Christine
As expected, this was quite silly. Three Lovecraft tales (“The Rats in the Walls,” “Cool Air,” and “The Music of Erich Zann”) are reimagined with Bertie Wooster as their narrator. There's no real through-line or point - it's more of an experiment to replicate Bertie's trademark voice as the teller of these eldritch tales. And as far as it goes, it's successful.
I might have been more wild about this if I were more of a Wodehouse fan. I'll probably give old Jeeves another shot after reading this.
NB: A good portion of the book consists of an essay about Lovecraft, Wodehouse, and Arthur Conan Doyle. It was somewhat interesting, but not what I picked this up to read.
This was a really fascinating story! I'm not usually that into historical fiction but this totally grabbed me! It has a lot of potentially heavy themes - death by syphilis, suicide, chronic illness, natural disasters, rape, police corruption - but it never felt depressing to me.
A big part of that is due to the heroine, who's an unusual character for a wealthy young woman in 1904 America - far from being sheltered, she's lived as her father's assistant and companion as he traipses the world scouting mines, investigating earthquakes (his hobby and obsession), having sex with any willing woman, and trying every new “cure” for his syphilis. He certainly has faults, but he treats Dulcy as a thinking human with agency, not as a delicate flower. As a result, she is capable and spirited, and even when trapped and victimized she takes her fate into her own hands.
This leads her to a new life in a fairly large and established town in Montana. One thing I loved was the startling modernity of life there. People aren't panning for gold and watching shootouts in the dusty street - they're going out for Chinese food, writing articles about quack medicine, and of course fooling around in various secretive ways!
There's a bit of a mystery, and a bit of thriller, but mostly this is a character study and the story of Dulcy's set of friends in town, with flashbacks to her relationship with her dad and grandmother.
This was fun, but ironically I think the author's audio narration didn't do it justice. Of course, this subject matter is probably best absorbed by reading text rather than listening. I did come to really like McCulloch as a person while listening to her, though! And the subject is fascinating. I recommend reading this with your eyeballs if you are a linguistics nerd of any stripe who spends time on social media.
I picked this up because the goofy title appealed to me. I was expecting something comically horrific like [b:The Mall of Cthulhu 2797251 The Mall of Cthulhu Seamus Cooper https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1270796766l/2797251.SY75.jpg 2823035], but instead this is thoroughly bleak, with plenty of detailed descriptions of torture and gore. So no matter what, my enjoyment was going to be less than anticipated.Layered on top was a completely unlikable protagonist, whose minimization and secret-keeping were so frustrating and unrealistic that I just checked out completely. If not for that factor, I'd say this is a decent tale of otherworldly terrors and creeping dread. As it is, I'd say if you want bleak and creepy, just read [b:The Visible Filth 24791985 The Visible Filth Nathan Ballingrud https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422818046l/24791985.SX50.jpg 44426756] - it's much better written, and the protagonist is still unlikable, but more well-written and understandable.
Really good atmosphere, and a good creep factor. Also, a great book for those interested in Providence. It very much weaves the story with the setting.
This might be a little too, I don't know - soapy? - for some. The main character is a young woman, and her arc does involve her immaturity, growing up, and love interests. But it's not the focus.
The other drawback is the ending suffers from Quick Plot Resolution and is a little contrived. But with this type of story, I never rely on a truly stellar ending - it's hard to stick the landing with a creepy Lovecraftian story, IME.
I could not put this down. I literally spent all day on 12/30 just reading this. 400+ pages in one day, because I couldn't bear to part with it (thank you, Xmas/NYE vacation for giving me the slack to do it!).
This is hard to describe, and I want to avoid spoilers. I can say that it starts in a Dickensian setting, has a Gothic, crumbling mansion, a Victorian madhouse, a love story, and plenty of twists & turns. Even when I kind of knew where it was going, it was thrilling to see things play out! Sometimes it dealt with some disturbing content (child abuse, conditions in the asylum, etc.), but it was worth toughing it out!
