that you really should read the trigger warnings for this one. I’m shocked at how hopeful I was left feeling. I also loved seeing the foundations of techniques that were used in the composition of the play and its material.
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The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Nick is an incredible protagonist and this book has
one of the finest double bluffs I’ve ever read
.

What I loved is while this book leans into many of the superhero tropes we’ve come to expect in the age of MCUs and a resurgence of popularity in graphic novels, this book explored queerness and neurodivergence in relation to those tropes and made it a really fruitful, twisty reading experience. I have friends who have ADHD and some of their experiences that they have shared were identical to the MC. I imagine he’ll bring comfort to so many readers. Ugh. Just exquisite.
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The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu

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

3.5

This was an absolute whirlwind of a book. Edinburgh provided a fitting backdrop for this mysterious plot and rapid fire magic system. It was fascinating. I enjoyed the trips into Scottish mythology and the dystopia-lite feel. By which I mean, society hadn’t fully broken down, but things were FAR from ideal. I struggled a lot with the language. Everything was clipped and there were phrases in there that I’ve never heard anyone use, but honestly more power to them. Give it a bash, but fair warning, it gets DARK. The allegory of the central plot is heavy. The final showdown setting is frankly hysterical to me.
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Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli

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5.0

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

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emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5