Sarah
I'm disappointed that this didn't work for me. I even went in with tempered expectations after seeing mixed reviews. I just didn't find the story convincing, at all. The dialogue is stilted, the characters feel flat, and I figured out the murderer about a quarter in. Perhaps this was intentionally cartoonish, but it didn't feel like it was done well enough to justify that.
In a way, this is a very ‘basic' book. This isn't full of ideas about how to keep your home sparkling clean or aesthetically pleasing. This is a book that people like me need. I struggle a lot with executive dysfunction and doing basic tasks around the house can feel physically painful at times. KC Davis was absolutely right to call this “a gentle approach.” This book understands you, assuages your guilt, and reframes how we look at chores. Davis emphasizes how cleanliness is not linked to worthiness, points out that our home should be there for us and not vice-versa, and shares the things she uses to make her own life easier. For example: she doesn't fold her laundry! Everything that doesn't wrinkle gets thrown into a basket and everything that does wrinkle gets hung up. Changing her mindset and letting go of the assumption that laundry needs to be folded made it a much more manageable task. I'll definitely be recommending this book to friends in the future and am glad I bought a physical copy because I know I'll be coming back to it a lot.
3.5 ⭐️
I five-starred Delilah Green Doesn't Care so I was super bummed that Astrid Parker didn't work out as well for me. I noticed I was often apathetic about picking it up and while I was invested in the relationship, I kind of felt like I could take or leave the book. At this point I MUST provide the disclaimer that I went through a major breakup a month ago and am still recovering; romance probably isn't the best for me to read right now. But I had preordered Astrid Parker and wanted to get to it asap! I will probably give this a second chance sometime in the future when I'm feeling less blah about relationships. In the meantime, reminding myself to wait a bit for romance.
This was an amazing memoir. Sarah Perry comes from a small town in Maine, not far from where I grew up, which is part of why I read their memoir. Although I hadn't heard of her mother's death, I feel drawn to reading ‘local' books. Perry was witness to her mother's brutal murder; this memoir follows her childhood before and after the incident, her relationships with her mother and those around them, and the lengthy journey it took to find the killer. Emily Woo Zeller reads the audiobook and her voice fits incredibly well, I highly recommend listening if you're able. The story as a whole is devastating and very well-done.
Emily Henry strikes again! i loved following Poppy and Alex's relationship. they were cute and quirky, and if you don't like quirky i'd probably suggest you avoid this one. thankfully i liked the quirky! it took me a little longer to warm up to than other Henry books, but that's honestly the only complaint i have. i will add though: don't read this during a major breakup. just. trust me, okay.Blog Twitter Instagram Facebook Ko-fi
Clearly I am in the minority here, but this book just did not do it for me. The story follows Robin Swift, a boy who is orphaned by cholera and taken from China by a mysterious professor, who trains him in languages. Eventually Robin is enrolled in Oxford to learn translation – in this world translations power the magical bars of silver that ease life for the wealthy. I appreciated the messages here about how colonialism consists of violence and theft, and how colonizers devalue the cultures that they steal from even as they rely upon them. I just had a lot of issues with the way the story itself was told.
In order to focus on translation, Kuang creates an alternate version of our own world with silver-working at its center. I took issue in part with the fact that Kuang does very little with silver-working itself. It's used to create inventions that... would already have been invented anyway, as we see in our own world. It's bizarre to me that Kuang would create an entire alternate reality only to make it almost exactly like our own. The changes made to life itself are minute and don't reflect, to me, what reality would be like if we did have this magical technology at our hands.
It also read to me as rather YA. The characters are technically adults but have the demeanor of teenagers and seem quite naive at times. A lot of the messages are in your face and there are often long monologues where characters lecture in order to tell us what we should be getting out of the book. There are some abrupt shifts in character that don't make sense to me and there is a large plot point that I don't even think should have occurred, but the entire end of the story relies upon its happening.
