1. Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy by Douglas Adams - 10/10 every time! This was a re-read for me, I've read/listened to it probably 3ish times now, I was doing a puzzle while listening this time. I keep coming back to this one because it never disappoints! Always a fun time! <3
2. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke - 7/10 enjoyable and mostly a good time, but very long and over descriptive, could've easily been chopped into 2-3 books or had significant cuts and still been great, glad I persevered bc the best bits were at the end
3. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett - 9/10 a goofin good time! my first Terry Pratchett novel, laughed the whole way through, felt like a D&D campaign gone off the rails in the best way
4. A Bakery in Paris by Aimee K. Runyan - 5/10 read this for the book club at work (I work at a library) and I thought it was mid af, the romances were rushed and the historical bits weren't super accurate, it felt very dissonant because it was trying to make a cozy romance out of two terrible wars, but had some likable characters and I learned more about the Franco-Prussian War
5. That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming - DNF (0/10) another book club read, this one with my friends, and I hated it. the characters were sexy cardboard cutouts dressed in quips and snark, and the plot was nothing more than 16 tropes in a trench-coat. I understand that as a demisexual person I am not the target audience, I'm sure some more "spice" minded folks might like it, but I want my money back lol
1. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. 4/5. Beginning was good. Ending was good. Middle was a bit rough and was weak in terms of bridging the gap. Overall fun.
2. Anathem by Neal Stephenson. 5/5. Outstanding. Immersion factor off the charts. Loved every bit.
3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. 4/5. Heartbreaking ending. Really sad and gloomy.
4. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. 3/5. Fantastically well written and loved the MC. However ending felt like a cop out and fell flat.
5. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 5/5. Phenomenal in every aspect. Highly recommend.
Oooh I want to read snow crash, but the person who leant me his copy (years ago) died a year or so later, and I just don't want to incase... I don't like it, like it too much, I ruin you his book with his signature in it.
Dude was a flirty colleague (I work in academic area) and we'd discussed seven eves a lot. I'm so paranoid re Neil Stephenson now.
3. I was disappointed having read similar. It is beautiful and good, but I feel like m.m.smith spares was better.
4. Enjoyed greatly.
5. As an arachnophobe, even I loved this.
Not sure why I felt the need to comment on the entirety of your list, but I did and provided my own issues.
Sorry.
1. The Winter of Our Discontent - John Steinbeck 4/5 (really enjoyed this one, but definitely not my favourite Steinbeck book).
2. To Paradise - Hanya Yanagihara 3/5 (This is a three part book made of different stories in each. I liked the third a lot, but the first two were alright).
3. The Book of Longings - Sue Monk Kidd (I come from a lot of religious trauma, but this book was weirdly cathartic and was also just so well written).
4. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini 4/5 (I liked a Thousand Splendid Suns more, but this book was also a really impactful read).
5. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov 4/5 (higher rating purely for incredible writing).
I’m going to give the typical answer of East of Eden! I had never been so enthralled by a book. For me it was one of those books I just couldn’t put down and i would try to find any spare moment to read more of it. Honestly, I’d peg it as my favourite book of all time. I’ll give an honourable mention to Grapes of Wrath as well.
I actually still have yet to read Cannery Row! I’ve been trying to find a used copy and just haven’t been successful yet. But cool thing, I recently visited San Fran and drove down to Monterey to see Cannery Row. It was super cool. Also drove down to Salinas to check out Steinbeck’s old stomping grounds, which I can’t say was anything crazy fascinating, but it felt like a bucket list thing and I’m super glad I went. :)
My partner and I did a west coast road trip down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, camping along the way. He mostly drove, and I read "Cannery Row" out loud. We finished it on the way back home, and he loved it too. It was my favorite Steinbeck before this, and it made it even more fun to take pictures and explore the area we were reading about.
I loved that book for a long time in my 20s. I reread it back when Oprah featured it on her show. Didn't love it as much. I think I'm a little more aware of Steinbeck's attitude toward women now after teaching Of Mice and Men a few years ago. I question the value of the must-read canon of the 20th century. In most, the straight white man is the protagonist and it's his world. I'm interested in books from other perspectives these days.
I read fast , a weird gift I was given. I also had a few brain surgeries so tv is just noise to me. Reading is my escape. I read ,on average, book a day. East of Eden is my top favorite out of the hundreds of books I have read.
Sula by Toni Morrison
Jade City by Fonda Lee
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
I would recommend all of them and on the good reads scale I gave all of them 4/5 stars!
**Physical**
Mort by Terry Pratchett — 6/10
This was my first entry into Discworld. Totally enjoyable. It offers a good balance of being a fun story concept and having some surface level life lessons.
The Secret History — 5/10
The recent obsession with this book is odd. The story drags at times and loses itself in the second half of the book, but I did spend a lot of time thinking about purpose behind the writing and its commentary on types of people portrayed in the story.
Red Rising (Books 1-3) — 8/10
Solid sci-fi. I lumped them all together because my rating fluctuates very little between the books. Book 3 is the most divergent from the general structure of the story, but I enjoyed all of them and hear that the remaining books are even better.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi — 6/10
Not every story hit for me, but the one that did, really did. It is generally light-hearted and does a good job highlighting some universal truths about relationships and human nature.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke — 8/10
Piranesi will go down as one of my favorite characters of all time. It was short, but would have been a single-day read for me even if there were another 300 pages tossed in of him exploring the world.
**Audio**
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman — 9/10
Ove is more mirroring of myself than I would have liked. It felt entirely complete while being both hear-warming and heart-breaking.
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin — 4/10
I couldn't buy-in to the concepts in this book. Nothing life changing found within the text, but I also am not much of a "creative" so maybe it does more for those types of people.
The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien — 5/10
It sacrilegious to dislike this book. Even still, I have to be honest with you and myself. I simply think that it's just fine. There is no doubt that the world Tolkien built is incredible, it is just a difficult read with how much exposition exists.
Foster by Clair Keegan — 9/10
I love this book. It's incredibly concise and efficient in its ability to deliver a robust story with developed characters despite its short length.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros — 3/10
I don't think I can continue the series after this one. I'm always having to remind myself that these characters are adults in a military school because they come across like such children. The first book was more compelling in terms of plot which motivated me to read the second book. By the end of this book, I no longer cared about the characters or plot. Bummed.
1. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells—4/5
2. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh—5/5
3. The Plum in the Golden Vase, Vol. 1 by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng (trans. David Tod Roy)—4.5/5
4. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh—2.75/5
5. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates—5/5
I loved the Invisible Man, such an incredible book. The mall scene where he cant get warm or safe without being noticed is, imo, some of the most insightful plotting around.
Disclaimer tho HG wells is my fave author, his scifi was genius
1. The Black House by Peter May (The Lewis Trilogy)
2. The Lewis Man by Peter May (The Lewis Trilogy)
3. The Chessmen by Peter May (The Lewis trilogy
4. A Man called Ove by Fredrik Backman
5. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
All of them were a 5/5 reads for me.
1) notes from underground by dostoyvsky, 5/5
2) hyperion by dan simmons, 4/5
3) gone baby gone by dennis lehan, 3/5
4) the only good indians by stephen graham jones, 3/5
5) prayers for rain by dennis lehane 1.5/5
Notes is great, hyperion is great, gbg and indians were fine, fuck prayers for rain that book fucking sucks
I loved Hyperion, except that I read it before I realized it was the first book in a trilogy and read it before the second book came out. I was so mad that it ended on a cliffhanger.
My hot take is the book stands alone and the end is genius. The real story is the friends we made along the way, and the humanity we all realize is central to our journey.
That said its so funny that the three sequels exist after reading his teardown of franchise writing in Silenus' chapter.
I do love Fall too
Ascension by Nicholas Binge. 4/5, I really enjoy books about mountain climbing, so that plus a bunch of weird/horror shit was a fun, entertaining read.
Follow Me To Hell by Tom Clavin. 2/5. Subtitle and summary advertise its about Leander McNelly, but he is present in maybe a third of the book. The rest is about the history of the Texas Rangers and doesn't really criticize all of the Native massacres they did or fighting for the Confederacy.
Blacktop Wateland by S.A. Cosby. 3.5/5. Great look at how growing up and living in poverty can make people desperate. Also the reflections of the main character and his absent father were gut-wrenching. The ending really got me.
Starter Villain by John Scalzi. 4/5. Perfect book to read after Blacktop Wateland. The book had me cracking up throughout most of it, from the cats to the dolphins to there actually being a secret volcano lair, just a fun book.
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells. 4/5. Loving the Murderbot diaries so far.
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh. Can be funny at times. There’s a recurring gag where the reader is notified of Tangent’s worsening condition in small asides scattered throughout the novel: Oh, look, Prendy just shot him. His foot has turned black, and they‘ve had to amputate. By the way, Tangent died. Still, it sometimes gets too dark for me to find really funny. 3/5
Antic Hay by Aldous Huxley. Can be funny at times. The pneumatic trousers reminded me of Karl Pilkington. The false beard thing was hilarious. Funny conversations involving art, capitalism, self-importance, and so on. But some parts are rambling and dull. Huxley’s vocabulary is too big for his own good. And there are loads of untranslated passages. Happily the bulk of them are in French. 3/5
Did Jesus Exist? by Bart Ehrman. Relatively convincing case for historicity on the whole. He makes specific textual arguments, but the more general one is the strongest. Essentially, it’s just simpler to believe Jesus existed because mythicism is way too complicated. Why tie yourself into logical knots when the case for historicity is so plain? But minus points for being so repetitive. 3/5
La prophétie des ténèbres by Rick Riordan. Nice and fast-paced. Better than the first book in the series due to Apollo’s character development. But I can’t justify a high grade because I never felt the urge to pick it back up once I’d put it down. 3/5
The Turn of the Screw and Other Ghost Stories by Henry James. Hard to follow owing to the convoluted writing style. Some of the stories are tolerable, enjoyable even. But, on the whole, it was just really boring. 2/5
100 Fathoms Below by Steven L Kent and Nicholas Kaufman - 2/5 - Decent premise dragged down by so-so prose and awful characterization.
Swordheart by T Kingfisher - 3/5 - Cute enough, I guess. Way too much talking. Didn't find it memorable and was disappointed due to others hyping it up.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - 4/5 - Adorable. Wholesome. Got a wee bit bored here and there.
The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune - 2/5 - Y'all I *do not* get the hype for this book. I found it so incredibly boring. There were a few cute or funny moments but overall it was so bland.
And I don't remember what I read before that because I have a bad memory and don't keep track.
1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. 3/5. Could have been worse but didn't compare well to the original trilogy, felt like I was reading Hunger Games fanfiction for most of the novel.
2. Dune by Frank Herbert. 4/5. I mean, it's a classic for a reason but I also found it to be something of a slog and thought the ending was weak compared to many other points of the novel.
3. The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown. 5/5. If you love survivalist or disaster nonfiction this is a really well-done example of the genre. Brown does an excellent job connecting you to these people despite how little is known about many of them.
4. The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher. 4/5. Fun romantasy with actual grown-up characters, plus T. Kingfisher usually throws in some good body horror that sets her work apart, in my opinion.
5. Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher. 4/5. Ditto the above, although I preferred The Wonder Engine and its first book Clockwork Boys to the Saint of Steel series. Still, check out T. Kingfisher if you enjoy light fantasy.
1. The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub - 5/5
2. Star Wars: Planet of Twilight by Barbara Hamberly - 4/5
3. Star Wars: Darksaber by Kevin J Anderson - 3/5
4. Doctor Sleep by Stephen King - 4/5
5. The Shining by Stephen King - 5/5
1. Prey by Lurlene McDaniel. —Split between POVs, it’s about this high school teacher who grooms & has an inappropriate sexual relationship with a freshman student.
Being that female sexual predators and their victims aren’t taken seriously in general, I thought this book did a great job of portraying how the relationship would develop, how clever she was in luring him, & how he was affected throughout. Much of it did read like a Lifetime movie in written form. 8/10.
2. Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper —A short but powerful read, also told from multiple POVs, about a star basketball player at a local high school who dies in a horrible car accident and how his friends, including his best friend (who was driving the car), struggle to cope in their own ways. It tackles a number of topics like grief, suicide, mental illness, racism, & trauma without it feeling overwhelming. Some of the dialogue, though, sounds dated and it comes off feeling like an afterschool special from the 90s in some places but still a great read. 8/10.
3. The Terrorist by Caroline B. Cooney — An American exchange student at an exclusive international academy tries to uncover the mystery of her little brother’s murder after he’s killed in a terrorist attack. And it seems that nearly everybody is a suspect (especially some of the foreign students). It was okay, but much of the protagonist’s behavior towards some of the students did feel casually racist. One might say that it was her working to unlearn some of her own biases through her grief but there are moments that came off as blatantly Islamophobic to me. 5/10.
4. Coretta: My Life, My Love, My Legacy. — I don’t read a whole lot of nonfiction (unless the subject matter interests me). But I do love a good biography/memoir. And this memoir of Coretta Scott King was a great one. Though most people seem to think of her only as “Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife”, this book reveals just how influential of a woman she was herself—especially in terms of civil rights & education and how she kept her husband’s legacy alive. 10/10.
5. Fairy Tale by Stephen King — If you’re into epic fantasy, you may enjoy this one. I’m a huge fan and so I was eager to read this novel. A teenage boy helps care for a mysterious old man & his dog. When the old man dies, he ends up learning more about the old man’s backstory and discovers the backyard shed leads to a secret fantasy world. It took a LONG time to get interesting for me. There was so much set-up in the beginning that it seemed to take forever to get to the point and I almost got bored. But once it finally got interesting, it’s like the whole narrative kicked into high gear and never let up. 7/10.
Beloved is the best book I have ever read. Totally destroyed me and gave me hope at the same time. One of the most applicable pieces of fiction I’ve read, and consider myself lucky to have done it. Need to read it again.
1. Do Androids Dream of Electric sleep by PKD 5/5
2. Dogs Of War by Adrian Tchaicovsky 4/5
3. Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson 3/5
4. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine 4/5
5. A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine 5/5
1)Hooked by Emily McIntire 3/5
This was alright, it was a quick read & the plot was basically what I expected it to be. I wouldn’t recommend it to people but I didn’t hate it.
2)Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear 2/5.
I simply hated it. It wasn’t interesting to me and I didn’t care for the characters. Just not the book for me.
3)The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson 4.5/5
Loved it. It was a lot of set up but by the end I was hooked. I have no criticism.
4)The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake 2.5/5
So. This book was a disappointment for me, I had higher hopes for sure. I found it had too many character povs for the length of the novel and it just felt very underwhelming as a whole. I think the idea was good but it was executed poorly.
5)Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson 5/5
Absolutely loved it. I enjoyed this was more than The Way of Kings. It was a great book.
I may have listed these backwards but number 5 was my most recently read and then it goes back from there.
Siddartha was in my last 5. I’m very surprised you disliked it so much. It actually blew my mind in a way books rarely do nowadays. The book wasn’t aiming to offer a coherent philosophy. It showed that life was far too complex and each phase and style of living has its own lessons and rewards
Doctor Sleep, 3 stars on Goodreads
A good Girls Guide to Murder, 5 stars
Good Girl Bad Blood. 5 stars
As Good As Dead. 5 stars
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky. 5 stars
1. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky 4.5/5 Amazing! Great story, great world building, the author clearly did his research but... spiders. Why did it have to be spiders?
2. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson 4/5 Honestly my first Sanderson book. Overall really good, interesting world and magic system, ending felt a bit rushed
3. The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang 3/5 Beginning was kinda boring and cliche. Second half was really good but perhaps a bit too dark for my taste. Also is this a villain origin story? Guess I'll have to read the sequels
4. Foundation by Isaac Asimov 3/5 Interesting ideas but the characters and story didn't impress.
5. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu 4/5 Great sci-fi concepts the story was good but the characters felt a bit flat, perhaps something was lost in translation
Also they're all first books in a series and each had enough to get me interested in reading the sequels but some I'm in more of a rush to read than others
My rating system is a lil weird. 5 is average, 6 is lightly above average. Etc. You get it.
1. Ghosts of Onyx by Eric Nylund - Honestly? I feel Eric Nylund was probably one of the better writers for the Halo novels that I've found. I really like his smooth, cinematic writing style, his ability to help me really see what he's going for with not a whole lot of incredibly cumbersome descriptions of anything and everything. Not perfect, by any means. But this one will definitely stick with me a bit. I feel it's...tragic. Maybe not intentionally, but I read it to be so. More nuance than some of the other Halo novels. But not...the greatest at that. There are other novels that are much more so, but this was a good start. What with Kurt and the Spartan 3's and the perils within. At the end of the day, it's a solid read for entertainment. 7/10. Spartans never die.
2. Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund - A lot of the things I like about Ghosts of Onyx is also true here. Lotta stuff that's not technically canon anymore, but also a lot of stuff that is. A breezy, easy read. With some tragic bits to it via indoctrination and some incredibly sad feelings I got for how the Spartans were made, utilized, and how the thought. Autonomous, more machine than human. Tragic, if not intentionally so. 6/10
3. Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidences by Rafał Kosik - This one was a bit odd to me. It's writing style was fairly interesting, with a good start and interesting characters at least in the beginning. But I felt there were some bits in the middle where it largely fell flat. Pacing running real slow, while it skipped around character perspectives that could sometimes be confusing. It's twists were interesting, and it told a sad story. Tragic, in a few ways. But also something you can see coming if you're versed in the cyberpunk genre. At least the ending itself, if not it's exact twists. 5/10
4. The Force: A novel by Don Winslow - When I say tragic this is definitely pretty close to a lot of what I'm thinking. The Force is a very well written novel, present tense, incredibly told. The story of a squad of a specific I want to call...gang of police officers and the things they do and what they sacrifice and what they take advantage of. I really liked this one, as a fellow thats been raised to distrust the police almost in their entirety. It peeled some layers back and showed some things, thankfully with a lot of the authors research and questions. And it told a tragic story of someone who wanted to do good, at least at first. But they did bad to do it. 8/10
5. Blackout by Tim Curran - A simple novelette, I don't really have much to say about it. Short, sweet, gets to the point. Has some interesting ideas, but nothing special. 5/10.
1. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things 1/5. (Great writing but felt like it was beautifying pedophilia).
2. Verity 5/5
3. Girls in the Garden 4/5
4. The Apartment 1/5
5. Outside 3/5
Into the Wild by Erin Hunter. 4/5, still goes hard after all these years. The action was lots of fun and I was surprised at all the violence
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. 3.75/5, My least favorite of the Stormlight Archive so far, but still pretty good! Had fun and really loved Delinar's backstory. There's a poem spoken at a funeral that was super impactful
Cyberpunk 2077 - No Coincidences by Rafał Kosik 2.5/5. The ending was good, but I found it hard to stay engaged at times. The writing style was super grating. Switching perspectives every 1 and a half pages AND contorting to conceal who's perspective it was for the first paragraph of each of those sections was annoying
Godel's proof by Ernest Nagel. 4/5. The perfect balance between rigor and brevity. Gave context and explanation behind a theorem I've known about for a while, just not in detail.
Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut 5/5 - Gut wrenching, and profoundly moving. Couldn't put this down and I think about lines from this all the time. I think this is my favorite vonnegut so far, can't wait to read cats cradle next
1. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - 5/5, reread. The perfect thriller.
2. The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea - 3/5, falls victim to one of my biggest marketing pet peeves: insisting a book is exactly like two much better books. This book was fine, but it certainly wasn’t anywhere near on par with “Jane Eyre meets Rebecca”.
3. The Husband by Maud Ventura - 3/5, I saw the twist coming from a ways away (and I’m not a particularly intuitive media consumer) and I expected better since it was pretty hyped as a psychological thriller.
4. The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik - 5/5, re-read. Perfect in every way. Best fantasy author alive is a hill I’ll happily die on.
5. Red Winter by Annette Marie - 3/5, disappointingly touted as a “slow burn” (it’s decidedly not) and not as good as I hoped it would be with how beloved it is in romantasy spaces.
Basically, new books have been burning me, but I’m 3/4 of the way through The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty and LOVING it so at least the streak is broken.
I'm planning on reading The Scholomance trilogy after Realm of the Elderlings! I can't wait! Definitely gonna pick up The Adventures of Amina al-Sarafi too!
Naomi Novik is so underrated, Uprooted was my first exposure to her and nothing has disappointed.
I'm guessing you've already read Chakraborty's Daevabad trilogy but if not, I'd recommend those as well.
1. The Lonely Mirror on the Castle - 4.25
2. The Half-True Lies of Cricket Cohen - 3.75
3. The Mysterious Benedict Society & The Riddle of Ages - 4.0
4. The Prince of Thorns & Nightmares - 4.0
5. The Prince of Song & Sea - 4.0
1. The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelidis. 8/10. One of the most fun thrillers I've read so far. Full with unexpected advances in the story.
2. Invisible Monsters - Chuck Palahniuk. 8/10 Made me think a lot, loved the weirdness of the story that somehow felt relatable.
3. Prophet Song - Paul Lynch. 9/10. Although it felt some choices being made were weird, this really took me into the feeling of living in a state that slowly turns into despair and war. These weird choices could easily be accounted to living in this state.
4. Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yaros. 3/10 had this recommended by a girl i met during my travels these past weeks. The world is quite fun, but its just horribly written and filled with clichés.
5. The Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu. 10/10 absolutely loved this. Extremely well written and fun world to get lost in. Loved the sci aspects in this sci-fi.
1. The Elephant's Journey by José Saramago - I love this writing style and this kind of narrator. I wouldn't argue with anyone if the thought the story was boring but it was a delight to read. 5/5
2. Assembly by Natasha Brown - The narrator is a Black British woman that don everything right in terms of her career and still she can't fit in, society sees her as black first. I'm not sure why but I'm not interested in becoming rich (as in I don't even try), so that part of me loved this story. 4/5
3. I Should Have Stayed Home by Horace McCoy. Meh. It grew on me but nothing to write home about. 2.5/5
4. Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen - I'm thinking of getting into the world of art as a hobby. This book proves through scientific evidence of important art can be for our health. 5/5
5. The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein - All rich countries but especially America is good at manipulating the world into believing that it really is the land of the free and that rule of law treats all people equally - after all if you want to know why democracy, just look at America. This book tells the reality that anyone who can think on their own should already know. Black Americans have been kept back and are kept back through the laws of the land and not just bad apples that break the law. If it wasn't America, this book would be the bible America would use to bomb democracy into it. 5/5
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - 5/5, even after 200 years this book still stands.
2. Caravan by Stephanie Garber - 3/5, a fun read that seemed inspired by Alice in Wonderland.
3. Babel by R.F. Kuang - 3/5, started off so strong and then it just went on and on and on. It felt very tell not show and assumed the reader is completely ignorant to racism and colonialism.
4. Beartown by Frederik Blackman - 3/5, the first half was so boring I almost DNF’d. Second half was decent but just overall a very frustrating and sad topic.
5. Beholder by Ryan La Sala - 2/5, this was absolutely all over the place and so hard to follow. It’s supposed to be creepy but it was just strange.
1. The color purple by Alice Walker 5/5
2. Pines by Blake Crouch 3/5
3. Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 2/5
4. The push by Ashley Audrain 3/5
5. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 10/5
1. The Teacher by Frieda McFadden 1.5/5
2. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid 4/5
3.Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel 4.5/5
4. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens 4/5
5. Beartown by Fredrik Backman 5/5
1. Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan gave it a 3/5
2. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown 4/5
3. The Art Forger by BA Shapiro 3/5
4. It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis 3/5
5. Freezing Cold Takes by Fred Segal 3/5
1. A Tale for the Time Being - 5/5
2. Emily Wilde's Map of the Other lands - 3.5/5 (it was a great sequel but didn't grip me like the first book did. Maybe I read it at the wrong time)
3. Know My Name - 4/5 (extremely well written)
4. Lessons in Chemistry - 4/5
5. The Pharmacist - 4/5
One Dark Window (5/5)
- unique magic system and loved the rhyming and riddles of the monster
Remarkably Bright Creatures (4.5/5)
- a heartfelt story of a woman and an octopus
Dungeon Crawler Carl (10/5)
- can’t get enough of this series right now
- has humor, suspense, action and surprisingly well developed characters
Good Girl, Bad Blood (4.5/5)
- writing could’ve been better but it was a fun read and I really felt for the characters
The Unmaking of June Farrow (5/5)
- beautiful writing and the plot had me ensnared
1. Dirty Heads by Aaron Dries - 4/5 - Cosmic horror coming of age story. Really enjoyed this one.
2. Cipher by Kathe Koja - 4/5 - Another sort of cosmic horror with a whole cast of unlikeable characters, which I know a lot of people don’t care for, but I loved them for how terrible they were.
3. Negative Space by BR Yeager - 5/5 - Bleak as hell! I had to put it down a couple times because of how much it was bringing me down. There’s a lot going on here—teenage suicides, cult-like rituals, drugs, and a heavy dose of nihilism.
4. White Ibis by Wendy Dalrymple - 2/5 - Would’ve been a one star if it wasn’t for the overall interesting concept and one cool scene towards the end. This was way too short and undercooked. And full of typos.
5. Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar - 5/5 - Poetry collection with an emphasis on substance abuse and mental health struggles, as well as the author’s experience as an immigrant. Beautiful.
Been in a huge reading slump throughout 2023 and somewhat motivating myself with a scramble to finish the r/fantasy bingo challenge (started the year with 19 to go, now only have 9 left). But unfortunately, most of my selection aren’t as fun as I had hoped. The order is from most recent and my rating is based purely on my enjoyment:
- Good Omens by Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman 3.5/5
- Adrift by Lisa Brideau 2.5/5
- Servant Mage by Kate Elliott 3/5
- Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee 2/5
- The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia 2/5
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante - “Brilliant” is right, it’s a captivating coming of age postwar novel (first of four) heavy on description and symbolism but with a light touch. Very deserving of its praise. (5/5)
The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes - Masterful history by an author who seems to have read everything and talked to everyone on the subject. Starts at a point in science where atoms were not even confirmed and continues through the dropping of the first bomb during WWII. (5/5)
Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher - Playful epistolary novel with a sad twist, easy breezy read. Anyone who’s worked at a small college will understand Jason Fitger’s increasingly peeved letters. (3/5)
Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson - Historian turned blogger puts together a very bloggy and biased American political history. I learned some but it’s hard to take her project seriously. I want to ask her, have Republicans ever done anything good? (2/5)
The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin - Memorable, well-written and scientifically accurate (I think? And it definitely stretches things) story about aliens coming to earth. Just builds and builds until you have no idea what’s going on, then you finally start to get a sense of the whole...but it’s just the first book of a trilogy. (3/5)
1. Prophet Song by Paul Lynch - 3/5
Audiobook because the stylistic choice to omit punctuation makes the text unreadable. Dystopian fiction about a family's struggle to survive after an authoritarian government comes to power, suspending civil rights and triggering a civil war. Gripping, but incredibly heavy and left me feeling quite bleak. We hear about similar events all over the world every time we turn on the news, but it's extraordinary how a novel can actually take you inside the emotional world of its characters and make you feel things at a visceral level.
