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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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journalism, murder and fantasy oh my !

I didn't feel like I was really rushing to get through a lot of books this month but I did end up with quite a feel. I think November just felt really, really long. Like I'd be looking through the list of books I added and be like 'damn, that was ages ago but it was still this month??' (Side note, I love the book ends feel of having two four star investigative journalism books at the start and end of the month. I should try to do that more.)

November Book Reviews

Bottle of Lies (Katherine Eban)

8/10 This was written almost like a true crime thriller and I think it really helped me get into the story and keep me immersed even through the various legal and medical jargon, not to mention the myriad of names. There were some parts where I felt like it was getting long, but the story and writing style managed to get me back in easily enough. There was a part where they went into the backgrounds of various companies and the timeline jumps around in decades so it was a little distracting. The amount of organizations and peoples is already enough to keep track of without mergers. The author also briefly mentions better generic alternatives so I wanted more elaboration on it but it didn't really go anywhere. Not that I really felt that this book suffered from a lack of information. I also enjoyed that it was very objective. The author didn't try to say the generics were the villains and the FDA were the heroes but instead showed the various shortcomings and accurately presented the pressures of bureaucracy. The ending was kind of a downer, realistic but a downer. It's a testament to how slowly a case study like this can move when the story follows its start in the 1980s and still hasn't reached a real conclusion in 2019. It's pretty incredible to read about something like this, which most people don't really think about too much. It's a great combination of the products of investigative journalism and a firm, engaging writing style. A definite recommended read.

The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited! (Clint McElroy)

6/10 I think part of why I didn't like this book as much as the first one was because of how much I enjoyed this arc in the actual podcast. I was really looking forward to seeing it in comic form, but my expectations were too high I supposed. While it's impossible to include every single joke from the podcast into the comic, I just didn't find it as funny even though I didn't feel that way for the first arc's adaptation. Part of it might have been the feeling of time; listening to the podcast and following them along from the planning to the murder investigation to the final reveal felt like a long process. That process felt super condensed in this one which made it lose some of its tension and stakes in my opinion. There were also some action lines that I found it hard to tell what was going on. Also hard was seeing various hints dropped hinting at further developments but instead of feeling like it's foreshadowing it feels more like I just missed a reference. I'll still be on the lookout for the next volume though, mostly because I didn't enjoy the podcast of that arc as much so who knows, maybe the comic version will change my opinion instead!

Stiletto (Daniel O'Malley)

6/10 I really liked the first book in this series and was a little disappointed when this sequel didn't knock it out of the park in the same way. There were familiar parts that I liked about the book like the humor, the writing style and more of the world building. Unfortunately the characters didn't endear themselves to me in the same way that Myfawny or Thomas did in the first part and while I liked that she still had parts in this one (and we got to see her being the boss she rightfully is), it really took away from the actual protagonists. Not only could we fully focus on fleshing out either of the heroines, we also didn't get to just enjoy Myfawny through the whole thing either. I liked Odette more than Felicity, but neither of them really did much to actually get to the ending. It's especially egregious for Odette because she was so involved but everything was concluded without her volition at all. The side plot about the crystal murder that Myfawny was involved in ALSO wasn't solved by her own active participation. I think this should have been a short story collection set in the same world instead because I really do like reading about the various mini cases and historical tidbits but they're just distracting tangents that put a damper ont he actual plot. Also, of all the complaints the worst one I have is this: I CANNOT believe Odette and Felicity didn't get together. Chopra was there for one chapter and shows up at the end just to be a love interest for Felicity even though Odette was right there!! The enemies to friends to lovers!! The Romeo and Juliet of it all!! They went through so much together and in the end they're just gal pals?? I feel robbed.

Malice (Keigo Higashino)

7.5/10 Not the first murder mystery I've read from this author but the first in his Detective Kaga series. As for how it stacks up...not bad. A pretty solid mystery. I didn't particularly enjoy the first person 'journal entry' style but it did help set up the twist in the story. I loved the unreliable narrator set up, especially how you know it's unreliable but it still manages to trick you. This is especially the case for the first confession because you do feel that it wraps everything up so neatly but you're still aware of the amount of pages left in the book so both you (and the detective) are left with a sense of unease. It's a cool structure of you thinking 'oh it's over BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE alright now it's over BUT WAIT!" There's a lot of clues that you think are red herrings until they're not. Spoiler: HONESTLY THE CAT THING I really did go oh of course the victim was like that because he was so mean to the cat, but then the author straight up points out to reader that that's the trick! Unfortunately, despite how interesting I found the structure of the story, the actual murder and motive are a bit lacking. With the amount of planning the culprit went through, the motive felt like a cop out - although I guess you can't complain it didn't have a theme and stick to it. Detective Kaga's own experiences with bullying was a little too helpfully relevant and I found him not as developed or interesting a character as the detective (particularly compared to Detective Galileo). Still, not a bad read and a murder mystery I could easily recommend.

