reviewsmayvary's reviews
2734 reviews

The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny 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? No

4.5

Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

adventurous challenging dark 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent

What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Glint by Raven Kennedy

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

Gild by Raven Kennedy

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Trigger warnings for sexual assault and attempted r*pe

The fact that the font and formatting is messed up on a book I bought in Barnes and Noble should drop this an extra star. 

The Removed by Brandon Hobson

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I don't remember why I picked this book from BOTM early this year, but I finally got around to reading it when I saw it was available through Libby in audio. It's a story, on the surface, about a Native family 15 years after the shooting death of 15 year old RayRay by a police officer. Woven between each members POV and how they have been impacted by RayRay's death, is a tale from a Cherokee elder, Tsala, who recounts his being killed for refusing to comply with his nation's forced removal during the Trail of Tears. 

I zipped through this historical fiction that blends native story telling, myth, and heritage.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

There are very few collections of short stories that I consistently like all the way through, but it's hard to pick a weakest link in this collection, each centered on a church-going family/ woman as she looks for love and belonging.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

4.0