altlovesbooks
"The rules don’t fuck around. "
What a hard book to rate.
We have a narrator, a ride-along character, who stumbles upon a mysterious radio program while driving late one night. A mystery man, Buck Hensley, comes on the air with a short radio segment entitled "Rules of the Road", where he delivers a strange ultimatum to our driver. If he sees a single solitary shoe on the side of the road, he has to stop and put a sock inside it. If he doesn't, something bad will happen. Sure enough, not long after hearing this (and after the absurdity of it has lodged itself deep inside our man's brain), he sees a shoe alongside the road. Of course he stops. And what happens after he does so sends our man on a spiraling journey to connect with other people who have experienced this same strange radio broadcast, who know about Buck Hensley, and what their particular Rule of the Road might have been. Some did as instructed. Some didn't.
The bulk of this book is taken up by the stories that our main character compiles into a website, and forms the narrative structure. 12 stories from different people about their encounter with the broadcast are included here, as well as a final story from our main character that explains some things about Buck Hensley, and an epilogue about how things end up. The short stories are a mixed bag, there's lots of author commentary here in some stories about cell phone usage (people being obsessed with their phones), some political viewpoint commentary, and immigration issues. The stories themselves are supposed to be unsettling and creepy, but of all of them I think only three were standouts for me ("What's Your Name", "Landslide", and "Left of the Dial"). The others came off boring or preachy or repetitive. Chapter 13, the Buck Hensley backstory, felt tacked on, and while I appreciated the info to fill in the gaps (including the origins for the "Rules of the Road"), it felt too... I don't know... different from what the rest of the book was supposed to be. I did end up feeling things for (ending/plot spoilers) Buck and Carla as their story was told, and I did like how the author turned each of her road trip superstitions/habits into its own story, I just wish it felt more put-together.
Still, I did feel compelled to finish this, and it did make me feel things, so there's something here. It's just a bit hard to get through to the interesting bits.
"The rules don’t fuck around. "
What a hard book to rate.
We have a narrator, a ride-along character, who stumbles upon a mysterious radio program while driving late one night. A mystery man, Buck Hensley, comes on the air with a short radio segment entitled "Rules of the Road", where he delivers a strange ultimatum to our driver. If he sees a single solitary shoe on the side of the road, he has to stop and put a sock inside it. If he doesn't, something bad will happen. Sure enough, not long after hearing this (and after the absurdity of it has lodged itself deep inside our man's brain), he sees a shoe alongside the road. Of course he stops. And what happens after he does so sends our man on a spiraling journey to connect with other people who have experienced this same strange radio broadcast, who know about Buck Hensley, and what their particular Rule of the Road might have been. Some did as instructed. Some didn't.
The bulk of this book is taken up by the stories that our main character compiles into a website, and forms the narrative structure. 12 stories from different people about their encounter with the broadcast are included here, as well as a final story from our main character that explains some things about Buck Hensley, and an epilogue about how things end up. The short stories are a mixed bag, there's lots of author commentary here in some stories about cell phone usage (people being obsessed with their phones), some political viewpoint commentary, and immigration issues. The stories themselves are supposed to be unsettling and creepy, but of all of them I think only three were standouts for me ("What's Your Name", "Landslide", and "Left of the Dial"). The others came off boring or preachy or repetitive. Chapter 13, the Buck Hensley backstory, felt tacked on, and while I appreciated the info to fill in the gaps (including the origins for the "Rules of the Road"), it felt too... I don't know... different from what the rest of the book was supposed to be. I did end up feeling things for (ending/plot spoilers) Buck and Carla as their story was told, and I did like how the author turned each of her road trip superstitions/habits into its own story, I just wish it felt more put-together.
Still, I did feel compelled to finish this, and it did make me feel things, so there's something here. It's just a bit hard to get through to the interesting bits.
Added to listMysterywith 34 books.
After a weak few books, I'm glad to see I'm enjoying this series again. We're back in the Three Pines, we're well-fed off Gabri's food, and the neighbors are (mostly) just as delightful as they used to be. Things do feel a tad...messy, however.
I don't want to get too far into the plot of this book since it is a mystery after all, but I do feel like it's noteworthy to mention that two real life events are referenced in this book, and play a role in the mystery: a graduation honoring the (real life) tragedy of the École Polytechnique massacre, and a giant reproduction of (the real life) The Paston Treasure being found in an walled off attic space in the Three Pines. The mystery revolves around how the painting got there, why this particular painting was given modern touches in its reproduction, and what role two siblings play in both the murder of their mother when they were children and the current events happening in Three Pines.
