fireworks emoji

It's the end of a decade but only two years of me starting to read again. Still, it's something to celebrate!! I've made it two whole years!!! I probably could've finished more books this month but the holiday season slowed me down. Also I wanted to keep the total amount of books read at a good whole number.

December Book Reviews

If Cats Disappeared from the World (Genki Kawamura)

4.5/10 This was a weird limbo of a book for me. I don't know if its the writing style or the translation that's throwing me off but there's something about the painfully plain and stilted phrases that makes it such a bore to read. The contents don't really help its case either. It feels like it's trying to be an introspective, emotional piece; it is after all, about a man reflecting on his life as it comes to an end. But the protagonist isn't very interesting or likeable. There are some aspects where it seems like he's trying to be "relatable" : he works in an unchanging government job, he has a hard time forming meaningful relationships, he's estranged from his parents etc. But then they add in aspects where it removes him from that audience surrogate role where he has personal and specific issues with his dad or his fervent love of movies. It's a weird balance that neither makes him more sympathetic nor interesting to read about. Even the draw of the book, the titular disappearance of cats, was dealt with in a really disappointing way. Overall, I think it had the potential to be a nice short story that ruminates on all the different components that make up a person's life but the execution unfortunately fell short of the concept.

Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories (Agatha Christie)

8/10 Not much to say about this one except I just love Miss Marple. I'm always delighted by her concept: a quaint, Victorian elderly lady who only knows village gossip stories but manages to solve cases no one else can. I love her approach of solving cases by studying the human condition rather through logic puzzles just because methods of committing crimes may change but motives never do. There's a foreword by the author who says Miss Marple is more suited for the short stories (compared to Poirot who 'demands a full length novel') and that's definitely the case. She shines in this format, and Tuesday Club Murders is my favorite example of it.

Horrorstor (Grady Hendrix)

6/10 I really liked the set up of this one. It reminds me of a really good creepypasta/SCP of an endless Ikea that people are trapped in. And the beginning did deliver on those expectations, it had a great atmosphere that also reminded me of House of Leaves, another horror story that's based on a architectural space. There was some fantastic use of the storeroom space and tension that came from the setting. Unfortunately, the 'ghost' or antagonist of the space was revealed really early on and I think that ruined a lot of the mystery for me. I was hoping they'd center the horror more around the space itself but the latter half of the story almost entirely was just based on this ghost of a prison/asylum which number one, is as about as cliched as you can get and number two, could've been set anywhere else. The protagonist and the fellow characters were just okay for me. The whole fake product pages were a nice bonus but I wished it could've transitioned into horror more subtly. A book with a great beginning and an average ending.

The Bride Test (Helen Hoang)

6.5/10 This was a cute book! I enjoyed reading it. It's the typical set up of a Cinderella romance novel, complete with convenient contrivances and unlikely coincidences but cute nonetheless. Bonus points for a POC protagonist and actually giving her problems and points of views that would match her background rather than making her POC for the sake of it. I also enjoyed having a lead on the autism spectrum and I thought it was portrayed rather well. The main thing I didn't really mesh with was that this book was........TOO horny. I know some people prefer more smut in their romance and maybe it's because I don't read too many romance novels myself, but I was thrown off with how much of their relationship was based on physical attraction. The lead literally gets a boner the first time he meets her. I would've liked it if the relationship was developed more, instead I felt like it was really rushed and I couldn't really enjoy the process of them falling for each other over the general smut teasing. Still, despite its problems, I found it a fast, entertaining and easy read.

The Moth Presents: All These Wonders (Catherine Burns)

8.5/10 A really fantastic collection of stories from the podcast based on people from different walks to life talking about a single moment in their life. Although the majority of stories were from authors, comedians or other public speakers, there were a few that were from regular people with regular jobs. And although the majority of the stories were of extraordinary events of everything from the death of a loved one to the first flyby of Pluto, there were also a few that were just a mundane event plucked from the everyday. And while I enjoyed both of types, I do appreciate the little outliers because I felt like it made the concept that much more meaningful. I cried about every other story when reading it, it was so real and emotional. The only reason I was debating between a four and a five star was because it also felt a bit like TEDtalks. It's short and punchy but even as I was tearing up, I also felt on a meta-level it wasn't as impactful as a full story with a connected narrative. Still, it's an incredible, well-written (spoken?) collection and I loved reading it. "I find myself born into this universe. It's a wonderful place. It's a strange place. It's also a scary and sometimes lonely place. And every day in my work, I try to discern through its noisy manifestation, its people, dogs, trees, mountains, stars - everything I love - I try to discern the eternal music of the spheres."

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs (Caitlin Doughty)

6/10 "The flames are the great equalizer." The second book of hers that I've read this year as it turns out. I didn't like this one as much as 'From Here to Eternity' but it wasn't a bad book. It's definitely targeted more for younger readers, which is the main reason why I thought it was just okay. Still, I think it's pretty enjoyable to read and it has some interesting questions and answers. Not much to say actually...it was alright.

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have an indifferent new year

So, it's not exactly off to a great start. The best book I read was one about funerals so as far as indications on how the new year will go, on a scale of one to ravens cawing under a blood moon, I'd give it a finding the Grim in your tea leaves.

