Kristie
I really enjoyed this and I'm not someone who regularly reads westerns. I loved the world-building here! There was not one moment of pause in the action. The scary horned devil creatures in the forest were terrifying! Aster quickly became one of my favorite fictional heroes of all time, I really respected her concerns about her anger issues- yes, her anger kept her alive but even she realized it was holding her back from really living. I also really enjoyed her bond with Eli. I probably would not have picked this up if I knew ahead of time it was going to be a series (because what are the odds of me remembering all of this by the time book 2 comes out?) Hopefully someone will do a “previously on..” before the next book.
I loved this! Could not put it down!
I'm not a huge fan of different chapters by different characters but it totally worked here. I loved how Laskey nailed the mindset of so many different characters in town, she must have tons of voices in her head. I just have a huge space in my heart for Avery, Harley, and Gabe.
This is a simple story: the most “homophobic” town in America gets a two-year visit from a gay Action Alliance that has come to dispel misinformation and open minds. They put up a billboard, share flyers and throw potlucks. The Alliance tried to convince the local businesses to be more inclusive. Except, some people see them as an attack on their values and way of life. Nothing is as easy as it seems and I was taken over by how PERSONAL the author made this story for each and every character. It was wonderful and laugh out loud funny at times and heart-wrenching at points. So very good!
I should have DNF'd this at around 100 pages, but I kept hanging in there waiting for some sort of payoff. I told myself, well, at least it's nice to read female characters who are not discussing a man....oh, wait. Nevermind.
Truthfully, I think this would have been a cool short story. Remove the useless scenes: finding someone in a cold bathtub, a van ride with everyone's seat location detailed, annoying factoids, and all of Olivia's dreams- it is boring to hear people recount their dreams in real life and boring to read it in fiction.
I didn't hate it. It just did nothing for me. I commented earlier on that it was like flipping through a glossy fashion magazine; pretty to look at but, ultimately, doesn't have anything to say. But, I am over “coming of age” stories, white teenage protagonists, and “unreliable” narrators. YMMV.
This story would have been so much more interesting had Temple GONE THERE. Imagine if Olivia had burned her abusive mother alive in the closet before she took off for the meditation center! Imagine if the meditation center ended up being a folk horror situation (which I half expected because of all of the descriptions of isolation and the early weird behavior of characters like Magda) a la Midsommer! Imagine if something had actually been accomplished with the whole missing father plot point! Sigh. These ideas are what kept me hanging in there when I could have been reading something else.
In an effort to read more classics this year, especially by female authors, I decided to tackle Willa Cather because I have never read any of her works before. Now, I went in armed with the knowledge that Cather was not going to address the fact that the lands she writes so lovingly about were stolen from American Indians. I read no other background on Cather beforehand. I like to experience the art first before what I learn about the author taints the work.
I am on a personal quest to define simple living for myself.
Now, I found a lot to like here. I loved how Jim's grandparents helped the Shimerdas without expecting to be repaid in any way (even with gratitude). I loved the descriptions of how the hired girls from town were thought of versus the “ladies” of the town and all of them rose up and became amazingly successful! I loved the part when the dancing tent came to town. And the details about the land...there is one bit about how one's shadow stretches out in the grass next to the road while one is walking....gorgeous. It makes me want to grow things.
I especially loved that Antonia found herself in a situation that could have ruined her for life, and she was able to not only overcome it but to really create a wonderful life for herself.
There is some major girl-power in this book.
Did I want to vomit during the part where Jim attends a concert by Samson the pianist? Yes.
Do I wish that there was a spin-off written about Tiny Soderball's adventures in the Klondike? Oh, yes, please. Lena was also amazing.
I ended up really enjoying this. One just needs to keep a 2020 lens on while reading.
How to review a vetted masterpiece that you didn't enjoy.....hmm. Be honest?