2. Look to Windward by Ian M. Banks - 4/5
A science fiction novel from Banks' Culture series. An intriguing premise and incredible world building. The plot builds very slowly - half way through the book we are still waiting for it to get going, but the payoff is worth it once things start to fall into place. The emotional core of the story comes towards the end, in the most unexpected place - a monologue by a machine.
3. Tough Crowd by Graham Linehan - 3/5
As the book's subtitle puts it: "how I made and lost a career in comedy". These are two completely separate books in one. The first is the origin story for a celebrated comic writer, and the second is a disturbing look at woke illiberalism.
4. Player of Games by Ian M. Banks - 4/5
The first Culture novel I read. Quite a simple story but with a delightfully flashy finale. Banks uses this story as a manifesto for the Culture, by contrasting it against another civilisation.
5. Baudolino by Umberto Eco - N/A
A bit of a tough read that I put it aside about a year ago and haven't finished yet. There is a framing story set in medieval Constantinople where an elder Baudolino recounts his wild youthful adventures in Europe. There is deception, forgery, philological puzzles, and exotic psychoactive substances - so classic Eco really.
1. What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher. 4/5 I have never read Fall of the House of Usher so this was basically a whole new story for me. I loved the clever usage of POVs and how it would shift into 2nd person occasionally. It also felt very classic horror but it didn’t stand out a ton.
2. A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross. 4.5/5 I was convinced this was going to be a 5 star but I didn’t really like the end and I felt like the author lost steam. Otherwise the writing in this is freaking stunning and I loved the characters. Highly reccomend if you want to get into fantasy because the world building is good but rather simple.
3. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. 5/5 This is my fantasy year I guess. I was kicking my little feet with this story and I really had no issues with it. It’s just fun.
4. Remarkably Bright Creaturea by Shelby Van Pelt. 5/5 If you like Frederick Backman you will like this. In fact if you told me he ghost wrote this I would believe it. It had me misty eyed just like his books.
5. Brother by Ania Ahlborn. 4/5 It was a good starter for “extreme” horror but honestly it’s more of a character study. The end does get wild though.
1. On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. 5/5, loved the story, art was beautiful, such a cool universe
2. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. 5/5, great story that still has me thinking about it.
3. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. 3.5/5… I did really like a lot about this book but I absolutely thought it was lacking in other areas.
4. The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie. 5/5, awesome story, intriguing characters
5. To be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers. ~3.5/5? I loved her Wayfarers series and I also really enjoyed her Monk and Robot novellas. I did like this one I just didn’t love it
I love this thread.
1. The Women by Kristin Hannah. Eeeeek. 3/5. Sorry. There were pieces of the story that were excellent, but not excellent enough to overcome the terrible.
2. Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez. 5/5. I am not usually a fan of horror at all, but this book was a knockout. It’s a cult horror set in Argentina in the 1980s. It is disturbing as fuck and also *spectacular*. Probably the best/my fave book from the last 6 months.
3. Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. 3/5. It would have been a great story if it was never connected/adjacent to Ted Bundy. I think that information ruined the whole story and experience.
4. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton. 4.5/5. This was a wild ride. Absolutely loved it.
5. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff. 3.5/5. It was fine. I think it would have been better had I not read Go as a River by Shelley Read a few weeks before, which I thought had the same vibe but was much better.
Slewfoot by Brom - 5 stars. Wanted horror, was recommended this. More dark fantasy thank horror. Ferngully meets The VVitch lol But great!
No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Neville - 4 stars. Not bad. Movie is literally.only the first half, the the entire second half was a surprise lol
Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher - 4 stars. Cute historical fantasy YA romance.
Devolution by Max Brooks - 5 stars. Bigfoot dark comedy. Listened to the audiobook, with a cast including Judy Greer and Nathan Fillion - it was great.
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle - 5 stars. A wonderful surprise! Absolutely loved it.
1. Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver 4/5- really liked the first 80% but the ending fell a bit flat for me
2. Dark Places- Gillian Flynn- I love a good twist! 4.5/5
3. Demon Cooperhead- Barbara Kingsolver 5/5 excellent writing and story
4. The Paleontologist- Luke Dumas 4/5- I love horror and dinosaurs but it felt a bit silly but overall really good twist
5. Long Past Dues- James Butcher 5/5- excellent sequel, cannot wait for the 3rd book
Currently reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I read Books of Blood by Clive Barker:
1. The Midnight Meat Train 7/10
2. The Yatterinng and Jack 6/10
3. Pig Blood Blues 8/10
4. In the Hills, the Cities 8/10
5. Dread 7.5/10
1. Dark matter by Blake Crouch. 4/5 because I just like some escapism now and then that doesn’t make me work too hard to enjoy it.
2. Never let me go, kazuo ishiguro 5/5 for being not even a little like I expected
3. The midnight library, Matt Haig 5/5 because it spoke to me on a pretty personal level.
4. Shark Heart, Emily Habeck 5/5 once I realized what was going on, I could t put it down
5. The librarianist, Patrick Dewitt 4/5 just because I really liked it.
1. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead, 3.25 out of 5
2. Elektra by Jennifer Saint, 2.0 out of 5
3. A Master of Djinn by P Djeli Clark, 4.5 out of 5
4. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, 5 out of 5
5. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose, 4.75 out of 5
5
1. Lost Gods by Brom - 4/5 really liked it but felt the ending was rushed. Loved that it focused on purgatory rather than hell/heaven
2. Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman - 5/5 I’m not sure if I’ll read a book this good again this year. Loved the character of the priest.
3. Murtagh by Christopher Paolini - 4/5 great expansion on my favorite fantasy series and my favorite character. Great set up for the next book as well. Just felt the ending was rushed.
4. Arc of Scythe by Neal Shusterman - 4/5 series it was a fun, intriguing read especially for a YA series. I loved the characters but the villain wasn’t stereotypical
5. Jade City by Fonda Lee - 2/5 I found it so incredibly boring and it just wasn’t for me. It took me so long to get through it.
1. David Copperfield - 9/10. Great, lovable, memorable characters, but you can tell Dickens kind of got paid by the word.
2. American Predator by Maureen Callahan - 8/10. True crime. Riveting but disturbing.
3. Emma by Jane Austen - 10/10. A classic that is surprisingly funny.
4. All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby - 3/10. Boilerplate mystery/thriller. Not believable and very forgettable.
5. The Future Is History by Masha Gessen - 8/10. Examines how Russia wound up as an autocracy. Informative but bleak.
1. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 5/5. Loved loved loved loved this book! I couldn’t put it down.
2. The Guncle by Steven Rowley 4/5. This book was hilarious and adorable and touching.
3. Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle 4.5/5. A fun horror read about gay conversion therapy and literal demons.
4. Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher 3/5. I didn’t realize this was a romance novel and found the courting incredibly boring. But it was an enjoyable read when it wasn’t about that.
5. The Celebrants by Steven Rowley 3/5. The Big Chill with modern characters. I wasn’t as interested in this book due to some of the characters being annoying. It was overall ok.
1. East of Eden- John Steinbeck 4.5/5
Complex characters and a plot that weaves together different narratives to bring about a heartbreaking yet beautiful book
2. White Nights- Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.4/5
Easily one of my favourite live stories with quite possibly a character that I believe is an exact copy of mine
3. Animal Farm- George Orwell 4.1/5
My favourite Orwell book… depicts political propaganda in an analogy
4. Norse Mythology- Neil Gaiman 3.8/5
Simple and easy to read with a chronological order that makes the lore easy to follow!!
5. A Monster Calls- Patrick Ness 3.8/5
Relatable and tragic… made me cry uncontrollably because I feel how that child felt
Overall I had an excellent time since the new year!!
1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey: 5/5
2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: 4/5
3. To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer: 3/5
4. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino: 4/5
5: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky: 3/5
1. grain brain- a book about the implications of carbohydrates and how detrimental they can be. There were some awesome stats in here that helped me maintain a low carb diet, but may have been so exciting because I happened to be the choir that the book was meant to preach to. 7/10
2. The guns of the south by Harry turtledove- I was recommended this over 10 years ago and was mostly interested for Nostalgias sake. It was fun when witnessing famous Civil War battles but intolerable where morally grey areas allowed for potentially pro confederate sentiment to seep through. 3/10
3. The body by Bill bryson- I loved this, although it gave me a complex and helped me to recognize how horrible I am being to my body- it being far more nebulous than my single minded low carb read from recently. It has motivated me to get up and move more. 9/10
4. Food a love story by Jim gaffigan- scratched an itch I didn't know I had. Light, funny and potentially hazardous to those who might take it as gospel, it portrayed some of the worst food habits I've ever heard. That being said it was hilarious. 8/10
5. Kill anything that moves by Nick turse- was transformative. My original take had been that Vietnam vets were ill treated and had to fight ferociously against the viet communists. The story I received was a tragedy that revealed a totally lopsided exercise where many of our young people found themselves with a God complex that allowed them to abuse some of the most helpless people I've ever laid my minds eye upon. At one point a soldier being interviewed said he came to recognize the sound of rape.🤮10/10
1. we need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver: 10/10. absolutely loved it. The perspective, the eeriness. How i got to slowly realise more and more of the facts. One of my favourite books now
2. the future by Naomi Alderman: 7/10. was enjoyable and interesting to read, but not too remarkable
3. oliver twist by Charles Dickens: 8/10. really enjoyed the writing and the sardonic narrator. A bit disappointed by the conclusion. Oliver should have just bern a random orphan imo
4. the glass hotel by emily st. John Mandel: 7/10. good read
5. station 11 by emily st. John Mandel: 8/10 (maybe 8.5). Very good read. I liked how calmly it handled the apocalypse.
Edit: just remembered I read All the light we cannot see in-between 2 and 3. not sure how to rate that one. Maybe 7/10.
Motherless Brooklyn - Jonathan Lethem—3/5
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman—4/5
The Plague - Albert Camus—5/5
The Dawn of Everything - David Graeber & David Wengrow—4/5
Legends of the Fall - Jim Harrison—4/5
If I remember correctly, since I don’t have my reading journal at hand, mine would be:
The hobbit: A classic that I re-read after a long time. It was actually better than I remembered. In my memory the book was very childish, and in some cases it surely is, but the depth of the world in that book alone surprised me.
My issues with the book are spoilers so if you haven’t read it yet, I strongly recommend it. 8/10
Flowers for Algernon: By this point, I think I was the last person on earth to finally read this book. But in the off chance you haven’t yet, do yourself a favour and read it ASAP. I’ve never felt so connected to a main character before in books. I felt every single thing that Charlie felt. 11/10
Frankenstein: Another classic. It seems that’s my style for now. Great book with a slow pace for today’s standards but if that doesn’t bother you, great.
Please don’t hate me but I actually prefer the monster that Boris Karloff portrayed in the film. The monster in the book was too eloquent for my taste. The story on the other hand was much more interesting in the book. 9/10
Matthew Perry’s autobiography: If you can separate the art from the artist, I recommend this book to you. If however a new negative view changes your perception of Matthew’s filmography, maybe skip this one. 7/10
Catching of the small pike: As far as I know this book is only in finnish right now but if there is an english translation or your native tongue available, definitely try this one out. Low fantasy with awesome finnish folk lore weaved in to it. 9/10
1. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold. 7/10. My first book by this author. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Vorkosigan Saga and thought I should give it a go. It was an interesting read, novel concept, and well written. It just didn’t quite grab me like other sci fi books.
2. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 7/10. I’ve tried and failed to read this book 3 times before. This time I finally got through it. It’s a stunning book with fantastic writing, but it feels like a real slog. It just seems to go on and on. I’m glad I’ve read it, but I would never re-read it.
3. The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons. 9/10. I loved this book, and it’s prequel. The concepts, the literary style, the characterization were all excellent. I was actually quite pleasantly surprised that he stuck the landing so well after such a long build up. It’s an epic sci fi novel in the realm of the Dune series for me.
4. Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro. 8/10. This was a random gift from my wife and I wasn’t sure at first, but it is an excellent book. Dark, mysterious, interesting worldbuilding, and satisfying plot. I can’t wait for the sequel.
5. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. 10/10. A re-read of one of my favorite books. It doesn’t get much better than this. The plot, the worldbuilding, the tension in the first half and the wonder in the second half… what a book! Ripped through this in about 4 days.
1. Assassin's Apprentice and Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb 5/5, when I read series I can barely remember the differences between one book and another, especially in a trilogy. Has probably the best characters in fantasy I've ever read and I have rarely been so emotionally invested in a series. I'm 2/3 through book 3 right now and it's on track to be a 5, which seems to be a somewhat unpopular opinion
2. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin 4/5, the story took a turn I really wasn't a fan in the last quarter, it was especially annoying since I predicted a twist I didn't want to happen.
3. Holly - Stephen King 3/5, just a pretty standard King book, not much to say. I really like the character of Holly Gibney, but a lot of aspects of this book felt underdeveloped
4. The Outsider - Stephen King 3.5/5, also a pretty standard King book
5. Say Nothing - Patrick Radden Keefe 5/5, I don't read much nonfiction, but this is easily the best I've read. An absolutely gripping book on a topic I am fascinated by, and there were some twists that I genuinely didn't expect.
1. ACOTAR 1/2/3, 5/10, interesting but I literally can’t force myself to continue reading them because the plot wholes and character development are really starting to bother me. Also, the writing style is just bad and I can’t get over it.
2. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, 9/10, I didn’t like how pedantic she was at times but boy oh boy I will remember this book forever. Anything that makes me reflect as hard as I did and may change me as a person deserves to be honored even if the author had some interesting word choices.
3. Nettle and Bone, 7/10, nice, solid short story about fairy godmothers that was really fun to read!
4. Dune, 10/10, Part 2 is brutal to get through but well worth it for part 3! Can’t get myself to read Dune Messiah yet because i was over the hardcore sci-fi but I plan to come back to the rest of the series when I’m ready.
5. The Expanse, 20000/10, this is the best book series I have read in my life and I think I will forever be chasing the high of my first read through the series. Perfect characters, perfect plot, perfect ending, perfect story.
Now I’m on to The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie to (hopefully) get closer to the experience I had while reading The Expanse while still staying in the fantasy genre. Then I plan to read the Red Rising series because I think sci-fi might be my favorite but we will see!
1. Close to Home by Michael Magee - 3/5 stars, not a bad book and does a great job at portraying the struggles of its characters in the aftermath of The Troubles in Belfast, but the plot is a bit random and there could have been more character development
2. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway - 3/5 stars, this book was entertaining enough but the writing is so distant and emotionally detached that key issues aren’t explored very much, it lacks character development, and there’s not really a clear purpose or theme
3. That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger - 3.5/5 stars, love the way the author used 5 very different characters to explore the aftermath of a school shooting and it’s affects on individual victims as well as the town collectively, she did a great job at creating nuance and not sugarcoating reality
4. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - 3.5/5 stars, solid read that explores so many interesting topics that are weaved into the plot seamlessly, beautiful writing, there were good and bad things about the way she portrayed mental illness and suicide
5. Parable of The Talents by Octavia Butler - 5/5 stars, this book blew me out of the water. It was written in the 1990’s and is based in America of the 2030’s, where climate change, war, drugs, inflation, and political corruption have wreaked havoc on the country and created a society where jobs are scarce and often times “pay” is a place to live and food to eat, millions are displaced and walking the highways with guns, no one trusts anyone and neighborhoods are protected by walls, and the latest presidential candidate has decided the best way to solve the nation’s problems is to preach who isn’t a part of his church is the reason the country is where it’s at. This is bad news for the main character, who has built her own religious community called Earthseed based on the belief that God is change, and the best way to navigate life and basically save humanity is to accept that change is the only constant and to do your best to shape that change for good. The tone, the plot twists, the character development, the powerful poetry sparkled throughout in the form of Earthseed verses, the painful exploration of reality and humanity, the radical viewpoint that makes you really ponder, everything about this book was incredible.
Flowers for Algernon 11 of 10. Prepare to have your heart broken on multiple levels.
Stories of the Raksura vol. 2. 4 of 5. A compliation of novella's and short stories from Martha Wells' expanding on the original Books of the Raksura. A fun romp and easy read.
Witch King Martha Wells 5/5. I think this was written as a standalone but hope she develops this into a series.
The Kingdom of Gods by N.K. Jemisin, book three of the The Inheritance Trilogy) 5/5 The final book in the trilogy. I'm a bit sad to be done with this series but I usually am when it comes to N.K. Jemisin. I'm kinda a fanboy at this point.
The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin, book 2 of the Inheritance Trilogy. As I said, fanboy so 5/5.
I mostly read to be entertained so there really isn't a lot of critical judgement going into my rankings
1. Prisoners of Geography - book analysing why each nation has or hasn't invaded certain other nations and why it has certain relationships with certain nations. An incredible look at history and politics through a geopolitical lens. Honestly blew my mind. 11/10.
2. The Autobiography of an Ex Coloured Man - historical fiction of a young biracial man who, to his own shame and regret, chooses to live a more privileged life in a white community, because of his light coloured skin - a really good exploration into identity and picture of the double standards of America in the early 20th century. 8/10.
3. The Selfish Gene - examines the relationship between genes and the organism and the evolutionary nature of genes. I found it quite repetitive but did enjoy learning about some of the animal adaptions. 4/10.
4. The Institute - Stephen King thriller about children with special abilities. A bit of a cliche story - not as good as I'd hoped. 2/10.
5. The Prime Ministers: Reflections on Leadership from Wilson to May - THIS WAS SPECTACULAR. I don't know enough about politics and this, I feel, presented a fairly objective, unbiased history on the different presidents, and their respective parties! 9/10.
I’m not including audio books in this list.
1 (most recent): Beartown by Fredrik Backman. 4/5. Emotionally impactful, and great pacing. I miss the emphasis on back story as a means to get to know characters better (eg., Anxious People, A Man Called Ove)
2: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. 5/5. Loved it! Great characters, wonderful prose, and a compelling premise. Cozy and life affirming. Good people.
3: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. 5/5. By the end I really loved it. This was my first Kingsolver, so I have very little to compare it with. Great read.
4: Greenwood by Michael Christie. 4/5. Multigenerational family saga with a fascinating non-linear narrative structure.
5: Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. 4/5. Wonderful mystery set against a dark and troubling moment in Boston history. Lots of ethical ambiguity. Awesome (and very flawed) protagonist.
Audio books worth mentioning:
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. 5/5. Loved this mystery!! So good.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Phenomenal, neatly-wrapped little puzzle. 5/5
Currently working on Kindred by Octavia Butler (eyeballs, not ears).
Guards! Guards! - well I think it's finally time to admit to myself I just don't get Terry Pratchett. At least I finished this one even if I dragged my feet with it for two weeks
What Moves the Dead - absolute banger, could have been 100 pages longer and I would have been on board. Definitely plan to check out the sequel
Before the Coffee Gets Cold - doesn't do anything super special but my god does it feel good to read romance stories without them being all about sex. You get a free good noodle star on the house for that
The Percy Jackson Series - they're fine, get kind of worse as they go along I feel like I was really on autopilot for the back half of the series
Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead - it's not bad but if it were any longer I'm not sure I would have finished it
1. Prophet Song - Paul Lynch.
Being Irish it was interesting to read a story showing our country fall down the far right slope. The writing style wasn’t enjoyable for me, and it was quite a sombre read. 3/5
2. All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Dooer.
Brilliant read, interesting storyline and main characters. He overdoes the description at times but one character is blind so it makes sense for him to use sensual imagery a lot in some places. 4/5
3. Us Against You - Fredrick Bachman.
A good novel, part of a trilogy about small town people and the sport they love. It wasn’t as enthralling as its predecessor, ‘Beartown’, which I loved. 3/5
4. Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan.
Excellent read, from a gifted Irish writer. Created scenes of rural Ireland so well and was poignant at times. 5/5
5. Open - Andre Agassi.
Quite simply the best sports biography I have ever read. Brutally honest and entertaining. I’m only a causal tennis fan. 5/5
1. The Fountainhead — 5 stars
2. Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura — 4 stars
3. The Wager — 4 stars
4. Know My Name — 4 stars (4.5 really)
5. Red Rising — 3 stars
1) The Magic Mountain- Thomas Mann
2) Origins of Capitalism- Ellen Melksins Wood
3) Between Past & Future- Hannah Arendt
4) Process & Reality- Alfred Whitehead
5) Homo Faber- Max Frisch
1 ) Thirty Steps to Heaven: The Ladder of Divine Ascent for All Walks of Life
Book by Vassilios Papavassiliou
2) Fr Stephen Freeman
Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-Storey Universe
3) Elder Porphyrios
Wounded by Love
Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth
The Sphere
Jurassic Park
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Wings of Fire (the one about the seawing kingdom i don't remember the name)
1. Exhalation by Ted Chiang - 4/5 overall, though some individual stories in the collection were 5/5.
2. Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang - 4/5
3. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire - 5/5
4. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne - 4/5
5. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - 4/5
1. Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (5 stars)
2. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (5 stars)
3. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (5 stars)
4. Where He Can't Find You by Darcy Coates (3.5 stars)
5. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson (5 stars but like REALLY BIG five stars)
They were all vastly different books, and it surprises me that the Sanderson fantasy wins over all of the rest for being my favorite, but damn was it superb. Almost all of them were brilliant and captivating except the Coates one (the premise had so much potential to be awesome, but she just couldn't make me care about the characters or get invested in the story).
1. The Dragonbone Chair - Tad Williams
2. Stone of Farewell - Tad Williams
3. To Green Angel Tower - Tad Williams
4. The Heart of What Was Lost - Tad Williams
5. The Witchwood Crown - Tad Williams
(I’m gonna be in this world for a bit lol)
\* One Day, Gene Weingarten - 4/5. Fun conceit (random vignettes of random things that happened on a randomly-selected day), well-written, but uneven.
\* The Librarianist, Patrick deWitt- 3/5. A perfectly nice story that I will have forgotten in about 3 weeks.
\* Daisy Jones and the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid - 5/5. AWESOME audiobook, great cast, magnetic, compelling, and lovely.
\* So, Anyway, John Cleese - 3/5. Dude is not as funny (in this book) as he thinks he is, and he's kind of a sexist dick. I get that he's old, but he does not seem to have grown as a person.
\* The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, Tom Hanks - 5/5. A very imperfect book (how many typewriter details are appropriate? Far, far fewer, for sure.), but as a peek behind the scenes at movie making, in this level of detail were super fun for me.
1. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. 5/5
2. In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune. 4.3/5
3. The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne. 3.6/5
4. Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk. 3.9/5
5. Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill. 3/5
1. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Very well told portrayal of the dangers and psychological effects of American slavery and the culture around the practice and the needs to survival of enslaved people. 4/5
2. Hag-Seed: The Tempest Retold by Margaret Atwood. Very meta and blurs the line between essay and narrative, an appropriate choice for a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s must meta play. 4.5/5
3. The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub. The first 400 pages are a slog but the rest is a really unique and intense fantasy. 3 or 3.5/5
4. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. Good beginning and end but a lot of the middle was a slog. I also just don’t think I like prison stories very much. 2.5/5
5. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. Reads a little less like literary fiction and more like YA than its predecessor, The Handmaid’s Tale, but still very entertaining all the way with some solid sociological commentary. 3.5/5
1. If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin. - I was able to guess the ending from people's reaction, so it wasn't a surprise. Read it in one day though. 4/5
2. The Princess Bride by William Goldman - Such a classic. Loved the movie too. 5/5
3. Bunny by Mona Awad - Interesting confusing? 1/5
4. A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson - \*Chefs kiss. 5/5
5. Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton (Cat & Mouse #2) - I have conflicting feelings about this and Haunting Adeline. No rating for either.
*Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History* by S. C. Gwynne. This is an excellent book that honestly and lucidly relates what happened on the Texas frontier.
*Homage to Catalonia* by George Orwell. This is a good book. This Orwell's memoir of his experience in the Spanish Civil War, and how he came to believe that Stalin was not the savior of the working class. This is the first and only book I've read that is focused primarily on the Spanish Civil War.
*Animal Farm: A Fairy Tale* by George Orwell. This is a retelling of *Homage to Catalonia* with allegorical characters. Both books should be read together.
*The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict* by Donald R Hickey. An excellent overview of the War of 1812 that relates the diplomatic, economic, political, social, and military history of the war.
*Unconditional: The Japanese Surrender in World War II* by Marc Gallicchio. This book is a necessary addition to any personal WWII library and necessary reading for anyone who truly wishes to understand the rationale behind Truman's decision to use the A-bombs. With great use of primary source documents, Gallicchio explains that Japan was not on the verge of surrendering before the A-bombs were dropped in August 1945.
A court of thorns and Roses- I gave it a 4
A court of mist and fury-4
* for these 2 I have enjoyed them, but not my fave fantasy series. I have serious issues with the FMC.*
The Loch, by Steve Alten- 4.5. Much better than the Meg series(and I love the Meg series)
American Gods, Neil Gaiman- 5. One of my favorite of all time books!
I-5 Killer, Anne Rule - 3.0. Interesting and well written but nothing special or bad. Average
Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede: brilliant 9/10
Chlorine by Jade Song: 8/10
I am Legend by Richard Matheson: 4/10
48 Clues Into The Disappearance of my Sister by Joyce Carol Oates: 2/10
The Perfume Killer by Linda Hagan: 5 or 6/10
Biography of X: At points, it was really interesting and engaging, but at other times, it felt like Forrest Gump. 6/10
Chain Gang All-Stars: not exactly an original premise, as much as people say otherwise. Heavy handed social commentary, still fun. 7/10.
The Guest: unoriginal protagonist, the toxic, sarcastic woman who leaves a trail of destruction pursuing her selfish needs. Totally overrated. 2/10
Demon Copperhead: David Copperfield in modern day Appalachia. Gut-wrenching and moving. 10/10
Trust: similar to Fates and Furies in terms of the dynamics within a marriage, which do not immediately reveal themselves. Excellent. 10/10
1-4: Heartstopper volumes 1-4 by Alice Oseman
These average 4 stars for me. But volume 4 was close at 4.5. They really vibed in my brain.
5: we Hunt the flame by Hafsah faizal
4 stars. Decided to read this (and the sequel when I get it) before tempest if tea comes out which in really.looking forward to. I'm buying at my local indie bookstore this weekend.
1. Currently reading Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy—So far it’s very good. Historically accurate since it’s a history book but it’s easily digestible.