Stories of Your Life and Others (Ted Chiang)

4/10 Wow I did not like this critically acclaimed short story collection. I had high hopes starting it, not just because of the countless great reviews, but because I actually enjoyed the first story: 'Tower of Babylon'. It was a interesting take on a well-known Biblical story and there were a lot of quotes I liked from it. Most importantly I could read through it and it had a plot, things that I felt were sorely lacking from the rest of the stories. A lot of the stories felt like reading academic essays or debates on the subject of choice and while I'm sure the content has a lot of merit it doesn't mean anything to me if I'm just desperately flipping through the pages hoping it ends soon. 'Hell Is the Absence of God' was nice in that it had some really unique world building and somewhat of a plot, but felt like a theological discussion log instead. 'Story of Your Life' also had...something? But it sure didn't feel like a plot to me. It did feel easier to read, aside from the linguistics essay excerpts. I went to read the summary of the movie it was adapted into and at least that felt like it had a plot. I don't know if it was supposed to be implied or it was there and I just completely missed it but either way, I wouldn't have reached that conclusion myself just by reading the story.

Confessions (Kanae Minato)

6.5/10 The book started out strong for me, maybe because it started like the conclusion of a mystery novel. You had the 'detective' giving their summation, pointing out the culprit and how the crime was done...complete with a mic drop of their own. But then it starts getting complicated as the story continues after that and I felt that a lot of the extra information dragged down the story. On one hand, it serves to add shades of grey to every single character but on the other, it's a bit of cliche to reveal that the culprits suffered from childhood trauma. It was interesting how it made the 'detective', the one who suffered most from the crime, into someone of a mixed morality herself. I think I would've liked the book to end the same way it started, with a little ambiguity. I read the summary for the movie adaptation which did go with an unconfirmed ending and I thought that would've been a lot more interesting. It wasn't a bad book but I felt it might have been better.

Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust (Hedi Fried)

8/10 A really great, easy to understand but straightforwardly moving book about the personal experiences of a Holocaust survivor. The format of a simple Q&A makes it an easy read and while it could be argued that it's a too simplified view of the events, I think it's a good basis upon which further reading could be built on. The personal point of view also led to some information that I might not have expected. Things like how after the war many survivors kept an overstocked fridge because of hunger they experience in the camps, or how some women chose not to have children out of fear that it would happen again. I also enjoyed the forthright way she spoke with quotes like 'I never met an SS soldier who was kind' and in answer to the question 'What was the best?' she replied 'The best? Could anything have been the best? When I got this question, I was confounded. Nothing was good, but there were moments when we could forget where we were and laugh.' I think one of the most striking anecdotes she had was a time when she and another girl managed to smuggle a leaf and a branch from a tree outside into their rooms. Simple snapshots like these really underlined how cruelly sparse the conditions were, how little sense of life and future there was and how people tried to find hope in even the smallest things.

Dreams and Shadows (Robert Cargill)

4.5/10 This book was 741 pages and for the first 500 of them I literally could not care less about any of the characters. It was a weird mix of excerpts from a folklore specialist that introduces whatever fairy or fair folk shows up in the preceding chapters and said chapters of random fairies doing random things to random people. There are a couple of 'main characters' but for the most part I really couldn't care about what they're all doing. It was on the last 30% of the book where the characters are grown up and living in Austin that it takes on the semblance of an actual plot. I did like reading about Colby as a wizard living life amongst the Other Side though Ewan wasn't all that interesting still. It picked up more in the last 10% with the culmination of all the events but it just went all to pieces when it turned out the ending was just......a waste of time. I'd be hard pressed to call an ending where everyone dies and no one strays from their destiny/nature a tragedy when the book told you it was gonna be that way with no inclinations that there might have been hope for a better ending.

Spin the Dawn (Elizabeth Lim)

4.5/10 Look...I wanted to like this book I really did. I love anything vaguely Asian themed and the whole magic seamtress thing is kinda of neat. But this book was so boring. The prologue was boring, it was Mulan inspired in that the heroine dresses up as a boy to take the place of her father to be the palace tailor but that's where the similarities end. The first part was for me the most interesting, taking on various sewing challenges to prove herself to be the best, a bit of court intrigue, stuff like that. But that part's quickly over and instead the story embarks on a generic fantasy quest to find fantasy materials and they experience fantasy dangers etc, etc. She uses her magic sewing abilities literally once during that whole quest. And it's not even very well explained how her magic scissors even work compared to magic needle or thread or something. The romance was also a bit out of nowhere for me. I don't really know at which point the male lead went from 'curious about this crossdresser' to 'having an all consuming love that he would risk his life for her even though he's an enchanter and they're never supposed to fall in love oOoOoO'. It was cute when they did fall in love but there was no steps there. The ending also felt just kind of underwhelming rather than cliff-hanger like. Basically the whole thing was underwhelming.