January Book Reviews

Sleeping Beauties (Stephen King, Owen King)

4.5/10 This is the first Stephen King book I read and it's probably an understatement to say it wasn't the best first impression. The premise sounded like it had potential: a mysterious illness turns women into cocoons after falling asleep, if disturbed from their rest they become inhumanly violent and while they rest they are transported to another place. So it sounds good! A disease that affects only women allows a chance to explore important gender issues and societal dynamics! The inhuman violence sounds like a good taste of the horror that King is so well known for! Oooh transported to another place has a hint of sci-fi and mystery as well! Unfortunately not only did I not think any of those were done well, even if they were I think it would've been bogged down by the mind-numbingly boring amount of filler this book has. It was an absolute slog trying to get through this book. First of all, while I'm understanding that King usually focuses his story in small towns in America, the implications of the illness are so large that I feel somehow cheated of a better story by only showing the effects of it in this random US town.

AND imagine my eye roll when it turns out that the mysterious figure responsible for all this somehow decided that this one town is the decider for the fate of women ALL OVER THE WORLD????????????? Can you be more American-centric??

Then, as if to make up for the constricted setting, the book decides to introduce apparently all 100 something people living in the town. People keep getting introduced even halfway through the book and I stopped caring somewhere around the first 30 pages. Then the highlight of the book, the look at gender issues, was so heavy handed that it lost all believable nuance. Like wow, men angry monkey brain, women group motherly brain. Any male characters that aren't total creeps are bland as bread, including the so-called hero we're supposed to be cheering on. Not even the supposed genre tag helped. There was nothing horrific about this book, not the exaggerated violence at least. The most tense I felt the entire time was probably trying to finish it before my library hold was up.

Also hoooly shit the ending was so bad. Like listen, introducing some mysterious godlike entity named Eve as the cause of all this fine. It might have worked better if there was no real reason but I digress. But giving her the oddest mix of motive and powers and personality? One second she's basically god, the next she has rules to her power (Like they get drained or something???) And adding in some weird animal/nature thing like what does that have to do with women?? THEN the ultimate insult having the whole thing be resolved by some bland white psychiatrist convince her to save some other random dude because he's what?? volunteers on the weekend??? is a "good guy"??? I hate this ending so much I can't believe I pushed to finish all 1400 some pages just for this ending.

Fool (Christopher Moore)

4.5/10 So. Apparently this book is supposed to be comedy but I didn't laugh even once while reading it. Like there were some parts I thought was pretty witty? 'There's always a bloody ghost'. I like that kind of self-referencing, fourth wall kind of in-joke. Unfortunately for me, most of this book's humour seemed to be based on just dirty jokes and....that's pretty much it. It won't stop describing people's naked bodies or how clearly ready for sex most of the women are (except for the main love interest because OF COURSE SHE'S GOTTA BE PURE). Like I guess it's supposed to be outrageous, raunchy humour? And I'm just not a fan. But even if I were into sex jokes and making every woman a whore, I don't even like the actual plot. So it drew me in because it was supposed to be a retelling of King Lear from the Fool's perspective. It's a fantastic story and I loved the idea of telling it from the Fool's point of view given that he's one of the very few people who survive the play. But this book made Fool less of a wry, meta commentator and more of a traditional protagonist. He's the one who sets the play's events in motion! He gets with all the women! He's a jester but gets to take down the nobles! It just loses the novelty of the idea that got me interested in the first place.

So not only is the ghost his past lover or whatever, she's also his current love interest's mom?? He's secretly the brother of the king??? He finds some random witches borrowed from Macbeth who give him this drug that makes the evil sisters into him?? He gives the idea for the sisters to turn against the king but it's okay because they were all dicks and bitches anyway??? Cordelia doesn't die instead she becomes queen of France and starts a war against England just so she can come back to him and marry him because she's been in love with this literal clown since she was little?????????????? He becomes king of like four countries or something?????? I hate this.

I will give it this, I like how it combined Shakespeare's iambic meter, ye olde English with modern ways of speech. It was mixed together organically and didn't feel off and I enjoyed the originality of its writing even if I hated its contents.

From Here to Eternity:Traveling the World to Find the Good Death (Caitlin Doughty)

8/10 This was a really interesting book to read! The author, the director of a funeral home, travels around the world as well as within the states to look at different ceremonies for the dead. It was fairly short, so not really comprehensive, but I enjoyed the size of it. It offered a good variety of different cultural practices while still feeling just long enough for it not to get overwhelming. I also liked how the author lent her expertise in standard American funeral processes as a comparison especially since it's not common knowledge. The comparisons included both the technical details (e.g. cremation vs burials) as well as more philosophical questions (i.e. how we treat the dead, the topic of death in different cultures). Not only was this entertainingly informative, but it also gives us food for thought on a topic relevant to us all.

The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror (Mallory Ortberg)

4.5/10 Listen, I'm not being lazy when I keep giving the same score to all these books. I just genuinely don't care for them. This book was promised as a dark re-telling of familiar fairy tales which of course, I'm always interested in. The subtitle being 'Tales of Everyday Horror' was interesting in its use of 'everyday'. But what the book gave me was stories that weren't fantastical enough to be engaging and not everyday enough to be sinister. The endings are often abrupt, leaving me with less a sense of tension than a sense of confusion. There wasn't a purpose, just a meandering sort of mix of whatever the stories are inspired from (which judging from the footnotes, is really just a complicated clutter of everything from the actual fairy tales themselves to Shakespeare and the Bible). The story I liked the most was probably 'The Six Boy-Coffins' and really only because that one was the most faithful, and followed the format of an actual story. I also kind of enjoyed 'Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters'; the idea of a sensible mom in a fairy tale who knows that her son is getting tricked by a mermaid wanting to drown him has some pretty good potential. But of course, that's just potential.You know, sometimes a lot of stories seem to follow a similar structure, like having an introduction, rising and falling action, a climax etc. Don't you feel like there's a reason for that? Trying something new is all well and good but...let's just say Rome wasn't built in a day.
Also the author uses a lot of gendered names with opposite gender pronouns, e.g. Paul is the name of the 'daughter' in a retelling of Cinderella, the youngest daughter in the story of the Frog Prince is referred to as 'he', etc. Honestly, I can't really think of a real reason why this is? If the author was trying to make some kind of commentary on gender roles in folklore, I don't think just changing around the words made any kind of point. The only thing they served to do was to distract me. So really, in summary: this book didn't make me scared, it just made me confused.