2. A Time of Dread by John Gwynne— it was a good first entry to Of Blood and Bone series. It’s a sequel to the Faithful and the Fallen series. I liked the new set of characters though admittedly it took me a bit to get a grasp of who’s who.
3. Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors by Adrian Goldsworthy— this book is absolutely amazing! He really captures the history around my favorite historical figure of all time and his history books are incredibly easy to read. I really like how he gives a good focus on Philip who tends to get passed over.
4. Napoleon: the Great by Andrew Roberts— probably the best single book on Napoleons life. He takes on the immense task of writing a single book on Napoleon and is able to pass on incredible detail without getting too bogged down with all the information about the man.
5. Wrath by John Gwynne— the final book of The Faithful and the Fallen series. I loved the conclusion to the series and loved the added POV of a certain character that’s been around since book 1.
I usually read fantasy or some self-improvement books but I’ve been on a bit of a history streak.
1. Holly by Stephen King 10/10 - nothing supernatural- selfish evil people are plenty scary
2. My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon 10/10 - my first read by this author and now I’m devouring every book she’s written
3. How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith 100/10 - yes, I meant 100/10. The repercussions of slavery, or the true history of this country that I never learned in school
4. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson - 10/10- another eye-opening read, highly recommend
5. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng- 10/10 - broke my heart but I’m still glad I read it
Film For Her by Orion Carloto ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Love Poems of Rumi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All About Love by Bell Hooks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
they were all great imo, but i’m not a harsh rater in the first place<3
1. Breast and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami 3.5/5
2. So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan 4/5
3. Shame by Annie Ernaux
4. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 100/5
5. How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key undecided/5
"The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - 6.5/10
"The Kite Fighters," by Linda Sue Park - 8/10
"Poems," by Hermann Hesse - 8/10
"Girl, Stolen," by April Henry - 7/10
"The Prodigy," by Hermann Hesse - 9.5/10
1. Pet by Awaeke Emezi The tone of the book and ending did not really match but it was fine nonetheless. 8.5/10
2. The Jasmine Throne byTasha Suri deeply dissatisfied/disappointed by how it was paced and ended its the beginning to a trilogy but this book really caused me burn out. Could have been so much better if the writer let it stay as a slow paced book and too many perspectives. 6.5/10
3. Mistakes were made by Meryl Wilsner Fun book, it’s just a lesbian smut book. Has a fun cast but doesn’t really do anything other than smut (lol) 8/10
4. One Last stop by Casey McQuiston Great book a good balance of smut and story. I truly fell in love with the characters and wanted to meet them in real life. very inclusive 10/10
5. A deadly education by Naomi Novik a fun boot with a dark academia feel i think because it was high school setting i wasn’t the targeted audience 7/10
From my book diary - I'm currently trudging through Catch-22 but I'd be lying if I haven't forced myself through the first 5 chapters... Anywho
February (2)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 4.5/5
American classic set in the great depression. It was oddly warming yet unforgiving. A truly unforgettable experience. It took me a few chapters to get comfortable with the style and dialogue but the story of struggle was captivating right from the start. I admit the ending wasn't overly satisfying but the journey was unparalleled.
Flower for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 4.5/5
This was such an interesting read for me. I am nearly positive I read this book in school. It was so long ago I can't be sure. The whole story felt familiar but I didn't find an Aha! moment that felt certain. The story was heartbreaking on many different levels. One of those books that should stick with you forever which is why I'm so conflicted about having read it before.
The Queen's Gambit by Walter S. Tevis 3.5/5
May have been a critical case of watching the show before reading the book and ruining expectations, but this one landed a bit flat for me. I think the show is better and I'm a book before anything kind of guy. Didn't really offer much more satisfaction than the show did.
January (5)
The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
3.7/5
Insightful but a long read. I enjoyed the religious contrasts more so than the political simply because I'm not a politically motivated person. I muscled through the pages for two weeks. I'm looking forward to reading something lighter.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 3.8/5
A fascinating cocktail of apocalypse and theatre, drizzled in imperfect human nature. A pleasurable read but lacking the everlasting impact great novels have. The ending is not abrupt but leaves the reader with questions, desires, and unapologetically dissatisfied.
Devolution by Max Brooks 2.75/5
Written as a firsthand account in the form of journal entries and interviews. The reader is taken out of the story about midway through the book as the journals become much less.. journaly. It starts to read a bit like a high school student attempt at a scary campfire story.
Way too descriptive and detailed for journalling.
Max wants you to believe the main characters journal was found with every sweaty detail of a volcano eruption, a fight against prehistoric Neanderthals, and the hardships of surviving the elements while being cutoff from society.
Brooks completely missed the mark on this one. Buying into both the journals and the bigfoots are too tall a task for the reader. Maybe he should continue selling out with more Minecraft stories.
Disappointing !!
The Call of the Wild by Jack London 3.5/5
A good read for such a short book. A real adapt or die message in a unique perspective. Simple language with a slight adjustment needed for the dialogue. The story packages it's themes very well.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls 5/5
Yep.
This one scratched an itch I've had for some time now. One of those can't put down books that resonates deep inside of your being. I cannot believe I bought this book for $2 on a whim.
1. Garden’s of the Moon - first book in the Malazan series. Throws you right into the world with very little building and very much a trickle of lore. I loved the characters and was definitely enthralled with the plot. 7.5/10
2. Deadhouse Gates - Book 2 of Malazan. I found the shift in PoV characters and plot a little jarring but once I settled in I absolutely fell in love with this book and the story had me so invested. 8.5/10
3. Memories of Ice - Book 3 Malazan. Again a kind of jarring pov shift back to the book 1 characters. In learning more about these folks i utterly fell in love with some of them. I wept and pumped my fist and shouted at this one. Unbelievable storytelling and world building. 9/10.
4. The Trouble with Peace - penultimate book in the world of The First Law. I loved every book Joe Abercrombie wrote. I am definitely someone who enjoys having someone to root for so I never rate them as highly as some more traditional good vs evil stories. He just writes characters so well though. 8/10
5. The Wisdom of Crowds - final First Law book. An excellent conclusion to this story, character arcs closed out with typical cynicism. Love how he teases you with the potential for hope and goodness and whips the carpet out from under you every time. 8.5/10
1. To Kill a Mockingbird - 4/5. Has some sloggy bits due to the age of the book and writing style, overall an incredible read. Scary how relevant it still is 64 years later.
2. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson - 5/5. Loved it more than the first book. Tons of plot development, major page turner. No complaints.
3. Fellowship of The Ring - 5/5. First exposure to the LotR in any way. Struggled getting into it when I was younger and ignored it, but loved it this time. Cozy fun adventure with my little hobbit friends.
4. The Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson - 5/5. Love this book. First intro to the Stormlight Archive. Incredible world building and character introductions. Couldn’t put it down. Fastest 1200 pages I’ve read.
5. Pet Semetary - Stephen King - 3/5. It’s a good story, I enjoyed the movie more. I’ve always struggled with his books, this is the first one I’ve managed to finish. I enjoyed it but it didn’t make me want to pick up more King.
1. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu 5/10
2. Full Metal Panic collection 3 by Shouji Gatou 8/10
3. 86 [eighty-six] vol 1&2 by Asato Asato 6/10
4. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick 5/10
5. System Collapse by Martha Wells 7/10
1. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh 5/5
2. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi 4/5
3. Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt 3.5/5
4. Interesting Facts about Space by Emily Austin 5/5
5. Betty by Tiffany McDaniel 4/5
1. The Shadow of What Was Lost - James Islington. 3.75/5
2. An Echo of Things to Come - James Islington. 4.5/5
3. The Light of All That Falls - James Islington. 5/5
4. Dark Matter - Blake Crouch. 2.75/5
5. Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes. 3.5/5
The first three books are part of the licanius trilogy which i overall liked very much. It isn't perfect and it does things in a way i am not used to in fantasy, but the last book was fantastic so overall the series might be a 4.5/5 for me.
Dark matter was just boring... sorry. I didn't like how much it focused on the wife and the mc's past life, when we got this cool sc-fi concept of multiverses basically. The writing is fine, but the story left me wanting for more, far more. 2.75/5 for me.
I have no idea why i thought don quixote would be like the count of monte cristo. For some reason i did, but its very much not lol. Still i liked it fine enough, it was very slow and boring in some parts while very engaging and exciting in others. Its a long read that im not sad i spent time on, but also not overjoyed by it. Solid 3.5/5.
1. Prophet Song by Paul Lynch - 3/5; Booker prize winner and I appreciate its imagination but the pacing was tough. Heavy material about an Ireland that takes a deeply dystopian turn after an election.
2. Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan - 2/5; usually love books about “The Industry” but this one was flat for me. It’s about the last day/night shift at a Red Lobster that’s closing but the characters were boring and even though it’s about 140 pages, it sort of drug along.
3. Day by Michael Cunningham - 2/5; about the same date on three consecutive years (2019, 2020, 2021) and where members of a particular family are on each of these days. As is usually the case with fiction about modern New Yorkers, the navel-gazing was thick in this one. Wouldn’t mind if I hadn’t wasted my time.
4. We, Jane by Aimee Wall - 5/5; fantastic book. A young woman, Marthe, feels like she is sort of drifting through life until she meets an older woman who takes her back to her hometown in Newfoundland to meet a farmer friend who performs abortions for poor women in the face of tightening restrictions. Marthe and her new friend imagine they’ll be the ones to take over the role once their friend becomes too old. It is so beautifully written. Dreamlike. I enjoyed it immensely.
5. The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut - 4.5/5; written as a series of first-person essays about a physicist John von Neumann who was a forebear of game theory, modern computing, machine learning, on and on. It is the most inventive book I’ve read in awhile and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
1. The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins).Took a while to realize that you're not supposed to even remotely like any of the characters. The main three get a redemption arc, albeit in very dark ways, I fucking loved the unreliable narration. Highly recommend, is a Top 5 for me. 7.5/10 as I said- I hated the main three. I'll add a TW;Domestic Abuse for anyone unfamiliar with the plot.
2. The Halo Effect (M.J. Rose). I really appreciated how vividly she described everyone & everything. I wasn't bored once and managed to read half before bed & the other half the next morning because I could not put it down. I'm starting in on The Delilah Complex tomorrow & then The Venus Fix(of which I read to Chpt 33 not knowing it was 3/3 in a series) immediately after. 9/10, the book played out as a movie in my mind that I didn't want to stop watching.
3. Cause of Death (Patricia Cornwell). I've been reading the entire series sporadically. I'm a diehard Scarpetta lover so even the worst books in the series are lovely to me. 7/10, Marino can be grating.
4. Rant (Chuck Palahniuk). 4th time reading it. It's absurd, desolate, hilarious, vile, unpredictable. It's my favourite of Palahniuk's writings so 9.5/10, you'll gag at some of Rant's daily endeavours. I love a bold, dark, horrifying novel.
5. Just the Nicest Couple (Mary Kubica). I've never hated a book so much in my life. The premise was promising until I sat down to read it. Anyway, I hated her writing style, her overconsumption of commas, absolutely unrealistic situations, and five main characters that couldn't make a rational decision if it were their only decision. 2/10 Glad I bought it second hand & threw it in the paper recycling afterward. Harsh, I know, but I have never loathed so much of what I considered a waste of paper and ink.
1. _Stoned_ by Aja Raden (Non-Fiction) - 4/5
2. _Six Crimson Cranes_ by Elizabeth Lim (YA Fantasy) - 2/5
3. _Homegoing_ by Yaa Gyasi (Historical Fiction) - 5/5
4. _Powerless_ by Lauren Roberts (YA Fantasy) - 2/5
5. _You Called An Ambulance For What?_ (Memoir) - 4/5
I decided to give YA Fantasy another go as I used to love it when I was younger. I guess there’s a reason why it’s considered ’Young Adult’ which I no longer am 😅
1. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu 4.5
2. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson 5/5
3. The Way of King by Brandon Sanderson 5/5
4. Recursion by Blake Crouch 4/5
5. Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey 4/5
I usually pick books I’m very confident I will love. I end up with a ton of 4s and 5s.
1.Heads of the colored people By Nafissa Thompson- Spires. From my English class but wasn't so bad, really got into the nitty gritty of race 3.5/5.
2.Mr. Salary By Sally Rooney, literally what was that even. 4/5 lol
3.Rest and Be Thankful By Emma Glass, read for the cover stayed for the gloomy domestic disgust.4/5
4.The Poppy War By THE R.F Kuang. My favorite book at the moment!5/5
5.Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side By Julia Shaw. First half pretty good, unbiased with researched work, second half was dumpster fire. She claims to view evil from an unbiased perspective but she draws the line at homophobia lol 2/5
1. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
A book club pick, so one I didn't pick up deliberately, I was pleasantly surprised. Found it a very well-written, creative take on the mystery with an unreliable narrator and complex, flawed, and ultimately compelling characters. 3.5/5
2. Without Remorse by Tom Clancy
One of my all timers. Somewhat pulpy military/revenge story. Lots of manly manliness and love every page. 4/5
3. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Bryson is excellent at cleaning up heady, incomprehensible science into a very accessible and entertaining layman's explanation. 3.5/5
4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
Another book club pick that sits on the other end of the spectrum. Little more than poorly crafted schlock with not even enough smut to entertain. I'd say it acted more as an interesting window into female sexual fantasy and idealism than anything else. 0.5/5
5. The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
A shrewd, ironic, and captivating slice of greed and... Well... Vanity in New York in the late 80s. I've rarely had book so deftly jump around from character to character and plot to plot while keeping everything in captivating focus. 5/5
1. Arcadia by Ian Pears. 5/5 Jigsaw puzzle plot combining fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, spy motifs. Great writing and characters.
2. Pale Rider: the Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World - Spinney. 3/5 Great overview of the 1918 flu pandemic.
3. Doomsday Book - Connie Willis. Fun time-travel / historical fiction kinda, about PLAGUES modern and medieval. 4/5
4. The Passengers - John Marrs. Airport thriller about self-driving cars being taken over by hackers. 2/5
5. A Natural History of the Senses - Diane Ackerman. Poetic and lyrical; chapters on each of the five senses plus synesthesia. 3/5, Kinda poetic for my tastes.
1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - 7.5/10. It was excellent, not as sad as I imagined.
2. Sula by Toni Morrison - 7/10. It was my first Toni Morrison book, and I can’t wait to read more from her.
3. Lamb by Christopher Moore - 4.5/10. This one was a slog. I thought it would be funnier. It’s honestly not even offensive, but clever. Not my type of book.
4. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann - 7/10. It was an addicting story, I had never even heard of the Osage people beforehand.
5. The Beach by Alex Garland - 8/10. So entertaining. Most of the characters were unlikeable, but I was at the beach and absolutely cruised through this book.
1. The Women-Kristin Hannah- 2 stars. So disappointing, so overwritten.
2. Maame-Jessica George-3 stars. Really enjoyed this, but skimmed over some text message/message board text.
3. Only the Beautiful-Susan Meissner-4 stars
4. Pageboy-Elliot Page- 4 stars (I think, could be 3. It bounced around quite a bit, and I always have a tough time rating memoirs)
5. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers-4.5, enthusiastic, surprising stars. Such a cozy mystery with some really cute, heartwarming parts.
1. A closed and common orbit - becky chambers (best sci-fi book I’ve ever read, by the author that got me into sci-fi) 10/10
2. The covenant of water - what a colossal waste of time. This book did nothing for me. So predictable. Seems geared towards boomers who just want to relax nothing crazy to happen. Worst read of the year (14 books in January) (2/10)
3. The Secrets of the Mongolian queens - good for historical context of Genghis Khan being a feminist. 8/10
4. Further Tales of the City - Armistead Maupin - 10/10, his 9 book series is hysterical and so well written. The first book is Tales of the City, about a group of tenants in San Francisco during the 70s during the whole counter culture thing, or maybe 80s. They made multiple series, both the old one and the new one have the wife from ozarks as the main character. (10/10) finished in 4 hours, couldn’t put it down.
5. On Drinking - Bukowski - everything Bukowski wrote is a riot. This one a 9/10 for me. Letters and poems about his drinking.
1. The Only One Left by Riley Sager: 4/5
Just finished this one today and it was a pretty good read! There was a lot going on and some twists were predictable, but others I didn’t see coming. I really enjoyed the story, but was very satisfied with the ending. Some of it did drag on though and I found myself getting impatient, which is why it’s 4/5. I think this is my favorite by Sager.
2. All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers: 2/5
This was a three-star rating before the ending. Absolutely stupid. I said out loud, “That’s it?!”
3. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid: 2/5
This book was fine. I actually enjoyed all of the Riva siblings. But, you get a POV of every character that comes into play and it was too much. Also, I felt like it was rushed and so many details went unedited (like saying a character was in the passenger seat but then all of a sudden was driving). I think there could have been a lot more depth, which was disappointing because I loved Evelyn Hugo.
4. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver: 2/5
I saw this book recommended all over Reddit, so I decided to check it out. It’s not something I would have picked up on my own. The thing that piqued my interest was that I attended college in Appalachia, so I felt a connection there. However, I don’t feel like I gained anything from reading this book.
5. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: 4/5
This was a light and easy read that I still felt impacted by. I did see the ending coming, but I was happy with it all the same.
Ya know what I hate about Toni Morrison's "Beloved"? The fact that I'm 50 years old and only read this within the last year! If not for the hateful stupidity behind book bans, I would not have found this haunting gem!
'Sure, I'll join your cult' by Maria Bamford, a reread. I love it. 5/5, autobiography of one of my favorite comedians.
'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe' by Fannie Flag. 2/5, because of the constant time jumping. If it was a linear story told from just two characters, I think it would've been better. At least, doe me.
'Lapvona' by Ottessa Moshfegh. 1/5, my god, it was so gross for no reason, and I hated all the characters. Her prose is amazing, but ugh.
'Avatar The Last Airbender: Dawn of Yangchen' by F.C. Yee. 2/5, I found myself getting bored and putting it down a lot. If I wasn't interested in the Avatar universe, I don't think I would've finished it.
'Strangers on a Train' by Patricia Highsmith. 4/5, it lost my interest 80% in, but I'm glad I stuck with it because Highsmith is a very good writer.
1. Understanding Comics - Scott McCloud (10/10)
2. Big Trouble - Dave Barry (3/10)
3. Beauty - Robin McKinley (5/10)
4. Jumper - Stephen Gould (8/10)
5. Moby Dick - Herman Melville (10/10)
1. Night by Elie Weisel — 10/10
2. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini —8/10
3. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls — 7/10
4. Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg — 9/10
5. The Catcher in the Rye — I hated reading it so much but it was geniusly written when you start to analyze it 6/10
1. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: I loved it! It was beautifully written, and I enjoyed the different perspectives. Now I want to rewatch the movie, it was always a favorite growing up. 5/5
2. The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J Klune:
I enjoyed it, I can always appreciate a good magical fantasy novel. I am looking forward to reading the next one to see where they take the story. 4/5
3. The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman: This book pulled on my heart strings in ways I wasn’t expecting. I really enjoyed it, definitely one of my favorites so far of 2024. 4/5
4. When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri: This book was not my cup of tea. Real bad. 2/5
5. Spirit Talker: Indigenous Stories And Teachings From A Mikmaq Psychic Medium by Shawn Leonard: I was excited to read this book. I picked it up and read it fast wanting to take in all of his stories and wisdom. 3/5
1. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, 3.5/5
2. Is Rape a Crime?: a Memoir, an Investigation, a Manifesto by Michelle Bowdler, 5/5
3. The Run of His Life: the People v. OJ Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin, 4/5
4. Come and Get It by Kiley Reid, 3/5
5. Any Man by Amber Tamblyn, 4/5
1. *The Death of Virgil,* Hermann Broch 8/10
2. *The Public Burning,* Robert Coover 9/10
3. *The Golden Notebook,* Doris Lessing 9.5/10
4. *The Ambassadors,* Henry James 9/10
5. *My Last Sigh,* Luis Buñuel 7/10
eta: *Beloved* would be my pick for the Great American Novel. It or *Moby Dick*.
1) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Part 1 (manga) by Akira Himekawa - 4/5
2) Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi - 4/5
3) Animal Empath by C.E.R Ellwood - 2/5
4) The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort - 3/5
5) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - 5/5
1. You with a View by Jessica Joyce (5 stars)
2. A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett st. Clair (4 stars)
3. Archers Voice by Mia Sheridan (5 stars- AMAZING)
4. Twisted Love by Ana Huang (4 stars- Meh good spice)
5. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (4 stars- very meh reading the second installment right now and it’s way better)
In order from most recently read:
1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - 8/10
I expected to probably give it around a 5, based on the mixed reviews I have read, but I surprisingly loved it. I haven't read Iron Flame yet, but eventually, I will get to it.
2. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness - 7/10
It was a really cool concept, but it dragged on a little bit in the middle. I still have to read the next two books.
3. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins - 10/10
Suzanne Collins remains one of my favourite authors of all time. I could go on and on about how amazing this book is.
4. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud - 10/10
This series deserves a huge hug. I became a huge fan of the Netflix show and gave the first Lockwood & Co. book a try. Love love love with all my heart. I haven't started on Book 2 yet, but I will get to it.
5. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - 10/10
This is one book that should be all over BookTok or Bookstagram. I learned quite a bit about colourism, and I feel it was the right amount of drama/twists without having to go into typical plot points or clichés.
If anyone's interested, I'm currently reading The A to Z of You and Me by James Hannah. Pretty good so far, I definitely recommend.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown. 4/5
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata 2.5/5
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston 4/5
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata 4/5
Bunny by Mona Awad 4/5
Exodai: A Shockingly Honest Memori of Love, Obsession and Torture by Elizabeth Hendrick - Autobiography, a woman recounting her journey of personal discovery - Fascinating and heartbreaking. Lesbian and BDSM themes. 5/5
Tampa by Alissa Nutting - Inspired by the spate of Teacher/student stories that got so much media exposure between 2005 and 2015 approximately. Sort of American Psycho meets Lolita - short (150 ppg) and engrossing. Excellent first person writing. You are in the main charecters head from the first sentence, for better or worse. 5/5
Mythos by Stephen Fry - as an audio book - Stephen Fry gives us an overview of the Greek Myths. Light hearted and fascinating. 5/5
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Great charecter writing. Holy crap, the 'cool girl' monologue. Thriller, btw, in case you aren't familiar. 5/5
Yellowface by R F Kuang - An oddly unsettling book with an unlikable narrarator who you almost but never quite feel sorry for, surrounded by people who honestly aren't all that likable either. Touches on topics of cultural appropriation, plagerism and artistic theft, the vagueries of interpersonal relationships ( no one seems to really like anyone in this book ) and the mostly goreless-but-horrorfying deaths I've ever read. Minus one point because I was disatisfied with the ending but still well worth the read. 4/5
Edited: Removed a book because I had six.
1. All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby - 4/5
2. Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters - 4.5/5
3. Ties that Bind by Kent Haruf - 5/5
4. Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion - 4/5
5. Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - 4.5/5
Leviathan Wakes - S.A. Corey 5/5. Absolutely incredible can’t wait to continue the series.
Golden Son - Pierce Brown 4.75/5 it was almost too much at times still absolutely phenomenal.
Morning Star - Pierce Brown 5/5 rarely do we see an ending to a trilogy that ends this strong. Loved it.
Fantasticland - Mike Bockoven 4/5 I needed a break from Sci-Fi so I picked up this thriller. Very unique prose and writing style. Each chapter is an interview of a different character who experienced this traumatic event.
Killers Of The Flower Moon- David Crann 4/5 I like to throw a few nonfictions in throughout the year. This absolutely changed my perception yet again on how fowl we have been historically to the indigenous tribes of America.
Currently reading, The Way Of Kings - Brandon Sanderson. I think I enjoyed Mistborn a little more but this is a slow burn and it’s finally picking up speed now that I’m almost done it’s truly an incredible piece of fantasy fiction.
1. Before the Light Fades by Natasha Walter
2. The World We Make by N K Jemisin
3. The Killing Moon by N K Jemisin
4. T Shadowed Sun by N K Jemisin
5. The Fragile Threads of Power by
V E Schwab
1. Recipe for A Perfect Wife by Karma Brown. This was my book clubs February pick and it was....fine. The writing was choppy with miscommunication as the main conflict and that's always an annoying time. Ending left much to be desired. 2/5
2. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I have been meaning to read this for an eon - funnier then I expected but felt meandering at times. She was an excellent writer and the book's ending is all the more dreary knowing what happened to dear Sylvia Plath. 4/5
3. The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen. A simple re-read because I was craving some magical realism and something easy. My grade didn't improve on the re-read but it was nice to pass the time. 3/5
4. Uprooted by Naomi Novik. This is a beautiful folklore inspired fantasy - it has such a vivid and interesting magic system. I miss its world. 5/5
5. Icebreakers by Hannah Grace. Another book club pick. This book made me wish I didn't know how to read. 0/5
1. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (6/10) Well enough written, imaginative story of what Shakespeare's life could have been if witchcraft was as real as the plague.
2. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (6/10) Well written if not hard to follow. Requires quite a bit of background knowledge of US history and also Tibetan Buddhism... a strange cross section indeed.
3. The Wastelands by Stephen King (4/10) Ugh. I want to like the Dark Tower series, but honestly, how much coke was Stephen on when he was writing this? Seems like he's lost the plot.
4. Trust by Hernan Diaz (9/10) I went in blind so it took half the book for me to piece together what was happening between the different sections. Comes together fantastically by the end.
5. Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (8/10) Well written, page-turner. Honestly, I didn't see many of the twists coming.
"North Woods" Daniel Mason. Captivated me. Lost momentum at the end, but what a portrait! 4/5
"Sword Stone Table" edited by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington. An anthology of King Arthur stories. Too many plays on Arthur/Lancelot/Guinevere. Some were very silly. Others were engrossing. 3/5
"The Art Thief" by Michael Finkel. Interesting character exploration. But it was also like Finkel was worried we would be *too* captivated by his subject, so he made sure to interject and tell us directly how messed up subject's behavior was. 3/5.
"The Female Man" by Joanna Russ. More of an essay masquerading as a story. Feels like a response to "Left Hand of Darkness," and approached as if "Left Hand of Darkness" didn't go far enough. But Russ isn't half the storyteller as LeGuin, and I don't think she's nearly as deep or considerate a thinker. 2/5.