The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy (Michael Lewis)

8/10 I think the title could've been better without the subtitle because just the 'Fifth Risk' is such a good starter. I love where it comes from, when a civil servant is asked about five possible risks that an employee in his position has to worry about and after listing things like 'nuclear accident' and 'electrical grid' and 'North Korea' his so-called 'fifth risk' is something much more simple and way more dangerous: project management. 'It's what you fail to imagine that kills you.' This book was a great, easy to read, quick but concise delve into the myriad of bureaucratic jobs that no one really thinks about but are nevertheless indispensable for the maintenance of a functioning society and government. It of course focuses on the Trump presidency's new replacements for former Obama appointed employees, and just how terrifyingly ignorant and mismanaged that process was. Although Trump being associated with those two things is nothing new, it is eye opening to read about all the new ways his government manages to prove it. More importantly though, it highlights the unacknowledged facets of the government and paints a clear picture of what they do and why it's so important. The main downside is that it ended kind of abruptly and that reading pieces like these always makes me disappointed they're all US-centric because I'd love to read similarly well done journalism in my local government.

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zoom zoom

Here's to long commutes on a tour bus without internet!! I read a lot of these books while I was on tour through parts of Eastern Europe. I tried my best to read whatever selection of ebooks my library had available that were set in the countries I visited (mainly Bosnia and Croatia) but...it wasn't exactly a cornucopia of choices. Also because I didn't have a chance to write actual reviews, all of these are going to be shorter by virtue of me trying to remember their contents and piecing together whatever I jotted down on my Notes app.

October Book Reviews

The Tiger's Wife (Tea Obreht)

3/10 What was the point of any of this?? I stumbled my way through this book. It's so aimless, pulled together with random anecdotal stories and folktales. It's a weird mix of fact and fiction which by itself would be fine, but if only there was something resembling a plot to pull it together. Is the titular story of the tiger's wife supposed to represent something? Was the narrator's grandfather supposed to have anything to do with anything?? Because if it was I guess I was just too dumb to get it. I borrowed this book because it was supposedly set in Bosnia and I wanted to see its historical background used more than just vague mentions of a war and a 'City' and nothing else.

The Cellist of Sarajevo (Steven Galloway)

6/10 I really wanted to read books set in Bosnia because the idea of it seemed so incredible to me. The fact that a war happened just 20 something years ago and now you walk through the streets of a modern city with a tour guide talking about moments from the war like it's some ancient historical fact is crazy. This book is supposed to based on a real event featuring a real cellist, so I was hoping for it to be much more grounded and descriptive than it actually was. Instead, each chapter is told from a different point of view character so it ended up being much more introspective and non-linear than I would've liked. Still, it does have moments of events that puts the siege into vivid clarity; reading about places like the 'Sniper Alley' or the number of shells that fell on the city feels unreal until you read about characters experiencing everyday life as a real person would've. On that note though, my least favorite POV character was the sniper, who was supposedly a young female genius marksman. Like you have all these regular people trying to live their lives and suddenly this YA novel protagonist appears. It really takes away from the emotional impact. Overall this book wasn't as emotional as I would've expected or as grounded as I would've liked but for the most part it gave a look into what life might have been like.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Julie Dao)

5/10 "She would bloom where she was planted and let her roots close around the throats of her enemies" It's an interesting concept, the whole rise of the evil queen from Snow White told from the villain's point of view AND set in fantasy ancient China. Unfortunately it was less inner palace drama and more dark magic shenanigans than I would've liked. I wanted more of her rising in power as a female politician, consolidating her power in the ruthless harem environment and proving her intelligence in more interactions with the emperor. Instead I felt like it spent too much time in her pre-concubine life and a lot of emphasis on the whole dark magic corrupting her part. Still, while she did get the usual troubled childhood for sympathy points I do like that she knew what she ultimately wanted: the seat of the empress. Again, slightly spoiled by prophecy and magic but whatever. What parts we did get of the things I liked was fine and I felt she was a believable anti-heroine. If the sequel continued with her point of view, even with the dark magic and all, and we were able to see her downfall from her side I might have been interested but alas...

Kingdom of a Blazing Phoenix (Julie Dao)

3/10 Wow they really took everything I liked from the first book and threw it out the window. The sequel is told from the point of view of the 'Snow White' in this story. Rather than court intrigue and the heroine outwitting the evil empress with intelligence, she instead spent like one chapter in court before running off and turning this into a super standard, super boring chase-the-magic-macguffins fantasy adventure story.  I liked what little they had referring to the empress starting out as just a normal girl but I really wish she could've become more of a duo protagonist. There were even references of her resisting the dark magic serpent god! Not only that, I really liked the empress' inital dynamic with the emperor in the first book as a couple who didn't necessarily love each other but respected the others' intelligence and strength. It would've been more interesting if they grew apart because of her inability to have children or her changes due to the magic's influence but no, she apparently just started poisoning him and there was zero time spent on their relationship. Plus, they kept her old childhood love interest after all that jazz in the first book about her sacrificing that love for power. Even worse, even after everything, the heroine isn't even the one to defeat the evil queen!!! What is even the point!!!

