Tori

Very informative about how relationships can be vastly more understood based on someone's anxious or avoidance tendencies. While this book focuses on romantic relationships, I think the concepts can be applied to all adult relationships (romantic, platonic, etc.).

As always, Chris brings his sense of british humor to telling his story of starting out in Japan. If you're a fan of his Abroad in Japan channel, then I highly recommend this. He provides background and insite into not only where he started with youtube, but how he made the land of the rising sun into a place he can call home.

From one anxious person to another, 100% agree that sometimes you just gotta push through the anxiety and do the thing, whatever it is.

At first, I thought I was going to be giving this book 3 stars, but the ending really pulled me in. I loved the growth the characters go through. But ohhh how this book pulled at my heartstrings on a topic/theme very near to my heart. Seriously, that's the only thing that really made me give this 4 stars.

Only 4 stars as this wasn't life changing. But reading someone's journals rarely is. I learned a lot about Rickman that I didn't know, including his activism and the political stances he supported. What a truly amazing person.

I found this very intriguing. I listened to the audio book and found the recording a bit monotonous, but otherwise the stories were cool. Each item was explained in a way that I think someone not very familiar with science could understand, although the subject matter could be a little difficult to follow, especially when researches from days past are introduced in their particular stories. It's really crazy what can happen to the mind based on certain diets, DNA, etc

Very enjoyable read. I want to read the second book now

Not super memorable

I wanted to give this a 3.5 as it was really good, just not quite a 4 for me. The story is a great modern day twist of the Arthurian legend. It really took me on a ride, but I couldn't get hooked into the story until about half way through (hence the 3.5⭐️). The author uses present tense which in and of itself isn't all that bad, but I think that's part of why it took me a minute to get into the story. That and I just couldn't fully get behind the main character's initial motivation. Maybe I just couldn't relate?? Either way, I think this is a good read for those wanting something fun and fast paced.

This was a super cute and quick read. The episodic chapters was really enjoyable in order to get a feel of Kiki's life, which differs from the studio ghibli version. There's actually more deliveries she goes on than are in the movie! I would love to be able to continue to read her adventures, but not sure if they're translated into English yet.

I hate that I gave this five stars. Maybe I'll change it to four later. Idk. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a great quick read that really pulled me in. The dichotomy of Mamiusa between who she is before the round up and after is not the best written, but very believable. Her rejecting our heroine's love interest was great. All of the characters show depth and faliability. They all show different sides. Loved learning all of the new things about WW2 I didn't know like the truce between Argentina and Nazi Germany.SPOILER ALERT:   I was partially shocked about Joseph. Part of me really thought it was going to be Eva's second forgery partner after her sharing information. However, the foreshadowing was there, especially when Eva recalled being upset with Joseph quite a bit.   What frustrated me about the book really had to do with the writing. You'll see in my notes that I could not stand certain lines to be repeated. Quit having Eva hold her breath and then release it constantly. Using the exact. Same. Sentence. Every time. Honestly, my biggest complaint is the writing. And it's not even that bad. Just sometimes repetitive. 10/10 romance story for Eva and Remy. Loved it. Made me feel all the feels. But also loved that this book was not just about a WW2 romance, but rather about a person choosing to be something bigger than their wants and desires. Will see over time if this becomes a 4 star or stays a five. (Who knows.) Def not my top book of 2023, but a really fun read nonetheless.

Lately I've been able to put any book or manga I've started to read down, but this one I could not. This was so adorable and I loved the magical realism that's so subtle you don't notice it at all. The premise of finding and understanding what happiness is and that it can be many things was really well told through the eyes of a gradeschooler interacting with all generations of folks. Really a great read if you want something super sweet with both heavy and light topics.

This book is not what I expected it to be, but then again, I'm not sure what I expected from it in the first place. It's a book that's entirely devoted to telling the truth of one group and pointing out the flaws in another and how both are connected.

The compelling storytelling jumping between two different characters a century apart every chapter can be jarring; the flow of the story is told in such a way that the payoff, I think, at least, is worth it. You're able to follow Hannie on her adventure through times that I don't envy living through, and Benny through times that are unfortunately all still too relevant for only have been placed 30-40 years ago. It's fascinating to see how everything is connected, how by acknowledging the past, you can begin to understand and appreciate the present (and the future).