Overall, it was an extremely satisfying read, Sarah Waters is a genius, and I can't wait to read her other stuff.
(Also, I had the lovely surprise of thinking, “Man, they need to make a movie of this,” only to find it has been adapted TWICE - a BBC miniseries and a Korean film by Park Chan-wook!)
This was OK, not great. For all that I'm a Lovecraft fan, some of his favorite stories fall a bit flat for me. This, “The Willows,” “Count Magnus” - they all strike me as inferior to other works by their authors.I'd say the biggest chill here comes from the “found footage” feel - the bulk of the story is a diary clearly never meant to be read by anyone but its author. The fact that the author was a young girl, and she recounts increasingly disturbing** details of her nanny's tutelage, give this a feeling of building dread.But it failed to make a full emotional impact on me, and the framing tale is off-putting in its droning pace and pedantic tone. So this is a “glad I read it, but it didn't really work for me” story.For those interested, I found Blackwood's “The Wendigo” to be a better iteration on “The Willows”;M.R. James's “Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book,” “Lost Hearts,” and “The Mezzotint” are all better than Magnus, and that's just picking the first three that appear in his catalog;As for Machen, “The Great God Pan” is the classic, in my opinion.But don't get me wrong, HPL also introduced me to some amazing stories like [b:The Were-Wolf 6519002 The Were-Wolf Clemence Housman https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328319128s/6519002.jpg 6710866], [b:The King in Yellow and Other Horror Stories 129798 The King in Yellow and Other Horror Stories Robert W. Chambers https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416873291s/129798.jpg 954927], Crawford's “The Upper Berth” and “The Dead Smile,” and many others.**Knowing that Machen was a Christian who basically believed in withcraft/pixies/The Good Folk lends understanding here. For him, reading a little girl's secret diary about her initiation into pagan magic would probably be as horrifying as a diary recounting pedophilia would be to us.
This was a lovely story. I grew to like Anne and really root for her to realize her potential. I thought I had some notion of where her life would lead, but I was happily surprised by some turns I never expected!
This was inspired by Pride and Prejudice, and it stays faithful to the facts of that story as far as it goes, though it touches only lightly on Darcy and Elizabeth. This is Anne's story through and through.
Like P&P, this story also involves romance and love, but I'd say it's much more a bildungsroman than a pure romance. The tone is also completely different from Austen's work - there's no sly and witty narrator pointing out people's foibles, and there are few examples of people acting like hilariously preposterous asses. (Yes, Lady Catherine is part of this story, but she's not laughed at much - I even felt sympathy for her more than once!)
I admit I missed the spark and verve of Austen's storytelling - this tale could have used a bit of leavening in that direction. However, the early chapters' languid feel were perfectly evocative of Anne's state of mind, and if later chapters weren't actually humorous, they did have brightness and joy that made a nice contrast.
This also has some beautiful language about nature, home, and connection, and I felt the ending wove every theme together perfectly.
This is some great weird fiction. And not just the category Weird Fiction - this is really WEIRD. I loved it. So many unexpected events, characters, and elements. And while I was consistently asking myself, “Who could think this up?!” I also found it easy to follow, with a reader-friendly plot arc. Guy sets out to follow in the footsteps of an obscure occult researcher, intending only to be a tourist - take photos, sleep in the same hotel rooms, etc. And of course gets more than he bargained for!
My only complaint is that the ending could have been a little more fleshed out. However, I would rather have the somewhat open-ended resolution we got, than have the whole maguffin over-explained. Remember, this is supposed to be Weird - if some know-it-all summed up every detail of the explanation, it would ruin the vibe!
I got about 1/4 of the way in, and I just didn't care about anyone or how things would play out. Patchett's attitude seems to be, “why use 3 words when you can use 30 to convey the same thought?”
Also the descriptions of women seemed really objectifying and rooted in the male sexual gaze. It was getting gross.