The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery (Barbara K. Lipska)

6/10 It's a really neat case study and the title really lays out the premise immediately. It was definitely interesting when she was describing her illness and it really does seem scary when you're reading about it from her point of view because she was so unaware that anything was wrong with her. On top of that, how her family felt that something was wrong but didn't even think it might have been a serious medical issue. It really helps bring attention to mental illnesses as 'invisible' diseases, especially considering how many might go without diagnosis because all the people involved never think of it as a possibility. However, for me the overall tone of the book was a bit too 'memoir-like' with a lot of information on her background and lifestory that I felt slowed the pace a bit. Still the short length prevented it from being too boring to go through and there were some points that stood out. I think it could've been summarized better into an article and it would've made a more engaging read.

Third Girl (Agatha Christie)

5/10 A typical Christie mystery. It had all the usual trappings of a Poirot novel including: his more emotional/human side, his tendency to get mixed up in matchmaking, and him making hidden plots on the side. The eventual reveal was a bit out of the left field and the process that let up to it had just too much speculation (sorry to Poirot but I'll have to agree with local author Ariadne 'detectives think too much' Oliver). Not too memorable but I didn't hate reading it.

This Is What Happy Looks Like (Jennifer E. Smith)

3/10 I just want a cute, fluffy romance story that I don't cringe at is that so hard? Apparently my standards are just too high. The beginning was so fake; I can look past the premise of a superstar accidentally emailing a random girl and falling in love with her through that because let's face it, that kind of dumb set up is what I'm looking for in a short and sweet romance novel. What I couldn't look past were the emails themselves; not only did they read more like texting, it was full of quotes about Charlotte's Web and happiness lists and what fake high schoolers sound like when they're in a Disney original movie. In the end, the whole email plot was pretty much abandoned after a couple of chapters. There was one misunderstanding where her friend meets up with the guy and I thought they were going to run with that but instead they instantly solved it by having the guy think it can't be the right girl because he doesn't instantly feel a connection. Her troubles with her best friend were there just for drama, there wasn't real logic to it. The romance wasn't developed at all, it was more like the story saying they fell in love in about 10 pages with the rest of 400 pages about them dealing with various problems. The only thing I liked was the girl's issues with her estranged dad because it was the only thing that felt realistic and emotionally interesting but in the end they never really expanded on it.

Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World (Stephen Brusatte)

6.5/10 With the popularity of this non-fiction book, I really thought it was going to be a lot more readable. Instead it just felt really, really long. Granted, it wasn't as fully academic as it could've been but on the other hand, it also wasn't as accessible as it could've been either. If I tried really hard I supposed it did follow somewhat of a chronological format, but it wasn't very clear and overall felt like it moved from one topic to another with no clear structure. Still, there was a lot interesting and new information about the dinosaurs and progress in various theories such as evolutionary links and the cause of the extinction event. I have a note where the author casually mentioned the evolution of whales from land animals where I just wrote 'WHAT'. I also found it funny how the author kept making fun of the T-Rex's tiny arms whenever he mentions them, including an entire chapter gushing about them as the true kings of North America at the same time throwing shade on their barely functional arms. The upside of an updated book on them also means more expanded looks on feathered dinosaurs and the relation of modern birds to them. I thought one of the best points the book made was that dinosaurs aren't extinct, they're here in a dazzling variety of species walking and flying among us still.

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may flowers

This is crazy. I read so many books and only two of them were for my book club. And it was overall a really, really good selection too! About 8 of the 11 (!!) books I read were four and five stars! Incredible!

May Book Reviews

Call Them By Their True Names (Rebecca Solnit)

7.5/10 The second collection of essays by this author that I've read. I liked that it covered a pretty broad range of subjects. The foreword was really good and I was slightly disappointed that the subsequent essays didn't have as much to do with the title idea that names have the power to change how something is viewed drastically. Another low point for this were the essays about Donald Trump. Her writing style changes a lot when on the subject of Trump and I don't really like it. Maybe because it sounds more emotional and personal but I think I much prefer her style in other essays. My favorite essays were the case studies, I feel like it was a lot easier to get into than some of the more scholarly (?) pieces. In particular I really liked 'Death by Gentrification'. I liked the points she made about events having ripple effects as well as the importance of audience. 'Preaching to the Choir' was especially great because as I was reading I was thinking that she makes some great points but only people who already agree with her would read this - then I read 'Preaching to the Choir' which was such a timely response. Overall a very relevant and well-written collection.