I thought this was mind-numbingly boring. I would have DNF'd it but it was less than 4 hours long (on audio) so I plugged through. I couldn't stand Ethan. I am sorry he picked a winner for a wife, I am sorry he fell in love with his wife's cousin. I am sorry for him, but I didn't like him. They then have the lamest dinner date in history and, ultimately, a suicide pact. All of this is told with flowery language that takes a short story and stretches it into a hundred page novel.
Still, I'm glad I can cross it off the list.
This was bat-shit crazy and I loved every minute of it. It's a little bit of body horror, a little bit of ghostly horror and a pinch of folk horror. Emma is on the run from her past and runs into 1. a psycho with a vanagon and 2. a haunted ghost town. That is all in the first chapter.
I fell in love with Earl the second we met him and was constantly surprised at the turns the story took. This would have been extra fun to read on a snowy night!
It lost a star for an ending that I felt could have been wrapped up tighter. Unless this is going to be a series and we will see them again?
I listened to this on audio, read by Bianca Amato. Her voice was amazing.
I agree that it is wordy, but I didn't know the story and I found myself really worried about the governess and the children. Mrs. Grose was my favorite character, reminding me of Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast. I would have loved a “Cor! or a “blimey!” She was just the sweetest thing.
The only thing that didn't work for me was the very first chapter. Why have this big set up about reading the story aloud and mailing off for the manuscript if we were never going to return to that room and the listeners? Unless that was to throw the reader off....if the manuscript just ended abruptly, then we would know the governess was dead. Unless she was a ghost writing the manuscript we would never get her POV on her own death.
The thing I love about the Tournament of Books is that I get to experience books I probably would not have picked up on my own. It is also the thing I dislike most about TOB. I also have a bad habit of reading the book on the list that I have the least amount of interest in last. I really should read them first. Alas, I went into Writers & Lovers predicting I would not enjoy it and I may have made myself a victim of a self-fulfilled prophecy here.
That said, I didn't dislike or hate it. It's just not my type of book and I had to push through most of it. It reminded me of why Oklahoma! is my least favorite musical of all time- why does Laury have to choose between two duds? Wishy-washy Curley and violent Judd? Were they the only two men in OK?
And here we have a similar situation. Self-absorbed Silas and stuck in his ways Oscar. Oscar's children literally grated on my nerves. A therapist, at one point, tells the main character she reminds him of a donkey that starves to death between two bales of hay. It's more like she's starving to death between two empty troughs. Honestly, why couldn't she just take that moment to BE? Work on the novel, figure out her future, find a new place to live and get a job. Isn't that enough of a to-do list? Why can't we have fully developed female characters that put themselves first, and romance when they are emotionally ready?
Points for the David Byrne cameo.
Is it possible to fall in love with a place you have never been to? I am actually in love with a magical realism version of Hawaii. Washburn's Hawaii. His writing is that powerful. When we had Malia's POV, I was enchanted. She was my clear favorite, and I would wait seemingly forever to get back to her. All of the characters were so well written, so complex and layered.
While I am so very glad I read this (I was going to read this one before it became a Camp TOB pick simply based on the title and description alone), I have to confess that it took me a damned long time to read this. The story had me, right away, and I was all-in. Night marchers? Sharks?!? But then, it lost me. I kept putting it down. I'd say the whole second section, Ascension, I struggled to find that magic again. It came back with the last section! I'm glad I pushed through, but that is the reason why this is not a five star read from me. I still enjoyed it. I will still recommend it, I just can't say it was perfect (my definition of a 5 star read). I predict some of the events in this book will stay on my mind for quite some time.
I really enjoyed this. It's like a comedy of errors, but I only found one hero to cheer for (Emira). Reid NAILS kid-voice. I swear, Briar was the sweetest thing and I wanted to jump into the book and buy her all the ice cream! No spoilers, but the Thanksgiving scene- I'm not going to forget that amount of awkward anytime soon. I can't wait to read more from Reid. Highly recommend.