There's definitely themes here are will ruminate in my head over time. I think this book is one that will stay with me for a while.

I listened to the audio book version of this and it was definitely worth the listen. The author does a great job of immersing the listener into each situation and demonstrating how taking to strangers is easy yet challenging at the same time.

This books was pretty good. Definitely what I would expect from the ATLA universe. I really enjoyed how this worked through different aspects and issues compared to the TV show with a different type of Avatar Bender. While it's not a masterpiece, it touches greatly on what justice really means and that actions have consequences. Would definitely be a book I'd recommend to youth who enjoyed ATLA and want to dive farther into the universe.

I've been curious about this series for years and it's safe to say that this book did not disappoint. It took my a bit to understand that the book had some time hopping going on, but once I understood, everything became clearer. I love the netflix witcher series and am looking forward to reading more of this series.

I lost interest and had to keep forcing myself to come back to this. Maybe if I were in a different phase of life this book might be more interesting? Book club spoilers definitely saved me from trying to brute force my way through the ending.

The author makes a compelling case for more social programs to help society, especially the poor. Interested and good read, albeit a bit dated.

I'm not normally a thriller type of reader and this book kept me on my toes the entire time. I really enjoyed reading this and would recommend for anyone wanting something spooky.

There were so many twists and turns; I would enjoy seeing this in movie form.

Can I just say.... Wow. This book had me crying at the end which hasn't happened in a long time. This book is rife with family drama and tragedy and full of mothers' love for their children. (What a perfect time to read this around Mother's Day, eh?)

In all honesty, I was pleasantly surprised at how enthralled I was by the characters as I moved through the timeline of women in this family and what they went through. Each character was vastly different than the last, and it was amazing to see their timelines mesh together to create a story that sheds light on just how much of our families's pasts also inform our future without us ever really acknowledging it. I also love how this explores many different mother daughter relationships in just one family and how each relationship is drastically different from the last. It's a rollercoaster of emotions, not only for the characters, but for the reader.

I did enjoy listening to the audiobook for this. It was a nice intro to hygge and what it is. I can't give it a full 5 though because of the sheer fact that it felt like the narrator didn't realise how privileged some of the stuff being discussed sounded. Maybe that's just because of the time period when the book was written. I'm not completely sure. Either way, I found this to be enjoyable and leave me with a few takeaways and items I want to research more of.

This book was very interesting and enlightening. For me at least, it walked me back through things I haven't done or experienced since childhood and was a nice change of pace from my usual reads. It's not very long and can be set up to read in small sections at a time, which makes it easier to get through, especially when not in the mood to let my mind “wander”. I don't think this book would be great for everyone to read however, as it's more for a niche audience. You have to be open to the idea of wandering in order for this book to truly be impactful and a fun read. The end with the How Tos can also be a bit dry, especially if you're not really wanting to read something like that, but it does fit the book.

This has easily become one of my favorite series. This book wraps up the trilogy rather nicely. While it keeps the story open ended as to what happens, you also get a sense that the story has come full circle. It's been extremely satisfying watching Q and the gang grow throughout the trilogy into adults that have conquered/accepted their deepest issues.

I enjoyed reading this. The world building is great. The details provide a better idea of what's going on around them. I enjoyed the plot, even if it's only the beginning of the series. It felt as if it wrapped up the initial story for the characters when not every light novel succeeds with this.
While I enjoyed it, I definitely found it slightly annoying the number of times certain topics were repeated. An example would be that the number of times the concept of death in this new world was mentioned, or the atmosphere of the locations the characters are in, or how the NPCs function. Those aspects of the world building felt too repetitive, but didn't necessarily hinder the forward motion of the story.
This is definitely more interesting than any other anime/manga/light novel series I've interacted with that involves MMORPGs, so I look forward to reading more of the series.

Other reviews really hit the mark but the one thing I didn't see mentioned is how that the author doesn't really provide insight for those that are on the spectrum of inner focused vs externally focused. There were some insightful things, but I wouldn't say this is a must read for anyone looking to understand themselves and family/generational trauma.

This book is extremely well written and a great audio book to listen to. Each part shows a different piece of the history of the Osage murders. Some parts were a bit confusing to keep up with to tie together and I found myself having to go back to relisten to them. Overall, would recommend!