jameslyons's reviews
80 reviews

Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

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

2.0

This needed a lot more cooking. Cyrus felt like a self-insert with so little depth that he shallowed-up a story that had potential to be something. Should have been a tragedy featuring the  cast in Iran only. So much great imagery and many interesting characters squandered. Also… what’s going on with the publishing industry? Are we really not hiring editors anymore?? “He thought.” is not a complete sentence! 

When I wasn’t annoyed, I was bored. 

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Ecosocial Theory, Embodied Truths, and the People's Health by Nancy Krieger

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4.0

A Real Piece of Work by Erin Riley

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slow-paced

2.0

Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker

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emotional reflective fast-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? Yes

5.0

Evenings & Weekends by Oisín McKenna

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

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challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

The Monkey's Mask by Dorothy Porter

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0