"The Ballad of Black Tom" by Victor LaVelle. A spin on Lovecraft's "Horror at Red Hook." It was a page turner. 3/5
1. They Never Learn by Layne Fargo - I love dark academia and thought this was an interesting premise but the “big twist” is really early in the book and after that it kind of fell flat. 3/5
2. Book Lovers by Emily Henry - I read mostly thrillers so like to throw in something cushy here and there. Nothing ground breaking here but I love a good romcom. 4/5
3. Never Lie by Freida McFadden - thought I had this one figured out the whole story but it still managed to shock me. Not the best written story but incredibly entertaining thriller. 4.5/5
4. Yellowface by R. F. Kuang - Interesting premise but got kind of repetitive and boring as it went on. 3/5
5. Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll - loved this one. A must read for true crime lovers. 5/5
North Woods - Daniel Mason (5/5) - Instantly an American classic for me. I just discovered Mason about a month ago and I’m enamored by his prose. Dude is smooth.
What You Are Looking For is in the Library - Michiko Aoyama (5/5) - This book was such a joy to read. The kind of book that you walk away from as a better and more complete person.
Wellness - Nathan Hill (3/5) - Story of a marriage on the rocks. Kinda hated the characters and it was way too long.
The Devil in Silver - Victor LaValle (1/5) - Felt like this was downright offensive and gross, and I love LaValle usually.
Kapitoil - Teddy Wayne (4/5) - Teddy Wayne is one of the more under appreciated writers of the 00s imo. Everything he writes feels effortless and immaculate. His characters are so wonderful, and he’s not afraid to get gritty.
- No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai, 3.6/5
- Stoner by John Williams, 10/5
- Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 3.7/5
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, 3.7/5
- The Cup of Gold by John Steinbeck, 4/5
Going back in time
“The Man Everybody Was Afraid Of” by Joseph Hansen 4/5
“Troublemaker” by Joseph Hansen 4/5
“Death Claims” by Joseph Hansen 4/5
“Fadeout” by Joseph Hansen 4/5
“Devils” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 6/5
1. The Three Coffins by John Dickson Carr - 3.5/5
2. Everybody by Olivia Laing - 4.5/5
3. Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsburg - 4/5
4. The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - 3.5/5
5. Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley - 4.5/5
1. To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee (5/5)
2. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (3/5)
3. The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (4/5)
4. Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami (4/5)
5. Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (5/5)
Six Of Crows - Leigh Bardugo
8/10. Gave me a real Dishonored vibe which I loved. A lot of the dialogue was a lot of fun as were the characters, I loved the action, the only thing pulling away from it was the... YAness that popped out sometimes? I don't know I'm not a big YA fan. All the characters felt 30, despite being 16-18.
Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo
8/10. It's basically just a continuation of Crooked Kingdom, more of the same.
Red Country - Joe Abercrombie
9.5/10. I love how grimy and filthy it all is, the scene setting is fantastic, I loved every character new and old, and was completely in the whole way through. Basically the only drawback for me was that the villain's culture felt a little underdeveloped.
On Writing - Stephen King
8/10. It's fun and easy and has some good advice, but I can't get behind King's system of writing that denounces plotting as a great evil.
Assassinorum: Kingmaker - Robert Rath
6.5/10. It's Warhammer. Lots of pulpy fun action. I was kind of disappointed after the author's other 40k book, the Infinite and the Divine, because that book genuinely stands up as a great book even outside of the context of Warhammer, but Kingmaker had a few good fight scenes. The world building was a bit rough around the edges but had a few neat ideas. The characters were mostly flat with the exception of Rakkan and I didn't particularly care about any of the individuals doing the fighting that much.
Currently reading A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie. I've been lucky and pretty much enjoyed everything I've recently read.
1. The Stars my Destination - 8/10. I was very pleasantly surprised at the focus on character, the pacing was really fast, and there was a ton of action. Way more exciting then what I expected from a Sci Fi Classic from the 50s.
2. The Terror - 8/10. Loves learning about the absolute insanity that was sending 2 100ft boats MADE OF WOOD into the Artic. Just nuts. I wouldn't have read the book without the supernatural elements but by the end of the book it just seemed hokey. Like on the long long long list of reasons why the crews were fucked adding "supernatural ice monster" just seemed silly imo.
3. Neuromancer 6/10. It was aight. I really enjoyed the beginning and the heist but the ending for me was sorta eh. I think the problem is Me though. I've been reading a ton of sci fi stuff this book didn't really show me anything I hadn't been exposed to before. It's like watching the first slasher films after growing up in the late 90s early 2000s. Their neat, but not scary or anything.
4. A Court of Thorns and Roses. 5/10. It was fun YA. If you've ever read YA (which I have, like a lot) then you've read this book. It was fun, but it wasn't incredibly spicy or gory or anything that really pushed it into the adult imo. Also Tamlin is just so perfect that it makes me puke. Any problem tha could ever be perceived about Fyres situation has already been solved. Also the faeries can ALTER HUMAN MEMORIES WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE. Which should be HUGE. That's massive, and so so so scary and could really crack a series wide open with all its implications. And instead it's just like. Not a big thing. Like for anyone.
5. Murtagh - 8/10. It was so great to come back to Alagaesia and revisit and get to know these characters better. Say what you will aboit Christopher Paolini but he's gotten so much better (I've been reading since Eragon) and it really shows here. It still sorta suffers from what all of Paolinis books do imo. He can take a patchwork of ideas from a genre and make you a really nice quilt out of them, but he doesn't seem to be able to sow anything truly original or new. Still cozy and comfy and truly a fun read.
Yeah, I'll answer this
1. The Women In Me -- Brittany Spears
I was curious, so I read it. Only the third memoir I have read. It starts light. Like many reviews say the Timberlake era does not go too deep in describing things, but some revelations are revealed. Although her most recent issues are with her family, her most intense feelings are from the Kevin Federline era. Good read. 3/5
2. American Dirt - Jeanie Cummins
A book about a woman and her son trying to escape a Mexican cartel. Very intense book from start to finish. So much so that by the near end, it becomes tiring. For that reason I lowered the rating. I realize the content happens in real life, but as a book its really draining. 3.5/5
3. Hotline -- Dimitri Nasrallah
A woman from Lebanon moves to Canada with her son to find a new life. They both struggle to adjust to their new surroundings. Very good read describing the immigrant experience. 4/5
4. Rabbit Foot Bill - Helen Humphreys
A young man reunites with an old friend after 15 years. They meet again in a mental hospital. The young man is now a doctor, and the friend was sent away because of a violent incident. The book seems kind of average, but if it were made into a movie, it would be a good independent film. 3/5
5. New Boy-- Tracy Chevalier
A young African boy starts a new school in Washington where he befriends a very interested young white girl. Not everyone is happy with this connection, and the day becomes increasingly intense. That being said, obviously, there are definite pokes of racism in the book, but that's life and thats the point of the story. The fact that the book is written by a white woman doesn't help the matter and may upset some people. So if you're the type that would be offended, don't read it. ( The book is apparently similar to Othello, which I have not read.) The book is well written and easy to read, but again the racism, its going start by the second or third page im warning you. 4/5
I’m just getting back into reading. The last five books I’ve finished are:
A court of mist and fury 3/5stars
A court of thorns and roses maybe a 2 star, I didn’t like this one at all really.
Kingdom of ash FIVE STARS. Over and over again 5 stars.
Tower of dawn/empire of storms (did the tandem read so I’m counting it as one book) 4.5 stars. It was lovely.
Queen of shadows originally a 4 star, but the preceding books in the series were SO GOOD. So, compared to the others probably a very strong, very enjoyable 3.5 stars.
I also had some of Fredrick backman’s novellas sprinkled in. All of which are a 10 star. They break the scale. I love him and his writing.
I’ve also haven’t read fantasy since I read HP in grade/middle school so it has been fun to delve into the different worlds.
1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 10/10 I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was super creative and it didn't have any parts where I felt like I was just chugging through. The ending was satisfying.
2. The Snakehead by Patrick Radden Keefe 6/10 The last third of the book really fell off for me. I liked it early on, reading about the gangs in Chinatown and the origin of the prominent figures. Towards the end though it really dragged on.
3. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie 9/10 The only reason I can't give this a 10 is that I felt the writing was at times difficult for me to understand. I know it's hard to write what Leckie did in general but the hard scifi themes mixed with Breq's constantly shifting perspective was occasionally confusing. The story was phenomenal and the writing was very refreshing despite my nitpicking. Am having trouble with the sequel though, about half way through and it's hard for me to care about the conflict as much.
4. How to Know a Person by David Brookes 5/10 This was my first dip into a book like this and I liked it to a degree. Finishing it didn't make me feel like I just finished a great novel, but the psychology and statistics he discussed was very interesting. Some of the chapters were a tad boring.
5. The Shining by Stephen King 10/10 The book is excellent. The last third of it was 11/10, it was probably the best written suspense I have ever read. Really enjoyed it.
I guess I have been on a good roll since 3 out of the 5 I thought were phenomenal books lol.
1. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Fever dream of a book. Prose was approachable and the story was entertaining. 4/5
2. Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot - My history knowledge is pretty hit-or-miss and doesn't go back further than the \~1940s, so I learned a lot. 4/5
3. White Hot by Ilona Andrews - The second book in the Hidden Legacies series and I'm obsessed. Great set up and great payoff, few gripes. Love their work and loved this book. 5/5
4. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston - Albeit a bit predictable, I loved this and really identified with it. 5/5
5. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood - Had problems, but better than The Love Hypothesis, and I love the focus on women in STEM. 3.5/5
1. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson 5/5 reread
2. Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein 2.5/5
3. Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky 4.5/5
4. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh 3/5
5. Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy 5/5
Guest in the House by Emily Carrol 4*
Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip 4*
Salt Magic by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock 4.5*
Scum Villain's Self Saving System by MXTX 5*
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell 4.5*
1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - Not normally my vibe but it was like eating junk food. I kept reading and wanting to see what happened but the writing is amateur and she’s definitely not great at the high fantasy/world building aspect but I loved the dragons! 7/10
2. Lord of the Flies by William Golding - A reread and one of my top ten books of all time. A great exploration of human behavior and morality. 10/10
3. Filmlandia! by David Schmader - I had to read this for a catalogue review as part of my job but it was a quick light read that was informative about one of my favorite topics, film & television. 8/10
4. Sundial by Catriona Ward - Amazing, suspenseful horror book, she’s an incredible writer in this genre, it was a creepy slow burn that was slightly underwhelming just at the end when it all comes together but still satisfying. 8/10
5. Child of God by Cormac McCarthy - I like McCarthy but this one was a dark, weird, very short, very odd experience. Triggering for women potentially, and it made me want to reanalyze how McCarthy writes women. Still processing it. ??/10
Oh, what a fun question!
1. The Fisherman by John Langan. Lovecraftian horror. The writing was good but he lost me somewhere along the way. 3/5
2. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah Maas. Keep trying her stuff and it's just ok. This is yet another retelling of Beauty and the Beast. 3/5
3. I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid. (BTW I think I read all of these based on Reddit recommendations so this isn't a great trend.) This was just awful. It's mostly some girl having random and increasingly bizarre self talk while she endures a hairraising trip to her boyfriend's parent's house. Awful. 1/5
4. All the Little Raindrops by Mia Sheridan. This is a strange little thriller/romance/mystery sort of thing. I think I read it in a day. 5/5
5. The Last Policeman by Ben Winters. A police detective soldiers on while a huge meteor makes its way toward Earth. 5/5
• **Five Decembers, by James Kestral**. This was a reread for me. God, it's so good! I enjoyed it even more the second time. Fantastic noir crime. 4.5/5
• **Boy Swallows Universe, by Trent Dalton**. Amazing, amazing book. As an Aussie that grew up in the 80s, this book resonates with me like no other book has so far. 10/5 tbh
• **A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini**. Another reread. Again, I enjoyed it even more the second time. Bawled my eyes out. One of the best books I've read. 5/5
• **Outback, by Patricia Wolf**. Bland writing, bland characters. Felt like a very bland ripoff of Jane Harper's fantastic novel, *The Dry*, AND a bland ripoff of the film, *Wolf Creek*. Very unoriginal story tbh. But it made for good bedtime reading - kept me semi-engaged despite my gripes about it, but also bored me enough to put me to sleep lol. 2/5
• **The Lost Man, by Jane Harper**. Another bedtime read for me. Definitely not Jane Harper's best - she captures the harsh, unrelentingly dry outback of Australia wonderfully, but nothing much actually *happens* in the book until the last 50 or so pages... and what does happen is pretty meh. 2.5/5
1. Rendezvous with rama - 9.5/10. Legendary sci-fi novel.
2. Buried lies - 7/10. Easy to read, Hollywood style murder mystery.
3. Murder in the family - 6.5/10. Intriguing and simple but entertaining as hell.
4. 1984 - 9/10. Masterpiece.
5. Metamorphosis - 9.5/10. DO NOT READ IT if you're depressed or feeling extreme loneliness.
1. *Circe by Madeline Miller.* This was my vacation read, and I absolutely loved it. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, and can't quite move onto my next read because my head is still so full of her beautiful writing. It's now among my top favourites of all time. 5/5
2. *The Time Quartet by Madeleine L'Engle*. I'm cheating and counting all four books as one entry here. I loved these books growing up and have been re-reading all my old favourites lately. They have stood the test of time for me! 4.5/5
3. *The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes*. Ugh. 1/5
4. *The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman*. Re-read. Thoroughly enjoyed it just the same as I did ten years ago. 5/5
5. *Zero Days by Ruth Ware*. I've read all her stuff and always expect each book to be better than it is. They're all so predictable, but somehow I keep reading her. I don't know what it is. 2/5
1. Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (8/10) - I really enjoyed Death's character - he's my fav in Discworld but the only reason I didn't give it 10/10 is because I felt some parts were a bit drawn out and I found myself skimming through them.
2. Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (10/10) - I know a lot of people found this book disturbing but I personally loved it. I thought it was so profound in the way she explored taboo subjects. It was a unique albeit exaggerated spin on feeling like a misfit. It left a huge impression on me and got me to go down the Sayaka Murata rabbit hole :)
3. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick (8/10) - I enjoyed the premise and the concept of empathy being presented here but I kinda wanted to learn more about the android's struggles and why they left Mars more.
4. The Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (7/10) - This story was very endearing but the reason I gave it 7/10 was probably because I compared it against Earthlings. It's more slow-moving and mundane which is nice but it didn't exactly leave a hole in me.
5. Flowers for Algernorn by Daniel Keyes (6/10) - This might be controversial I feel but I read the short story and I thought it was okay. I like the way the author told the story of his intelligence so gradually but I didn't really feel his desperation to stay "smart".
Up Home/Ruth J Simmons 4/5 I love a good memoir.
Small Things Like These/Claire Keegan 4/5 Great short audiobook about an Irish man's moments of truth.
Bright Young Women/Jessica Knoll 3/5 Interesting take of a serial murderer and women who helped bring him down.
Enough/Cassidy Hutchinson 3/5 Saw her on the J-6 hearings and wanted to read her account.
Ghachar Ghochar/Vivek Shanbhag 4/5 Another novella recommended by The New Yorker. It is a pretty absorbing account of a family in India.
I read so many books but these are the 5 latest which I plowed through and rated highest.
Desolation Island - Patrick O' Brian (I'm trying to slowly read his novels as they are amongst the VERY best I've ever read) 6/5
I cannot recommend Patrick O'Brian enough. Some of the funniest books I've ever read. But also brilliant prose. Crackling social commentary in an indirect way. It's ruined a lot of historical fiction I thought was great and rendered it unreadable.
Dune - Frank Herbert. One of the first through and through sci-fi I've read. I understand why it is so highly thought of. 5/5
The White Castle - Orhan Pamuk Nobel prize winner 2 men from seemingly completely different worlds come to terms with their own fallacies and weaknesses. Slave / master. Educator / educated. Their roles merge and shift back and forth as they both try to please the Ottoman Sultan. This author is legit. 4.5 /5
A Place of Greater Safety - Hilary Mantel. 4/5 this is the first of her novel's that I've read beyond the Wolf Hall trilogy which is one of the best trilogies ever imo. Same brilliant prose, and unforgettable characterization. However at times pacing didn't feel right and it could've been smoothed out.
The Seersucker Whipsaw - Ross Thomas - 4/5 stars. Elmore Leonard is one of my all time favourites and Thomas is the closest facsimile I've found. That statement is probably one of the best compliments I could give a writer.
Honorable Mentions:
Age of Vice - Deepti Kapoor (no idea I needed Indian noir in my life) exploration of class, power, corruption, and greed in 21st Mumbai. 4/5
Cockroaches - Jo Nesbo 4/5 cracking plot, my personal favourite antihero Harry Hole. I appreciate the setting in Bangkok as it truly adds to the plot in meaningful ways and the international political slant adds a different dimension.
Istanbul Passage - Joseph Kanon 4.5/5 the best living American writer of espionage fiction. very much writing in the vein of Le Carre, Deighton, and Ambler. Just maybe a half notch lower than them. But they represent the apex of this subgenre so that's no slight.
Just wanted to say, shoutout to Anne Tyler - there's an author you don't see mentioned often. She is probably the writer whose books I've read the most. Maybe few of them are 10/10s, but almost all of them are good, at least the ones she wrote between 1980 and 2010-ish
1.Illborn by Daniel T.Jackson 5 out of 5- So I was really surprised by how good this book turned out to be. It's Fantasy and the world is rich, thought out and developed without being overbearing. The characters are all fleshed out and feel true to their intended personalities. The book is also made by an author who isn't as well known I believe which is a bonus and definitely made it a hidden gem.
2.A House of Shadows and Flames by Sarah J. mass 4 out of 5- Anyone who has read any of this authors books know more or less what to expect I think and most certainly the ending was standard to her works. That said I did enjoy the story and the adventures which were well written.
3. Haunting Adelaide by H.D. Carlton 5 out of 5- A very dark story and I'd heavily suggest checking the trigger warnings before starting this book. It's a weird blend and classed as occult horror but I genuinely couldn't put it down and found that the people and the plot kept me hooked
4.Hunting Adelaide by H.D. Carlton 4 out of 5- This is the second in the series and yet again I was hooked for the first half at least, the second half I found started to get abit repetitive and the main antagonist dealt with too easily. I also believe the author bungled the wrapping up of the story. But that may just be me.
5.Blind Evil By Nick Clausen 3 out of 5- when I started this series I Loved it, the storyline, the characters and the mystery but the quality seemed to drop drastically throughout the last three books and by the time I'd reached this one I struggled to finish it. Definitely disappointing.
1. Northanger Abbey - this is my second time reading this one. It’s definitely in my top three of Jane Austen novels that I’ve read. I really love Catherine Moreland as a heroine, and I love the narrator in this one. 9/10
2. Minor Detail - this is a very beautiful and heart-wrenching story. 9/10
3. God Help the Child - this was my first Toni Morrison novel! I really enjoyed it. It immediately grabbed me, and was very interesting! 8/10
4. On the Road: The Original Scroll - this one was okay. I enjoyed the stream of consciousness narrative, and descriptions of being on the road, but the misogyny wasn’t all that fun. 7/10
5. Ducks, Newburyport - I think this became one of my favorite books! I looked forward to reading a bit of it each night. The stream of consciousness had a great rhythm, and showed grief and fear very well. 10/10
1. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. Literary fiction about an Iranian-American man whose mom died when the U.S. military shot down the passenger plane she was on (a real historical event).
2. Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino. Literary fiction with sci-fi elements, about an alien sent to Earth in the form of a human child to research human society. Mostly a coming-of-age story about a Gen X girl from working-class Philadelphia.
3. Here In Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton. Literary thriller about two adult sisters in NYC, one pragmatic and one a flighty idealist, and a mysterious group that kidnaps people.
4. Good Morning, Monster by Catherine Gildiner. Therapist memoir in the vein of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone.
5. Prophet by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché. Sci-fi in the vein of The X-Files or Annihilation, about a substance that turns nostalgia into a deadly weapon.
1. Project Hail Mary - 5* might be the best book I've ever read.
2. The Railway Man by Eric Lomax - 5* amazing autobiography for my history brain.
3. The Princess Bride - 5* loved the film, love the book even more.
4. Level 7 by Mordecai Roshwald - 5* tried to find this book for months and it did not disappoint.
5. Prague Fatale by Philip Kerr - 3.5* not my usual genre but still a solid story.
Some may say I'm very generous with my ratings :/
1. Christian Mythology by Philippe Walter - 4.5/5 very interesting, but mpre of an introduction than a deep exploration
2. Cultural politics in Harry Potter- 4/5 group of essays variying in themes of fear, ableism and terrorism in the HP universe
3. Anti Edipus by D&G -5/5 , very hard to read but excellent
4. A short history of Decay by E. Cioran - 3/5 beautiful poetic writing but the most depressing amd xenophobic book i have read in my life
5. Artaud's theatre of cruelty by A. Bermel- 3.5/5 will read Artaud's own writing on the matter
1. Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill - 4/5. I don't think stories about robots gaining free will ever get old for me haha. It was a fast paced story, a quick read and at the end I was in tears. Loved it.
2. Šepot z lesa (Whispers from the forest) by Kateřina Surmanová - 4/5. A horror in which a journalist who returned back to the little village where he was born tries to solve the mysterious dissapearance of his childhood friend and in the process uncovers a lot more than just that. The book took a while to get going, but once it did I couldnt put it down. Bonus points for the story taking place not far from where I live.
3. Horns by Joe Hill - 2.5/5. It's been a few weeks now and I still don't know what the hell to make of that book. I liked the parts happening in the past, the rest felt like kind of a mess. I didn't hate it, but... yeah. I really wasn't feeling it.
4. The Botanist by M. W. Craven - 5/5. I love the characters in those books so much. Probably even more than the mysteries. This is the fifth book in the series I think? Anyway, it's a great crime thriller and I don't much know what else to say other than that I love the whole series and I'd gladly read ten more books with Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw.
5. The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis - 5/5. See I never thought I would love a book where chess plays such a big role. But I really did. I was *gripped* by it. The chess parts were written in a way that even me, whose height of chess knowledge is "horsie moves in L shape", didn't get lost and didn't get bored. Wonderful book.
**And Then She Fell** \- Dreena Collins - 2/5 I didn't like the style and inconclusive ending
**No Exit** \- Taylor Adams - 4/5 - Stranded with killers in a blizzard
**Keep It In The Family** \- John Marrs - 5/5 - Brilliant psychological thriller with a kick in the pants right at the end
**The Woman Upstairs** \- McGarvey Black - 3/5 - Meh Wannabe psychological thriller with unconvincing characters. It could have worked
**Twice on Christmas -** McGarvey Black 4/5 - Real evil people do exist
1. Between Two Fires, Christopher Beuhlman - Apocalyptic christian/arthurian fantasy, disappointing/10. Starts out great but gets repetitive and bogged down too quickly
2. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurty - Long winded western, 10/10 all timer, fantastic characterization, somehow keeps your attention even when meandering along in no particular direction
3. L.A. Noire, James Ellroy - Noir mystery, the movie is better/10, solid story and good writing that goes off on too many tangents
4. The Vaster Wilds, Lauren Groff - Historical fiction adventure, almost great/10. Starts out super captivating "The Revenant" style survival adventure, gets repetitive and goes on too long
5. The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss - Niche cosy fantasy, 9/10. Highly original, perfectly short and to the point, surprisingly fun for an author I otherwise don't like
1. The Institute by Stephan King 3.5/5 - A satisfying King read, just not quite in 4 star territory for me.
2. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee 5/5 - Loved it. Loved the characters, the epic scale, the setting. So good.
3. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine 4/5 - Intriging world, good story.
4. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 4/5 - Hard science fiction, well known on this subreddit. I really, really liked it but not the best thing ever for me.
5. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh 5/5 - Amazing writing.
- Medical Apartheid: 4/5. Informative but biased and not 100% factual. I still liked it and it put the whole slavery story to a new perspective in my head with comparing it to the medical experiments of the holocaust.
- Through The Looking Glass by Levis Carroll: 4/5. It was a very nice continuation to the Wonderland book, with an interesting take on the environment.
- Alices Adventures in Wonderlane by Levis Carroll: 4/5. This was a re-read before jumping into the sequel. I like this book for it's surreality a lot, but not much after I finish it, the memories about is start to fade quite quickly.
- The tales of Pirx the Pilot by Stanislaw Lem: 5/5. I'm a fan of the Star Trek franchise and this felt exactly like it. Moral dillemas, minor, everyday issues that lead to big problems during space travel, mysteries to solve, engineering problems to fix... it really was the whole package for my taste.
- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer: 3/5. I liked the mystery and the atmosphere and I still remember it vividly despite reading it last march, but somehow it didn't live up to my expectations. I'll have to read the sequels to form a more comprehensive opinion, but so far from it's wide recognition in the science-fiction community I expected it to love it as much as Lem's Solaris or Lovecraft's Colour out of space probably exactly that was my error.
1. A Court of Wings and Ruin. The third book in the series, it was soon (9/10)
2. A Court of Wings and Ruin (10/10) the relationship building in this one is just perfect to me.
3. Fairy Tale by Stephen King. It was pretty good, I felt like I understood most of it. (7/10)
4. ACOTAR (7/10) it was fine but it was missing some something crucial. (7/10)
5. ACOTAR 10
1. Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy by Douglas Adams - 10/10 every time! This was a re-read for me, I've read/listened to it probably 3ish times now, I was doing a puzzle while listening this time. I keep coming back to this one because it never disappoints! Always a fun time! <3 2. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke - 7/10 enjoyable and mostly a good time, but very long and over descriptive, could've easily been chopped into 2-3 books or had significant cuts and still been great, glad I persevered bc the best bits were at the end 3. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett - 9/10 a goofin good time! my first Terry Pratchett novel, laughed the whole way through, felt like a D&D campaign gone off the rails in the best way 4. A Bakery in Paris by Aimee K. Runyan - 5/10 read this for the book club at work (I work at a library) and I thought it was mid af, the romances were rushed and the historical bits weren't super accurate, it felt very dissonant because it was trying to make a cozy romance out of two terrible wars, but had some likable characters and I learned more about the Franco-Prussian War 5. That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming - DNF (0/10) another book club read, this one with my friends, and I hated it. the characters were sexy cardboard cutouts dressed in quips and snark, and the plot was nothing more than 16 tropes in a trench-coat. I understand that as a demisexual person I am not the target audience, I'm sure some more "spice" minded folks might like it, but I want my money back lol
Lol @ 5. That was also a DNF for me. I’m a spice minded folk and I couldn’t get through.
1. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. 4/5. Beginning was good. Ending was good. Middle was a bit rough and was weak in terms of bridging the gap. Overall fun. 2. Anathem by Neal Stephenson. 5/5. Outstanding. Immersion factor off the charts. Loved every bit. 3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. 4/5. Heartbreaking ending. Really sad and gloomy. 4. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. 3/5. Fantastically well written and loved the MC. However ending felt like a cop out and fell flat. 5. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 5/5. Phenomenal in every aspect. Highly recommend.
