Amanda
A beautiful book! I believe this is a re-telling of an old Grimm's Fairytale, and I'm pleased with how it was brought back to life. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story chilling!
2.5/5 Well, I didn't end up totally hating it! And, once the story picked up (ahem, 44 chapters in...), it made me eager to get into the next books. Am I in a a cult? Probably.
I love the idea of a story like this regardless - there's legit so much to play around with here. My problem is the author does nothing to drive any of the plot, waiting until the end to get things moving, and wrapping up with lengthy exposition dumps. I'm sure someone will bark at me that Maas was a child when she wrote these (which kudos to baby Maas btw) but she writes the same in her later books as she does in her earlier work so... maybe let's not make excuses just cuz the candy is yummy - it's still making us fat and rotting our teeth. Aside from that, the romance was cute (if not meh), the fighting was cool, and I'm eager to learn more about the magic of this world.
Mostly I'm in it to see what comes of Fleetfoot
There's some beneficial information here, but nothing revolutionary. An interesting take on how to deal with difficult people (and how to identify ways in which one's own behavior may affect those around them).
I'm not going to get over this book for a while for so many reasons wiggles brows Out of the entire ACOTAR series, this one is where the author found her stride I think. Incredibly well-paced comparatively, profoundly poignant and relatable. Just... sigh. Loved it. I'm that girl now - no shade and no shame. Fully ready for Valkyrie boot camp.
2.5/5That last short story was quintessential Creepshow - super fun. I think all three of these stories were unique & creative, but could have used more time or thought or better editing... Idk. I felt like the cook took bites out of my sandwich before serving it to me.
Oh boy. This book is a tiny mess. So many contradictions, my favorite being “Sitting is the new smoking... but you should totally sit around more....” Also, meditation isn't really Niksen, but maybe you should meditate more! Too cutesy, scattered and half thought out.
Gotta love as well how almost every self-help book goes on a mini-tirade about how “society is completely bombarded with self-help books! It's hard to know where to turn...” Whatever you do, maybe consider not turning to this book.
Angelita Unearthed 3/5
Our Lady of the Quarry 4/5
The Cart 3/5 (what was the meat??)
The Well 4/5
Rambla Triste 4/5
The Lookout 3/5 (loved the feel of this, kind of gothic, kind of Shirley Jackson)
Where Are You, Dear Heart? 5/5 FAVORITE
Alan Watts is supposed to be a pretty cool dude, but a book full of flowery, repetitive platitudes was probably not the introduction I should have chosen. Definitely some food for thought in here, but I don't think anything tremendously profound. Would try some other reading by Watts.
Where Maria Dahvana Headley's translation was sassy, modern and fun, Seamus Heaney's was incredibly thorough and read with great ease. I enjoyed each of these translations, but I would highly recommend this one to someone who is not immediately familiar with this story.
What a beautiful conclusion! I've more to say but just... kind find the words right now. Beautiful
This thing was riding a steady two stars for most of this book, but then it totally redeemed itself picking up at the end. A wholesome (almost always predictable) little (fucking huge) melodrama that I will continue to lap up until the bowl runs dry
What a completely RAD translation! I had a lot of fun reading this. I appreciated the feminist perspective of Grendel's Mother - that this “monster” was really just as badass as Beowulf, and somehow the concept of a woman being that hardcore has her translated as a “hideous, monstrous creature” over the years.
This book was fluffy, fun, at times totally nauseating, and often hilarious, and anyone taking this shit seriously is a goof ball. I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the same way that I feel The Pope's Exorcist was the best picture of 2023 - it wasn't, but I was entertained, and sometimes that's enough! Looking forward to the next book.
Also, thoroughly enjoyed the rather picturesque 10 of Cups ending. I wonder if the author drew inspiration from the Tarot? Hmmm...
Holy SMOKES! Shivers. Chakraborty knows how to write an adventure. This first book was so action packed, I can barely even! I've never needed to “know what happens next” more with a book series than this one. Absolutely stellar start to what I'm sure is going to be an incredible series
Oh my god. This series is one of the best fantasy series I've ever read! So well thought out. The action is intense, the world building is colorful and deep, and the politics are intricate and compelling. If you've been on the fence about this series, do yourself a favor and just read it, man.
Wrapping up the first installment in SJM's CC series, I'm reminded of a scene from The Last House on the Left (1972). The bad guys have just finished brutalizing a woman and have seemingly left her for dead, when they have this shared realization of what they've done - they look at their hands, covered in filth and blood, and then they look at each other. In a brief moment of humanity and disgust for both themselves and each other, you see regret in their faces.
This exact same thing happens to fellow fans of SJM - we all rode the high of ACOTAR, and we get to the point in the conversation where someone inevitably asks, “Oh, have ya read Crescent City yet?” Our eyes lock briefly. There's nothing but shame.
I was drawn to the initial premise of this books - third places are important and vital in order to maintain a sense of community, to gather & socialize with people outside of work and home - but I became increasingly frustrated with the way the author decides to convey this point. He draws half-assed conclusions from wiser people, wags his fingers at “the youths”, and offers nothing regarding what we can do as a society to build community (or third places) with one another. Idk, I was expecting something else.
3.5/5 I thoroughly enjoyed the prose and, in particular, the subject matter the writer tackled in this book, and would still recommend to friends. It all just started to feel so self-indulgent after awhile (which is kind of the point) but it was a lot like a one-sided friendship. Tiresome.
4.5/5 Surreal and poignant, a beautiful memoir. I found this book to be a completely emotionally cathartic experience. Madu manages to display heavy and often extreme feelings with grace and power. I found his work both relatable and entirely otherworldly. Would highly recommend.
3.5/5 - what a sweet and cozy read. The plot was predictable at times, but the characters were lovely. A nice, witchy tale, something to slow down with and enjoy for its simplicity.
Lots of random thoughts:
Book X: Adam is whining and crying because he's been made mortal by god after fucking up. He blames Eve, of course, and fears that all women are treacherous beings. “Why couldn't god find some other way for us to create offspring, without the use/creation of women?”
Why did God have to make a tree that no one was allowed to touch or eat the fruit from, Adam?? Eve blames the serpent, Adam blames Eve, I'm over here wagging my finger at naughty old God for playing with his food.
•••
Satan isn't the good guy here, but neither is god. Also, who made the angels, man? Bc if God made the angels, he also made them free-thinking enough to rebel. God is both sadist and masochist.
It brings into question the idea of good and evil in this way that I don't ultimately believe there's a pure definition of either, or that anything should really be described as such, because in this instance, to be good simply means to follow authority blindly, and to be bad is to break the authorities rules, or commit acts the authority deems “sinful”. I, no doubt, would have been wiped out in the flood.
Also - Jesus is the ultimate nepo baby. No one in the history of work has ever really been friends with the bosses son, you just kiss ass and hope you don't get fired.