Reviews and Comments

This may be my favorite book so far. There are times when it's a little tricky keeping all the characters straight especially as I'm not well practiced at east asian names, but the vibrant characters themselves helped. Cultivation novels are really growing on me.

This was really quite enjoyable. Some have criticized the structure of it, or the fact that it seems self-serving, but I think it's honest to itself. Beth Kempton is a self-help author and this book reads like such. But that doesn't mean she misses the mark on describing wabi sabi or how it integrates into the lessons she imparts. I found her personal anecdotes helpful in bridging that gap. What's left is not a pure sociological view at an element of Japanese culture, nor is it entirely a self-help book in the style of Marie Kondo, nor is it a travel journal, but by weaving elements of all three it is something imperfect and beautiful.

This audible original was funny, fast paced, and had a punchy ending. Great voice work from Wil Wheaton and Ron Perlman. Some nice audiobook self-referencing humor too. Definitely worth the quick listen.

This is a charming story of young Charlie as she is sent to live with an aunt and uncle she's never met. Through making friends, finding a dog, and a visit from her sister she searches for a sense of belonging and family. It's written with a strong voice, filled with colorful characters, and a heartwarming theme.

Lovely horror filled with delightful creepiness.

Brilliant fun and utter nonsense. The narration is perfect and the humor endless. I recommend this to everyone.

I really liked this course and feel like I learned so much. Language is endlessly fascinating. I can't say I deeply absorbed even half of what was presented, but I will take away some challenges to long held misunderstandings of how language works, and challenges to my own biases toward the evolution of English. I recommend this to any nerds out there.

This was the best Alex Verus book so far. It's rare to see a book with a hero protagonist put into a situation where there's only bad choices and not have them cheat their way free. There was more character development in the accepting of a bad decision than many series get from their entire run.

What a wonderfully interesting book. It creates such feelings of dread and unease. The storyline is somewhat absurd and allegorical. There's so many layers going on it's quite impressive. I'm not sure how else to review it, though. I should note as a warning to readers that it's incredibly dense with sentences running half the length of a page on average. That may be a turn-off for many.

A great little story. I'd like to see more of this particular Cosmere world.

This was a fun adventure with lots of baking adventures, incompetent adults, high stakes placed on teens, and quirky characters. It's quick and light with a few tense scenes and easy pacing.

This series is growing on me. There's a calmeness to this slow cultivation even in the midst of battles. It's cozy.