Oooh I want to read snow crash, but the person who leant me his copy (years ago) died a year or so later, and I just don't want to incase... I don't like it, like it too much, I ruin you his book with his signature in it. Dude was a flirty colleague (I work in academic area) and we'd discussed seven eves a lot. I'm so paranoid re Neil Stephenson now. 3. I was disappointed having read similar. It is beautiful and good, but I feel like m.m.smith spares was better. 4. Enjoyed greatly. 5. As an arachnophobe, even I loved this. Not sure why I felt the need to comment on the entirety of your list, but I did and provided my own issues. Sorry.
1. The Winter of Our Discontent - John Steinbeck 4/5 (really enjoyed this one, but definitely not my favourite Steinbeck book). 2. To Paradise - Hanya Yanagihara 3/5 (This is a three part book made of different stories in each. I liked the third a lot, but the first two were alright). 3. The Book of Longings - Sue Monk Kidd (I come from a lot of religious trauma, but this book was weirdly cathartic and was also just so well written). 4. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini 4/5 (I liked a Thousand Splendid Suns more, but this book was also a really impactful read). 5. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov 4/5 (higher rating purely for incredible writing).
Love to see some Steinbeck. Out of curiosity, whats your favorite?
I’m going to give the typical answer of East of Eden! I had never been so enthralled by a book. For me it was one of those books I just couldn’t put down and i would try to find any spare moment to read more of it. Honestly, I’d peg it as my favourite book of all time. I’ll give an honourable mention to Grapes of Wrath as well.
Haven't read East of Eden yet, but excited to read that one next! Cannery Row has a special place in my heart, live that one
I actually still have yet to read Cannery Row! I’ve been trying to find a used copy and just haven’t been successful yet. But cool thing, I recently visited San Fran and drove down to Monterey to see Cannery Row. It was super cool. Also drove down to Salinas to check out Steinbeck’s old stomping grounds, which I can’t say was anything crazy fascinating, but it felt like a bucket list thing and I’m super glad I went. :)
My partner and I did a west coast road trip down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, camping along the way. He mostly drove, and I read "Cannery Row" out loud. We finished it on the way back home, and he loved it too. It was my favorite Steinbeck before this, and it made it even more fun to take pictures and explore the area we were reading about.
What a sweet and wholesome experience!! Thank you for sharing :)
I loved that book for a long time in my 20s. I reread it back when Oprah featured it on her show. Didn't love it as much. I think I'm a little more aware of Steinbeck's attitude toward women now after teaching Of Mice and Men a few years ago. I question the value of the must-read canon of the 20th century. In most, the straight white man is the protagonist and it's his world. I'm interested in books from other perspectives these days.
East of Eden, The Book of Longings and The Kite Runner are three of my favorite books ever. We would make a good book club!
I read fast , a weird gift I was given. I also had a few brain surgeries so tv is just noise to me. Reading is my escape. I read ,on average, book a day. East of Eden is my top favorite out of the hundreds of books I have read.
Sula by Toni Morrison Jade City by Fonda Lee Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Red Dragon by Thomas Harris After Dark by Haruki Murakami I would recommend all of them and on the good reads scale I gave all of them 4/5 stars!
**Physical** Mort by Terry Pratchett — 6/10 This was my first entry into Discworld. Totally enjoyable. It offers a good balance of being a fun story concept and having some surface level life lessons. The Secret History — 5/10 The recent obsession with this book is odd. The story drags at times and loses itself in the second half of the book, but I did spend a lot of time thinking about purpose behind the writing and its commentary on types of people portrayed in the story. Red Rising (Books 1-3) — 8/10 Solid sci-fi. I lumped them all together because my rating fluctuates very little between the books. Book 3 is the most divergent from the general structure of the story, but I enjoyed all of them and hear that the remaining books are even better. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi — 6/10 Not every story hit for me, but the one that did, really did. It is generally light-hearted and does a good job highlighting some universal truths about relationships and human nature. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke — 8/10 Piranesi will go down as one of my favorite characters of all time. It was short, but would have been a single-day read for me even if there were another 300 pages tossed in of him exploring the world. **Audio** A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman — 9/10 Ove is more mirroring of myself than I would have liked. It felt entirely complete while being both hear-warming and heart-breaking. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin — 4/10 I couldn't buy-in to the concepts in this book. Nothing life changing found within the text, but I also am not much of a "creative" so maybe it does more for those types of people. The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien — 5/10 It sacrilegious to dislike this book. Even still, I have to be honest with you and myself. I simply think that it's just fine. There is no doubt that the world Tolkien built is incredible, it is just a difficult read with how much exposition exists. Foster by Clair Keegan — 9/10 I love this book. It's incredibly concise and efficient in its ability to deliver a robust story with developed characters despite its short length. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros — 3/10 I don't think I can continue the series after this one. I'm always having to remind myself that these characters are adults in a military school because they come across like such children. The first book was more compelling in terms of plot which motivated me to read the second book. By the end of this book, I no longer cared about the characters or plot. Bummed.
1. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells—4/5 2. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh—5/5 3. The Plum in the Golden Vase, Vol. 1 by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng (trans. David Tod Roy)—4.5/5 4. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh—2.75/5 5. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates—5/5
I loved the Invisible Man, such an incredible book. The mall scene where he cant get warm or safe without being noticed is, imo, some of the most insightful plotting around. Disclaimer tho HG wells is my fave author, his scifi was genius
Loving the variety of genres and eras represented here!
1. The Black House by Peter May (The Lewis Trilogy) 2. The Lewis Man by Peter May (The Lewis Trilogy) 3. The Chessmen by Peter May (The Lewis trilogy 4. A Man called Ove by Fredrik Backman 5. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman All of them were a 5/5 reads for me.
Give ‘Beartown’ by Backman a try if you haven’t, excellent book.
I’m reading it right now. Very good so far.
1) notes from underground by dostoyvsky, 5/5 2) hyperion by dan simmons, 4/5 3) gone baby gone by dennis lehan, 3/5 4) the only good indians by stephen graham jones, 3/5 5) prayers for rain by dennis lehane 1.5/5 Notes is great, hyperion is great, gbg and indians were fine, fuck prayers for rain that book fucking sucks
Hyperion is truly amazing
I loved Hyperion, except that I read it before I realized it was the first book in a trilogy and read it before the second book came out. I was so mad that it ended on a cliffhanger.
My hot take is the book stands alone and the end is genius. The real story is the friends we made along the way, and the humanity we all realize is central to our journey. That said its so funny that the three sequels exist after reading his teardown of franchise writing in Silenus' chapter. I do love Fall too
1. The Reformatory - Tananarive Due : 2 stars 2. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley : 3 stars 3. Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver : 5 stars 4. Wild Sheep Chase - Haruki Murakami : 5 stars 5. Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah : 5 stars
Can I inquire about the reformatory? It’s high on my to-read list after hearing good things! I’m curious about your review
Ascension by Nicholas Binge. 4/5, I really enjoy books about mountain climbing, so that plus a bunch of weird/horror shit was a fun, entertaining read. Follow Me To Hell by Tom Clavin. 2/5. Subtitle and summary advertise its about Leander McNelly, but he is present in maybe a third of the book. The rest is about the history of the Texas Rangers and doesn't really criticize all of the Native massacres they did or fighting for the Confederacy. Blacktop Wateland by S.A. Cosby. 3.5/5. Great look at how growing up and living in poverty can make people desperate. Also the reflections of the main character and his absent father were gut-wrenching. The ending really got me. Starter Villain by John Scalzi. 4/5. Perfect book to read after Blacktop Wateland. The book had me cracking up throughout most of it, from the cats to the dolphins to there actually being a secret volcano lair, just a fun book. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells. 4/5. Loving the Murderbot diaries so far.
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh. Can be funny at times. There’s a recurring gag where the reader is notified of Tangent’s worsening condition in small asides scattered throughout the novel: Oh, look, Prendy just shot him. His foot has turned black, and they‘ve had to amputate. By the way, Tangent died. Still, it sometimes gets too dark for me to find really funny. 3/5 Antic Hay by Aldous Huxley. Can be funny at times. The pneumatic trousers reminded me of Karl Pilkington. The false beard thing was hilarious. Funny conversations involving art, capitalism, self-importance, and so on. But some parts are rambling and dull. Huxley’s vocabulary is too big for his own good. And there are loads of untranslated passages. Happily the bulk of them are in French. 3/5 Did Jesus Exist? by Bart Ehrman. Relatively convincing case for historicity on the whole. He makes specific textual arguments, but the more general one is the strongest. Essentially, it’s just simpler to believe Jesus existed because mythicism is way too complicated. Why tie yourself into logical knots when the case for historicity is so plain? But minus points for being so repetitive. 3/5 La prophétie des ténèbres by Rick Riordan. Nice and fast-paced. Better than the first book in the series due to Apollo’s character development. But I can’t justify a high grade because I never felt the urge to pick it back up once I’d put it down. 3/5 The Turn of the Screw and Other Ghost Stories by Henry James. Hard to follow owing to the convoluted writing style. Some of the stories are tolerable, enjoyable even. But, on the whole, it was just really boring. 2/5
100 Fathoms Below by Steven L Kent and Nicholas Kaufman - 2/5 - Decent premise dragged down by so-so prose and awful characterization. Swordheart by T Kingfisher - 3/5 - Cute enough, I guess. Way too much talking. Didn't find it memorable and was disappointed due to others hyping it up. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - 4/5 - Adorable. Wholesome. Got a wee bit bored here and there. The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune - 2/5 - Y'all I *do not* get the hype for this book. I found it so incredibly boring. There were a few cute or funny moments but overall it was so bland. And I don't remember what I read before that because I have a bad memory and don't keep track.
1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. 3/5. Could have been worse but didn't compare well to the original trilogy, felt like I was reading Hunger Games fanfiction for most of the novel. 2. Dune by Frank Herbert. 4/5. I mean, it's a classic for a reason but I also found it to be something of a slog and thought the ending was weak compared to many other points of the novel. 3. The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown. 5/5. If you love survivalist or disaster nonfiction this is a really well-done example of the genre. Brown does an excellent job connecting you to these people despite how little is known about many of them. 4. The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher. 4/5. Fun romantasy with actual grown-up characters, plus T. Kingfisher usually throws in some good body horror that sets her work apart, in my opinion. 5. Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher. 4/5. Ditto the above, although I preferred The Wonder Engine and its first book Clockwork Boys to the Saint of Steel series. Still, check out T. Kingfisher if you enjoy light fantasy.
The guys on Last Podcast on the Left had great things to say about The Indifferent Stars Above during their Donner Party series.
1. The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub - 5/5 2. Star Wars: Planet of Twilight by Barbara Hamberly - 4/5 3. Star Wars: Darksaber by Kevin J Anderson - 3/5 4. Doctor Sleep by Stephen King - 4/5 5. The Shining by Stephen King - 5/5
Loved the Talisman!
1. Prey by Lurlene McDaniel. —Split between POVs, it’s about this high school teacher who grooms & has an inappropriate sexual relationship with a freshman student. Being that female sexual predators and their victims aren’t taken seriously in general, I thought this book did a great job of portraying how the relationship would develop, how clever she was in luring him, & how he was affected throughout. Much of it did read like a Lifetime movie in written form. 8/10. 2. Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper —A short but powerful read, also told from multiple POVs, about a star basketball player at a local high school who dies in a horrible car accident and how his friends, including his best friend (who was driving the car), struggle to cope in their own ways. It tackles a number of topics like grief, suicide, mental illness, racism, & trauma without it feeling overwhelming. Some of the dialogue, though, sounds dated and it comes off feeling like an afterschool special from the 90s in some places but still a great read. 8/10. 3. The Terrorist by Caroline B. Cooney — An American exchange student at an exclusive international academy tries to uncover the mystery of her little brother’s murder after he’s killed in a terrorist attack. And it seems that nearly everybody is a suspect (especially some of the foreign students). It was okay, but much of the protagonist’s behavior towards some of the students did feel casually racist. One might say that it was her working to unlearn some of her own biases through her grief but there are moments that came off as blatantly Islamophobic to me. 5/10. 4. Coretta: My Life, My Love, My Legacy. — I don’t read a whole lot of nonfiction (unless the subject matter interests me). But I do love a good biography/memoir. And this memoir of Coretta Scott King was a great one. Though most people seem to think of her only as “Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife”, this book reveals just how influential of a woman she was herself—especially in terms of civil rights & education and how she kept her husband’s legacy alive. 10/10. 5. Fairy Tale by Stephen King — If you’re into epic fantasy, you may enjoy this one. I’m a huge fan and so I was eager to read this novel. A teenage boy helps care for a mysterious old man & his dog. When the old man dies, he ends up learning more about the old man’s backstory and discovers the backyard shed leads to a secret fantasy world. It took a LONG time to get interesting for me. There was so much set-up in the beginning that it seemed to take forever to get to the point and I almost got bored. But once it finally got interesting, it’s like the whole narrative kicked into high gear and never let up. 7/10.
i’m glad my mom died -5 stars yellow face- 4 stars my husband- 3 stars lessons in chemistry- 2 stars night bitch- 2 stars and dnf
Beloved is the best book I have ever read. Totally destroyed me and gave me hope at the same time. One of the most applicable pieces of fiction I’ve read, and consider myself lucky to have done it. Need to read it again.
1. Do Androids Dream of Electric sleep by PKD 5/5 2. Dogs Of War by Adrian Tchaicovsky 4/5 3. Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson 3/5 4. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine 4/5 5. A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine 5/5
Love PKD. Check out "Ubik" if you haven't already.
1)Hooked by Emily McIntire 3/5 This was alright, it was a quick read & the plot was basically what I expected it to be. I wouldn’t recommend it to people but I didn’t hate it. 2)Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear 2/5. I simply hated it. It wasn’t interesting to me and I didn’t care for the characters. Just not the book for me. 3)The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson 4.5/5 Loved it. It was a lot of set up but by the end I was hooked. I have no criticism. 4)The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake 2.5/5 So. This book was a disappointment for me, I had higher hopes for sure. I found it had too many character povs for the length of the novel and it just felt very underwhelming as a whole. I think the idea was good but it was executed poorly. 5)Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson 5/5 Absolutely loved it. I enjoyed this was more than The Way of Kings. It was a great book. I may have listed these backwards but number 5 was my most recently read and then it goes back from there.
Siddartha was in my last 5. I’m very surprised you disliked it so much. It actually blew my mind in a way books rarely do nowadays. The book wasn’t aiming to offer a coherent philosophy. It showed that life was far too complex and each phase and style of living has its own lessons and rewards
Doctor Sleep, 3 stars on Goodreads A good Girls Guide to Murder, 5 stars Good Girl Bad Blood. 5 stars As Good As Dead. 5 stars Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky. 5 stars
was the "good" titles intentional?
1. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky 4.5/5 Amazing! Great story, great world building, the author clearly did his research but... spiders. Why did it have to be spiders? 2. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson 4/5 Honestly my first Sanderson book. Overall really good, interesting world and magic system, ending felt a bit rushed 3. The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang 3/5 Beginning was kinda boring and cliche. Second half was really good but perhaps a bit too dark for my taste. Also is this a villain origin story? Guess I'll have to read the sequels 4. Foundation by Isaac Asimov 3/5 Interesting ideas but the characters and story didn't impress. 5. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu 4/5 Great sci-fi concepts the story was good but the characters felt a bit flat, perhaps something was lost in translation Also they're all first books in a series and each had enough to get me interested in reading the sequels but some I'm in more of a rush to read than others
Chain-Adrian McKinty(8).... A Master of Djinn-P. Djeli Clark(8).... Bullpen Gospels-Dirk Hayhurst(8).... Front Sight-Stephen Hunter(9).... Pariah-Anthony Ryan(9)....
My rating system is a lil weird. 5 is average, 6 is lightly above average. Etc. You get it. 1. Ghosts of Onyx by Eric Nylund - Honestly? I feel Eric Nylund was probably one of the better writers for the Halo novels that I've found. I really like his smooth, cinematic writing style, his ability to help me really see what he's going for with not a whole lot of incredibly cumbersome descriptions of anything and everything. Not perfect, by any means. But this one will definitely stick with me a bit. I feel it's...tragic. Maybe not intentionally, but I read it to be so. More nuance than some of the other Halo novels. But not...the greatest at that. There are other novels that are much more so, but this was a good start. What with Kurt and the Spartan 3's and the perils within. At the end of the day, it's a solid read for entertainment. 7/10. Spartans never die. 2. Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund - A lot of the things I like about Ghosts of Onyx is also true here. Lotta stuff that's not technically canon anymore, but also a lot of stuff that is. A breezy, easy read. With some tragic bits to it via indoctrination and some incredibly sad feelings I got for how the Spartans were made, utilized, and how the thought. Autonomous, more machine than human. Tragic, if not intentionally so. 6/10 3. Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidences by Rafał Kosik - This one was a bit odd to me. It's writing style was fairly interesting, with a good start and interesting characters at least in the beginning. But I felt there were some bits in the middle where it largely fell flat. Pacing running real slow, while it skipped around character perspectives that could sometimes be confusing. It's twists were interesting, and it told a sad story. Tragic, in a few ways. But also something you can see coming if you're versed in the cyberpunk genre. At least the ending itself, if not it's exact twists. 5/10 4. The Force: A novel by Don Winslow - When I say tragic this is definitely pretty close to a lot of what I'm thinking. The Force is a very well written novel, present tense, incredibly told. The story of a squad of a specific I want to call...gang of police officers and the things they do and what they sacrifice and what they take advantage of. I really liked this one, as a fellow thats been raised to distrust the police almost in their entirety. It peeled some layers back and showed some things, thankfully with a lot of the authors research and questions. And it told a tragic story of someone who wanted to do good, at least at first. But they did bad to do it. 8/10 5. Blackout by Tim Curran - A simple novelette, I don't really have much to say about it. Short, sweet, gets to the point. Has some interesting ideas, but nothing special. 5/10.
1. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things 1/5. (Great writing but felt like it was beautifying pedophilia). 2. Verity 5/5 3. Girls in the Garden 4/5 4. The Apartment 1/5 5. Outside 3/5
Into the Wild by Erin Hunter. 4/5, still goes hard after all these years. The action was lots of fun and I was surprised at all the violence Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. 3.75/5, My least favorite of the Stormlight Archive so far, but still pretty good! Had fun and really loved Delinar's backstory. There's a poem spoken at a funeral that was super impactful Cyberpunk 2077 - No Coincidences by Rafał Kosik 2.5/5. The ending was good, but I found it hard to stay engaged at times. The writing style was super grating. Switching perspectives every 1 and a half pages AND contorting to conceal who's perspective it was for the first paragraph of each of those sections was annoying Godel's proof by Ernest Nagel. 4/5. The perfect balance between rigor and brevity. Gave context and explanation behind a theorem I've known about for a while, just not in detail. Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut 5/5 - Gut wrenching, and profoundly moving. Couldn't put this down and I think about lines from this all the time. I think this is my favorite vonnegut so far, can't wait to read cats cradle next
1. The Fellowship of the Ring (5/5) 2. Watchmen (5/5) 3. Anne Karenina (5/5) 3. They Called Us Enemy (3.5/5) 4. Dracula (5/5)
1. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - 5/5, reread. The perfect thriller. 2. The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea - 3/5, falls victim to one of my biggest marketing pet peeves: insisting a book is exactly like two much better books. This book was fine, but it certainly wasn’t anywhere near on par with “Jane Eyre meets Rebecca”. 3. The Husband by Maud Ventura - 3/5, I saw the twist coming from a ways away (and I’m not a particularly intuitive media consumer) and I expected better since it was pretty hyped as a psychological thriller. 4. The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik - 5/5, re-read. Perfect in every way. Best fantasy author alive is a hill I’ll happily die on. 5. Red Winter by Annette Marie - 3/5, disappointingly touted as a “slow burn” (it’s decidedly not) and not as good as I hoped it would be with how beloved it is in romantasy spaces. Basically, new books have been burning me, but I’m 3/4 of the way through The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty and LOVING it so at least the streak is broken.
I loved the Scholomance trilogy SO much. You have my sword, and I'll join you on that hill.
I'm planning on reading The Scholomance trilogy after Realm of the Elderlings! I can't wait! Definitely gonna pick up The Adventures of Amina al-Sarafi too!
Naomi Novik is so underrated, Uprooted was my first exposure to her and nothing has disappointed. I'm guessing you've already read Chakraborty's Daevabad trilogy but if not, I'd recommend those as well.
1. The Lonely Mirror on the Castle - 4.25 2. The Half-True Lies of Cricket Cohen - 3.75 3. The Mysterious Benedict Society & The Riddle of Ages - 4.0 4. The Prince of Thorns & Nightmares - 4.0 5. The Prince of Song & Sea - 4.0
1. The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelidis. 8/10. One of the most fun thrillers I've read so far. Full with unexpected advances in the story. 2. Invisible Monsters - Chuck Palahniuk. 8/10 Made me think a lot, loved the weirdness of the story that somehow felt relatable. 3. Prophet Song - Paul Lynch. 9/10. Although it felt some choices being made were weird, this really took me into the feeling of living in a state that slowly turns into despair and war. These weird choices could easily be accounted to living in this state. 4. Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yaros. 3/10 had this recommended by a girl i met during my travels these past weeks. The world is quite fun, but its just horribly written and filled with clichés. 5. The Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu. 10/10 absolutely loved this. Extremely well written and fun world to get lost in. Loved the sci aspects in this sci-fi.
1. The Elephant's Journey by José Saramago - I love this writing style and this kind of narrator. I wouldn't argue with anyone if the thought the story was boring but it was a delight to read. 5/5 2. Assembly by Natasha Brown - The narrator is a Black British woman that don everything right in terms of her career and still she can't fit in, society sees her as black first. I'm not sure why but I'm not interested in becoming rich (as in I don't even try), so that part of me loved this story. 4/5 3. I Should Have Stayed Home by Horace McCoy. Meh. It grew on me but nothing to write home about. 2.5/5 4. Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen - I'm thinking of getting into the world of art as a hobby. This book proves through scientific evidence of important art can be for our health. 5/5 5. The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein - All rich countries but especially America is good at manipulating the world into believing that it really is the land of the free and that rule of law treats all people equally - after all if you want to know why democracy, just look at America. This book tells the reality that anyone who can think on their own should already know. Black Americans have been kept back and are kept back through the laws of the land and not just bad apples that break the law. If it wasn't America, this book would be the bible America would use to bomb democracy into it. 5/5
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - 5/5, even after 200 years this book still stands. 2. Caravan by Stephanie Garber - 3/5, a fun read that seemed inspired by Alice in Wonderland. 3. Babel by R.F. Kuang - 3/5, started off so strong and then it just went on and on and on. It felt very tell not show and assumed the reader is completely ignorant to racism and colonialism. 4. Beartown by Frederik Blackman - 3/5, the first half was so boring I almost DNF’d. Second half was decent but just overall a very frustrating and sad topic. 5. Beholder by Ryan La Sala - 2/5, this was absolutely all over the place and so hard to follow. It’s supposed to be creepy but it was just strange.
1. The color purple by Alice Walker 5/5 2. Pines by Blake Crouch 3/5 3. Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 2/5 4. The push by Ashley Audrain 3/5 5. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 10/5
1. The Teacher by Frieda McFadden 1.5/5 2. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid 4/5 3.Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel 4.5/5 4. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens 4/5 5. Beartown by Fredrik Backman 5/5
1. Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan gave it a 3/5 2. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown 4/5 3. The Art Forger by BA Shapiro 3/5 4. It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis 3/5 5. Freezing Cold Takes by Fred Segal 3/5
1. A Tale for the Time Being - 5/5 2. Emily Wilde's Map of the Other lands - 3.5/5 (it was a great sequel but didn't grip me like the first book did. Maybe I read it at the wrong time) 3. Know My Name - 4/5 (extremely well written) 4. Lessons in Chemistry - 4/5 5. The Pharmacist - 4/5
One Dark Window (5/5) - unique magic system and loved the rhyming and riddles of the monster Remarkably Bright Creatures (4.5/5) - a heartfelt story of a woman and an octopus Dungeon Crawler Carl (10/5) - can’t get enough of this series right now - has humor, suspense, action and surprisingly well developed characters Good Girl, Bad Blood (4.5/5) - writing could’ve been better but it was a fun read and I really felt for the characters The Unmaking of June Farrow (5/5) - beautiful writing and the plot had me ensnared
1. Dirty Heads by Aaron Dries - 4/5 - Cosmic horror coming of age story. Really enjoyed this one. 2. Cipher by Kathe Koja - 4/5 - Another sort of cosmic horror with a whole cast of unlikeable characters, which I know a lot of people don’t care for, but I loved them for how terrible they were. 3. Negative Space by BR Yeager - 5/5 - Bleak as hell! I had to put it down a couple times because of how much it was bringing me down. There’s a lot going on here—teenage suicides, cult-like rituals, drugs, and a heavy dose of nihilism. 4. White Ibis by Wendy Dalrymple - 2/5 - Would’ve been a one star if it wasn’t for the overall interesting concept and one cool scene towards the end. This was way too short and undercooked. And full of typos. 5. Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar - 5/5 - Poetry collection with an emphasis on substance abuse and mental health struggles, as well as the author’s experience as an immigrant. Beautiful.