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boo-ks

The real terror is not reading a single book I definitively loved. That and my ever growing pile of books to read while I do anything but read them.

October Book Reviews

Meddling Kids (Edgar Cantero)

5.5/10 This book had its highs and lows for me. I liked the concept of a Scooby gang-esque group reuniting after they grow up and re-investigating an old case only to discover that there was real supernatural forces involved. The kids themselves though...didn't really grow on me. Andy especially, her whole character was built around her crush on Kerri, to the point where it was getting kind of overbearing. Like girl, you're not a teenager anymore, keep it together!! My favorite character was honestly probably the dog. The beginning took way, way too long and I really struggled to keep going. The high point was definitely the last few chapters when they returned to the house and the action really kicked in. While it had plenty of nods to Lovecraft canon, the vibe itself was nowhere near actual Lovecraft stories. I was also thrown off by the writing style changes but really loved the twists at the end. Overall, it was fine but it could've been better.

Split Tooth (Tanya Tagaq)

1.5/10 Um. Let's just say I'm not a fan of this style of writing. I get that it's supposed to be poetic, but it just threw me off. The random events, the random poetry, the random New Age spiritualism, the random animal sex, listen...I just. It's just not my thing. You could call it 'a mystical journey of the relationship between man and nature, a look at the shamanistic rituals of the past' and I could call it 'a woman giving a fox a blowjob'. You could call it 'weaving a line between reality and invention, an ancient myth reborn in the present' and I could call it 'a bad acid trip'. Let's agree to disagree and never speak of this book again.

The Perfect Girlfriend (Karen Hamilton)

4/10 I'm not a fan of domestic thrillers and unfortunately this book didn't change my mind. It wasn't exactly bad, it was just more of a genre I'm not particularly into. There were some parts, especially in the beginning, where I was interested in where the plot was going or what the protagonist was going to do next. But after the climax, I felt that it had less direction and the main character didn't impress me as much, instead growing more far-fetched and crazy in a mental kind of way than realistically sinister. While the ending with the 'twist' reveal was fun, I wasn't so much surprised at her final actions as I thought she would've done it sooner. It was easy to read through, I'll give it that, but it didn't do too much for me.

Lovecraft Country (Mat Ruff)

7.5/10 "But even the talk of magic wasn't that peculiar, for most of them spoke of it as they would of money, or politics or any other means of bending the world to their will."  It was an interesting read, and there were definitely some high points, but overall it failed to really pull me in and the story seemed vaguely disjointed. Rather than an overarching story with a clear focus, it kind of jumps around POVs (albeit with the same underlying plot), and I had a hard time really getting in and focusing on finishing the book. Still, it had some neat ideas and great moments. The Lovecraft part of the title is more of an homage to his themes than anything stylistically or tonally similar. Still, I'll give it props because it touched upon the one theme that so many other works inspired by Lovecraft have failed to address: the racism. It really added an unique quality and the setting of the American Midwest during the Jim Crowe era isn't a common location for horror which was great too. A story with its highs and 'meh's but it wasn't bad.

Also I almost want to give it a 8 score just for Letitia managing to strongarm a grumpy old white man's ghost by threatening to haunt him if he kills her. Like what a BAMF, chilling with ghosts, casually playing chess with him. I'd be down just to see more of her, hopefully the TV show gives her the screentime she deserves.

How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men's Feelings (Sarah Cooper)

7.5/10 A hilarious, fun to read, but not anything groundbreaking or fresh. It's pretty much what the internet has said and pointed out countless times, the sexism that women face in the workplace. There's multitudes of similar stuff on social media that talk about double standards and man-splaining. None of the things she says is particularly standout but it was still funny to read. The layout and formatting of the book was great, the stuff it talks about is definitely real and I like that it didn't try to go too heavy. It was light on subsistence but sometimes that what you need, just some humor to help point out the ridiculous. It's definitely a fun book and I think it'd make a fantastic present for all the HBIC.

Monstress, Vol.1: Awakening (Marjorie Liu)

5/10 Monstress has some amazing art, incredibly detailed, the world is beautifully imagined and the character designs are gorgeous. I like its mix of Western and Eastern art style, so it doesn't come off as completely one or the other. However, it falls short in terms of introducing you to the setting itself. It's a pretty high fantasy world, with various factions, races and histories. But the story just throws you in media res, there's no time to fully grasp what's going on at all. There seems to be two groups fighting a war? People with animal ears? The main character has some monster thing inside her? There are two kinds of talking cats??? While mildly intriguing, it's way too confusing for me to actually be invested in the story.

Alice (Christina Henry)

4.5/10 Ehhh...so this book is supposed to be dark, gritty re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland. First of all, like there isn't enough of those but I'm the one who decided to read it so we'll let it pass for now. But even with that common premise, there's nothing too much to differentiate it. Like we start off with Alice in an asylum! Wow! Groundbreaking. The characters in the story are humans in this one, like okay. There's some random love interest who's older than her and she like loves him immediately with almost zero buildup? A lot of the 'darkness' feels like it comes from a need to be edgy rather than actually making it sinister. The ending was so anticlimactic

like okay getting rid one of the Big Bads with zero effort but both?

but I guess it added a mild bit of individuality. Like I want to say that this book had good ideas but didn't go anywhere with them but...did it even have any good ideas? Ehh....

