sammiseah's reviews
262 reviews

A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart

mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

Impossible to put down!

We the Scientists: How a Daring Team of Parents and Doctors Forged a New Path for Medicine by Amy Dockser Marcus

emotional inspiring medium-paced

3.75

It was not a particularly engaging read, but as a scientist working in basic science, it opened my eyes to the concept of citizen science, in particular in the context of rare diseases. I learnt a lot!

The Last White Rose: A Novel of Elizabeth of York by Alison Weir

emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

Breaking Through by Katalin Karikó

informative inspiring medium-paced

3.5

Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on The Decision Not To Have Kids by Meghan Daum

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.25

Childfree by Choice: The Movement Redefining Family and Creating a New Age of Independence by Amy Blackstone

informative medium-paced

4.0

The Deluge by Stephen Markley

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? Yes

4.75

My climate anxiety feels completely validated here wow wtf. And yet, I’m not drowning in despair right now - somehow there was a right balance of hope and despair.

Warning : It’s 900 pages long - I struggled through it even though I read fast, but I do think it’s completely worth it. There are many characters and I did find myself struggling in the first 200 pages to keep track of storylines and ideas. But it was worth it in the end.

It feels like a foretelling of our future. I only hope that many more people read this book and that we actually start to make the change that we need to see in this world.

The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was enthralled by the themes and the concepts within this book and I thought they were handled very well! The handling of machine learning and AI was particularly pertinent. However, I felt so disappointed by how the book ended! I felt like the first 300+ pages was building us up to some amazing, grand finale, and then I ended up slightly disappointed at the end, particularly by the main storyline :( 

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

Forward: Stories of Tomorrow by N.K. Jemisin, Blake Crouch, Paul Tremblay, Amor Towles, Veronica Roth, Andy Weir

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25