Finally, the worst sin: this is like going to the theater to see Die Hard but the whole movie is every speaking character reminiscing about their childhood or relationships rather than the hostage plot being the focus. Oh. And OPERA THOUGHTS.
I actually read this waaay back when it was first published, and it's always stuck in my mind. I'd been thinking about a re-read, when PopSugar's reading challenge gave me a great nudge - this can be used for “format you don't normally read” (no one reads anything but this on AngelFire anymore, right?) or for an anonymous author, and probably a few other prompts!
This was just as effective as I remembered. The thing that still makes my heart pound more than the officially “horrific” parts is the descriptions of climbing through “the squeeze.” I'm not terribly claustrophobic, but that part makes me sweat with anxiety!
The story brilliantly capitalizes on that adrenaline rush with some seriously creepy events. I love the ambiguity and the lack of resolution. This goes down as a classic of the Weird Fiction genre, in my book!
This was a lot of fun - the introduction led me to expect a little more “found documents” frame tale, and it would have been nice to have that. But the tales and songs themselves are effectively weird and intriguing that I'm not disappointed in this book. If you like new takes on fairy tale and fable-type stories, check this out!
I sought out this out-of-print book because I loved the much-anthologized story “Sticks.” Turns out that's the only great story in here. One epic story, two OK ones, and four clunkers. Plus, tons of cringey descriptions of women's bodies and women having sex with each other. Like, you're trying to read it for the scary bits, but the image of Wagner typing this stuff one-handed is completely intrusive. Yuck.
This had a cool concept that was seriously undermined by execution.
Most immediately obnoxious were the “Wow, No Thank You” factors that begin on page one (depiction of a rape in progress) and continue throughout (undertones of sexism and racism, author-insert main character who's a complete chode but is meant to come off as cool and amazing).
But this also suffered from lack of development - the plot is so rushed and the introduction so choppy that it never gets a chance to settle into your brain. This of course is fatal for something meant to be horrifying.
Two stars for concept, some interesting plot (proto-)developments, and some good eerie imagery.
This was fine. It was sort of all over the place (everything from how to stay on top of laundry to how to create deep friendships), and it had the underwhelming thesis of “moderation in all things,” which Hesiod beat her to by about 2700 years. Still, there were some good reminders about applying The Middle Path in specific circumstances.
However, the level of Jesus talk in this was a real distraction. It's not clear from the blurb/cover that this book is explicitly for Christians - there's not just references to the author's life that include church, etc., but advice about how Yahweh loves the reader, blah blah blah. Not what I was looking for.
This was a pleasantly fresh and disturbing little story. I thought it did a great job of mining cultural misogyny and the “nice guy” without being at all preachy. It's weird and a bit gross and every character elicits some level of empathy and some level of distaste. Cosmic horror delivered via a very human, character-driven story.
This was cute! It's a nice, sweet story about embracing your weirdness and letting it connect you to others rather than separate you. It's all a bit surface-level and pat, with characters all immediately and unequivocally accepting different gender identities, sexualities, spiritualities, etc. But it's a middle-grade book and it's meant to be charming comfort media, not hard-hitting psycho-social dissection. And it's nice that lots of kids who deal with exclusion will see themselves depicted in a joyous, loving story where good wins out. For me, this is kind of a 3-star, but taking into account the intended audience, I say it's a solid 4-star.