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summer homework

Ah yes the Sunday of summer, it's only fitting that I only somehow read the last three books in like a week.

August Book Reviews

The Dead Husband Project (Sarah Meehan Sirk)

5.5/10 Another series of short stories, although I liked this one more than The Dark and Other Love Stories. The titular short story was probably my favorite and the one that made the most impression on me. I really liked how the whole thing played out. For the other stories, the ambiguity of many of them were interesting. Some were just vague enough to be intriguing but others just pushed it to confusing. I'd say my other favorites would be 'Ozk', 'Inters ection' and 'Moonman'. Overall, I feel that while I did like reading it, especially because of the easiness of consuming short pieces, I don't really feel like you would miss out on anything major if you didn't read this.

Coraline (Neil Gaiman)

7.5/10 I really loved the Laika movie based off this book and happened to pick this one up and I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed! I love the classic fairy tale vibe of the story, less Disney princess and more Hansel and Gretel. Think deep dark woods and cautionary tales. I really loved Coraline's character and I actually really loved the cat too (to no one's surprise). It's a short novella, but it's perfect for kids. I also liked it because it made me appreciate the movie a lot more too. The stylistic choices were super on point, and I even liked some of the changes they added in. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for just a bit of dark fantasy.

Soundless (Richelle Mead)

5/10 It was average at best. I've seen fanfiction that are about this quality, with no disrespect to fanfiction at all. The setting is at least somewhat different and the premise sounded great but the story took far too long into getting into the real action. The idea that everyone in this isolated village is deaf and one day this girl suddenly hears sound for the first time is intriguing but the explanation as to why was a weird mix of science and fantasy that seemed at odds at each other. The resolution of the story seemed a bit deus ex machina and many actual problems weren't completely resolved or seemed rushed through. I might as well have read fanfiction, at least they'd have characters I'm already invested in.

A Tale for the Time Being (Ruth Ozeki)

9/10 "If you do decide to read on, then guess what? You're my kind of time being and together we'll make magic!" It was a story that slowly eased you in but once inside, it seems almost impossible to put down. Interweaving two POVs yet the switch is seamless. The length and style is just engaging enough that you pick up the two threads without a stutter. I absolutely loved the way they talked about themes of philosophy, death and time without seeming overly pretentious or forced.  I cared about both timelines — both Ruth's drifting, isolated existence and Nao's battered, crowded fate. There was just enough mystery and a hint of the supernatural that made it intriguing without losing the sense of realism to either of their stories. The little details about both of their lives grounded them but the larger story lifted them into something bigger. A tale for not only the time being, but the time to come as well.

The Mars Room (Rachel Kushner)

2.5/10 A story centered around lives in California prisons, this failed to meet expectations. While it certainly seems that the author did her research while writing this piece, I felt like that research would've been better served by a different kind of writing style, or even a nonfiction book instead. The themes and topics it concerns is undoubtedly important: the state of incarceration in the United States, morality and the justice system, transphobia and gender issues in prison. Yet this book fails to deliver the due gravitas to any of them, due to its nonlinear timeline, shifting perspectives, multiple POVs, and stream of consciousness style of writing. None of the characters failed to capture my attention, and the fictional element made it seem like the darker themes were gritty for the sake of being gritty rather than a reflection on some of the realities of imprisonment. It was hard to get through not because it was depressing, but because it was boring. It had potential, but ultimately went nowhere.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon)

6.5/10 I can see why this book would be assigned reading. The writing style, done in the point of view of its autistic protagonist, didn't feel forced or theatrical at all. Every thought and action felt natural and logical when seen in the protagonist perspective, a feat that should be appreciated. I also enjoyed the dynamics of the family, managing to portray the complex factors involved in a family whose child is autistic. More importantly, it kept both parents as flawed, human characters. There was no clear choice, at least from our understanding, which parent is better and that in turn made the characters seem more real. However, while it is a good book and I can see the value of it, I wouldn't say I loved reading it. The ending felt a little rushed but overall it's just not my type of book. Still, I'm glad I did read it.

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the sixth cents

Halfway!!! Dare I believe it? Will I actually finish this goal?? Also...I don't even know what was up with this month. I don't even have school anymore and I read so many books this month it's like I was in a summer reading program.

June Book Reviews

The Girl With All the Gifts (M. R. Carey)

9/10 "And then like Pandora, opening the great big box of the world and not being afraid, not even caring whether what's inside is good or bad. Because it's both. Everything is always both. But you have to open it to find that out." I loved this book and I was more surprised than anyone. I read this on a recommendation so I had no idea what the premise of this book was other than 'science fiction'. Turns out it's actually zombie story, which quickly becomes apparent, but I never would've otherwise picked it up if I knew because I'm just not a fan of zombies or apocalypses. But like the above quote says, you'll never know unless you open it and I'm really glad I did this time. The main character is a force unto herself, a worthy representative of Pandora, of Eve, of Sophia, of the myth of the first woman and her disobedience that gave birth to knowledge. The supporting cast that make up the usual 'last band of humans' is by no means bland either, with believable goals and developed personalities. Both the premise and ending was a unique and refreshing twist on the zombie genre. Anyone inclined to avoid it because of its horror tag, I strongly recommend you giving this a try.