It felt to me like Kuang had a message she wanted to relay and wrote the whole book around that. I didn't feel compelled by the story or the characters because they felt like nothing more than a mouthpiece. A lot of “and they studied, and they studied, and they studied some more” could have been cut from this to make the pacing a little more smooth. As is, it drags the reader through the first two-thirds and then sprints along to the ending. I'm honestly glad so many liked this, but I really fail to see the appeal of the story itself.
I read this in basically one sitting and just adored it. I've seen a lot of criticisms of Delilah's character, and they're all legitimate. I can see how she would be irritating to read. Thankfully, I just loved her. Womanizer lesbian with trauma returns to her hometown and falls in love with her sister's best friend? Yes, please!!! I found Delilah and Claire both so fun to follow and their relationship made me just so happy. I don't have much to say about this other than gushing, but I did also really like following Delilah as a photographer. I'm super excited that this is going to be a series and look forward to Astrid's book coming out shortly!
This was... bizarre. This is one of those books that makes me think I need to read some essays and interviews before I can understand it. I buddy read this with Destiny in preparation for the Hellraiser remake because (surprise to me!) this was the novella that Hellraiser was based on! Having never seen the film and going into this pretty cold (I knew what Pinhead looked like and that was it), I was definitely... surprised. My first read by Clive Barker was a middle grade horror novel, so this adult erotic horror novella was a bit of a turn.
Unfortunately, I just don't feel like I got this. The writing was excellent - Barker certainly has that going for him - but the story itself was too bizarre for me to follow. I somehow only learned Barker was gay after reading this and I think having that lens would have been helpful for me to get more out of it.
3.5 ⭐️
This was only my second Ruth Ware but I liked it slightly better than One By One. The academia aspect was interesting and I enjoyed the flashbacks much more than the present day portions. Looking back, I think I just didn't feel like most of the characters were fleshed out enough for me, which made it difficult to feel invested in the outcome. This would have done well with some more revision, it was definitely a bit too long and the pacing was off at points. Overall though, it's a perfectly fine thriller that doesn't sway me one way or the other on Ware's work.
There is a thing that I know but always forget: Winter is hard.
What a bizarre little book. This is difficult to review without giving anything away, but I'll give it a shot. I went into this pretty cold, knowing only that it was somewhat related to mythology and fairly fantastic. I honestly think that was best, it took me a bit to settle into the narrative style but witnessing the story unravel while trying to figure out what was going on was very satisfying. Piranesi is an oddly satisfying character to follow, I appreciated his emphasis on logic and his understanding of the world around him. Although his naivety could have been frustrating, I found it more sad than anything else and I found him very sympathetic. Clarke did an excellent job with this and I'm glad it was the Women's Prize winner of 2021.
This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever loved a monster.
4.5 ⭐️
I can't seem to stop reading divisive books! This was my fourth Gailey read and I have to say that I am so impressed by their range. From historical fiction to thriller to horror, it seems like they can do it all. Just Like Home is about a woman named Vera who returns to her childhood home at the behest of her estranged dying mother. Vera's father was a serial killer and her memories in this house are slowly revealed to us over the course of the book. There is also a horror element that readers seem to either love or hate – I loved it. There were just a handful of things I wish Gailey had done differently, but I found this so atmospheric. I had to tear myself away from the book at night because even though I was getting so spooked, I didn't want to put it down. I found both the characters and the story itself incredibly compelling and really can't wait to see what Gailey comes out with next.
[...] her life as a woman arrived with pain; pain that had to be endured, withstood, pain that was the same as being alive, and so was without end.
This was really incredible. Torrey Peters is an incredible writer and I was constantly awed by how clever this was. ‘A whipsmart debut' indeed. Reese is a trans woman living in New York who is figuring out herself and how to get what she wants in life. Ames is her ex-girlfriend, now detransitioned but not quite a cis man, trying to live a ‘normal' life. Ames has gotten his current partner, his boss, pregnant and is frantically trying to decide what to do.