I bought this book through Malaprop's Bookstore's “blind date with a book” promotion - a shelf full of books wrapped in plain brown wrappers, with descriptive blurbs written by staff, and a price. You buy without knowing exactly what you're getting.The descriptions for this book were:SublimeDeliciously DarkSurrealCalamitousEerieSouthern GothicTerrifying & BeautifulFlannery O'Connor meets H.P. LovecraftIt didn't quite hit for me the way it did for the writer of those terms, but I agree that it's dark, Southern Gothic, surreal, and eerie. Unfortunately it's rather dreary as well, and with no character arc for Dancy (it's a set of interconnected short stories), her exhaustion, hopelessness, and doubts about her mission were more wearing than intriguing. The storytelling sets out to remove all suspense from Dancy's confrontations with monsters - this is a story about her suffering through a treadmill of horrifying and violent experiences and wishing for relief, not about her being a Buffy-style action hero.I did find the depiction of angels compelling, and I can't deny that I consistently wanted to know what happened next. Maybe it's the lack of a real conclusion to the overall story that has left me feeling this didn't quite work for me.I would definitely recommend [b:In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers 491190 In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers Caitlín R. Kiernan https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1229050277s/491190.jpg 2223424], the stand-alone version of the opening tale, as a weird and grotesque southern gothic story. If you take to the baroque poetry of Kiernan's language and you desperately want to know more about Dancy, this collection would be a good next step.
I often have insomnia around 3am, and will read my Kindle in bed while I wait for sleepiness to return. Last night I took the opportunity to read The Visible Filth.I do not recommend reading the novella in this manner.Or maybe I do, because it certainly primed my brain for this creepy, disturbing tale. I often appreciate weird fiction at an intellectual, rather than emotional, level, but this reached right into my lizard brain and pushed all the “dread” buttons. There was one refuge within the story that kept me from hiding it until sunrise - I really disliked the protagonist, and didn't relate to him much. I think this is a feature, not a bug - fully intended by Ballingrud to allow readers enough space to break the tension . . . then allow it to build again. Will is shallow and selfish, and his life is a million miles from my happy suburban existence. At one point, he practically breaks the fourth wall: “He imagined himself observed and understood by an invisible witness. Would there be room for sympathy? Or would he be damned by it?” For me, the answer was “a little of each.” Will isn't sympathetic overall, but his foibles are so very empathetically human, we can relate to his individual temptations and failures, even if we judge their ultimate accumulation.Enough about Will - you want to know why this scared me, right? The core is that perennial human weakness - the temptation to Look. From Lot's wife and Orpheus right on through Bird Box, this unsettling compulsion to examine forbidden, horrible things resonates throughout human storytelling. (A pause here to recognize the homage to [b:The King in Yellow 32277642 The King in Yellow Robert W. Chambers https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475221812s/32277642.jpg 52901661], where characters are tempted to read a notorious banned play, despite their knowledge that it drives readers mad. I'm sure the cell phone is yellow for a reason; and what's a better Millennial analog to such a play than the Deep Web?)Ballingrud presents the common experience of this temptation with the perfect blend of implication and disclosure. The characters wonder and investigate, and we get some revelation, but nothing that comfortably reduces the horror to a manageable set of rules. If you hate ambiguity in your horror, this probably isn't for you. But if you agree with Stephen King that Nothing is so frightening as what's behind the closed door. . . . , come right in and make yourself comfortable - I have some insomnia to share with you.
This is a short, punchy send-up of Instagram healthism, much like [b:Puritea 60702461 Puritea Lucy Leitner https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1648419381l/60702461.SY75.jpg 95698894]. I didn't like this one quite as much, but it was still fun. I admire the level of ambivalence such a brief, broadly satirical tale has evoked for me. Is the story just viciously derisive of @wellnesswarrior497? Or is it truly sympathetic to her on some level? Is she getting what she needs/deserves, or is she a victim of a horrific cabal?Also, the description of the sensory deprivation room was really chilling - that will stay with me for a while! Very impressive for a mere four paragraphs!
Short but satisfying horror tale set at New Year's. Nothing very surprising, but fun nonetheless! I'm going to check out the rest of Demmer's holiday series [b:Dark Celebrations 50845736 Dark Celebrations Calvin Demmer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567423533l/50845736.SX50_SY75.jpg 71870346] - something that should be helpful to horror fans doing the 2023 Popsugar challenge!
This was interesting, but the pacing felt weird. It's a well-drawn and intriguing world for sure, and this is a serviceable story. But it didn't pull me in and get me excited about what would happen next. But honestly, that's not too shabby for a first novel!
