Andrew Seasn Greer's Lessian chronicles continue with this roadtrip novel. It's stylistic in its charm, and tender, so tender. I was delig4.5/5 stars.
Andrew Seasn Greer's Lessian chronicles continue with this roadtrip novel. It's stylistic in its charm, and tender, so tender. I was delighted to come back to this world and find it familiar and yet containing new depths for me to explore....more
This book is conflicting for me. The writing itself is beautiful. I trouble had with Dillard's long blocky paragraphs, but my main difficu3.5/5 stars.
This book is conflicting for me. The writing itself is beautiful. I trouble had with Dillard's long blocky paragraphs, but my main difficulty was the narrative structure of the book. Dillard tells several small stories over the course of the year the book covers, slowly weaving a tapestry of the place she lives. It took a while to get into. I'd highly recommend this to anyone interested in the natural world and appreciative of detailed prose....more
I haven't really had time to process this book, but God is it beautiful. Coco Mellors put seven years of work into this novel, and it shows 5/5 stars.
I haven't really had time to process this book, but God is it beautiful. Coco Mellors put seven years of work into this novel, and it shows in the care with which she writes action and bodies and scenery and emotion. Cleopatra and Frankenstein is told in chapters segmented by shifting perspectives, each distinct to its narrator. The breadth and depth Mellors achieves in her characters, the way she manages to capture hope and anger and fear and growth, is currently making me weep a little.
Disclaimer: I'm not a big fan of the way Mellors handles her queer perspective character's ending. Quentin feels like an after thought, and their ending, while in keeping with all of their appearances in the book, leaves something to be desired. I still think this book is worth reading, though....more
Packed with layers of trans female experience, sex work, generational trauma, and mental illness and addiction, Casey Plett's Little Fish pa5/5 stars.
Packed with layers of trans female experience, sex work, generational trauma, and mental illness and addiction, Casey Plett's Little Fish paints the highs and the lows and the shitty in betweens in the life of her protagonist, Wendy. I loved the portrayal of trans community in this novel. It broke my heart and patched me back up....more
When I read collections—fiction, nonfiction, or poetry—I often find myself taking many stops and starts. I wouldn't say my experience readin4/5 stars.
When I read collections—fiction, nonfiction, or poetry—I often find myself taking many stops and starts. I wouldn't say my experience reading this collection went against that; rather, my experience reading it kept me picking it back up after I had put it down. I love the way Erika L. Sánchez writes herself. She acknowledges her flaws and her strengths, painting a complete picture of a Brown woman stitched from different but thematically related periods of her life. She relates her experiences back to her family's Mexican-American roots and her own upbringing, while also showing how being let into predominantly white and upper-class spaces in her adulthood has been both terrifying and exhilarating. I loved reading about her messy, beautiful life....more
5/5 stars. I like speculative fiction for its ability to explore what-ifs, and this novella accomplishes that, but with more of a character focus than 5/5 stars. I like speculative fiction for its ability to explore what-ifs, and this novella accomplishes that, but with more of a character focus than I read in a lot of dystopian books. (view spoiler)[The reveal that the protagonist (whose name I'm blanking on at the moment) actually chose to spread the contagion at the end of the story gave me such chills. I love (trans) women having agency. (hide spoiler)]...more
Situationally humorous and beautifully written, Jules Ohman's debut was a perfect start to my year. Come for the exploration of nonacademi4.5/5 stars.
Situationally humorous and beautifully written, Jules Ohman's debut was a perfect start to my year. Come for the exploration of nonacademic paths by an author with a master's degree, and stay for the cast of casually queer characters and the depictions of polyamory....more
This book is an ice bath and a warm bed in one. It covers a lot of trauma, some of it in detail, but it never felt excessive to me. A lot of5/5 stars.
This book is an ice bath and a warm bed in one. It covers a lot of trauma, some of it in detail, but it never felt excessive to me. A lot of the book focuses on the characters as adults, trying to repair some of the damage from their pasts.
5/5 stars. It's hard to explain why this is my favorite of Rooney's books, but I'm going to give it a go. It's certainly not her most well-written book5/5 stars. It's hard to explain why this is my favorite of Rooney's books, but I'm going to give it a go. It's certainly not her most well-written book (Beautiful World, Where Are You?), nor her most popular (Normal People), but it stands out to me because of how close and specific it is. Some highlights of the book (at least for me) include Frances's struggles with her health and with money, Melissa's unhinged email, and pretty much everything Bobbi did. Nick stood out as the weakest character to me but it was intentional; he was struggling with depression and was constantly characterized as passive, even described that way by other characters. The thing that impressed me most throughout the book, though, was how clear it was that these characters were important to one another. Rooney nailed the anxiety of being in a state of limbo with someone you love....more
Zadie Smith is so skilled a writer that she managed to make a scene where two parents traumatize their 10-year-old children by beating the s5/5 stars.