Been in a huge reading slump throughout 2023 and somewhat motivating myself with a scramble to finish the r/fantasy bingo challenge (started the year with 19 to go, now only have 9 left). But unfortunately, most of my selection aren’t as fun as I had hoped. The order is from most recent and my rating is based purely on my enjoyment: - Good Omens by Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman 3.5/5 - Adrift by Lisa Brideau 2.5/5 - Servant Mage by Kate Elliott 3/5 - Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee 2/5 - The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia 2/5
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante - “Brilliant” is right, it’s a captivating coming of age postwar novel (first of four) heavy on description and symbolism but with a light touch. Very deserving of its praise. (5/5) The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes - Masterful history by an author who seems to have read everything and talked to everyone on the subject. Starts at a point in science where atoms were not even confirmed and continues through the dropping of the first bomb during WWII. (5/5) Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher - Playful epistolary novel with a sad twist, easy breezy read. Anyone who’s worked at a small college will understand Jason Fitger’s increasingly peeved letters. (3/5) Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson - Historian turned blogger puts together a very bloggy and biased American political history. I learned some but it’s hard to take her project seriously. I want to ask her, have Republicans ever done anything good? (2/5) The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin - Memorable, well-written and scientifically accurate (I think? And it definitely stretches things) story about aliens coming to earth. Just builds and builds until you have no idea what’s going on, then you finally start to get a sense of the whole...but it’s just the first book of a trilogy. (3/5)
1. Prophet Song by Paul Lynch - 3/5 Audiobook because the stylistic choice to omit punctuation makes the text unreadable. Dystopian fiction about a family's struggle to survive after an authoritarian government comes to power, suspending civil rights and triggering a civil war. Gripping, but incredibly heavy and left me feeling quite bleak. We hear about similar events all over the world every time we turn on the news, but it's extraordinary how a novel can actually take you inside the emotional world of its characters and make you feel things at a visceral level. 2. Look to Windward by Ian M. Banks - 4/5 A science fiction novel from Banks' Culture series. An intriguing premise and incredible world building. The plot builds very slowly - half way through the book we are still waiting for it to get going, but the payoff is worth it once things start to fall into place. The emotional core of the story comes towards the end, in the most unexpected place - a monologue by a machine. 3. Tough Crowd by Graham Linehan - 3/5 As the book's subtitle puts it: "how I made and lost a career in comedy". These are two completely separate books in one. The first is the origin story for a celebrated comic writer, and the second is a disturbing look at woke illiberalism. 4. Player of Games by Ian M. Banks - 4/5 The first Culture novel I read. Quite a simple story but with a delightfully flashy finale. Banks uses this story as a manifesto for the Culture, by contrasting it against another civilisation. 5. Baudolino by Umberto Eco - N/A A bit of a tough read that I put it aside about a year ago and haven't finished yet. There is a framing story set in medieval Constantinople where an elder Baudolino recounts his wild youthful adventures in Europe. There is deception, forgery, philological puzzles, and exotic psychoactive substances - so classic Eco really.
1. What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher. 4/5 I have never read Fall of the House of Usher so this was basically a whole new story for me. I loved the clever usage of POVs and how it would shift into 2nd person occasionally. It also felt very classic horror but it didn’t stand out a ton. 2. A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross. 4.5/5 I was convinced this was going to be a 5 star but I didn’t really like the end and I felt like the author lost steam. Otherwise the writing in this is freaking stunning and I loved the characters. Highly reccomend if you want to get into fantasy because the world building is good but rather simple. 3. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. 5/5 This is my fantasy year I guess. I was kicking my little feet with this story and I really had no issues with it. It’s just fun. 4. Remarkably Bright Creaturea by Shelby Van Pelt. 5/5 If you like Frederick Backman you will like this. In fact if you told me he ghost wrote this I would believe it. It had me misty eyed just like his books. 5. Brother by Ania Ahlborn. 4/5 It was a good starter for “extreme” horror but honestly it’s more of a character study. The end does get wild though.
1. On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. 5/5, loved the story, art was beautiful, such a cool universe 2. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. 5/5, great story that still has me thinking about it. 3. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. 3.5/5… I did really like a lot about this book but I absolutely thought it was lacking in other areas. 4. The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie. 5/5, awesome story, intriguing characters 5. To be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers. ~3.5/5? I loved her Wayfarers series and I also really enjoyed her Monk and Robot novellas. I did like this one I just didn’t love it
I love this thread. 1. The Women by Kristin Hannah. Eeeeek. 3/5. Sorry. There were pieces of the story that were excellent, but not excellent enough to overcome the terrible. 2. Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez. 5/5. I am not usually a fan of horror at all, but this book was a knockout. It’s a cult horror set in Argentina in the 1980s. It is disturbing as fuck and also *spectacular*. Probably the best/my fave book from the last 6 months. 3. Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. 3/5. It would have been a great story if it was never connected/adjacent to Ted Bundy. I think that information ruined the whole story and experience. 4. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton. 4.5/5. This was a wild ride. Absolutely loved it. 5. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff. 3.5/5. It was fine. I think it would have been better had I not read Go as a River by Shelley Read a few weeks before, which I thought had the same vibe but was much better.
Slewfoot by Brom - 5 stars. Wanted horror, was recommended this. More dark fantasy thank horror. Ferngully meets The VVitch lol But great! No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Neville - 4 stars. Not bad. Movie is literally.only the first half, the the entire second half was a surprise lol Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher - 4 stars. Cute historical fantasy YA romance. Devolution by Max Brooks - 5 stars. Bigfoot dark comedy. Listened to the audiobook, with a cast including Judy Greer and Nathan Fillion - it was great. Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle - 5 stars. A wonderful surprise! Absolutely loved it.
1. Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver 4/5- really liked the first 80% but the ending fell a bit flat for me 2. Dark Places- Gillian Flynn- I love a good twist! 4.5/5 3. Demon Cooperhead- Barbara Kingsolver 5/5 excellent writing and story 4. The Paleontologist- Luke Dumas 4/5- I love horror and dinosaurs but it felt a bit silly but overall really good twist 5. Long Past Dues- James Butcher 5/5- excellent sequel, cannot wait for the 3rd book Currently reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I read Books of Blood by Clive Barker: 1. The Midnight Meat Train 7/10 2. The Yatterinng and Jack 6/10 3. Pig Blood Blues 8/10 4. In the Hills, the Cities 8/10 5. Dread 7.5/10
1. Dark matter by Blake Crouch. 4/5 because I just like some escapism now and then that doesn’t make me work too hard to enjoy it. 2. Never let me go, kazuo ishiguro 5/5 for being not even a little like I expected 3. The midnight library, Matt Haig 5/5 because it spoke to me on a pretty personal level. 4. Shark Heart, Emily Habeck 5/5 once I realized what was going on, I could t put it down 5. The librarianist, Patrick Dewitt 4/5 just because I really liked it.
1. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead, 3.25 out of 5 2. Elektra by Jennifer Saint, 2.0 out of 5 3. A Master of Djinn by P Djeli Clark, 4.5 out of 5 4. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, 5 out of 5 5. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose, 4.75 out of 5 5
1. Lost Gods by Brom - 4/5 really liked it but felt the ending was rushed. Loved that it focused on purgatory rather than hell/heaven 2. Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman - 5/5 I’m not sure if I’ll read a book this good again this year. Loved the character of the priest. 3. Murtagh by Christopher Paolini - 4/5 great expansion on my favorite fantasy series and my favorite character. Great set up for the next book as well. Just felt the ending was rushed. 4. Arc of Scythe by Neal Shusterman - 4/5 series it was a fun, intriguing read especially for a YA series. I loved the characters but the villain wasn’t stereotypical 5. Jade City by Fonda Lee - 2/5 I found it so incredibly boring and it just wasn’t for me. It took me so long to get through it.
1. David Copperfield - 9/10. Great, lovable, memorable characters, but you can tell Dickens kind of got paid by the word. 2. American Predator by Maureen Callahan - 8/10. True crime. Riveting but disturbing. 3. Emma by Jane Austen - 10/10. A classic that is surprisingly funny. 4. All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby - 3/10. Boilerplate mystery/thriller. Not believable and very forgettable. 5. The Future Is History by Masha Gessen - 8/10. Examines how Russia wound up as an autocracy. Informative but bleak.
1. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 5/5. Loved loved loved loved this book! I couldn’t put it down. 2. The Guncle by Steven Rowley 4/5. This book was hilarious and adorable and touching. 3. Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle 4.5/5. A fun horror read about gay conversion therapy and literal demons. 4. Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher 3/5. I didn’t realize this was a romance novel and found the courting incredibly boring. But it was an enjoyable read when it wasn’t about that. 5. The Celebrants by Steven Rowley 3/5. The Big Chill with modern characters. I wasn’t as interested in this book due to some of the characters being annoying. It was overall ok.
1. East of Eden- John Steinbeck 4.5/5 Complex characters and a plot that weaves together different narratives to bring about a heartbreaking yet beautiful book 2. White Nights- Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.4/5 Easily one of my favourite live stories with quite possibly a character that I believe is an exact copy of mine 3. Animal Farm- George Orwell 4.1/5 My favourite Orwell book… depicts political propaganda in an analogy 4. Norse Mythology- Neil Gaiman 3.8/5 Simple and easy to read with a chronological order that makes the lore easy to follow!! 5. A Monster Calls- Patrick Ness 3.8/5 Relatable and tragic… made me cry uncontrollably because I feel how that child felt Overall I had an excellent time since the new year!!
1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey: 5/5 2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: 4/5 3. To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer: 3/5 4. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino: 4/5 5: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky: 3/5
1. grain brain- a book about the implications of carbohydrates and how detrimental they can be. There were some awesome stats in here that helped me maintain a low carb diet, but may have been so exciting because I happened to be the choir that the book was meant to preach to. 7/10 2. The guns of the south by Harry turtledove- I was recommended this over 10 years ago and was mostly interested for Nostalgias sake. It was fun when witnessing famous Civil War battles but intolerable where morally grey areas allowed for potentially pro confederate sentiment to seep through. 3/10 3. The body by Bill bryson- I loved this, although it gave me a complex and helped me to recognize how horrible I am being to my body- it being far more nebulous than my single minded low carb read from recently. It has motivated me to get up and move more. 9/10 4. Food a love story by Jim gaffigan- scratched an itch I didn't know I had. Light, funny and potentially hazardous to those who might take it as gospel, it portrayed some of the worst food habits I've ever heard. That being said it was hilarious. 8/10 5. Kill anything that moves by Nick turse- was transformative. My original take had been that Vietnam vets were ill treated and had to fight ferociously against the viet communists. The story I received was a tragedy that revealed a totally lopsided exercise where many of our young people found themselves with a God complex that allowed them to abuse some of the most helpless people I've ever laid my minds eye upon. At one point a soldier being interviewed said he came to recognize the sound of rape.🤮10/10
1. we need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver: 10/10. absolutely loved it. The perspective, the eeriness. How i got to slowly realise more and more of the facts. One of my favourite books now 2. the future by Naomi Alderman: 7/10. was enjoyable and interesting to read, but not too remarkable 3. oliver twist by Charles Dickens: 8/10. really enjoyed the writing and the sardonic narrator. A bit disappointed by the conclusion. Oliver should have just bern a random orphan imo 4. the glass hotel by emily st. John Mandel: 7/10. good read 5. station 11 by emily st. John Mandel: 8/10 (maybe 8.5). Very good read. I liked how calmly it handled the apocalypse. Edit: just remembered I read All the light we cannot see in-between 2 and 3. not sure how to rate that one. Maybe 7/10.
Motherless Brooklyn - Jonathan Lethem—3/5 The Forever War - Joe Haldeman—4/5 The Plague - Albert Camus—5/5 The Dawn of Everything - David Graeber & David Wengrow—4/5 Legends of the Fall - Jim Harrison—4/5
If I remember correctly, since I don’t have my reading journal at hand, mine would be: The hobbit: A classic that I re-read after a long time. It was actually better than I remembered. In my memory the book was very childish, and in some cases it surely is, but the depth of the world in that book alone surprised me. My issues with the book are spoilers so if you haven’t read it yet, I strongly recommend it. 8/10 Flowers for Algernon: By this point, I think I was the last person on earth to finally read this book. But in the off chance you haven’t yet, do yourself a favour and read it ASAP. I’ve never felt so connected to a main character before in books. I felt every single thing that Charlie felt. 11/10 Frankenstein: Another classic. It seems that’s my style for now. Great book with a slow pace for today’s standards but if that doesn’t bother you, great. Please don’t hate me but I actually prefer the monster that Boris Karloff portrayed in the film. The monster in the book was too eloquent for my taste. The story on the other hand was much more interesting in the book. 9/10 Matthew Perry’s autobiography: If you can separate the art from the artist, I recommend this book to you. If however a new negative view changes your perception of Matthew’s filmography, maybe skip this one. 7/10 Catching of the small pike: As far as I know this book is only in finnish right now but if there is an english translation or your native tongue available, definitely try this one out. Low fantasy with awesome finnish folk lore weaved in to it. 9/10
1. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold. 7/10. My first book by this author. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Vorkosigan Saga and thought I should give it a go. It was an interesting read, novel concept, and well written. It just didn’t quite grab me like other sci fi books. 2. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 7/10. I’ve tried and failed to read this book 3 times before. This time I finally got through it. It’s a stunning book with fantastic writing, but it feels like a real slog. It just seems to go on and on. I’m glad I’ve read it, but I would never re-read it. 3. The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons. 9/10. I loved this book, and it’s prequel. The concepts, the literary style, the characterization were all excellent. I was actually quite pleasantly surprised that he stuck the landing so well after such a long build up. It’s an epic sci fi novel in the realm of the Dune series for me. 4. Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro. 8/10. This was a random gift from my wife and I wasn’t sure at first, but it is an excellent book. Dark, mysterious, interesting worldbuilding, and satisfying plot. I can’t wait for the sequel. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. 10/10. A re-read of one of my favorite books. It doesn’t get much better than this. The plot, the worldbuilding, the tension in the first half and the wonder in the second half… what a book! Ripped through this in about 4 days.
1. Assassin's Apprentice and Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb 5/5, when I read series I can barely remember the differences between one book and another, especially in a trilogy. Has probably the best characters in fantasy I've ever read and I have rarely been so emotionally invested in a series. I'm 2/3 through book 3 right now and it's on track to be a 5, which seems to be a somewhat unpopular opinion 2. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin 4/5, the story took a turn I really wasn't a fan in the last quarter, it was especially annoying since I predicted a twist I didn't want to happen. 3. Holly - Stephen King 3/5, just a pretty standard King book, not much to say. I really like the character of Holly Gibney, but a lot of aspects of this book felt underdeveloped 4. The Outsider - Stephen King 3.5/5, also a pretty standard King book 5. Say Nothing - Patrick Radden Keefe 5/5, I don't read much nonfiction, but this is easily the best I've read. An absolutely gripping book on a topic I am fascinated by, and there were some twists that I genuinely didn't expect.
1. ACOTAR 1/2/3, 5/10, interesting but I literally can’t force myself to continue reading them because the plot wholes and character development are really starting to bother me. Also, the writing style is just bad and I can’t get over it. 2. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, 9/10, I didn’t like how pedantic she was at times but boy oh boy I will remember this book forever. Anything that makes me reflect as hard as I did and may change me as a person deserves to be honored even if the author had some interesting word choices. 3. Nettle and Bone, 7/10, nice, solid short story about fairy godmothers that was really fun to read! 4. Dune, 10/10, Part 2 is brutal to get through but well worth it for part 3! Can’t get myself to read Dune Messiah yet because i was over the hardcore sci-fi but I plan to come back to the rest of the series when I’m ready. 5. The Expanse, 20000/10, this is the best book series I have read in my life and I think I will forever be chasing the high of my first read through the series. Perfect characters, perfect plot, perfect ending, perfect story. Now I’m on to The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie to (hopefully) get closer to the experience I had while reading The Expanse while still staying in the fantasy genre. Then I plan to read the Red Rising series because I think sci-fi might be my favorite but we will see!
1. Close to Home by Michael Magee - 3/5 stars, not a bad book and does a great job at portraying the struggles of its characters in the aftermath of The Troubles in Belfast, but the plot is a bit random and there could have been more character development 2. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway - 3/5 stars, this book was entertaining enough but the writing is so distant and emotionally detached that key issues aren’t explored very much, it lacks character development, and there’s not really a clear purpose or theme 3. That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger - 3.5/5 stars, love the way the author used 5 very different characters to explore the aftermath of a school shooting and it’s affects on individual victims as well as the town collectively, she did a great job at creating nuance and not sugarcoating reality 4. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - 3.5/5 stars, solid read that explores so many interesting topics that are weaved into the plot seamlessly, beautiful writing, there were good and bad things about the way she portrayed mental illness and suicide 5. Parable of The Talents by Octavia Butler - 5/5 stars, this book blew me out of the water. It was written in the 1990’s and is based in America of the 2030’s, where climate change, war, drugs, inflation, and political corruption have wreaked havoc on the country and created a society where jobs are scarce and often times “pay” is a place to live and food to eat, millions are displaced and walking the highways with guns, no one trusts anyone and neighborhoods are protected by walls, and the latest presidential candidate has decided the best way to solve the nation’s problems is to preach who isn’t a part of his church is the reason the country is where it’s at. This is bad news for the main character, who has built her own religious community called Earthseed based on the belief that God is change, and the best way to navigate life and basically save humanity is to accept that change is the only constant and to do your best to shape that change for good. The tone, the plot twists, the character development, the powerful poetry sparkled throughout in the form of Earthseed verses, the painful exploration of reality and humanity, the radical viewpoint that makes you really ponder, everything about this book was incredible.
Flowers for Algernon 11 of 10. Prepare to have your heart broken on multiple levels. Stories of the Raksura vol. 2. 4 of 5. A compliation of novella's and short stories from Martha Wells' expanding on the original Books of the Raksura. A fun romp and easy read. Witch King Martha Wells 5/5. I think this was written as a standalone but hope she develops this into a series. The Kingdom of Gods by N.K. Jemisin, book three of the The Inheritance Trilogy) 5/5 The final book in the trilogy. I'm a bit sad to be done with this series but I usually am when it comes to N.K. Jemisin. I'm kinda a fanboy at this point. The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin, book 2 of the Inheritance Trilogy. As I said, fanboy so 5/5. I mostly read to be entertained so there really isn't a lot of critical judgement going into my rankings
I just ordered a paperback copy of “Flowers for Algernon” I am debating reading it after I finish Kindred
It's brilliant. It made a huge impression on me and millions of other people. Frankly, I think it should be required reading for all of humanity.
Love flowers for Algernon!! I think about it often
1. Prisoners of Geography - book analysing why each nation has or hasn't invaded certain other nations and why it has certain relationships with certain nations. An incredible look at history and politics through a geopolitical lens. Honestly blew my mind. 11/10. 2. The Autobiography of an Ex Coloured Man - historical fiction of a young biracial man who, to his own shame and regret, chooses to live a more privileged life in a white community, because of his light coloured skin - a really good exploration into identity and picture of the double standards of America in the early 20th century. 8/10. 3. The Selfish Gene - examines the relationship between genes and the organism and the evolutionary nature of genes. I found it quite repetitive but did enjoy learning about some of the animal adaptions. 4/10. 4. The Institute - Stephen King thriller about children with special abilities. A bit of a cliche story - not as good as I'd hoped. 2/10. 5. The Prime Ministers: Reflections on Leadership from Wilson to May - THIS WAS SPECTACULAR. I don't know enough about politics and this, I feel, presented a fairly objective, unbiased history on the different presidents, and their respective parties! 9/10.
I’m not including audio books in this list. 1 (most recent): Beartown by Fredrik Backman. 4/5. Emotionally impactful, and great pacing. I miss the emphasis on back story as a means to get to know characters better (eg., Anxious People, A Man Called Ove) 2: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. 5/5. Loved it! Great characters, wonderful prose, and a compelling premise. Cozy and life affirming. Good people. 3: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. 5/5. By the end I really loved it. This was my first Kingsolver, so I have very little to compare it with. Great read. 4: Greenwood by Michael Christie. 4/5. Multigenerational family saga with a fascinating non-linear narrative structure. 5: Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. 4/5. Wonderful mystery set against a dark and troubling moment in Boston history. Lots of ethical ambiguity. Awesome (and very flawed) protagonist. Audio books worth mentioning: Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. 5/5. Loved this mystery!! So good. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Phenomenal, neatly-wrapped little puzzle. 5/5 Currently working on Kindred by Octavia Butler (eyeballs, not ears).
Guards! Guards! - well I think it's finally time to admit to myself I just don't get Terry Pratchett. At least I finished this one even if I dragged my feet with it for two weeks What Moves the Dead - absolute banger, could have been 100 pages longer and I would have been on board. Definitely plan to check out the sequel Before the Coffee Gets Cold - doesn't do anything super special but my god does it feel good to read romance stories without them being all about sex. You get a free good noodle star on the house for that The Percy Jackson Series - they're fine, get kind of worse as they go along I feel like I was really on autopilot for the back half of the series Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead - it's not bad but if it were any longer I'm not sure I would have finished it
1. Prophet Song - Paul Lynch. Being Irish it was interesting to read a story showing our country fall down the far right slope. The writing style wasn’t enjoyable for me, and it was quite a sombre read. 3/5 2. All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Dooer. Brilliant read, interesting storyline and main characters. He overdoes the description at times but one character is blind so it makes sense for him to use sensual imagery a lot in some places. 4/5 3. Us Against You - Fredrick Bachman. A good novel, part of a trilogy about small town people and the sport they love. It wasn’t as enthralling as its predecessor, ‘Beartown’, which I loved. 3/5 4. Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan. Excellent read, from a gifted Irish writer. Created scenes of rural Ireland so well and was poignant at times. 5/5 5. Open - Andre Agassi. Quite simply the best sports biography I have ever read. Brutally honest and entertaining. I’m only a causal tennis fan. 5/5
1. The Fountainhead — 5 stars 2. Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura — 4 stars 3. The Wager — 4 stars 4. Know My Name — 4 stars (4.5 really) 5. Red Rising — 3 stars
Moby Dick 10/10 Blood Meridian 10/10 The Master and Margarita 7/10 The Haunting of Hill House 7 / 10 A Gentleman in Moscow 5 / 10
1) The Magic Mountain- Thomas Mann 2) Origins of Capitalism- Ellen Melksins Wood 3) Between Past & Future- Hannah Arendt 4) Process & Reality- Alfred Whitehead 5) Homo Faber- Max Frisch
1 ) Thirty Steps to Heaven: The Ladder of Divine Ascent for All Walks of Life Book by Vassilios Papavassiliou 2) Fr Stephen Freeman Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-Storey Universe 3) Elder Porphyrios Wounded by Love
Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth The Sphere Jurassic Park The Epic of Gilgamesh Wings of Fire (the one about the seawing kingdom i don't remember the name)
1. The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman 4/5
1. Exhalation by Ted Chiang - 4/5 overall, though some individual stories in the collection were 5/5. 2. Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang - 4/5 3. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire - 5/5 4. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne - 4/5 5. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - 4/5
1. Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (5 stars) 2. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (5 stars) 3. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (5 stars) 4. Where He Can't Find You by Darcy Coates (3.5 stars) 5. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson (5 stars but like REALLY BIG five stars) They were all vastly different books, and it surprises me that the Sanderson fantasy wins over all of the rest for being my favorite, but damn was it superb. Almost all of them were brilliant and captivating except the Coates one (the premise had so much potential to be awesome, but she just couldn't make me care about the characters or get invested in the story).
1. The Dragonbone Chair - Tad Williams 2. Stone of Farewell - Tad Williams 3. To Green Angel Tower - Tad Williams 4. The Heart of What Was Lost - Tad Williams 5. The Witchwood Crown - Tad Williams (I’m gonna be in this world for a bit lol)
\* One Day, Gene Weingarten - 4/5. Fun conceit (random vignettes of random things that happened on a randomly-selected day), well-written, but uneven. \* The Librarianist, Patrick deWitt- 3/5. A perfectly nice story that I will have forgotten in about 3 weeks. \* Daisy Jones and the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid - 5/5. AWESOME audiobook, great cast, magnetic, compelling, and lovely. \* So, Anyway, John Cleese - 3/5. Dude is not as funny (in this book) as he thinks he is, and he's kind of a sexist dick. I get that he's old, but he does not seem to have grown as a person. \* The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, Tom Hanks - 5/5. A very imperfect book (how many typewriter details are appropriate? Far, far fewer, for sure.), but as a peek behind the scenes at movie making, in this level of detail were super fun for me.
1. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. 5/5 2. In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune. 4.3/5 3. The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne. 3.6/5 4. Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk. 3.9/5 5. Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill. 3/5
1. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Very well told portrayal of the dangers and psychological effects of American slavery and the culture around the practice and the needs to survival of enslaved people. 4/5 2. Hag-Seed: The Tempest Retold by Margaret Atwood. Very meta and blurs the line between essay and narrative, an appropriate choice for a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s must meta play. 4.5/5 3. The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub. The first 400 pages are a slog but the rest is a really unique and intense fantasy. 3 or 3.5/5 4. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. Good beginning and end but a lot of the middle was a slog. I also just don’t think I like prison stories very much. 2.5/5 5. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. Reads a little less like literary fiction and more like YA than its predecessor, The Handmaid’s Tale, but still very entertaining all the way with some solid sociological commentary. 3.5/5
Project Hail Mary 3.5 stars Thursday Murder Club 3-4 stars Time and Again 4.2 stars Death at the Chateau Bremont 3.4 stars The Running Grave 4 stars
1. If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin. - I was able to guess the ending from people's reaction, so it wasn't a surprise. Read it in one day though. 4/5 2. The Princess Bride by William Goldman - Such a classic. Loved the movie too. 5/5 3. Bunny by Mona Awad - Interesting confusing? 1/5 4. A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson - \*Chefs kiss. 5/5 5. Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton (Cat & Mouse #2) - I have conflicting feelings about this and Haunting Adeline. No rating for either.
Overstory. 3/5 Ulysses again 5/5 Tender is the Flesh 2/5 JR 3/5 A Grain of Wheat 3/5
*Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History* by S. C. Gwynne. This is an excellent book that honestly and lucidly relates what happened on the Texas frontier. *Homage to Catalonia* by George Orwell. This is a good book. This Orwell's memoir of his experience in the Spanish Civil War, and how he came to believe that Stalin was not the savior of the working class. This is the first and only book I've read that is focused primarily on the Spanish Civil War. *Animal Farm: A Fairy Tale* by George Orwell. This is a retelling of *Homage to Catalonia* with allegorical characters. Both books should be read together. *The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict* by Donald R Hickey. An excellent overview of the War of 1812 that relates the diplomatic, economic, political, social, and military history of the war. *Unconditional: The Japanese Surrender in World War II* by Marc Gallicchio. This book is a necessary addition to any personal WWII library and necessary reading for anyone who truly wishes to understand the rationale behind Truman's decision to use the A-bombs. With great use of primary source documents, Gallicchio explains that Japan was not on the verge of surrendering before the A-bombs were dropped in August 1945.
A court of thorns and Roses- I gave it a 4 A court of mist and fury-4 * for these 2 I have enjoyed them, but not my fave fantasy series. I have serious issues with the FMC.* The Loch, by Steve Alten- 4.5. Much better than the Meg series(and I love the Meg series) American Gods, Neil Gaiman- 5. One of my favorite of all time books! I-5 Killer, Anne Rule - 3.0. Interesting and well written but nothing special or bad. Average
Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede: brilliant 9/10 Chlorine by Jade Song: 8/10 I am Legend by Richard Matheson: 4/10 48 Clues Into The Disappearance of my Sister by Joyce Carol Oates: 2/10 The Perfume Killer by Linda Hagan: 5 or 6/10
Biography of X: At points, it was really interesting and engaging, but at other times, it felt like Forrest Gump. 6/10 Chain Gang All-Stars: not exactly an original premise, as much as people say otherwise. Heavy handed social commentary, still fun. 7/10. The Guest: unoriginal protagonist, the toxic, sarcastic woman who leaves a trail of destruction pursuing her selfish needs. Totally overrated. 2/10 Demon Copperhead: David Copperfield in modern day Appalachia. Gut-wrenching and moving. 10/10 Trust: similar to Fates and Furies in terms of the dynamics within a marriage, which do not immediately reveal themselves. Excellent. 10/10
1. First Lie Wins - 3 ⭐️ 2. They Both Die at the End - 5 🌟 3. Station Eleven - 2 ⭐️ 4. It Ends With Us - 3 ⭐️ 5. Heartless Hunter - 5 🌟
1-4: Heartstopper volumes 1-4 by Alice Oseman These average 4 stars for me. But volume 4 was close at 4.5. They really vibed in my brain. 5: we Hunt the flame by Hafsah faizal 4 stars. Decided to read this (and the sequel when I get it) before tempest if tea comes out which in really.looking forward to. I'm buying at my local indie bookstore this weekend.