Wow. Just wow.
I feel as though I should warn readers of Pizza Girl: don't just surface read this. It is fantastic.
I don't think I've ever read a novel that featured a character like Pizza Girl. The closest I can come to (and my brain just can't help itself, it constantly wants to compare what I am reading to what I have read before) is Ottessa Moshfegh's Eileen. But not quite.
Our main character is walking on a knife's edge. She is unconnected to life, pregnant, and without a goal or path to follow. She is unaware that the clock is ticking. I have known women like her, I have been her, but I have never seen a character like her in fiction before. Our beloved Pizza Girl's life, at this point, could go one of two ways: okay or bad. She's recovering from trauma (and if you think being raised by an alcoholic isn't traumatic, then you were not raised by one). She has a safety net that is just not good enough.
She is lost, adrift. And then she meets a woman who stirs up complicated feelings in her. Is Jenny her ideal adult, seen as a savior, a hand that might pull Pizza Girl back from the cliff's edge? It's all so very complex and absolutely fascinating. How often do we see female relationships like this in fiction? Never. It's not the female version of a bromance, I lack the word for it. It's not an obsession, perhaps a cry for help? Is Jenny just as lost? Frazier shows us again and again that the people in Pizza Girl's life who exemplify ideals (the perfect couple, the weak mother, Jenny) are not who they appear to be. It's all confusing because life is confusing.
My words cannot express how layered this is. I know I'll be thinking about it for a very long time.
I bought this for myself as a present (I forget why) and it's been laying on my nightstand ever since. I had high hopes for it. It was on so many horror novels not-to-miss lists! That said, I did enjoy it but I had some issues with it and am not sure I'd recommend it.
As many reviewers have already stated, not much happens in the first half of the story. It's set up and introduction to the family. That wasn't a problem, except that it got a bit repetitive. I felt Noriko- things are weird, but not so weird that it's flashing RUN! signs and nothing early on is divorce-worthy, especially as she seems deeply in love with her husband. Also, as other reviewers have mentioned, it gets bat-shit crazy at the end. It's that middle- can the reader hang on through the pages until stuff starts to happen?
I would have had an easier time with it if we actually knew what Noriko did all day. 90 percent of the scenes happen at family dinner at night. What the hell does she do all day? What is discussed? Who talks to her? I'm a little tired of horror that is based solely on whether or not the female lead is losing her mind. Although, this might pre-date many of those other books and films. As no one has a cellphone, I'm not sure what year this story takes place.
Is it gothic? Yup. Is it cool? It is. Does it drag in the middle? Yup.
I'd really like to read more Nonami to see if she has grown as a storyteller. I can see her chops here, I'm just not getting a full picture.
I spent a week inside of this book and I did not want to leave. It's a similar experience to when I read [b:Girl, Woman, Other 41081373 Girl, Woman, Other Bernardine Evaristo https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542296262l/41081373.SY75.jpg 64185267]. So many great, complex characters, great plot lines and laugh out loud moments. The Night Watchman felt like an epic. I adored it. I want more. I both read this and listened to some of it on audio and literally pulled my car over in shock during the dog collar scene. This is not my first Erdrich, I've been a fan for a long time, but I loved The Night Watchman. I would say it's my favorite book I have read this year, but that spot was taken already. LOL. Definitely a five-star read and quite the contender for Camp TOB (Tournament of Books) 2020. I'll start tie-dying my “Team Erdrich” t-shirt now.
It's difficult to review a memoir. No matter how beautifully it is written and no matter how eye-opening the experience, a memoir is so very personal to the author. A mediocre or bad review is almost like saying the author sucks as a person. The closest I can come is to recommend the book to others (check) and to say, is this the best way this story could have been told? Answer: I believe so.
