Elizabeth

Re-reading this series feels so comforting. It's my favorite mystery series, mainly because the characters are so rich and full of life. This volume, to me, is where the series really takes off, and I'm so excited to continue to revisit Three Pines

Ooof, I had forgotten how mean Penny is to several characters in these first few books.

That took a turn I did not see coming. Rebecca Yarros is really good at beginnings and endings, but really struggles with the middle. 

Lol that was a ride. Fun, silly, not the best of any genre but I'm not mad about it.

I think Lisa Taddeo is a good storyteller, as I did find the stories of these three women compelling. I just disagree that this book is about women's desire. This is a book that shows, pretty graphicly, the ways in which men's desire can be used to abuse women. Interesting but misleading.

I did not particularly enjoy this novel- Smiley is still excellent at the craft of writing, but this felt meandering and self-indulgent. The purported song lyrics were rough, and the constant referring to sexual relationships as “affairs” made me cringe. The epilogue felt extremely out of place, and just made me more annoyed that I had slogged to the end. Do not recommend.

I've seen this marketed as a domestic thriller, and I take some exception to that - this novel reads much more literary than thriller. It's a fairly sharp indictment of the way “nice women” can actually be awful to each other behind closed doors, and each of the three main characters have moments of being nearly unbearable, and moments where they are almost redeemed. Enough twists to keep the plot propelling forward, and solid writing that kept me eager to continue. Definitely will read more of this author's work.

This series is very silly, and yet I do find myself invested in who killed Gareth, so....

This was a lot of fun. Very unique world building and magic system, great descriptive writing, good cast of characters to root for and against. I see this being billed as the author adult fantasy debut, but it did still read very YA to me. Will read the second in the duology. 

Very capital-L Literary, this work of metafiction has some fantastic writing and highly complex plot layering that made the reading experience confusing and also exciting. I admit that i am not 100% sure I followed every path the narrative took - at some point I definitely just gave up trying to figure it out and went with it. Would be a great book for a college class or serious book club - lots and lots to discuss. (Giller Prize shortlist 2023)

TL;DR - be more pissed off more often.

Fantastic work. Traister comes at her subject from a white lens, and both acknowledges and critiques the power that affords. Lots of historical framework tied to contemporary politics. Definitely will need a re-read. 

Haunting, sparse. Perfect.

Really strong collection, with excellent narrative voice. I have seen the author's work described as Public Health Fiction, and while I don't know if that is actually a genre, the idea fits. Racism and classism are addressed, but so is modern dating and family relationships. Will definitely read more by this author. (2024 Aspen Words Longlist)

Clear case of some books needing to be read at the right time. This is the third attempt at this one for me - first two times it didn't grasp my interest. This time I was hooked from the start. Fantastic character work, excellent writing. It does take a while for all the threads to come together, but I'm so glad I finally get the hype.

You will not convince me this book was not AI generated because I do not believe a human would put this many ridiculous plot points together. 

This was a lot of fun. There were a LOT of popular fantasy tropes, but when they are done this well it's hard to complain.  A little too much combat of all kinds for my personal taste. But will definitely keep reading!

Lots of good writing, not much plot.

This was such a sneaky little book. The realization of what was happening happening came on so slow, that by the time it hit I almost wanted to read the whole thing again. Very much not for everyone - kinda all vibes. (2023 Giller Prize winner; 2023 Booker Prize longlist)

There were a LOT of plot twists at the end of this book.

For very personal reasons, this is one of the hardest books I have ever read. I couldn't stop reading. Gorgeously written and absolutely steeped in grief.

Very invested in this series. Please give me many more.

Kuang is so good, and her writing about racism is searing. Definitely a must-read author for me.

Probably only interesting to people who grew up with The View....entertaining look at the behind the scenes of the iconic show.

Absolutely phenomenal. 

Absolutely gorgeous to read but, IMO, somewhat light in actual content.