There's a lot going on in this one. I think that the author should have chosen to focus on either (major plot spoilers here) Fiona and Sam as the killer(s), or John Fleming as the mastermind, but not both. I feel like the siblings are just in the story to serve as misdirections to conceal the true plot, but they don't even really have much of an impact that way either. It just felt unnecessary to have both, and muddied the case even more than it already was. A lot relied on coincidence and timing too, which drove me up a wall. My brain kept feeding me reasons why this whole thing would have fallen apart if Gamache or anyone else at all had done even one thing differently, which took me out of the story a bit.
Still, this kept me reading to the end, as a good story will. I just feel like these books are getting messier and messier.
After a weak few books, I'm glad to see I'm enjoying this series again. We're back in the Three Pines, we're well-fed off Gabri's food, and the neighbors are (mostly) just as delightful as they used to be. Things do feel a tad...messy, however.
I don't want to get too far into the plot of this book since it is a mystery after all, but I do feel like it's noteworthy to mention that two real life events are referenced in this book, and play a role in the mystery: a graduation honoring the (real life) tragedy of the École Polytechnique massacre, and a giant reproduction of (the real life) The Paston Treasure being found in an walled off attic space in the Three Pines. The mystery revolves around how the painting got there, why this particular painting was given modern touches in its reproduction, and what role two siblings play in both the murder of their mother when they were children and the current events happening in Three Pines.
There's a lot going on in this one. I think that the author should have chosen to focus on either (major plot spoilers here) Fiona and Sam as the killer(s), or John Fleming as the mastermind, but not both. I feel like the siblings are just in the story to serve as misdirections to conceal the true plot, but they don't even really have much of an impact that way either. It just felt unnecessary to have both, and muddied the case even more than it already was. A lot relied on coincidence and timing too, which drove me up a wall. My brain kept feeding me reasons why this whole thing would have fallen apart if Gamache or anyone else at all had done even one thing differently, which took me out of the story a bit.
Still, this kept me reading to the end, as a good story will. I just feel like these books are getting messier and messier.
Added to listAudiobooks Readwith 135 books.
Added to listFantasywith 127 books.
I think calling this a retelling of Hansel and Gretel is a bit misleading, but not in a bad way. For one, this is more of a continuation of Gretel (Greta) and Hansel (Hans)'s stories, as this book takes place well after being imprisoned by the witch as kids. For another, the author weaves in other Brothers' Grimm stories (most notably Snow White/Rose Red, and some references to Rumpelstiltskin) to tell something that's entirely new and unique and fun. Lumping all this under a simple tag like "retelling" seems reductive and does this a disservice, actually.
Greta has been doing her best to make ends meet for her and her brother Hans by selling gingerbread in their local village, but she's never been considered one of them. Lots of whispers about her being a witch and cursed in some way abound, so she's never really fit in anywhere. And with her brother racking up debt after debt, she has to find a way to keep him safe that doesn't involve her becoming a domestic servant, or worse. She encounters Mathias in the woods, a stranger with a mysterious secret that draws her in more than pushes her away, and it's through this encounter that she starts realizing there's much more to her childhood story than a simple witch.
The telling of this story was beautiful, but I will say it has a bit of a slow start. It took maybe 15-20% before I started getting invested in what was going on, but it ended up being a satisfying wait. There's romance here as well, and while I get a bit impatient at romance scenes in books (just not my thing, not judging), I actually thought Mathias and Greta seem sweet together. I do think the ending came a bit fast and abrupt, but I'm willing to forgive it because the rest of the story was so well done.
Also a trigger warning heads up: Chapter 25 is pretty brutal, if animal cruelty gets to you I'd probably skip it. It's not required to understand the story if you've been paying attention up to that point.
I think calling this a retelling of Hansel and Gretel is a bit misleading, but not in a bad way. For one, this is more of a continuation of Gretel (Greta) and Hansel (Hans)'s stories, as this book takes place well after being imprisoned by the witch as kids. For another, the author weaves in other Brothers' Grimm stories (most notably Snow White/Rose Red, and some references to Rumpelstiltskin) to tell something that's entirely new and unique and fun. Lumping all this under a simple tag like "retelling" seems reductive and does this a disservice, actually.