I always squirm when a writer puts out a new tale in a finished series. I think, what, do you need the money Suzanne Collins? For crying out loud, write something new (I'm looking at you [a:Ransom Riggs 3046613 Ransom Riggs https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]). I usually go out of my way to avoid these new titles. For example, I'm not reading any new Harry Potter books. Nope. To me, it's about being in a reading bubble. I have found a series and want to live in that world forever and ever and ever....are words I will never say. But I went into this thinking maybe I could pull a library program idea or two out of it and I have to say, for the first 75% of this book, I was hooked. I had forgotten how well Collins can spin a story. It didn't feel like the Hunger Games, the world is so very different than the Katniss Everdeen arc. So very different! The Ballad gets 4 stars from me, but only because I loved MOST of this book. It tanked (and hard) at the back bit and I'm sorry to say I started counting the pages until ended. I figure it's going to be part of another trilogy. It's not that I hated the ending (Snow's character is well developed and I saw what happened completely being within character for him). It's the non-ending. I'm sure I'll catch some flack for this but the songs got on my nerves. I also dislike the title, and have the worst time remembering it. I just refer to this as the “new” Hunger Games book.
This was AWESOME, and my second 5 star read from Schweblin. It reads like an episode of Black Mirror. As someone who lived through the Furby phase, the idea of little furry robot toys running around all day was not a strange one. What got weird, and quickly, was how the furry robots are really “watchers”- a stranger on the other end viewing everything.
I was not going to read Weather as I dnf'd [b:Dept. of Speculation 17402288 Dept. of Speculation Jenny Offill https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1367929545l/17402288.SX50.jpg 24237023] and because reviewers with reading preferences similar to mine seemed to really dislike this novel. Weather showed up on the CampTOB list, and it was short. I was determined just to take it down like a bitter pill. Incredibly, I enjoyed the hell out of it. How lovely it was to read about a main character who is over 40 and under 60. Thank you. There are so few literary novels that feature a woman my age. What a nice change. I was, at first, completely put off by how Lizzie was observing life but not really participating in it. Avoidance seemed to be her m.o.but then I got it. She's going through life as one meditates (which is why meditation comes up over and over again in the story). A thought arises, she acknowledged its existence and then it passed. She did not subscribe an emotion or judgment on the thought. It just WAS. The thought was like a balloon scrolling across her mental sky or....like the weather. It just was. And then it is passed. Clever. “You are to some disinterested bystander/ Exert yourself.” (Epictetus) For me, this would have been meaningless if Lizzie did not wake up a bit, and she does by the end. Does she have it all figured out? Heck no. Who does? But she lands on what is important to her, what gives her life meaning. I found this satisfying. Had it gone on any longer, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much.
Someone help me out please. Every listing for this book (novella?) says 144 pages but my copy from the library (an ebook) was 88 pages. I'm wondering if I'm missing some illustrations or something because the story seemed to flow with no interruptions and didn't cut off or anything. My copy was borrowed through cloudlibrary. As to the book, I enjoyed the hell out of Finna. I almost skipped it because I thought it sounded too much like [b:Horrorstör 13129925 Horrorstör Grady Hendrix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414314217l/13129925.SX50.jpg 18306052] and I crazy love Grady Hendrix. Finna is just different enough to be its own unique animal. I actually laughed out loud multiple times. It was super entertaining. Assuming I read the whole thing. Which I'm not sure.....perhaps there is a parallel universe in which this book is supposed to be 88 pages?
So I need to read some more Kaaron Warren, like, now. This was one of THE most original things I have read in a long time. I admit the timing was perfect. I had just finished a rather disappointing “horror” novel about a motel, and Into Bones turned out to the be the story I had wanted to read in the first place. There is some creepy, scary shit going on in this work. Warren managed to really get under my skin, and in about 100 pages. I can't even guess how much worse it would have been if she'd had 200 more.
It's dream-like and surreal but also full of everyday moments- like breakfast and a daily three minutes of silence and dirty shower floors in shared bathrooms. It's become really hard to stay spoiler free here, so I'll stop.