And I'm ride or die for Murderbot, so I'll probably wind up reading everything Wells has written. Maybe it's good that I started my comprehensive read with her first effort - it's probably only going to get better as I go!
I was a few chapters in when I read that some people labeled this “problematic.” At that point, I scoffed a bit, because I was finding it really valuable.
Now that I'm done, I understand better, and I had to really think about how to rate this.
The TL:DR version - it explores some vital concepts for white people who consider themselves against racism. But it undermines its own effectiveness by ignoring empathy and nuance in favor of punitive repetition.
Pros:
A white person talking to other white people. Yeah, it would be great if more white people would listen to BIPOC writers and educators, but if the point is to break down defensiveness, a white author may have more success with certain people.
Pointing out that we white people are able to move through life unconsciously thinking of ourselves as the “default.” This really rang true to me as a feminist who notices the “men are people, women are women” phenomenon.
Calling out the problem of “colorblindness.” I was raised with this point of view, and it can definitely stymie racial progress. For instance . . .
THE CRITICAL FAILURE OF WELL-MEANING WHITES - believing that you don't have racist thoughts and behaviors because You're A Good Person. The narrative that racism is ONLY expressed by KKK types really hampers progress on so many levels. You can't correct for unconscious bias if you don't think you have it! If you think “racist action” = “evil incarnate” of course you will be defensive all over the place when someone points out a problematic behavior of yours.
The idea of preparing to hear feedback with openness, gratitude, and “racial stamina” by reminding yourself that we're all soaking in it and you can be unintentionally racist. Also, how risky it is for people (especially BIPOC) to give you that feedback.
The idea to frame comments to other white people in terms of our own personal understanding - it's harder to be defensive and discount something when it's presented as a personal experience being shared rather than a “You are being racist . . . statement”
Cons:
Explicitly acknowledges that “racist” and “white supremacy” are monumentally emotionally loaded and have ambiguous meanings, and then proceeds to use them.
Hamstrings its own revolutionary unpacking of “I'm a good person” as a blocker by using charged language that denotes malicious, conscious choice: “strategy,” “choose,” “I use the system to my advantage” “aggressor” “target” “Our institutions were designed to reproduce racial inequality.” “I believe that white progressives cause the most daily damage to people of color.”
Flat out discounts intent as having ANY relevance. Only impact is relevant. I get that DiAngelo is trying to get people to stop deflecting valid feedback by talking about their intent, but acting like it's totally irrelevant is crazy. We even take intent into account in homicide cases!
Doesn't say much at all about what an individual can DO to compensate for being a product of a racist system with baked-in biases. Seems to call more for self-flagellation by individuals than any action that could dismantle the system.
By the end, the tone definitely feels like, “You're a racist. You perpetrate racism against your colleagues, friends, spouses, and your own children. Nothing you can do can fix it. Your positive traits around race are irrelevant. Focus only on how much of an irredeemable racist you are.” Wait, I thought the point was to get people over their defensiveness?
I think this is best expressed in mark monday's review:
“It's like she perfectly understands white privilege but has no actual comprehension about how to reach people. Does she not understand that gathering people in a room and telling them all how wrong they are, and will always be, is not an effective mechanism for genuine change or understanding?”
Is this profound? No. Is it an iteration of well-known tropes like the Lovable Rogue and the Ragtag Bunch of Misfits? Yup. Was it entertaining as all get-out? Fonk yes!
My opinion is that there's nothing new under the sun, but if you use established elements with talent and skill, they still provide satisfying stories (heck, that's WHY they're so well established, right?).
I laughed out loud a lot, and really got invested in this team - ah, this SPACE team - and their success. The characters are well drawn, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and very clear voices. And yet there's plenty of room for more development of the characters, so I'm keen to read on in the series.
If you like Galaxy Quest, Psych, Hitchiker's Guide, Guardians of the Galaxy, or heck, even Brooklyn 99, check this out!
(Oh and I got the audio version as well, and Phil Thron is my new favorite narrator!)