Salvation of a Saint (Keigo Higashino)

7.5/10 The second Detective Galileo I've read and it was a pretty decent one. Honestly, I don't think anything will quite match up to the setup and resolution of "The Devotion of Suspect X" but I liked reading this one too. The setting is much more mundane and the final solution is at once more commonplace as well as more fantastical than in Suspect X which is kind of strange. As a standalone story though, I really enjoyed the two main detectives especially Utsumi, as well as trying to figure out the complicated motives of the main suspect. There were some parts that surprised me a little, and other hints that I managed to catch on correctly, but nothing quite like the rollercoaster ride from Suspect X. Still, it was an enjoyable read, definitely a solid deduction style murder mystery.

Death Notice (Zhao Haohui)

6/10 I picked up this book for one reason and one reason only, the summary said it was set in Chengdu, Sichuan. I almost never get to see Chengdu featured in any English media, it's usually Beijing or Shanghai or Hong Kong. So that one singular feature made me borrow this book, the first translation of a trilogy of crime thrillers that are apparently super popular in China. So imagine my letdown when, after reading the book, I found out that in the original Chinese, it hadn't been Chengdu; they only changed it to a bigger city for the English release. No wonder, because the city itself only barely featured in the story. It named some places but the ones I recognized could've been pulled from any city and the ones that were unique I couldn't recognize. Thanks for nothing. Anyway! The story itself. Unfortunately not amazing enough to soothe the disappointment. A fairly typical police suspense thriller. It started off ok, but some of the murders towards the end got a bit too convoluted and edgy/gruesome. It did keep you guessing at some parts which was nice (at least you're always thinking) but as the first of a trilogy they don't even provide the ultimate solution. Who knows if the rest of the series will even get translated? As a crime thriller, I would've given this a decent 6.5 but because the genre isn't even my cup of tea, it gets docked half a point. 不好意思.

A Midsummer's Equation (Keigo Higashino)

6.5/10 Although the second novel, Salvation of a Saint, had a more mundane setting and premise, it felt more interesting than this one. This one had multiple players to keep track of and stretched across two cities, but it just made it harder to get into. Even though some parts of the resolution and the 'unrelated red herrings' gave it a Suspect X feel (there was, I think, even a small throwaway line referencing it: Yukawa knew better than anyone else how willing the truly devoted were to assume guilt in order to protect the ones they loved), ultimately it fell short. This book expanded a bit on the actual personality of Detective Galileo himself, but for me it was a bit of a mixed reception. I did enjoy his interactions with Kyohei, especially with the ending. I felt like the ultimate solution, especially in regards to the culprit, could've been expanded on but at least I was surprised by the final reveals.

The Library at Mount Char (Scott Hawkins)

7.5/10 I quite liked this book! It's got a female 'protagonist', mysterious powers and eldritch horror — my favorite combo. There were some twists and turns here and there, but the ending was pretty satisfying for me. I would've like them to spend less time on Steve (even his name sounds boring) and more time on the other siblings, but overall it was a varied and interesting cast of characters. The eldritch horror was juuust unobtrusive enough not to feel confusing, or at least I took it in stride. There were parts were I didn't quite like the tone but the general narrative kept my attention and there were parts where I absolutely loved it. Still, it's got the kind of tone to it where, while I liked it, I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. If you're a fan of eldritch horror though, definitely take a look.

Little Fires Everywhere (Celeste Ng)

9.5/10 Domestic fiction is usually not my cup of tea. But there are some books in a genre that are so good it doesn't matter what your usual preferences are and this book was it. It was a bit slow to get started, but once it started moving, I couldn't take my eyes away from the lives of these people. They were so vivid, so complex in their wholeness, in all of their imperfections and humanity. The clashing of different people from different walks of life, not just the main characters, but the secondary plot line as well, was so well done. I loved the running theme of 'fires' and the different ways it was brought into the story. But I especially loved the ending, because that's just how life is. It doesn't always come to a perfect conclusion, instead it's tangled threads, pieces you've left behind, pieces that others have given you, the limitless possibilities of a future both good and bad, and of course, little fires everywhere.

On Tyranny (Timothy Snyder)

5/10 It's a decent enough little book, talking about some of the political problems facing Europe and the United Status today. It mostly presents concepts and using examples from history, such as discussing the rise of fascism. While I get that it's supposed to be brief, I didn't like the overwhelming Western focus. There were some interesting notes on WWII but I would've preferred examples from other events as well. It's also presented in part as a guide on how to act in order to combat some of these problems. Although I agreed with what the book was saying here, I didn't really like the tone of it. It's all well and good to say that people should act this way, but realistically it seems improbable and tonally it sounds patronizing. There was one quote I did like though, even if it was a tall order (and frankly can be misused in a different light): "Stand out. Someone has to. It is easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom."

The Screaming Staircase (Jonathan Stroud)

5.5/10 It's not a bad book, but there were areas that I felt were lacking. The basic premise is fine, even if it's just that, basic. The 'rules' of the fantasy setting were well put and easy to follow along. The plot was alright, I called the ending but it was a fairly decent ending. I liked the teaser at the end hinting at the protagonist's hidden abilities. I liked the protagonist well enough, but honestly I didn't really fall in love with any of the characters. They're just alright. The plot was just alright. It wasn't anything terrible, it just didn't make a really deep impression on me.

Beautiful Blue World (Suzanne LaFleur)

4.5/10 This book had potential but was way too short. It was kind of weird actually because when reading it, I didn't really feel like I was slogging through a lot of filler, but in the end I also felt like I only read the beginning of a story. I realize that because this is the first book in a series, they do need to leave something but also at least give me something to begin with. The protagonist's character also feels lacking, like I see the point of her 'special skills' but they don't seem to stand out as particularly extraordinary. The whole thing didn't really make much of an impression on me.