The Lost City of Z (David Grann)

6.5/10 "On the margins were sea monsters and dragons. For ages, cartographers had no means of knowing what existed on most of the earth. And more often than not these gaps were filled in with fantastical kingdoms and beasts, as if the make-believe, no matter how terrifying, were less frightening than the truly unknown." I couldn't help but compare this to "Lost City of the Monkey God" because well...just look at the titles. Plus they're both about a modern journalist chasing an old mystery in the Amazon. I have to say though, I did like this one more. This book interwove both the modern journalist's PoV as well as that of a Victoriahn-era explorer, which made it for a more interesting read. Still, there were some parts that I thought were really slow going and superfluous. It didn't have many tangents as the Preston book though which I appreciated. I also enjoyed at the focus given to the indigenous groups living in the Amazon. An interesting look at exploration in the early 1900s, with a well-written portrayal of one of its most prominent figures.

How Long 'till Black Future Month? (N. K. Jemisin)

9/10 Despite the less than stylistic title, I loved this collection of short stories. It's in fact one of the few short story collections where, even though there still were a couple that were just alright for me, I really enjoyed the good majority of the stories. I previously read the Fifth Season by the same author and while I liked it, it wasn't a full 5/5. In these short stories though, every part that I did enjoy about that book and her writing were on full display. The characters, which I didn't feel as attached to in the Fifth Season, were just interesting and fleshed out enough to have an impact in a shorter story. But in particular, the author's worldbuilding, which I loved in the Fifth Season, is even more enhanced by the format. The way she doesn't waste time explaining her world but instead builds it up naturally as you go along is one of the best I've ever seen. While the limited length forces it to be more simpler, it's much easier to grasp and it's a testament to her skill that there's an intriguing setting and concept in all of the stories. Even if a story slightly fell short in one or two aspects, the incredible way she treats world building in each and every one of them is amazing. The many LGBT+ and PoC perspectives are really just the cherry on top. My favorites are: "The City Born Great", "Red Dirt Witch", "The Effluent Engine", "The Narcomancer", "Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows" and "Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Beneath the Still Waters".

The Prince and the Dressmaker (Jen Wang)

8/10 Not much to say about this one honestly, it's just a great graphic novel for young readers. The art style is fluid and easy to follow. The colors are lovely, the characters are realistic. The theme of gender fluidity and coming of age are well represented without being too heavy or complicated. The only complaint would be that I really wish it was longer, if only just so we could get to see more of the author's beautiful dress designs!

Time Travel (James Gleick)

6.5/10 It was really, really hard to give this one a score. The premise seemed interesting enough - a history of time travel as it exists in physics, philosophy and storytelling. What I didn't expect was for the first two categories to outshine the latter. Maybe it was because those parts were so much harder to get through, but it just felt like there was A LOT of physics and math and philosophy. Like, so much philosophy. And they were fairly academic, to the point where I'm sure only someone with a basic foundation in those would actually enjoy reading through those chapters. I am definitely not one of them. I'm an arts kid. Do not make me look at equations. In contrast I felt the most interesting parts, the parts about pop culture specifically, were too brief. There were some works that were given some more attention but most of them leaned towards the historical rather than the present mainstream. The part I was most looking forward to, the Doctor Who references, was little more than one sentence references and a short recap of one episode with little discussion actually about it. But despite my struggle to get through what felt like 2/3rds of the book, I do feel like it has a lot of merit, especially for those who are more academically inclined. It had a lot of great concepts, like the fact that time travel wasn't even a concept until relatively recently because it was only through industrialization that our societies progressed fast enough to see massive changes within a single generation. It has a lot of great quotes, a lot of good things to think about so I think objectively, it's a good book. But, probably not the best one for me.

Truly Devious (Maureen Johnson)

8/10 A pretty solid YA mystery! It did take me a while to actually get invested in the protagonist and her side of the story, but once I did I really enjoyed it. The book is written in two timelines, one mystery from the 1930s and the second in modern day. The protagonist is kind of the typical YA novel lead, she's "quirky" in that she has "strange" interests in true crime and is obsessed with murder mysteries and wants to be Sherlock Holmes. Like alright, literally no one thinks that's weird but in true YA fashion her parents just want a sporty prom princess and she feels isolated until she gets to her new school full of genius weirdos just like her! So yeah for the good first half of the story I was more interested in the 1930s mystery than whatever was going on with her daily school drama. But once the mystery of the present day actually happened, I was a lot more into it. By the end of it, I was even entertained by her love interest side plot! So yeah, it had a rough start but hooked me in the end. The worst part was that it ended on a cliffhanger which solved pretty much neither mystery so...

The Vanishing Stair (Maureen Johnson)

8/10 ...I pretty much immediately picked up the sequel. You can't just end a mystery without revealing anything! Thanks to the first book eventually successfully getting me in, I was really eager to find some resolutions in this one. And at least there was one...for the 1930s mystery. But unfortunately it ended on ANOTHER cliffhanger and it looks like we won't know all the answers until the final book comes out in 2020. While cliffhangers are good for maintaining interest, it made me give up on any type of thinking I was doing in the first book in trying to figure out the mystery. It's too much of a pain to try and track a solution through three books, one of which isn't even out. Still, the mystery kept me interested throughout this one and there's still a bit of will they or won't they for the love interest that I didn't mind. For both books, the LGBT+ and anxiety representation are also part of the perk. I'll definitely be reading the final book once it comes out.