This is good stuff. Just wish it had been longer and a little more fleshed out.
Also, just my opinion, but the title stinks. I just finished this and can never remember what it is called. It's going to be a problem in the future as I go to recommend it.
I never learn. Honestly. Thrillers are not my jam. They just aren't. I've read quite a few at this point and they all just disappoint me. This one gets 3 stars of meh, as opposed to 2 because it has actual ghosts in it. In fact, the real reason I even added this to my TBR was because it showed up on horror lists. This is not horror, or rather, it is horror of the kind produced for the Lifetime Movie Channel, mildly threatening with c-list actors.
The actual point the book lost me was when a female character was trying to figure out how to read a male character's personality by the fact that he just KNEW! to order whipped cream on her hot chocolate. I think I sprained my eyeballs while rolling them over that. There was, in true chick-lit style, much concern with the outfits everyone was wearing.
I would not be one bit surprised to find out Simone St. James is actually Jennifer McMahon. First, if ever there was a pen name.....and they write in almost an identical manner.
Those looking for thrills would be better off rewatching Psycho or The Shining.
I bought this novel two years ago and it has lived on my nightstand. It's as if I just knew there would be a perfect time to read it and BAM! That time was now. What better in a shelter-in-place time of life to read about an unnamed character who decided to knock herself out with drugs for a year in order to reset her life? Aren't we all, kind of, doing that ourselves?
I think Moshfegh may, in fact, be my most favorite author (and that's saying a lot as I have many favorite authors). She consistently writes stories that just amaze me. I never know where she is going with something (and I don't want to know ahead of time-I'm 100 percent along for the ride).
Off to go pre-order her new novel!
Another Hugo nominee down (I'm working my way through most of the list again this year). This is the second novel I have read by Anders, and I stand by my review of [b:All the Birds in the Sky 25372801 All the Birds in the Sky Charlie Jane Anders https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429225322l/25372801.SY75.jpg 45119441]. I find her short fiction to be really strong but when the format is a novel....there are these rambly parts that just kind of stretch the story and I lose patience. Here we have endless parties to sit through, what feels like the same fights over and over again in relationships and we are constantly meeting new crew members for new missions who might as well all be wearing red shirts. At the same time, there were parts I really enjoyed. Others were not explained in a way that I understood them. It bothered me that some things have “Earth” words that clearly do not describe what something actually is. I don't think I fully understand the world (is night blazing day and vice versa? What the hell are ankle skirts? Trim on pant legs?) I never felt fully immersed, and then we change cities mid-book so it didn't really matter. This just wasn't for me.
I have never read anything like this before, it is truly unique. I listened to the audiobook and found myself extending my walk in order to keep listening. In the tradition of Mattie Ross from True Grit, we get Lucy and Sam, two siblings at the mercy of their parents' and the elements. Damn!
I loved this! I know I have been on a pioneer kick since shelter-in-place kicked in, and this one fit the bill perfectly.
The Odd Women was my first (and hopefully not last!) Goodreads readalong. I had never heard of this book or George Gissing before this. It was enjoyable to read and the pages turned quickly. It started off with a bang, and then kind of dissolved into a mishmash of “who has the worst romantic relationship”. I have to admit that the book slowed down for me a couple of times, when ideas were being repeated and repeated. Still, I liked what the book had to say about women and making a life for themselves whether married or not. I highly suspect that what the reader takes from this novel will be highly dependent on the reader personally.
I felt myself cringing when the male characters had control of the narrative. Almost everything Widdowson and Barfoot had to say was about controlling or reigning in the women in their lives. There are no forward-thinking male characters in this story at all.
Few of the characters grow. Rhoda, to me, seemed to be the same as the Rhoda we meet at the beginning of the story. I'm not sure Monica grew much. She was stronger I guess. Poor Virgie.
In the end, it was a good read and has more interested to read works from this time period.