Zadie Smith is so skilled a writer that she managed to make a scene where two parents traumatize their 10-year-old children by beating the shit out of each other hilarious, simply by making said 10-year-old children take bets on which of them was going to win. I didn't get to choose whether I laughed at that. It just happened....more
This is a very divisive book, as you can probably tell from the score and the fact that the most liked review is 1-star. It's chock-full of 5/5 stars.
This is a very divisive book, as you can probably tell from the score and the fact that the most liked review is 1-star. It's chock-full of flawed characters doing terrible things to themselves and each other. But I'm giving it 5 stars. Jennifer Egan had the creativity to created this crazy, tangled world, and she writes the hell out of it. A Visit from the Goon Squad is absurd and hilarious and paints with more shades of gray than the human eye can often see. Give it a chance....more
This book feels like a time capsule in a very unidealized way. There's some period-appropriate sexism and homophobia, both from straight mal5/5 stars.
This book feels like a time capsule in a very unidealized way. There's some period-appropriate sexism and homophobia, both from straight male characters and written into some of the female characters, but it adds to the realism without taking away from my enjoyment. The portrayal of racism and xenophobia is significant without leaving you with a total sense of hopelessness. I'm really glad to have read this....more
I picked this one up from the library on a whim, mostly because of the hockey content. I thought the execution of the complex familial rel3.5/5 stars.
I picked this one up from the library on a whim, mostly because of the hockey content. I thought the execution of the complex familial relationships in the book was really well done, and I liked the representation of the imperfect nature of acceptance and diversity in the hockey community. The main relationship was what I really found lacking. There wasn't much to the relationship for me past the rivals-to-lovers arc. Maybe I've just read too many books and series with this type of relationship. There was good chemistry, but I wanted the main couple to have more than just a few common interests....more
This story reminds me of a teen drama show if the characters actually got what was good for them, you know? The main character felt very r4.5/5 stars.
This story reminds me of a teen drama show if the characters actually got what was good for them, you know? The main character felt very real. I also think Henry handled the toxic/abusive relationship well. It was a little cheesy in some places, but this book made me smile....more
This book was right up my alley, both as an adventure lover and as someone who has been fascinated by the second world war since before I le5/5 stars.
This book was right up my alley, both as an adventure lover and as someone who has been fascinated by the second world war since before I learned my grandfather fought in it. As both a woman and as a "functional" disabled person, holy wow did this make me appreciate being born in the 21st century....more
I finally got around to finishing this one last night. I was consistently impressed by the way Peters managed to fit so many smaller anecdot5/5 stars.
I finally got around to finishing this one last night. I was consistently impressed by the way Peters managed to fit so many smaller anecdotes and flashbacks into this. The storytelling was economical in a way: nothing wasted, everything circling back around to flesh out the characters and create a entertaining and satisfying, yet open-ended narrative. It's sad and fucking funny.
Note: I truly and fully enjoyed this book while reading it, but here's a fantastic review that criticizes Peters' portrayal of race: Estefanía on Detransition, Baby....more
Loved the way magical realism and the author's heritage were woven into the fabric of the story. Also loved the way it showed that trauma4.75/5 stars.
Loved the way magical realism and the author's heritage were woven into the fabric of the story. Also loved the way it showed that trauma can make you an unreliable narrator of your own life. Gotta dock some points because I found myself having trouble suspending my disbelief with regards to the romantic aspect of how this one resolves, but overall, a great read....more
5/5 stars. I loved that this book made me more interested in the history at the heart of it's story rather than trying to explain it to me. Hala Alyan 5/5 stars. I loved that this book made me more interested in the history at the heart of it's story rather than trying to explain it to me. Hala Alyan managed to skillfully juggle many different characters and give them all endings that felt realistic. I was satisfied with the children's arcs in particular. (view spoiler)[Each sibling makes a difficult, adult choice: Ava chooses to work things out with her husband, Mimi decides to apply himself to cooking and to his relationship, and Naj gets closure on a past heartbreak. (hide spoiler)] Mazna's story was incredibly heartbreaking for me. (view spoiler)[I hated seeing her choose marrying Idris over her career, and I was infuriated when Idris later chose their family over Mazna's career without consulting her. (hide spoiler)] Idris was well-intentioned but frustrating, though it seems like that was the point. There were also a lot of absurdly funny moments. Please read this....more
Slow getting into it, but this book was a very fun read. The thriller/horror elements of the fairy tale were there, but things didn't get 4.5/5 stars.
Slow getting into it, but this book was a very fun read. The thriller/horror elements of the fairy tale were there, but things didn't get too graphic, which I personally appreciated. I liked that I didn't know where it was going for the better part of the book....more
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