Before I knew this was authored by a trans women, the inclusion of detransition concerns me. I mean, we're surrounded with right-wing rhetoric about how allowing trans children to be themselves will lead to all these horrible things, and how soo many people detransition. But Peters is trans and I felt that she handled this topic gracefully, emphasizing how so many trans folks are forced to detransition because it is so difficult to live in such a transphobic world.
While I am not a trans woman, as a member of the queer community I did find a lot of comfort and familiarity in this book. I'm also polyamorous and seeing the development of this triad warmed my heart – even if they have far to go when it comes to communication. But this book deals with a lot of dark topics, things that I don't think could have been left out of a story like this. There is an interesting commentary about various forms of colonization and oppression; Ames' partner Katrina is a cis woman but is biracial. Reese is used to viewing all cis women as privileged, but has to confront the fact that not all cis women are cis white women.
I also appreciated that Peters didn't pause the story to introduce concepts of Gender 101; she used in-group language without explanation in a way that I found immersive and important. I appreciate when authors do this for any kind of culture – sprinkling in definitions often feels forced or pulls a reader out of the story. We all have access to Google and are able to look up anything we don't understand from prior knowledge or context alone.
There were so many fascinating explorations of misogyny and transmisogyny and I'm excited to come back to this someday to pick up on more than can be processed via a first read. I feel like each page could spawn dozens of essays. Peters brought a remarkable book into this world and I'm looking forward to picking up her next one.
Harvey had climbed the porch steps by now, and stopped in front of the open door. This was a moment of decision, he knew, though he wasn't quite certain why.
This was a quick little MG/YA fantasy read with a pinch of horror. Harvey Swick is a kid dealing with the dreariness of mid-winter who wants some excitement in his life. And he gets exactly what he wishes for – kind of. Harvey is whisked away to a magical house, where he can play with other children and where all his wants are met. But, of course, things aren't quite what they seem. This wasn't a new favorite, but it was a fun little novel to zip through. I definitely recommend it to those looking for some lighter horror
The stories told about us are not our own.
I had to pick this up because I really liked We Went to the Woods by the same author. I found it well-written and compelling at first, so the average Goodreads rating confused me, but We Went to the Woods also has a low average so I brushed it off. I really enjoyed the setup, meeting Liv and the House of Light. Olivia is an actress who had a recent public outburst that prompts her assistant slash best friend Jess to send her to rehab. The House of Light is more of a spiritual retreat and Liv thinks she knows exactly what she's in for. Since this is a literary thriller of sorts, I think we all know that things end up taking a turn.
After the first third, this began to drag for me. I felt like the various elements didn't quite mesh and some things began to get repetitive. It was just missing that something to make it feel compelling. It was a bit of a disappointment for me because I did like the concept of integrating a podcast into the narrative (which I think was done well here) but I struggled with the novel as a whole. I also found one of the final twists to be unsatisfying and wasn't convinced by some of the character motives. I'm really hoping I get along better with Dolan-Leach's next book.
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration.
I was already feeling kind of slumpy when I picked this up and when I saw the average Goodreads rating (an abysmal 3.26), I was nervous. I thought this would edge me further into my reading slump and that I'd have another DNF on my hands. Instead, I found myself pulled straight in to Ingrid's story. A crewmember on an immense cruise ship, Ingrid is a strange person having strange experiences. It's hard to say more without getting into spoilers, but I found this to be a delightfully messy and confusing book. There both is and isn't much in the way of plot and the characters themselves are odd and difficult to connect with. I can see why this isn't for everyone, but I felt like Lara Williams did a great job here and I'm glad I finally got around to picking this up.
I don't really owe anyone anything. I am an animal, brought into existence without my consent, left scrounging to get by.