Greta has been doing her best to make ends meet for her and her brother Hans by selling gingerbread in their local village, but she's never been considered one of them. Lots of whispers about her being a witch and cursed in some way abound, so she's never really fit in anywhere. And with her brother racking up debt after debt, she has to find a way to keep him safe that doesn't involve her becoming a domestic servant, or worse. She encounters Mathias in the woods, a stranger with a mysterious secret that draws her in more than pushes her away, and it's through this encounter that she starts realizing there's much more to her childhood story than a simple witch.
The telling of this story was beautiful, but I will say it has a bit of a slow start. It took maybe 15-20% before I started getting invested in what was going on, but it ended up being a satisfying wait. There's romance here as well, and while I get a bit impatient at romance scenes in books (just not my thing, not judging), I actually thought Mathias and Greta seem sweet together. I do think the ending came a bit fast and abrupt, but I'm willing to forgive it because the rest of the story was so well done.
Also a trigger warning heads up: Chapter 25 is pretty brutal, if animal cruelty gets to you I'd probably skip it. It's not required to understand the story if you've been paying attention up to that point.
Added to listHistorical Fictionwith 71 books.
"Snowy mountain, why do you not weep? Is your heart too cold?
Snowy mountain, why do you weep? Is your heart too sore?"
This was a really moving tale about a woman who spends thirty years(!!!) in Tibet looking for her husband she had been married to for less than a month after he went missing during his time in the military. Everyone told her he was presumed dead, but she refused to believe them and went to go find him for herself. If that’s not dedication, I’m not sure what is.
I’ve come to realize during the many translated books I’ve read that translations come in two varieties: ones that attempt to capture not just the individual words but also the feeling of the phrases that may not carry over, and ones that take the shortest route between two points and just translate the words without regard for emotional impact. This book falls into the latter category, with everything feeling dry, emotionless, and clinical, which made it a struggle to get through despite its short length. I didn’t get a huge sense about what sort of person Wen was beyond her loyalty to her husband because of the emotionless writing (translating?), which was a bit of a letdown in something billed as a love story.
Which is another thing: there’s very little person-to-person love in this love story. While their marriage is the driving factor for Wen being in Tibet in the first place, it’s actually not brought up all that much. We get a staggering amount of really interesting information about Tibet, but this is more of a travelogue than a quest to be reunited with her husband (ending spoiler alert: they don’t get reunited anyway, and if you're aware of what a Sky Burial is before reading this, you'll probably have guessed that).
Another point I should mention is that while this is billed as a memoir/nonfiction story, the copyright page labels this as historical fiction, which I think is closer to the truth. A lot of fantastical things happens to Wen, and it’s hard for me to believe all of it was true.
A quick read, and one I learned a lot about Tibet from, but kind of a thin/weak story overall.
"Snowy mountain, why do you not weep? Is your heart too cold?
Snowy mountain, why do you weep? Is your heart too sore?"
This was a really moving tale about a woman who spends thirty years(!!!) in Tibet looking for her husband she had been married to for less than a month after he went missing during his time in the military. Everyone told her he was presumed dead, but she refused to believe them and went to go find him for herself. If that’s not dedication, I’m not sure what is.
I’ve come to realize during the many translated books I’ve read that translations come in two varieties: ones that attempt to capture not just the individual words but also the feeling of the phrases that may not carry over, and ones that take the shortest route between two points and just translate the words without regard for emotional impact. This book falls into the latter category, with everything feeling dry, emotionless, and clinical, which made it a struggle to get through despite its short length. I didn’t get a huge sense about what sort of person Wen was beyond her loyalty to her husband because of the emotionless writing (translating?), which was a bit of a letdown in something billed as a love story.
Which is another thing: there’s very little person-to-person love in this love story. While their marriage is the driving factor for Wen being in Tibet in the first place, it’s actually not brought up all that much. We get a staggering amount of really interesting information about Tibet, but this is more of a travelogue than a quest to be reunited with her husband (ending spoiler alert: they don’t get reunited anyway, and if you're aware of what a Sky Burial is before reading this, you'll probably have guessed that).
Another point I should mention is that while this is billed as a memoir/nonfiction story, the copyright page labels this as historical fiction, which I think is closer to the truth. A lot of fantastical things happens to Wen, and it’s hard for me to believe all of it was true.
A quick read, and one I learned a lot about Tibet from, but kind of a thin/weak story overall.