The Wrath & the Dawn (Renee Ahdieh)

7/10 Another YA novel that I enjoyed, but not as surprising as Three Dark Crowns. I liked that one based off all the new takes they had on the genre whereas I liked this one based off all the old classic tropes of the genre. I came in with expectations of a typical 'girl falls for enemy because he isn't as bad as he seems' romance and my expectations were fully met, but not in a bad way. Yes, they fall in love with an unrealistic speed, yes many things would've been resolved had they just talked about it, yes the girl turns out to have some magical powers she never knew about. The usual suspects, although luckily they weren't too overbearing. There's also the usual pros, like the girl being the 'honest, witty' one that surprises the system of tradition, her holding her own against enemies, etc. Of course the guy is dark and brooding and yes when he gets angry only the girl can calm him down but that's what I came for. Some pleasant pluses was I liked the B couple sideplot, there was a second love interest but they didn't tease a triangle at all, and I didn't hate the protagonist (always a surprise in a YA novel nowadays). But what I liked most about it, and what I'm disappointed they didn't spend more time on, was the Arabian Nights setting and theme. Any YA setting not in a European medieval fantasy world (even if it's still royalty themed) is always worth a second glance.


The Moth & the Flame (Renee Ahdieh)
2/10 A short story set before the first novel and good thing it was a short story because it added nothing to the actual story. It mainly details the B couple development, as well as some backstory. The backstory part I was fine with, it deepened the initial premise but definitely would've felt unwieldy if forced into the main book. But the large part of this story was on the girl of the B couple and first of all, an uninspired romance. Whatever, they could've worked some actual chemistry in for the main book. But the fact that they didn't actually work in the most interesting about the girl? I guess they didn't want to spoil the surprise in the sequel but damn, at least drop some meaningful hints. Maybe this short story could've been interesting then. (Also I read the summaries for some of the other short stories and they actually seem interesting but like ? why didn't they include them? It sure would've made the sudden romance and scene changes a lot easier to deal with.)

The Rose & the Dagger (Renee Ahdieh)

4.5/10 Alright, looks like this continues in the well honoured tradition of YA fantasy sequels always being 10x worse. They threw away what little remained of the Arabian Nights setting for some war camp scenery that could've been anywhere. They threw in even more magical power nonsense that was even more convoluted than the initial bits in the first book, including characters that literally only appeared for a paragraph before disappearing. One of the new characters had his relationship barely developed with the protagonist before he became one of her forever friends. They showed even more of the side male lead's POV even after well establishing he had no chance. Added in some manly gesturing while the protagonist lies unconscious. Added in another bland C couple while the B couple not only splits up for completely unforeshadowed reasons but also has the guy completely flip his loyalty for a girl when their relationship was barely developed. And despite all the message about the protagonist finding her wings or whatever, she had almost no agency in the events that really mattered. Oh YA fantasy romance novels, for each one that surprises me another one never fails to let me down.

Thanks for adding in that bland C couple just to kill the guy off for dramatic purposes. I know you just wanted some narrative stake but couldn't actually kill off any one really important. Also reduced the villain to someone who wasn't even a threat. Like, no tension at all for all he was built up in the first one. None of the villains were good. Also...the last battle (which wasn't even a real battle) had a winged serpent. Like just........fuck you.

The Death of Mrs.Westaway (Ruth Ware)

6.5/10 Now this might be because I was recommended this book by two separate people who claimed they didn't like her other novels but really enjoyed this one...but I didn't find it outstanding. It was a decent mystery story, don't get me wrong. I liked the twist at the end, a lot actually. But that was really the only highlight for me. The characters didn't make too much of an impression on me, especially the elderly caretaker who's only impression was that I totally called her reveal. I didn't enjoy the snippets of letters from the past, it seemed to make it too easy for both the protagonist and the reader. I didn't dislike the protagonist but I didn't love her either. The story took much too long to get to the actual meat of the story and the bit of thriller action towards the end felt average. It also felt like there was too much symbolism, like convenient tarot cards and magpies — pick one and stick with it, please. Overall, ok but underwhelming.

#NeverAgain: A New Generation Draws the Line (David Hogg, Lauren Hogg)

7/10 An absorbing read from the front lines of America's gun control debate. Written by its newest champions, young survivors of school shootings, it tells the story from an engaging first person perspective. I enjoyed the separate sections that the siblings wrote, each with their own POV of the events and especially of the other person. It's a fairly short book and it felt more like an essay or a long article but it was interesting enough that I wanted to read more, possibly from other students or survivors. The list of school shooting victims at the end of the book was a chilling surprise — I had no idea there were that many. While I liked that they listed ways to get involved, it's hard not to feel cynical looking at the stalled state the debate is still at. Still, it's definitely a must read for anyone interested the ongoing issues of gun control in the US (and it should be everyone in the US).