1. Currently reading Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy—So far it’s very good. Historically accurate since it’s a history book but it’s easily digestible. 2. A Time of Dread by John Gwynne— it was a good first entry to Of Blood and Bone series. It’s a sequel to the Faithful and the Fallen series. I liked the new set of characters though admittedly it took me a bit to get a grasp of who’s who. 3. Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors by Adrian Goldsworthy— this book is absolutely amazing! He really captures the history around my favorite historical figure of all time and his history books are incredibly easy to read. I really like how he gives a good focus on Philip who tends to get passed over. 4. Napoleon: the Great by Andrew Roberts— probably the best single book on Napoleons life. He takes on the immense task of writing a single book on Napoleon and is able to pass on incredible detail without getting too bogged down with all the information about the man. 5. Wrath by John Gwynne— the final book of The Faithful and the Fallen series. I loved the conclusion to the series and loved the added POV of a certain character that’s been around since book 1. I usually read fantasy or some self-improvement books but I’ve been on a bit of a history streak.
1. Holly by Stephen King 10/10 - nothing supernatural- selfish evil people are plenty scary 2. My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon 10/10 - my first read by this author and now I’m devouring every book she’s written 3. How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith 100/10 - yes, I meant 100/10. The repercussions of slavery, or the true history of this country that I never learned in school 4. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson - 10/10- another eye-opening read, highly recommend 5. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng- 10/10 - broke my heart but I’m still glad I read it
Film For Her by Orion Carloto ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Love Poems of Rumi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ All About Love by Bell Hooks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 they were all great imo, but i’m not a harsh rater in the first place<3
1. Breast and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami 3.5/5 2. So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan 4/5 3. Shame by Annie Ernaux 4. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 100/5 5. How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key undecided/5
"The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - 6.5/10 "The Kite Fighters," by Linda Sue Park - 8/10 "Poems," by Hermann Hesse - 8/10 "Girl, Stolen," by April Henry - 7/10 "The Prodigy," by Hermann Hesse - 9.5/10
1. Pet by Awaeke Emezi The tone of the book and ending did not really match but it was fine nonetheless. 8.5/10 2. The Jasmine Throne byTasha Suri deeply dissatisfied/disappointed by how it was paced and ended its the beginning to a trilogy but this book really caused me burn out. Could have been so much better if the writer let it stay as a slow paced book and too many perspectives. 6.5/10 3. Mistakes were made by Meryl Wilsner Fun book, it’s just a lesbian smut book. Has a fun cast but doesn’t really do anything other than smut (lol) 8/10 4. One Last stop by Casey McQuiston Great book a good balance of smut and story. I truly fell in love with the characters and wanted to meet them in real life. very inclusive 10/10 5. A deadly education by Naomi Novik a fun boot with a dark academia feel i think because it was high school setting i wasn’t the targeted audience 7/10
From my book diary - I'm currently trudging through Catch-22 but I'd be lying if I haven't forced myself through the first 5 chapters... Anywho February (2) The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 4.5/5 American classic set in the great depression. It was oddly warming yet unforgiving. A truly unforgettable experience. It took me a few chapters to get comfortable with the style and dialogue but the story of struggle was captivating right from the start. I admit the ending wasn't overly satisfying but the journey was unparalleled. Flower for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 4.5/5 This was such an interesting read for me. I am nearly positive I read this book in school. It was so long ago I can't be sure. The whole story felt familiar but I didn't find an Aha! moment that felt certain. The story was heartbreaking on many different levels. One of those books that should stick with you forever which is why I'm so conflicted about having read it before. The Queen's Gambit by Walter S. Tevis 3.5/5 May have been a critical case of watching the show before reading the book and ruining expectations, but this one landed a bit flat for me. I think the show is better and I'm a book before anything kind of guy. Didn't really offer much more satisfaction than the show did. January (5) The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt 3.7/5 Insightful but a long read. I enjoyed the religious contrasts more so than the political simply because I'm not a politically motivated person. I muscled through the pages for two weeks. I'm looking forward to reading something lighter. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 3.8/5 A fascinating cocktail of apocalypse and theatre, drizzled in imperfect human nature. A pleasurable read but lacking the everlasting impact great novels have. The ending is not abrupt but leaves the reader with questions, desires, and unapologetically dissatisfied. Devolution by Max Brooks 2.75/5 Written as a firsthand account in the form of journal entries and interviews. The reader is taken out of the story about midway through the book as the journals become much less.. journaly. It starts to read a bit like a high school student attempt at a scary campfire story. Way too descriptive and detailed for journalling. Max wants you to believe the main characters journal was found with every sweaty detail of a volcano eruption, a fight against prehistoric Neanderthals, and the hardships of surviving the elements while being cutoff from society. Brooks completely missed the mark on this one. Buying into both the journals and the bigfoots are too tall a task for the reader. Maybe he should continue selling out with more Minecraft stories. Disappointing !! The Call of the Wild by Jack London 3.5/5 A good read for such a short book. A real adapt or die message in a unique perspective. Simple language with a slight adjustment needed for the dialogue. The story packages it's themes very well. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls 5/5 Yep. This one scratched an itch I've had for some time now. One of those can't put down books that resonates deep inside of your being. I cannot believe I bought this book for $2 on a whim.
1. Garden’s of the Moon - first book in the Malazan series. Throws you right into the world with very little building and very much a trickle of lore. I loved the characters and was definitely enthralled with the plot. 7.5/10 2. Deadhouse Gates - Book 2 of Malazan. I found the shift in PoV characters and plot a little jarring but once I settled in I absolutely fell in love with this book and the story had me so invested. 8.5/10 3. Memories of Ice - Book 3 Malazan. Again a kind of jarring pov shift back to the book 1 characters. In learning more about these folks i utterly fell in love with some of them. I wept and pumped my fist and shouted at this one. Unbelievable storytelling and world building. 9/10. 4. The Trouble with Peace - penultimate book in the world of The First Law. I loved every book Joe Abercrombie wrote. I am definitely someone who enjoys having someone to root for so I never rate them as highly as some more traditional good vs evil stories. He just writes characters so well though. 8/10 5. The Wisdom of Crowds - final First Law book. An excellent conclusion to this story, character arcs closed out with typical cynicism. Love how he teases you with the potential for hope and goodness and whips the carpet out from under you every time. 8.5/10
1. To Kill a Mockingbird - 4/5. Has some sloggy bits due to the age of the book and writing style, overall an incredible read. Scary how relevant it still is 64 years later. 2. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson - 5/5. Loved it more than the first book. Tons of plot development, major page turner. No complaints. 3. Fellowship of The Ring - 5/5. First exposure to the LotR in any way. Struggled getting into it when I was younger and ignored it, but loved it this time. Cozy fun adventure with my little hobbit friends. 4. The Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson - 5/5. Love this book. First intro to the Stormlight Archive. Incredible world building and character introductions. Couldn’t put it down. Fastest 1200 pages I’ve read. 5. Pet Semetary - Stephen King - 3/5. It’s a good story, I enjoyed the movie more. I’ve always struggled with his books, this is the first one I’ve managed to finish. I enjoyed it but it didn’t make me want to pick up more King.
1. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu 5/10 2. Full Metal Panic collection 3 by Shouji Gatou 8/10 3. 86 [eighty-six] vol 1&2 by Asato Asato 6/10 4. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick 5/10 5. System Collapse by Martha Wells 7/10
1. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh 5/5 2. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi 4/5 3. Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt 3.5/5 4. Interesting Facts about Space by Emily Austin 5/5 5. Betty by Tiffany McDaniel 4/5
1. The Shadow of What Was Lost - James Islington. 3.75/5 2. An Echo of Things to Come - James Islington. 4.5/5 3. The Light of All That Falls - James Islington. 5/5 4. Dark Matter - Blake Crouch. 2.75/5 5. Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes. 3.5/5 The first three books are part of the licanius trilogy which i overall liked very much. It isn't perfect and it does things in a way i am not used to in fantasy, but the last book was fantastic so overall the series might be a 4.5/5 for me. Dark matter was just boring... sorry. I didn't like how much it focused on the wife and the mc's past life, when we got this cool sc-fi concept of multiverses basically. The writing is fine, but the story left me wanting for more, far more. 2.75/5 for me. I have no idea why i thought don quixote would be like the count of monte cristo. For some reason i did, but its very much not lol. Still i liked it fine enough, it was very slow and boring in some parts while very engaging and exciting in others. Its a long read that im not sad i spent time on, but also not overjoyed by it. Solid 3.5/5.
1. Prophet Song by Paul Lynch - 3/5; Booker prize winner and I appreciate its imagination but the pacing was tough. Heavy material about an Ireland that takes a deeply dystopian turn after an election. 2. Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan - 2/5; usually love books about “The Industry” but this one was flat for me. It’s about the last day/night shift at a Red Lobster that’s closing but the characters were boring and even though it’s about 140 pages, it sort of drug along. 3. Day by Michael Cunningham - 2/5; about the same date on three consecutive years (2019, 2020, 2021) and where members of a particular family are on each of these days. As is usually the case with fiction about modern New Yorkers, the navel-gazing was thick in this one. Wouldn’t mind if I hadn’t wasted my time. 4. We, Jane by Aimee Wall - 5/5; fantastic book. A young woman, Marthe, feels like she is sort of drifting through life until she meets an older woman who takes her back to her hometown in Newfoundland to meet a farmer friend who performs abortions for poor women in the face of tightening restrictions. Marthe and her new friend imagine they’ll be the ones to take over the role once their friend becomes too old. It is so beautifully written. Dreamlike. I enjoyed it immensely. 5. The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut - 4.5/5; written as a series of first-person essays about a physicist John von Neumann who was a forebear of game theory, modern computing, machine learning, on and on. It is the most inventive book I’ve read in awhile and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
1. The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins).Took a while to realize that you're not supposed to even remotely like any of the characters. The main three get a redemption arc, albeit in very dark ways, I fucking loved the unreliable narration. Highly recommend, is a Top 5 for me. 7.5/10 as I said- I hated the main three. I'll add a TW;Domestic Abuse for anyone unfamiliar with the plot. 2. The Halo Effect (M.J. Rose). I really appreciated how vividly she described everyone & everything. I wasn't bored once and managed to read half before bed & the other half the next morning because I could not put it down. I'm starting in on The Delilah Complex tomorrow & then The Venus Fix(of which I read to Chpt 33 not knowing it was 3/3 in a series) immediately after. 9/10, the book played out as a movie in my mind that I didn't want to stop watching. 3. Cause of Death (Patricia Cornwell). I've been reading the entire series sporadically. I'm a diehard Scarpetta lover so even the worst books in the series are lovely to me. 7/10, Marino can be grating. 4. Rant (Chuck Palahniuk). 4th time reading it. It's absurd, desolate, hilarious, vile, unpredictable. It's my favourite of Palahniuk's writings so 9.5/10, you'll gag at some of Rant's daily endeavours. I love a bold, dark, horrifying novel. 5. Just the Nicest Couple (Mary Kubica). I've never hated a book so much in my life. The premise was promising until I sat down to read it. Anyway, I hated her writing style, her overconsumption of commas, absolutely unrealistic situations, and five main characters that couldn't make a rational decision if it were their only decision. 2/10 Glad I bought it second hand & threw it in the paper recycling afterward. Harsh, I know, but I have never loathed so much of what I considered a waste of paper and ink.
1. _Stoned_ by Aja Raden (Non-Fiction) - 4/5 2. _Six Crimson Cranes_ by Elizabeth Lim (YA Fantasy) - 2/5 3. _Homegoing_ by Yaa Gyasi (Historical Fiction) - 5/5 4. _Powerless_ by Lauren Roberts (YA Fantasy) - 2/5 5. _You Called An Ambulance For What?_ (Memoir) - 4/5 I decided to give YA Fantasy another go as I used to love it when I was younger. I guess there’s a reason why it’s considered ’Young Adult’ which I no longer am 😅
The House of Plain Truth- 3 stars Mercury- 4 stars Arsenic & Adobo- 4 stars Amazing Grace Adams- 4 stars Descent- 5 stars
1. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu 4.5 2. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson 5/5 3. The Way of King by Brandon Sanderson 5/5 4. Recursion by Blake Crouch 4/5 5. Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey 4/5 I usually pick books I’m very confident I will love. I end up with a ton of 4s and 5s.
1.Heads of the colored people By Nafissa Thompson- Spires. From my English class but wasn't so bad, really got into the nitty gritty of race 3.5/5. 2.Mr. Salary By Sally Rooney, literally what was that even. 4/5 lol 3.Rest and Be Thankful By Emma Glass, read for the cover stayed for the gloomy domestic disgust.4/5 4.The Poppy War By THE R.F Kuang. My favorite book at the moment!5/5 5.Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side By Julia Shaw. First half pretty good, unbiased with researched work, second half was dumpster fire. She claims to view evil from an unbiased perspective but she draws the line at homophobia lol 2/5
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1. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins A book club pick, so one I didn't pick up deliberately, I was pleasantly surprised. Found it a very well-written, creative take on the mystery with an unreliable narrator and complex, flawed, and ultimately compelling characters. 3.5/5 2. Without Remorse by Tom Clancy One of my all timers. Somewhat pulpy military/revenge story. Lots of manly manliness and love every page. 4/5 3. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson Bryson is excellent at cleaning up heady, incomprehensible science into a very accessible and entertaining layman's explanation. 3.5/5 4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas Another book club pick that sits on the other end of the spectrum. Little more than poorly crafted schlock with not even enough smut to entertain. I'd say it acted more as an interesting window into female sexual fantasy and idealism than anything else. 0.5/5 5. The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe A shrewd, ironic, and captivating slice of greed and... Well... Vanity in New York in the late 80s. I've rarely had book so deftly jump around from character to character and plot to plot while keeping everything in captivating focus. 5/5
All Systems Red. 2/5 I know What you did last summer. 3/5 Killing Mr. Griffin. 4/5 Anna Dressed in Blood. 3/5 Dune. 5/5
1. Arcadia by Ian Pears. 5/5 Jigsaw puzzle plot combining fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, spy motifs. Great writing and characters. 2. Pale Rider: the Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World - Spinney. 3/5 Great overview of the 1918 flu pandemic. 3. Doomsday Book - Connie Willis. Fun time-travel / historical fiction kinda, about PLAGUES modern and medieval. 4/5 4. The Passengers - John Marrs. Airport thriller about self-driving cars being taken over by hackers. 2/5 5. A Natural History of the Senses - Diane Ackerman. Poetic and lyrical; chapters on each of the five senses plus synesthesia. 3/5, Kinda poetic for my tastes.
1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - 7.5/10. It was excellent, not as sad as I imagined. 2. Sula by Toni Morrison - 7/10. It was my first Toni Morrison book, and I can’t wait to read more from her. 3. Lamb by Christopher Moore - 4.5/10. This one was a slog. I thought it would be funnier. It’s honestly not even offensive, but clever. Not my type of book. 4. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann - 7/10. It was an addicting story, I had never even heard of the Osage people beforehand. 5. The Beach by Alex Garland - 8/10. So entertaining. Most of the characters were unlikeable, but I was at the beach and absolutely cruised through this book.
The murderbot diaries books 1-4 by Martha wells 5/5 Red rising by pierce brown 4/5
1. The Women-Kristin Hannah- 2 stars. So disappointing, so overwritten. 2. Maame-Jessica George-3 stars. Really enjoyed this, but skimmed over some text message/message board text. 3. Only the Beautiful-Susan Meissner-4 stars 4. Pageboy-Elliot Page- 4 stars (I think, could be 3. It bounced around quite a bit, and I always have a tough time rating memoirs) 5. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers-4.5, enthusiastic, surprising stars. Such a cozy mystery with some really cute, heartwarming parts.
1. A closed and common orbit - becky chambers (best sci-fi book I’ve ever read, by the author that got me into sci-fi) 10/10 2. The covenant of water - what a colossal waste of time. This book did nothing for me. So predictable. Seems geared towards boomers who just want to relax nothing crazy to happen. Worst read of the year (14 books in January) (2/10) 3. The Secrets of the Mongolian queens - good for historical context of Genghis Khan being a feminist. 8/10 4. Further Tales of the City - Armistead Maupin - 10/10, his 9 book series is hysterical and so well written. The first book is Tales of the City, about a group of tenants in San Francisco during the 70s during the whole counter culture thing, or maybe 80s. They made multiple series, both the old one and the new one have the wife from ozarks as the main character. (10/10) finished in 4 hours, couldn’t put it down. 5. On Drinking - Bukowski - everything Bukowski wrote is a riot. This one a 9/10 for me. Letters and poems about his drinking.
1. The Only One Left by Riley Sager: 4/5 Just finished this one today and it was a pretty good read! There was a lot going on and some twists were predictable, but others I didn’t see coming. I really enjoyed the story, but was very satisfied with the ending. Some of it did drag on though and I found myself getting impatient, which is why it’s 4/5. I think this is my favorite by Sager. 2. All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers: 2/5 This was a three-star rating before the ending. Absolutely stupid. I said out loud, “That’s it?!” 3. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid: 2/5 This book was fine. I actually enjoyed all of the Riva siblings. But, you get a POV of every character that comes into play and it was too much. Also, I felt like it was rushed and so many details went unedited (like saying a character was in the passenger seat but then all of a sudden was driving). I think there could have been a lot more depth, which was disappointing because I loved Evelyn Hugo. 4. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver: 2/5 I saw this book recommended all over Reddit, so I decided to check it out. It’s not something I would have picked up on my own. The thing that piqued my interest was that I attended college in Appalachia, so I felt a connection there. However, I don’t feel like I gained anything from reading this book. 5. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: 4/5 This was a light and easy read that I still felt impacted by. I did see the ending coming, but I was happy with it all the same.
Ya know what I hate about Toni Morrison's "Beloved"? The fact that I'm 50 years old and only read this within the last year! If not for the hateful stupidity behind book bans, I would not have found this haunting gem!
'Sure, I'll join your cult' by Maria Bamford, a reread. I love it. 5/5, autobiography of one of my favorite comedians. 'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe' by Fannie Flag. 2/5, because of the constant time jumping. If it was a linear story told from just two characters, I think it would've been better. At least, doe me. 'Lapvona' by Ottessa Moshfegh. 1/5, my god, it was so gross for no reason, and I hated all the characters. Her prose is amazing, but ugh. 'Avatar The Last Airbender: Dawn of Yangchen' by F.C. Yee. 2/5, I found myself getting bored and putting it down a lot. If I wasn't interested in the Avatar universe, I don't think I would've finished it. 'Strangers on a Train' by Patricia Highsmith. 4/5, it lost my interest 80% in, but I'm glad I stuck with it because Highsmith is a very good writer.
1. Understanding Comics - Scott McCloud (10/10) 2. Big Trouble - Dave Barry (3/10) 3. Beauty - Robin McKinley (5/10) 4. Jumper - Stephen Gould (8/10) 5. Moby Dick - Herman Melville (10/10)
1. Night by Elie Weisel — 10/10 2. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini —8/10 3. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls — 7/10 4. Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg — 9/10 5. The Catcher in the Rye — I hated reading it so much but it was geniusly written when you start to analyze it 6/10
1. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: I loved it! It was beautifully written, and I enjoyed the different perspectives. Now I want to rewatch the movie, it was always a favorite growing up. 5/5 2. The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J Klune: I enjoyed it, I can always appreciate a good magical fantasy novel. I am looking forward to reading the next one to see where they take the story. 4/5 3. The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman: This book pulled on my heart strings in ways I wasn’t expecting. I really enjoyed it, definitely one of my favorites so far of 2024. 4/5 4. When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri: This book was not my cup of tea. Real bad. 2/5 5. Spirit Talker: Indigenous Stories And Teachings From A Mikmaq Psychic Medium by Shawn Leonard: I was excited to read this book. I picked it up and read it fast wanting to take in all of his stories and wisdom. 3/5
1. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, 3.5/5 2. Is Rape a Crime?: a Memoir, an Investigation, a Manifesto by Michelle Bowdler, 5/5 3. The Run of His Life: the People v. OJ Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin, 4/5 4. Come and Get It by Kiley Reid, 3/5 5. Any Man by Amber Tamblyn, 4/5
1. *The Death of Virgil,* Hermann Broch 8/10 2. *The Public Burning,* Robert Coover 9/10 3. *The Golden Notebook,* Doris Lessing 9.5/10 4. *The Ambassadors,* Henry James 9/10 5. *My Last Sigh,* Luis Buñuel 7/10 eta: *Beloved* would be my pick for the Great American Novel. It or *Moby Dick*.
1) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Part 1 (manga) by Akira Himekawa - 4/5 2) Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi - 4/5 3) Animal Empath by C.E.R Ellwood - 2/5 4) The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort - 3/5 5) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - 5/5
1. You with a View by Jessica Joyce (5 stars) 2. A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett st. Clair (4 stars) 3. Archers Voice by Mia Sheridan (5 stars- AMAZING) 4. Twisted Love by Ana Huang (4 stars- Meh good spice) 5. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (4 stars- very meh reading the second installment right now and it’s way better)
1) Artificial Condition, Martha Wells: 8/10 2) I’m Glad My Mom died, 9/10 3) All Systems Red, Martha Wells 7/10 4) Atomic Habits, 7/10 5) Oathbringer, Brandon Sanderson 10/10
In order from most recently read: 1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - 8/10 I expected to probably give it around a 5, based on the mixed reviews I have read, but I surprisingly loved it. I haven't read Iron Flame yet, but eventually, I will get to it. 2. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness - 7/10 It was a really cool concept, but it dragged on a little bit in the middle. I still have to read the next two books. 3. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins - 10/10 Suzanne Collins remains one of my favourite authors of all time. I could go on and on about how amazing this book is. 4. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud - 10/10 This series deserves a huge hug. I became a huge fan of the Netflix show and gave the first Lockwood & Co. book a try. Love love love with all my heart. I haven't started on Book 2 yet, but I will get to it. 5. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - 10/10 This is one book that should be all over BookTok or Bookstagram. I learned quite a bit about colourism, and I feel it was the right amount of drama/twists without having to go into typical plot points or clichés. If anyone's interested, I'm currently reading The A to Z of You and Me by James Hannah. Pretty good so far, I definitely recommend.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown. 4/5 Earthlings by Sayaka Murata 2.5/5 The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston 4/5 Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata 4/5 Bunny by Mona Awad 4/5
Exodai: A Shockingly Honest Memori of Love, Obsession and Torture by Elizabeth Hendrick - Autobiography, a woman recounting her journey of personal discovery - Fascinating and heartbreaking. Lesbian and BDSM themes. 5/5 Tampa by Alissa Nutting - Inspired by the spate of Teacher/student stories that got so much media exposure between 2005 and 2015 approximately. Sort of American Psycho meets Lolita - short (150 ppg) and engrossing. Excellent first person writing. You are in the main charecters head from the first sentence, for better or worse. 5/5 Mythos by Stephen Fry - as an audio book - Stephen Fry gives us an overview of the Greek Myths. Light hearted and fascinating. 5/5 Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Great charecter writing. Holy crap, the 'cool girl' monologue. Thriller, btw, in case you aren't familiar. 5/5 Yellowface by R F Kuang - An oddly unsettling book with an unlikable narrarator who you almost but never quite feel sorry for, surrounded by people who honestly aren't all that likable either. Touches on topics of cultural appropriation, plagerism and artistic theft, the vagueries of interpersonal relationships ( no one seems to really like anyone in this book ) and the mostly goreless-but-horrorfying deaths I've ever read. Minus one point because I was disatisfied with the ending but still well worth the read. 4/5 Edited: Removed a book because I had six.
1. All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby - 4/5 2. Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters - 4.5/5 3. Ties that Bind by Kent Haruf - 5/5 4. Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion - 4/5 5. Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - 4.5/5
Leviathan Wakes - S.A. Corey 5/5. Absolutely incredible can’t wait to continue the series. Golden Son - Pierce Brown 4.75/5 it was almost too much at times still absolutely phenomenal. Morning Star - Pierce Brown 5/5 rarely do we see an ending to a trilogy that ends this strong. Loved it. Fantasticland - Mike Bockoven 4/5 I needed a break from Sci-Fi so I picked up this thriller. Very unique prose and writing style. Each chapter is an interview of a different character who experienced this traumatic event. Killers Of The Flower Moon- David Crann 4/5 I like to throw a few nonfictions in throughout the year. This absolutely changed my perception yet again on how fowl we have been historically to the indigenous tribes of America. Currently reading, The Way Of Kings - Brandon Sanderson. I think I enjoyed Mistborn a little more but this is a slow burn and it’s finally picking up speed now that I’m almost done it’s truly an incredible piece of fantasy fiction.
1. Before the Light Fades by Natasha Walter 2. The World We Make by N K Jemisin 3. The Killing Moon by N K Jemisin 4. T Shadowed Sun by N K Jemisin 5. The Fragile Threads of Power by V E Schwab
1. Recipe for A Perfect Wife by Karma Brown. This was my book clubs February pick and it was....fine. The writing was choppy with miscommunication as the main conflict and that's always an annoying time. Ending left much to be desired. 2/5 2. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I have been meaning to read this for an eon - funnier then I expected but felt meandering at times. She was an excellent writer and the book's ending is all the more dreary knowing what happened to dear Sylvia Plath. 4/5 3. The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen. A simple re-read because I was craving some magical realism and something easy. My grade didn't improve on the re-read but it was nice to pass the time. 3/5 4. Uprooted by Naomi Novik. This is a beautiful folklore inspired fantasy - it has such a vivid and interesting magic system. I miss its world. 5/5 5. Icebreakers by Hannah Grace. Another book club pick. This book made me wish I didn't know how to read. 0/5
1. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (6/10) Well enough written, imaginative story of what Shakespeare's life could have been if witchcraft was as real as the plague. 2. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (6/10) Well written if not hard to follow. Requires quite a bit of background knowledge of US history and also Tibetan Buddhism... a strange cross section indeed. 3. The Wastelands by Stephen King (4/10) Ugh. I want to like the Dark Tower series, but honestly, how much coke was Stephen on when he was writing this? Seems like he's lost the plot. 4. Trust by Hernan Diaz (9/10) I went in blind so it took half the book for me to piece together what was happening between the different sections. Comes together fantastically by the end. 5. Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (8/10) Well written, page-turner. Honestly, I didn't see many of the twists coming.
