Zee (he/they)

Not only is this book racist, the plot is frustratingly obvious and terribly paced. Also, not only was there a miscommunication plot, there were MULTIPLE - and I was miserable.

(4,5) Not big into Sci-Fi, but this book might have changed this for me. Both the writing and the story were wonderful. Will definitely be picking up more of Le Guin's books!

I got this book by complete chance, and must honestly say that if I knew how strong the supernatural elements were, I probably would not have picked it up. But that would have been my loss!! I absolutely adored reading this!

Honestly, I had a bit of a hard time at frist, especially during the first chapter that focussed on the Fortune Teller. But it was the end of that same chapter that got me hooked.

Not a single word is wasted in this book, and it is clear that so much love and work has been put into every character, every choice of setting, every story line. The switch between timelines is done in a way that keeps you on your toes until the very end, and the details and links that are revealed are not overexplained or too obvious, which I found very pleasant.
This book is definitely one I will revisit. The atmosphere is so beautifully described in this book, and anyway I'm sure I missed some of the links in the story!

Chapeau!

Particularly enjoyed “Walk in My Shoes” by Kirrin Medcalf and “Banana” by Harry Mizumoto.

(4.5) A sweet story of themes that are important to me. A good book to cry to whilst remaining hopeful.

A soft and calming book that tells a story “full of soft and difficult feelings”. A queer world in every sense of the word, the magic of life both real and imagined, all wrapped up in gorgeous imagery. The pacing did not always make sense to me, but I guess that happens in this world too.
In any case, it was exactly the page turner I needed today

Short and very very sweet. Intelligent, beautifully written, poetic without being melodramatic.
If you're looking for non-fiction, but also for a page turner, this might be the book for you

I feel very little connection to the themes of this book, but the writing is so beautiful that I would still enthusiastically recommend it.

Moving, clever, and deeply human.

3.5

DNF 20% - Couldn't stop thinking about the teenage library members behind me in the queue who would probably enjoy this much more than I would. Happy this exists, just not what I'm looking for right now.

(DNF 41%) This was well written, and I'm sure that people who like Shakespeare and family dramas will absolutely love this, but I just couldn't get myself to care.
The nail in the coffin for me was: “I will be your straitjacket, Horatio thought frantically. Put your limbs in me and anchor yourself.”. I'm too old to still find that charming.

DNF 10% - this was cute, but I just DO NOT care about sports :/

Read until p.97. Could not get any further. What a horrible book.
The writing felt very belittling, and was missing a lot of the information I feel was important for the context, i e. the political ideas, and motivations of the artists portrayed.

On top of that the translation was a mess. How dare you publish “Seurat was er dus niet de man naar om naar buiten te rennen[...]”?

DNF 64% - I just couldn't get myself to care.