American Kingpin (Nick Bilton)

6/10 A true crime book about 'Dread Pirate Roberts', creator of a site on the Dark Web selling drugs called the Silk Road. I previously heard about it briefly on an NPR podcast but this book really went into details. Like, almost too many details. It wrote more like a character driven story, with POVs from both DPR side and the police side. Overall, it was a pretty interesting story but the writing felt a bit too cliched. There wasn't any really great standout thriller moments and I really didn't like how the author would end like every other chapter with some dramatic cliffhanger. I think I made a similar complaint once about another book but when your chapters keep ending with stuff like 'little did they know...these days would be their LAST' it just takes the tension out of it. I'm also kind of cautious about how they chose to write from the subject's POV when the subject himself never gave an interview or had any input in writing it. Still, the events themselves were engaging enough to read about, even if the writing wasn't the most inspired.

Everything I Never Told You (Celeste Ng)

7.5/10 I had high expectations for this because I loved 'Little Fires Everywhere' but this one wasn't quite up to par. I did like the themes it was addressing, which were similar to that other book: parental expectations, racial disparities, complicated family life, etc. But this one wasn't quite as grounded, with a nonlinear style of storytelling that, while never confusing, failed to give me the same connection with the characters. It could also be the historical setting, which lent weight to the interracial marriage issues, but obviously didn't have the same gravity to me as issues in the present day. I also felt that the characters were a bit one-note, being defined solely by one aspect that they didn't feel as fleshed out. Despite the short length, a lot of it was really just repeating the same problems over and over. There was also a few major misunderstandings which I understand can be realistic but is still frustrating to read. The old 'you could've just solved this by talking to each other'. Other issues I felt was a bit too easily solved, like the mother realizing her daughter's true motivation just by finding a cookbook? It was all just a bit too removed for me. Still, there were emotional moments and its themes, while a bit heavy-handed, still resonate today.

East (Edith Pattou)

7/10 This was one of the books that I loved when I was younger and although I only had the vaguest memory of it I remembered enough to find it by googling 'a prince who's a bear and a girl washes wax'. It's a re-telling of a Norwegian folktale called 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon' which is already super poetic and I love it. Upon re-reading though...it wasn't as quite good as I hoped it was. For one, it's really, really long. For a YA book, it might not be that bad, but I don't feel like its difficulty is really up to YA levels either. It's in a weird place. The plot and its character are relatively simple and a lot of its length seems to be padding. The parts that were added in to flesh out the re-telling didn't really add anything to change it so I wish they could've trimmed it down and just stuck to a straight re-telling. It's weird because the book does span a few long periods of time but most of it was shortened by saying 'it was hard at first but [the heroine] soon got used to it' or something along those lines. The book was in multiple POVs which could've been interesting but two of them, Father & Neddy's. wasn't really all that necessary. They didn't do much beyond the first part. In comparison, the male lead, the White Bear, didn't even get that much page-time. Still, the fun of the original folktale is one of its strengths and it does a good job in translating that to a modern story, even if there's a bit of padding. The characters are likable, if not terribly distinctive. There a lot of potential here and at least it did make such a lasting impression on me.

Becoming (Michelle Obama)

9.5/10 I've always liked the Obamas, but as a non-American, I never really bothered too much to follow along with the politics and news so I was never a 'fan' of them in the same way I'd be a fan of a movie star or singer. But after reading this amazing biography and immediately searching up interview clips of the Obamas afterwards, I can say that's somewhat changed. I loved this book. Despite the fact that I looked at the 900 ebook page count and kind of balked, and despite the large chunk dedicated to her early life, I never felt bored reading it. She writes her story in a way that's so incredibly human and kind that you can't help but be moved. She's so educated and qualified and dignified in so many ways and writes about her husband in the same light that even as a non-American I feel like they were lucky to have them as the First Family. Her relationship with the people in her life, especially her husband, was so sweet and personal - I could've read a hundred more anecdotes. Even the way she writes about political opponents or the disappointment of the 2016 election, she does it in a way that never feels mean but rather emphatic and hopeful. Honestly, what an icon. It was a pleasure to read, and if I had one complaint, it'd be that I wish the parts about her time as First Lady was even longer. "Life was teaching me that progress and change happen slowly. Not in two years, four years, or even a lifetime. We were planting seeds of change, the fruit of which we might never see."

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april showers

A truly average month for reading.