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I've all but abandoned every other monthly goal except for this one so fingers crossed

April Book Reviews

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories (HP Lovecraft)

6/10 GODDAMN this was hard to get through. Not necessarily because it was bad, but just the dated tone combined with his own writing style made it difficult to process all the information. This was the first book this year that I had to renew to be able to finish it. Overall, because most of his stories are first hand accounts of events that happened in the past, the tense over the protagonists' survival is pretty much lost. A lot of the horror still feels informed, like it might we that we're too used to images of Cthulhu but reading about characters freaking out and tripping balls then having it described as a squid dragon...doesn't really have the intended effect. My favorite parts are the world building and the horror of humanity rather than the unknown. My least favorite is the dumb curiosity killed the cat characters and, you know, the racism. But I'm gonna get my library card's worth and review every single goddamn eldritch story. (italics are my reccs)
Dagon: Unremarkable, the usual Lovecraft setup, only notable in a footnote that informs us how much Lovecraft hated the smell of fish. 4/10
The Statement of Randolph Carter: I actually really liked the stinger line at the end, that was pretty great. 6/10
Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family: Again, the ending was kinda cool, but the intro took way too long to get there. 4.5/10
Celephais: Interesting in that the horror element is missing, had some cool world building in this one but not much plot. 4.5/10
Nyarlathotep: I didn't know dude was Egyptian. 3/10
The Picture in the House: I just find it funny how he writes the 'reveal twist' sentence in italics every time like it's meant to surprise us but we've already seen it coming a mile away. 3/10
The Outsider: A different concept, even if it is, again, one we saw coming. 4.5/10
Herbert West-Reanimator: A longer story of connected events and it pays off. Even if you question why at the end of each story the narrator reaffirms how aghast he is, he keeps showing up in the next one - like get out man. 7.5/10
The Hound: Another story about how white man's inability to resist shiny things destroys us all. 4/10
The Rats in the Walls: An actual bit of ghoulishness in the reveal (because of course, people are the real monsters) and a great ending. 7/10
The Festival: All I can think of is people riding crocodiles. 3/10
He: That sure is him alright. Unremarkable aside from all the racism, which at this point is overt in enough of his stories that it too is pretty much unremarkable. 4/10
Cool Air: While it was pretty obvious from the start, it was decent and at least memorable for the different concept it used. 5/10
The Call of Cthulhu: The titular story and while it didn't blow my mind, it was solid. It also has my favorite line: "The stars were right again, and what an age-old cult had failed to do by design, a band of innocent sailors had done by accident." 7/10
The Color Out of Space: An overall enjoyable read, and I liked that there wasn't too much description of the eldritch horror in this one but did drag on a bit. 5/10
The Whisperer in Darkness: It was good but I felt like it had potential to be greater. First of all, hard to take monsters seriously when you start describing them as crabs. Second of all, protagonist is dumb af and seriously is so blind to any sense of horror convention that it could only be a middle class white guy. Third, the concept of monsters mimicking humans and having human allies is pretty unique among his stories but I felt like it didn't take full advantage of it. Still, 7/10
The Shadow Over Innsmouth: A scene with actual tension takes place in this one, incredible. The origin story was pretty interesting to read too. 6/10
The Haunter of the Dark: Unremarkable, typical Lovecraft set up, typical white guy screwing over everyone else because he has too much free time on his hands.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Alan Bradley)

7.5/10 A solid, fun mystery novel!  The main character can sometimes be a little annoying as a precocious pre-teen brat, but the brilliance is that that's exactly what she is! An 11 year old written so that she really feels like one, aside from her prodigious interest in chemistry. She makes mistakes and takes actions that feel expected from an 11 year old. The story and plot, especially with a subject as seemingly dull as stamps, kept things rolling and made me invested in what happens next. The ending was a little predictable, but what led up to it was fun to follow as the protagonist connected the dots between all the clues we were given in the beginning.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Rachel Joyce)

7/10 I have the feeling that this is a 'good' book but it's not really for me. The main character is an old man who reflects on his life as he walks on the titular pilgrimage. There are themes of regret, the passing of time, missed opportunities, different kinds of love and how they change. It's well written, but I feel that these are things that you can really appreciate a lot more if you've gone through lots of experiences already. I enjoyed how they wrote the point of view from the wife's perspective a lot. Overall, it's not a book that changed my life but it's one I can see changing others'.

Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)

9.5/10 What an experience to read this. The book begins with two sisters separated by colonialism, one who stayed in her home in Ghana and one sold into slavery. As they continue to follow generations of that split, it takes us through decades of history on two different continents. Although the main character of each generation only takes the spotlight for the length of a short story, you can really feel that each of them has a story to tell worth listening to. Not every story has a happy ending or really even an ending, but that's what makes it feel like the stories of real people. Even with those brief looks, the impacts of colonialism, history of slavery and institutional racism on two different continents are brilliantly portrayed. It's not something that you feel the book is preaching to you either, rather, like real life, it's something in the background that you only connect to those issues if you have an understanding of them. Above all, the constant theme of family both ancestral and domestic is something anyone can relate to. This novel was a journey in very sense of the word and one I recommend anyone to take.

Educated (Tara Westover)

7.5/10 This was a fairly interesting book to read in many ways. I compared it a lot with Hillbilly Elegy as both books are focused on children growing up in isolated, rural areas who go on to higher education at prestigious schools. There are lots of differences of course, especially religion and upbringing, but I did end up enjoying this one more. Although there were some points where I wanted more empirical explanations or scientific studies of economics and mental illnesses like the ones in Hillbilly Elegy, I realized that by not having them made the story seem more human. Most of all I liked that the book didn't even slightly try to generalize her story and it was much more emotional and introspective. It also benefited from not being solely centered on the American culture & experience like Hillbilly was. Still, I think this book is better served if treated like a fiction novel rather than a nonfiction memoir, as it loses its realism for its humanity. It also suffers from parts that seem to repeat and events that are similar to each other but don't seem to have too much of an impact. Of course the repetitive and disjointed events are reflective of memories, and we feel manage to feel the progress or lack of it that much more because of it. It's not quite a streamlined narrative to be a fully fleshed out fiction but too full of logical holes to be a satisfying nonfiction. But again, a world that seems so far removed from the norm is a pretty fascinating read and I enjoyed it.