This is a dark little novel about depression and anxiety and the things they push us to do. Gilda is already halfway to a breakdown when she's in a ‘minor car accident' that leaves her with a broken arm and a destroyed car. She's given an ad for therapy, which leads her to a Catholic church, which leads her to a job where she has to hide the fact that she's a lesbian. While Gilda was pushed to extremes here, I found myself relating strongly to her character. Avoidance as a result of extreme anxiety can lead us to do a lot of ‘weird' things and I understood where she was coming from, even as I knew her actions were in no way sustainable.
I really enjoyed reading this, as much as someone can ‘enjoy' something so anxiety-inducing. Austin is able to convey the difficulties of mental illness so well and is a fantastic writer who I look forward to reading more by.
Jane is spun sugar. A switchblade girl with a cotton-candy heart.
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. Quotes have been taken from the advanced copy and may differ from the final publication.
I wish I could put my finger on why this didn't quite work for me. Maybe I went in with my expectations too high: I loved Red, White and Royal Blue and I was so excited for McQuiston to put out a sapphic romance as well. Most of my friends – people I share reading tastes with – gave the book five stars. But I was able to put this down for four days after hitting the halfway point because I didn't feel compelled to continue.
Looking back, I think I found August a little unbelievable as a character. In fact, her whole group of friends made me feel more like I was reading a sitcom than a story I could really immerse myself into. I read plenty of sff and horror, so I don't necessarily need realism in my books but I do need to feel like the characters are real people and I just didn't get that here. I found myself skimming a lot throughout the second half of the book because I really just wanted to finish it.
That being said, this book still made me really emotional! That McQuiston can tug on my heartstrings in a story I'm not attached to is a testament to their writing. I had to put down the book at one point because I was reading during downtime at work and didn't want to cry in front of any customers. I think if I had read it earlier, I may have gotten along with it better so I would definitely take my outlook with a grain of salt – especially because I'm in a clear minority.
3.5 ⭐️
I have to say I definitely enjoyed this and found it very compelling, but it was missing a little... something for me. Getting the backstory of the Mace was interesting but I found Christian a little boring at times. While I understood the inclusion of Aislinn, it didn't feel like her story fully meshed with the rest. Following Elyssa was heartbreaking though. My biggest issue was that this felt like it was building toward something that never happened, but I guess that's the problem with prequels. This did make me super excited to re-read the Tearling series! I'm hoping to pick up the Queen of the Tearling again asap.
I'm so disappointed that I didn't like this. I've read two five stars, two four stars, and one three star by Tremblay, so I have pretty high expectations that I'll like his work at this point. The Pallbearers Club had such a different vibe from the rest of his work, and I hesitate to even classify it as horror. It's more like a literary thriller, but one that I found myself pretty bored by. The novel itself is meant to be a memoir written by the fictional Art Barbara (a pseudonym), but the ‘memoir' has been found by Art's friend Mercy, whose notes fill the margins, her words quite literally filling in the gaps that Art leaves out. Art and Mercy have a complicated relationship, spending years estranged before finding one another yet again. This was... so meandering, and I couldn't connect with either of the characters. Art was self-absorbed and irritating, and Mercy just didn't feel real to me. I'm hoping Tremblay's next book works better for me again.
what the actual fuck
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So I read this for Kayla's Literally Dead book club and I'm sad to say that this book and I are mortal enemies. A little dramatic perhaps, BUT I literally couldn't stand this. Casey is a recent widow who is living at her lake house because she's suffering from alcoholism and her family doesn't want to deal with her – by the way, who sends a depressed addict to stay in an isolated house alone?? Casey thinks she sees ~things~ and is trying to solve a possible murder. Does this sound like half of the thrillers out today? Yup! 90% of the book entails Casey talking about bourbon and I was bored out of my mind. The twist is, uh, original. No one would ever guess it. Because it is barely alluded to the entire book. I need my twists to be shocking, but also something I could look back on and say, “oh, that makes total sense!” This made no sense. If you enjoyed this? Power to you. Could not be me. This was my first Riley Sager book and, shockingly, I will be trying another.