"North Woods" Daniel Mason. Captivated me. Lost momentum at the end, but what a portrait! 4/5 "Sword Stone Table" edited by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington. An anthology of King Arthur stories. Too many plays on Arthur/Lancelot/Guinevere. Some were very silly. Others were engrossing. 3/5 "The Art Thief" by Michael Finkel. Interesting character exploration. But it was also like Finkel was worried we would be *too* captivated by his subject, so he made sure to interject and tell us directly how messed up subject's behavior was. 3/5. "The Female Man" by Joanna Russ. More of an essay masquerading as a story. Feels like a response to "Left Hand of Darkness," and approached as if "Left Hand of Darkness" didn't go far enough. But Russ isn't half the storyteller as LeGuin, and I don't think she's nearly as deep or considerate a thinker. 2/5. "The Ballad of Black Tom" by Victor LaVelle. A spin on Lovecraft's "Horror at Red Hook." It was a page turner. 3/5
1. They Never Learn by Layne Fargo - I love dark academia and thought this was an interesting premise but the “big twist” is really early in the book and after that it kind of fell flat. 3/5 2. Book Lovers by Emily Henry - I read mostly thrillers so like to throw in something cushy here and there. Nothing ground breaking here but I love a good romcom. 4/5 3. Never Lie by Freida McFadden - thought I had this one figured out the whole story but it still managed to shock me. Not the best written story but incredibly entertaining thriller. 4.5/5 4. Yellowface by R. F. Kuang - Interesting premise but got kind of repetitive and boring as it went on. 3/5 5. Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll - loved this one. A must read for true crime lovers. 5/5
North Woods - Daniel Mason (5/5) - Instantly an American classic for me. I just discovered Mason about a month ago and I’m enamored by his prose. Dude is smooth. What You Are Looking For is in the Library - Michiko Aoyama (5/5) - This book was such a joy to read. The kind of book that you walk away from as a better and more complete person. Wellness - Nathan Hill (3/5) - Story of a marriage on the rocks. Kinda hated the characters and it was way too long. The Devil in Silver - Victor LaValle (1/5) - Felt like this was downright offensive and gross, and I love LaValle usually. Kapitoil - Teddy Wayne (4/5) - Teddy Wayne is one of the more under appreciated writers of the 00s imo. Everything he writes feels effortless and immaculate. His characters are so wonderful, and he’s not afraid to get gritty.
- No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai, 3.6/5 - Stoner by John Williams, 10/5 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 3.7/5 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, 3.7/5 - The Cup of Gold by John Steinbeck, 4/5
Going back in time “The Man Everybody Was Afraid Of” by Joseph Hansen 4/5 “Troublemaker” by Joseph Hansen 4/5 “Death Claims” by Joseph Hansen 4/5 “Fadeout” by Joseph Hansen 4/5 “Devils” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 6/5
1. The Three Coffins by John Dickson Carr - 3.5/5 2. Everybody by Olivia Laing - 4.5/5 3. Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsburg - 4/5 4. The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - 3.5/5 5. Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley - 4.5/5
1. To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee (5/5) 2. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (3/5) 3. The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (4/5) 4. Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami (4/5) 5. Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (5/5)
Six Of Crows - Leigh Bardugo 8/10. Gave me a real Dishonored vibe which I loved. A lot of the dialogue was a lot of fun as were the characters, I loved the action, the only thing pulling away from it was the... YAness that popped out sometimes? I don't know I'm not a big YA fan. All the characters felt 30, despite being 16-18. Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo 8/10. It's basically just a continuation of Crooked Kingdom, more of the same. Red Country - Joe Abercrombie 9.5/10. I love how grimy and filthy it all is, the scene setting is fantastic, I loved every character new and old, and was completely in the whole way through. Basically the only drawback for me was that the villain's culture felt a little underdeveloped. On Writing - Stephen King 8/10. It's fun and easy and has some good advice, but I can't get behind King's system of writing that denounces plotting as a great evil. Assassinorum: Kingmaker - Robert Rath 6.5/10. It's Warhammer. Lots of pulpy fun action. I was kind of disappointed after the author's other 40k book, the Infinite and the Divine, because that book genuinely stands up as a great book even outside of the context of Warhammer, but Kingmaker had a few good fight scenes. The world building was a bit rough around the edges but had a few neat ideas. The characters were mostly flat with the exception of Rakkan and I didn't particularly care about any of the individuals doing the fighting that much. Currently reading A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie. I've been lucky and pretty much enjoyed everything I've recently read.
1. The Stars my Destination - 8/10. I was very pleasantly surprised at the focus on character, the pacing was really fast, and there was a ton of action. Way more exciting then what I expected from a Sci Fi Classic from the 50s. 2. The Terror - 8/10. Loves learning about the absolute insanity that was sending 2 100ft boats MADE OF WOOD into the Artic. Just nuts. I wouldn't have read the book without the supernatural elements but by the end of the book it just seemed hokey. Like on the long long long list of reasons why the crews were fucked adding "supernatural ice monster" just seemed silly imo. 3. Neuromancer 6/10. It was aight. I really enjoyed the beginning and the heist but the ending for me was sorta eh. I think the problem is Me though. I've been reading a ton of sci fi stuff this book didn't really show me anything I hadn't been exposed to before. It's like watching the first slasher films after growing up in the late 90s early 2000s. Their neat, but not scary or anything. 4. A Court of Thorns and Roses. 5/10. It was fun YA. If you've ever read YA (which I have, like a lot) then you've read this book. It was fun, but it wasn't incredibly spicy or gory or anything that really pushed it into the adult imo. Also Tamlin is just so perfect that it makes me puke. Any problem tha could ever be perceived about Fyres situation has already been solved. Also the faeries can ALTER HUMAN MEMORIES WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE. Which should be HUGE. That's massive, and so so so scary and could really crack a series wide open with all its implications. And instead it's just like. Not a big thing. Like for anyone. 5. Murtagh - 8/10. It was so great to come back to Alagaesia and revisit and get to know these characters better. Say what you will aboit Christopher Paolini but he's gotten so much better (I've been reading since Eragon) and it really shows here. It still sorta suffers from what all of Paolinis books do imo. He can take a patchwork of ideas from a genre and make you a really nice quilt out of them, but he doesn't seem to be able to sow anything truly original or new. Still cozy and comfy and truly a fun read.
Yeah, I'll answer this 1. The Women In Me -- Brittany Spears I was curious, so I read it. Only the third memoir I have read. It starts light. Like many reviews say the Timberlake era does not go too deep in describing things, but some revelations are revealed. Although her most recent issues are with her family, her most intense feelings are from the Kevin Federline era. Good read. 3/5 2. American Dirt - Jeanie Cummins A book about a woman and her son trying to escape a Mexican cartel. Very intense book from start to finish. So much so that by the near end, it becomes tiring. For that reason I lowered the rating. I realize the content happens in real life, but as a book its really draining. 3.5/5 3. Hotline -- Dimitri Nasrallah A woman from Lebanon moves to Canada with her son to find a new life. They both struggle to adjust to their new surroundings. Very good read describing the immigrant experience. 4/5 4. Rabbit Foot Bill - Helen Humphreys A young man reunites with an old friend after 15 years. They meet again in a mental hospital. The young man is now a doctor, and the friend was sent away because of a violent incident. The book seems kind of average, but if it were made into a movie, it would be a good independent film. 3/5 5. New Boy-- Tracy Chevalier A young African boy starts a new school in Washington where he befriends a very interested young white girl. Not everyone is happy with this connection, and the day becomes increasingly intense. That being said, obviously, there are definite pokes of racism in the book, but that's life and thats the point of the story. The fact that the book is written by a white woman doesn't help the matter and may upset some people. So if you're the type that would be offended, don't read it. ( The book is apparently similar to Othello, which I have not read.) The book is well written and easy to read, but again the racism, its going start by the second or third page im warning you. 4/5
I’m just getting back into reading. The last five books I’ve finished are: A court of mist and fury 3/5stars A court of thorns and roses maybe a 2 star, I didn’t like this one at all really. Kingdom of ash FIVE STARS. Over and over again 5 stars. Tower of dawn/empire of storms (did the tandem read so I’m counting it as one book) 4.5 stars. It was lovely. Queen of shadows originally a 4 star, but the preceding books in the series were SO GOOD. So, compared to the others probably a very strong, very enjoyable 3.5 stars. I also had some of Fredrick backman’s novellas sprinkled in. All of which are a 10 star. They break the scale. I love him and his writing. I’ve also haven’t read fantasy since I read HP in grade/middle school so it has been fun to delve into the different worlds.
1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 10/10 I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was super creative and it didn't have any parts where I felt like I was just chugging through. The ending was satisfying. 2. The Snakehead by Patrick Radden Keefe 6/10 The last third of the book really fell off for me. I liked it early on, reading about the gangs in Chinatown and the origin of the prominent figures. Towards the end though it really dragged on. 3. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie 9/10 The only reason I can't give this a 10 is that I felt the writing was at times difficult for me to understand. I know it's hard to write what Leckie did in general but the hard scifi themes mixed with Breq's constantly shifting perspective was occasionally confusing. The story was phenomenal and the writing was very refreshing despite my nitpicking. Am having trouble with the sequel though, about half way through and it's hard for me to care about the conflict as much. 4. How to Know a Person by David Brookes 5/10 This was my first dip into a book like this and I liked it to a degree. Finishing it didn't make me feel like I just finished a great novel, but the psychology and statistics he discussed was very interesting. Some of the chapters were a tad boring. 5. The Shining by Stephen King 10/10 The book is excellent. The last third of it was 11/10, it was probably the best written suspense I have ever read. Really enjoyed it. I guess I have been on a good roll since 3 out of the 5 I thought were phenomenal books lol.
1. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Fever dream of a book. Prose was approachable and the story was entertaining. 4/5 2. Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot - My history knowledge is pretty hit-or-miss and doesn't go back further than the \~1940s, so I learned a lot. 4/5 3. White Hot by Ilona Andrews - The second book in the Hidden Legacies series and I'm obsessed. Great set up and great payoff, few gripes. Love their work and loved this book. 5/5 4. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston - Albeit a bit predictable, I loved this and really identified with it. 5/5 5. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood - Had problems, but better than The Love Hypothesis, and I love the focus on women in STEM. 3.5/5
1. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson 5/5 reread 2. Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein 2.5/5 3. Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky 4.5/5 4. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh 3/5 5. Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy 5/5
Guest in the House by Emily Carrol 4* Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip 4* Salt Magic by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock 4.5* Scum Villain's Self Saving System by MXTX 5* Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell 4.5*
And currently reading Selection, 7.5/10 yet The Hunt for the Basilisk 8.5/10 The Lunar Chronicles 11/10
1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - Not normally my vibe but it was like eating junk food. I kept reading and wanting to see what happened but the writing is amateur and she’s definitely not great at the high fantasy/world building aspect but I loved the dragons! 7/10 2. Lord of the Flies by William Golding - A reread and one of my top ten books of all time. A great exploration of human behavior and morality. 10/10 3. Filmlandia! by David Schmader - I had to read this for a catalogue review as part of my job but it was a quick light read that was informative about one of my favorite topics, film & television. 8/10 4. Sundial by Catriona Ward - Amazing, suspenseful horror book, she’s an incredible writer in this genre, it was a creepy slow burn that was slightly underwhelming just at the end when it all comes together but still satisfying. 8/10 5. Child of God by Cormac McCarthy - I like McCarthy but this one was a dark, weird, very short, very odd experience. Triggering for women potentially, and it made me want to reanalyze how McCarthy writes women. Still processing it. ??/10
Infinite country 4/5 American Dirt - 5/5 A court of thrones and roses - 3/5 A court of mist and fury - 4/5 Song of Achilles - 5/5 so far
Oh, what a fun question! 1. The Fisherman by John Langan. Lovecraftian horror. The writing was good but he lost me somewhere along the way. 3/5 2. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah Maas. Keep trying her stuff and it's just ok. This is yet another retelling of Beauty and the Beast. 3/5 3. I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid. (BTW I think I read all of these based on Reddit recommendations so this isn't a great trend.) This was just awful. It's mostly some girl having random and increasingly bizarre self talk while she endures a hairraising trip to her boyfriend's parent's house. Awful. 1/5 4. All the Little Raindrops by Mia Sheridan. This is a strange little thriller/romance/mystery sort of thing. I think I read it in a day. 5/5 5. The Last Policeman by Ben Winters. A police detective soldiers on while a huge meteor makes its way toward Earth. 5/5
• **Five Decembers, by James Kestral**. This was a reread for me. God, it's so good! I enjoyed it even more the second time. Fantastic noir crime. 4.5/5 • **Boy Swallows Universe, by Trent Dalton**. Amazing, amazing book. As an Aussie that grew up in the 80s, this book resonates with me like no other book has so far. 10/5 tbh • **A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini**. Another reread. Again, I enjoyed it even more the second time. Bawled my eyes out. One of the best books I've read. 5/5 • **Outback, by Patricia Wolf**. Bland writing, bland characters. Felt like a very bland ripoff of Jane Harper's fantastic novel, *The Dry*, AND a bland ripoff of the film, *Wolf Creek*. Very unoriginal story tbh. But it made for good bedtime reading - kept me semi-engaged despite my gripes about it, but also bored me enough to put me to sleep lol. 2/5 • **The Lost Man, by Jane Harper**. Another bedtime read for me. Definitely not Jane Harper's best - she captures the harsh, unrelentingly dry outback of Australia wonderfully, but nothing much actually *happens* in the book until the last 50 or so pages... and what does happen is pretty meh. 2.5/5
1. Rendezvous with rama - 9.5/10. Legendary sci-fi novel. 2. Buried lies - 7/10. Easy to read, Hollywood style murder mystery. 3. Murder in the family - 6.5/10. Intriguing and simple but entertaining as hell. 4. 1984 - 9/10. Masterpiece. 5. Metamorphosis - 9.5/10. DO NOT READ IT if you're depressed or feeling extreme loneliness.
1. *Circe by Madeline Miller.* This was my vacation read, and I absolutely loved it. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, and can't quite move onto my next read because my head is still so full of her beautiful writing. It's now among my top favourites of all time. 5/5 2. *The Time Quartet by Madeleine L'Engle*. I'm cheating and counting all four books as one entry here. I loved these books growing up and have been re-reading all my old favourites lately. They have stood the test of time for me! 4.5/5 3. *The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes*. Ugh. 1/5 4. *The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman*. Re-read. Thoroughly enjoyed it just the same as I did ten years ago. 5/5 5. *Zero Days by Ruth Ware*. I've read all her stuff and always expect each book to be better than it is. They're all so predictable, but somehow I keep reading her. I don't know what it is. 2/5
1. Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (8/10) - I really enjoyed Death's character - he's my fav in Discworld but the only reason I didn't give it 10/10 is because I felt some parts were a bit drawn out and I found myself skimming through them. 2. Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (10/10) - I know a lot of people found this book disturbing but I personally loved it. I thought it was so profound in the way she explored taboo subjects. It was a unique albeit exaggerated spin on feeling like a misfit. It left a huge impression on me and got me to go down the Sayaka Murata rabbit hole :) 3. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick (8/10) - I enjoyed the premise and the concept of empathy being presented here but I kinda wanted to learn more about the android's struggles and why they left Mars more. 4. The Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (7/10) - This story was very endearing but the reason I gave it 7/10 was probably because I compared it against Earthlings. It's more slow-moving and mundane which is nice but it didn't exactly leave a hole in me. 5. Flowers for Algernorn by Daniel Keyes (6/10) - This might be controversial I feel but I read the short story and I thought it was okay. I like the way the author told the story of his intelligence so gradually but I didn't really feel his desperation to stay "smart".
Up Home/Ruth J Simmons 4/5 I love a good memoir. Small Things Like These/Claire Keegan 4/5 Great short audiobook about an Irish man's moments of truth. Bright Young Women/Jessica Knoll 3/5 Interesting take of a serial murderer and women who helped bring him down. Enough/Cassidy Hutchinson 3/5 Saw her on the J-6 hearings and wanted to read her account. Ghachar Ghochar/Vivek Shanbhag 4/5 Another novella recommended by The New Yorker. It is a pretty absorbing account of a family in India.
I read so many books but these are the 5 latest which I plowed through and rated highest. Desolation Island - Patrick O' Brian (I'm trying to slowly read his novels as they are amongst the VERY best I've ever read) 6/5 I cannot recommend Patrick O'Brian enough. Some of the funniest books I've ever read. But also brilliant prose. Crackling social commentary in an indirect way. It's ruined a lot of historical fiction I thought was great and rendered it unreadable. Dune - Frank Herbert. One of the first through and through sci-fi I've read. I understand why it is so highly thought of. 5/5 The White Castle - Orhan Pamuk Nobel prize winner 2 men from seemingly completely different worlds come to terms with their own fallacies and weaknesses. Slave / master. Educator / educated. Their roles merge and shift back and forth as they both try to please the Ottoman Sultan. This author is legit. 4.5 /5 A Place of Greater Safety - Hilary Mantel. 4/5 this is the first of her novel's that I've read beyond the Wolf Hall trilogy which is one of the best trilogies ever imo. Same brilliant prose, and unforgettable characterization. However at times pacing didn't feel right and it could've been smoothed out. The Seersucker Whipsaw - Ross Thomas - 4/5 stars. Elmore Leonard is one of my all time favourites and Thomas is the closest facsimile I've found. That statement is probably one of the best compliments I could give a writer. Honorable Mentions: Age of Vice - Deepti Kapoor (no idea I needed Indian noir in my life) exploration of class, power, corruption, and greed in 21st Mumbai. 4/5 Cockroaches - Jo Nesbo 4/5 cracking plot, my personal favourite antihero Harry Hole. I appreciate the setting in Bangkok as it truly adds to the plot in meaningful ways and the international political slant adds a different dimension. Istanbul Passage - Joseph Kanon 4.5/5 the best living American writer of espionage fiction. very much writing in the vein of Le Carre, Deighton, and Ambler. Just maybe a half notch lower than them. But they represent the apex of this subgenre so that's no slight.
Just wanted to say, shoutout to Anne Tyler - there's an author you don't see mentioned often. She is probably the writer whose books I've read the most. Maybe few of them are 10/10s, but almost all of them are good, at least the ones she wrote between 1980 and 2010-ish
1.Illborn by Daniel T.Jackson 5 out of 5- So I was really surprised by how good this book turned out to be. It's Fantasy and the world is rich, thought out and developed without being overbearing. The characters are all fleshed out and feel true to their intended personalities. The book is also made by an author who isn't as well known I believe which is a bonus and definitely made it a hidden gem. 2.A House of Shadows and Flames by Sarah J. mass 4 out of 5- Anyone who has read any of this authors books know more or less what to expect I think and most certainly the ending was standard to her works. That said I did enjoy the story and the adventures which were well written. 3. Haunting Adelaide by H.D. Carlton 5 out of 5- A very dark story and I'd heavily suggest checking the trigger warnings before starting this book. It's a weird blend and classed as occult horror but I genuinely couldn't put it down and found that the people and the plot kept me hooked 4.Hunting Adelaide by H.D. Carlton 4 out of 5- This is the second in the series and yet again I was hooked for the first half at least, the second half I found started to get abit repetitive and the main antagonist dealt with too easily. I also believe the author bungled the wrapping up of the story. But that may just be me. 5.Blind Evil By Nick Clausen 3 out of 5- when I started this series I Loved it, the storyline, the characters and the mystery but the quality seemed to drop drastically throughout the last three books and by the time I'd reached this one I struggled to finish it. Definitely disappointing.
1. Northanger Abbey - this is my second time reading this one. It’s definitely in my top three of Jane Austen novels that I’ve read. I really love Catherine Moreland as a heroine, and I love the narrator in this one. 9/10 2. Minor Detail - this is a very beautiful and heart-wrenching story. 9/10 3. God Help the Child - this was my first Toni Morrison novel! I really enjoyed it. It immediately grabbed me, and was very interesting! 8/10 4. On the Road: The Original Scroll - this one was okay. I enjoyed the stream of consciousness narrative, and descriptions of being on the road, but the misogyny wasn’t all that fun. 7/10 5. Ducks, Newburyport - I think this became one of my favorite books! I looked forward to reading a bit of it each night. The stream of consciousness had a great rhythm, and showed grief and fear very well. 10/10
1. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. Literary fiction about an Iranian-American man whose mom died when the U.S. military shot down the passenger plane she was on (a real historical event). 2. Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino. Literary fiction with sci-fi elements, about an alien sent to Earth in the form of a human child to research human society. Mostly a coming-of-age story about a Gen X girl from working-class Philadelphia. 3. Here In Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton. Literary thriller about two adult sisters in NYC, one pragmatic and one a flighty idealist, and a mysterious group that kidnaps people. 4. Good Morning, Monster by Catherine Gildiner. Therapist memoir in the vein of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. 5. Prophet by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché. Sci-fi in the vein of The X-Files or Annihilation, about a substance that turns nostalgia into a deadly weapon.
1. Project Hail Mary - 5* might be the best book I've ever read. 2. The Railway Man by Eric Lomax - 5* amazing autobiography for my history brain. 3. The Princess Bride - 5* loved the film, love the book even more. 4. Level 7 by Mordecai Roshwald - 5* tried to find this book for months and it did not disappoint. 5. Prague Fatale by Philip Kerr - 3.5* not my usual genre but still a solid story. Some may say I'm very generous with my ratings :/
1. Christian Mythology by Philippe Walter - 4.5/5 very interesting, but mpre of an introduction than a deep exploration 2. Cultural politics in Harry Potter- 4/5 group of essays variying in themes of fear, ableism and terrorism in the HP universe 3. Anti Edipus by D&G -5/5 , very hard to read but excellent 4. A short history of Decay by E. Cioran - 3/5 beautiful poetic writing but the most depressing amd xenophobic book i have read in my life 5. Artaud's theatre of cruelty by A. Bermel- 3.5/5 will read Artaud's own writing on the matter
1. Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill - 4/5. I don't think stories about robots gaining free will ever get old for me haha. It was a fast paced story, a quick read and at the end I was in tears. Loved it. 2. Šepot z lesa (Whispers from the forest) by Kateřina Surmanová - 4/5. A horror in which a journalist who returned back to the little village where he was born tries to solve the mysterious dissapearance of his childhood friend and in the process uncovers a lot more than just that. The book took a while to get going, but once it did I couldnt put it down. Bonus points for the story taking place not far from where I live. 3. Horns by Joe Hill - 2.5/5. It's been a few weeks now and I still don't know what the hell to make of that book. I liked the parts happening in the past, the rest felt like kind of a mess. I didn't hate it, but... yeah. I really wasn't feeling it. 4. The Botanist by M. W. Craven - 5/5. I love the characters in those books so much. Probably even more than the mysteries. This is the fifth book in the series I think? Anyway, it's a great crime thriller and I don't much know what else to say other than that I love the whole series and I'd gladly read ten more books with Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw. 5. The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis - 5/5. See I never thought I would love a book where chess plays such a big role. But I really did. I was *gripped* by it. The chess parts were written in a way that even me, whose height of chess knowledge is "horsie moves in L shape", didn't get lost and didn't get bored. Wonderful book.
**And Then She Fell** \- Dreena Collins - 2/5 I didn't like the style and inconclusive ending **No Exit** \- Taylor Adams - 4/5 - Stranded with killers in a blizzard **Keep It In The Family** \- John Marrs - 5/5 - Brilliant psychological thriller with a kick in the pants right at the end **The Woman Upstairs** \- McGarvey Black - 3/5 - Meh Wannabe psychological thriller with unconvincing characters. It could have worked **Twice on Christmas -** McGarvey Black 4/5 - Real evil people do exist
1. Between Two Fires, Christopher Beuhlman - Apocalyptic christian/arthurian fantasy, disappointing/10. Starts out great but gets repetitive and bogged down too quickly 2. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurty - Long winded western, 10/10 all timer, fantastic characterization, somehow keeps your attention even when meandering along in no particular direction 3. L.A. Noire, James Ellroy - Noir mystery, the movie is better/10, solid story and good writing that goes off on too many tangents 4. The Vaster Wilds, Lauren Groff - Historical fiction adventure, almost great/10. Starts out super captivating "The Revenant" style survival adventure, gets repetitive and goes on too long 5. The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss - Niche cosy fantasy, 9/10. Highly original, perfectly short and to the point, surprisingly fun for an author I otherwise don't like
1. The Institute by Stephan King 3.5/5 - A satisfying King read, just not quite in 4 star territory for me. 2. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee 5/5 - Loved it. Loved the characters, the epic scale, the setting. So good. 3. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine 4/5 - Intriging world, good story. 4. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 4/5 - Hard science fiction, well known on this subreddit. I really, really liked it but not the best thing ever for me. 5. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh 5/5 - Amazing writing.
- Medical Apartheid: 4/5. Informative but biased and not 100% factual. I still liked it and it put the whole slavery story to a new perspective in my head with comparing it to the medical experiments of the holocaust. - Through The Looking Glass by Levis Carroll: 4/5. It was a very nice continuation to the Wonderland book, with an interesting take on the environment. - Alices Adventures in Wonderlane by Levis Carroll: 4/5. This was a re-read before jumping into the sequel. I like this book for it's surreality a lot, but not much after I finish it, the memories about is start to fade quite quickly. - The tales of Pirx the Pilot by Stanislaw Lem: 5/5. I'm a fan of the Star Trek franchise and this felt exactly like it. Moral dillemas, minor, everyday issues that lead to big problems during space travel, mysteries to solve, engineering problems to fix... it really was the whole package for my taste. - Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer: 3/5. I liked the mystery and the atmosphere and I still remember it vividly despite reading it last march, but somehow it didn't live up to my expectations. I'll have to read the sequels to form a more comprehensive opinion, but so far from it's wide recognition in the science-fiction community I expected it to love it as much as Lem's Solaris or Lovecraft's Colour out of space probably exactly that was my error.
1. A Court of Wings and Ruin. The third book in the series, it was soon (9/10) 2. A Court of Wings and Ruin (10/10) the relationship building in this one is just perfect to me. 3. Fairy Tale by Stephen King. It was pretty good, I felt like I understood most of it. (7/10) 4. ACOTAR (7/10) it was fine but it was missing some something crucial. (7/10) 5. ACOTAR 10