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Summer Book Reviews (a.k.a that time on a two day train ride without internet)

Animal Farm (George Orwell)

7/10 I don't really know what to tell you. I mean, I guess I can tell why it's super famous and literary but it's not exactly a book that fills me with enthusiasm. It was easy to read and intensely heavy-handed with the communism metaphor. Like it could not be more transparent if it tried. Like 'oooh I wonder what subtle meaning is behind these pigs trying to seize the means of production'. It ain't that deep fam. But I gotta admit, the ending scene *SPOILER ALERT I guess? Who cares??* where the animals can't distinguish between the pigs and the humans & the scene where the crow reads the commandments was pretty good. 7/10 for its re-readability but 10/10 would make high schoolers write essays on.

At the Mountains of Madness (HP Lovecraft)

6/10 I gotta say, for my first HP Lovecraft novel, it kind of let me down. I mean, Lovecraft's name is pretty much synonymous with horror but at no point did I feel scared reading this book. I've read creepypastas that left me with deeper impressions. I mean part of it could be the way I read. It's written in a fairly dry and almost scientific tone with lots of long descriptions that usually lose me. It's one of those books you need to pay attention to so you can fully visualize the full imagery and effect. I enjoyed the eventual 'twist' but I thought most of the horror seemed informed, like the narrator keeps telling us how scary it is and how his tale is meant to warn people never to go there but tbh I'm like it sounds pretty cool. It ain't an Antarctica tour until you see some six foot tall albino blind penguins.

The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins)

4.5/10 "Beautiful sunshine, cloudless skies, no one to play with, nothing to do. Living like this, the way I'm living at the moment, is harder in the summer when there is so much daylight, so little cover of darkness, when everyone is out and about, being flagrantly, aggressively, happy." Honestly, for such a popular book, I really didn't enjoy it all that much. Sure there was some tension and mystery but it mostly stemmed from the unreliable narrator. And I did not like the narrator. Her lives, and the other lives of the other characters in the story didn't interest me all too much. Neither one of the POV characters captured my attention with their various issues with their marriages. The only thing that was memorable and that I enjoyed was the brief moment of understanding between the two women that came at the very end. But although the ending was alright, the rest of the book was not worth the slog through to get to it.

The Handmaiden's Tale (Margaret Atwood)

6.5/10 I'm not a huge fan of dystopia settings but this book did a pretty good job of the set up. It had an interesting premise and solid world building. But that's pretty much it. I felt like most of its appeal comes from the idea of it rather than what little plot actually happened in the book. Also I always appreciate metaphors for women supporting women and taking control of their bodies and their lives. I also enjoyed the faux academic epilogue and the flashback mixed with present style narration.

Appointment with Death (Agatha Christie)

3/10 My main draw towards Christie's works is that they're usually short and contained, like a completed meal made by a solid English housekeeper (as a person who's read lots of her books but is a terrible writer might say). But this book just dragged on and on. I felt like I was the one getting heat stroke in the desert heat instead of the characters. I really stopped caring who was the murderer halfway through. The ending was cute though, as happy endings usually are or it could've been my relief at it finally ending.

At Bertram's Hotel (Agatha Christie)

4/10 You can't just say it's a Miss Marple mystery and just have her play a role that amounts to a cameo. She wasn't even a secondary character, more like a third. Also a story that dragged on and the lack of my favourite elderly detective just made it worse. I ultimately liked the whole web connecting the various mysteries but I didn't really care about each mystery enough to do anything other than just wait for the solution to be presented to me.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs (Agatha Christie)

3/10 I'll be honest, I don't like any of her Tommy and Tuppence mysteries. The only reason why I even read it was because I'm working through her entire bibliography. I...don't even remember what happened in this one. I'm just giving it a rating to seem kind. I'm sorry I'm the worst reader.

Points and Lines (Seicho Matsumoto)

5/10 A decent mystery novel and by decent I truly mean it. It was so standard decent mystery novel that it could've been used as an example of mystery novels in an encyclopedia. A smug suspect, an 'airtight' alibi, the determined detective, the one weak point, the real murderer - THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUTH!! I might of liked it more if the alibi didn't depend entirely on the schedules of the Japanese subway system. If Victim A left the Atami station at 8:34 and Suspect A got on at the Keirinjo-Mae station at 9:27 and it only takes 8 minutes and 14 seconds to travel to Shizuoka then using non-linear algebra calculate WHO WAS PHONE?? Did I say this novel could be in an encyclopedia? I lied. This is the weirdest math book I've ever read.

To the Sky Kingdom (Tang Qi)

6.5/10 I'm so weak for shoujo sometimes. I read it because I enjoyed the Chinese drama (Three Lives, Three Worlds: Ten Miles Peach Blossoms) based off the book a lot. But I'm the first to admit even the drama wasn't exactly a masterpiece. This ain't no Nirvana in Fire. But it is sugary, typical, fantasy shoujo with the standard power-ups, villainous side ladies, misunderstandings and true loves. I gotta say, I enjoyed the drama more because they added a lot more filler to the MC's time in the mortal world. Normally filler is the devil's work and it's the worst part of any series and this was even true in this drama towards the ending. But! The exception is her life as a mortal because it was hands down my favourite part of the entire series. I just love that angst so much. Unfortunately the original work kept that part relatively short compared to the rest. On the plus side, they also didn't have the entire filler relationship between two side characters that started out okay and just........Anyway, a relatively easy read.

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