April Book Reviews

The Last Hope (Erin Hunter)

5.5/10 I'll be real, I heard that (spoiler alert) Firestar dies in this one and I wanted to see how it went down. So basically, I loved the first Warriors series, the original one focusing on Firestar & his journey. I read a bit of the second series, but quickly lost interest. I never forgot my cat son though, and when I heard that this book was where his story ended (kind of, I'm sure he gets up to all sorts of antics in StarClan), I really wanted to find out how. So basically, I wasn't super interested in the actual characters from the Power of Three series. I'm kind of weirded out by the fact that StarClan used to be just this higher power that occasionally contacted very special cats to them just being regular cats except they live in another forest. The fact that the climax was a bunch of real cats straight up fighting ghosts...? Weird. But I'm not gonna lie, I did cry when reading Firestar's scene. It's not like the writing was exceptional in anyway but the fact that this character was the FIRST protagonist, that we know him from when he was just a smol kitty, to see him meet a pretty symbolic end made me emotional. It felt kind of rushed, kind of fast, but it is a book for younger children after all. Listen, I just love Firestar a lot okay.

Saga, Vol. 1 (Brian K. Vaughan)

4.5/10 I know, I know everyone loves this series. I know it's critically acclaimed. It's just really not my cup of tea. I didn't like any character in particular, certainly not the main characters. The narrator kind of had me interested but she doesn't even show up as a character in her own right. I'm not a fan of the random sex or the alien design. The Romeo and Juliet storyline didn't really feel wholly engaging to me. I'm sure others would find those exact things interesting, but it's just not my thing. I'm not into it.

Felicity (Mary Oliver)

6.5/10 A collection of poetry. Not much to say here really, I've never been a fan of the newer style of poetry coming out from young adults - you know the ones, meaningful sentences without capitalization broken up by paragraph breaks. Not to say they don't have merit or they can't connect with a reader, but just that I'm probably not the intended audience. For this collection, I felt like there was a rhythm and feel to the poems that I enjoyed. They seemed to bear some similarity to an older style of poetry that I prefer. I also liked that the topics ranged from the natural world to life to love. However that being said, there wasn't one poem that I really felt moved by or one that I felt like I wanted to write down and remember. Poetry is arguably one of the more subjective genres, so I don't feel like it's anything against the book itself.

Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales (P.D. James)

8/10 The last short story collection I read by P. D. James was 'The Mistletoe Murders' which I enjoyed. I thought it was a solid read, even if nothing particularly stood out to me. In this one, she replicates the classic Golden Age style of murder mystery that I love so much with the same dependable quality. I did enjoy this one more than 'The Mistletoe Murders' however, because of the overall theme, which focused on the point of view of the guilty. While generally 'the narrator did it' or 'reverse whodunit' show up from time to time, to have the entire collection of stories be focused around that was really interesting to me. My favorite was probably 'The Girl Who Loved Graveyards' followed by 'A Very Desirable Residence' and 'The Yo-Yo'.

The Giver: Graphic Novel (P. Craig Russell)

8/10 I picked up the book because I vaguely remember reading 'The Giver' in class when I was young but the only thing I remember about it is that it was good. I had wanted to revisit the book so when the graphic novel adaptation came out, I thought it would be a good chance. Because I don't really have any solid memory of the original book, I'm just treating this on its own rather than judging it based on how good of an adaptation it is. And I do like the story! It felt short but sweet. I loved the ambiguous ending, even if the plot itself was little predictable. I also really liked how they were able to convey the visuals of Jonas' ability to 'see beyond' in color. Not sure how it holds up next to the book itself, but at least it was a graphic novel I enjoyed reading.

My Sister, the Serial Killer (Oyinkan Braithwaite)

6.5/10 The book is about a woman who gets a call from her sister to help her clean up a murder, and it's not the first one she's gotten. A really cool idea but unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations. I was expecting it either to be a full on tense, thriller mystery or a black comedy, satirical type of story. My impression of it was instead that it was serious, but the disjointed style of writing failed to give it any gravity. While it never felt confusing, it did feel hazy which lost some of the tension. Still, the characters were really interesting, especially the protagonist, if not altogether likeable. I had mixed feelings about the ending, but it was one that suited the story. Overall, not bad but with how intriguing the initial concept was, I was left a little disappointed.

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march madness

A month with its highs and lows but overall not a bad month for reading.

March Book Reviews

Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)

6.5/10 Let me start this review off by saying that I don't like thrillers, and I especially don't like domestic thrillers. Unfortunately, Gone Girl didn't really make me change my mind. It's not a bad score compared to what I've given to other thrillers I've read, but it's not a book that I especially liked. I didn't feel very invested in either of the characters. They weren't realistic enough for me to feel empathy or closeness and I found myself not really caring what happens to either one of them. Part of it might be that I already knew the big twist, that Amy is the one framing Nick, but at the same time if I hadn't knew that twist was coming, I wouldn't have read this book either. I'll probably check out the movie, but at the very least, for the book alone I give it a: meh.

Wenjack (Joseph Boyden)

7/10 A short novella heavily centered in Indigenous culture and history. I think this is what I expected Split Tooth to be honestly. It has a story that focused on a watershed event in Indigenous history, the death of Chanie Wenjack. It features spiritual elements taken from Indigenous culture, as chapters told from the POV of animals watching over the boy's journey. But more importantly, it was told in a way that was easy to read and follow along with. I understood what was happening, and for a short story, it did a good job of setting the scene and drawing you in. Short, simple, but full of possible discussions.

Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (in That Order) (Bridget Quinn)

9.5/10 When I picked up this book I thought it was another one of those feminist compilation books about women overlooked or forgotten in history. You know the ones, with a Wikipedia entry page and an inspiring quote. They aren't bad, but they don't leave too much of an impression. Instead I found myself constantly emotional while reading through it. Part of it comes from its focus on art history specifically rather than just general 'feminist' icons in history. But the larger credit goes entirely to its author, who loves her subjects and whose love bleeds through on every page. It really works especially since art is so subjective that I might not feel anything about a piece of art but when the author puts herself into her descriptions, and is upfront about it, you can't help but feel moved too. The entries are just short enough not to be boring, and long enough for each subject to come to life in a way that humanizes them, as if the author imagined telling a story about a friend she knows. But what would a feminist piece be without an inspiring quote? And this is mine for this book, talking about the controversy surrounding the 'disappearance of Ana Mendieta': "Where was [she]? She was everywhere, if you knew what to look for." And so is art, so are women making it, and making history: they are everywhere, if you know what to look for. They are all around us.

I've Been Meaning to Tell You: A Letter to My Daughter (David Chariandy)

6/10 This book is...not bad. But honestly, it made almost no impression on me. I remember when I read it that I thought it had some good points here and there, but I struggle to recall any specific passage or quote that really got to me. I'm writing this review a few days after I finished the book, and let me tell you, I just don't remember anything other than a vague feeling of 'it's not terrible'. It's not just because it's short but it definitely didn't help that it was. There was some anecdotal parts, but none that stood out vividly in tone or content. It's fine. It's not bad. Maybe it's more relevant to someone who's a father, or someone who's experienced something more similar, but for me, it was a Tuesday.

The Westing Game (Ellen Raskin)

9/10 This was actually a re-read for me. I remember reading this during elementary or middle school and really loving it, but I'm always hesitant to add old books to my "Read" list now because I'm aware that opinions change as we grow up (and leave the target audience age). But I'm glad to say that nothing has changed, and I still really liked this book. The characters are so interesting, and despite having 16 major characters in a short junior level book, all of them have distinct and really memorable personalities. I especially loved the main character, Turtle, who's spunky and smart but also insecure and awkward - a great portrayal of a 13 year old girl. Which is what made the ending and epilogue so lovely to read, to see her naturally coming into her own. The ending is probably my favorite part, for the great resolution to a brainy mystery, and the heartwarming way each of the major characters' story went. All in all, a great book that's perfect for younger children and still enjoyable for older ones.

Magpie Murders (Anthony Horowitz)

6.5/10 This one had a pretty interesting 'book within a book' kind of concept which I always love. Unfortunately I only liked one of those 'books'. Half of it is a Agatha Christie-style, 1920s, classic English village mystery featuring a fictional detective called Atticus Pund. The other half deals with the editor of that mystery, trying to figure out the real life mystery of how its author died. The Atticus Pund mystery I really enjoyed, I felt like the writing style was totally spot on. While it wasn't mind blowing or anything (it's no Orient Express) but I felt like I was enjoying a familiar Golden Age mystery. The modern mystery is what I had most of my issues with. The lead character wasn't very compelling, and her progress towards solving the mystery was so slow and boring to read through. The worst though was the climax of said mystery, when she confronts the culprit. Not only was the motive completely dumb, but what she did while confronting them was even more dumb. I just didn't care for the modern parts, which was regrettably half the book. But I will give it points for having half a solid mystery in it as well as a pretty interesting concept.

Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas)

7/10 Alright, time to see what all the fuss is about. I've been hearing about this series of books for ages, and I'm pretty sure it had a fair hand in kickstarting the current YA trend of royal intrigue with a dash of fantasy. And at the end of it...I mean, it's alright. It's a pretty standard YA honestly. It had all the typical tropes played to a T. The protagonist is a strong female character with hints to a mysterious origin that she's unaware of. There are two primary love interests, one is a flirty, charming one and the other is a serious, hidden heart of gold kind. She gets chosen by a supernatural force to stop a mysterious threat. There's a scene where she dresses up really fancy. Like literally, it could not get more standard YA than that. Still, I got what I expected, which isn't a bad thing. None of the characters stood out to me, but I liked them well enough. The love triangle wasn't unbearable. The mystery wasn't super engrossing but it didn't feel like it dragged on either. It's a good book for people who like these books. What can I say?

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no book november

November was kind of weird for me. I read like four books in a row then barely read anything for the rest of the month. A kind of average month.

November Book Reviews

Pachinko (Min Jin Lee) 

8.5/10 In all honesty, this should've been a 9+ book for me. It had everything I loved; themes of family and identity, a sweeping narrative that takes us through 70 years of history and four generations, thoughtful in-depth looks at social issues...and don't get me wrong. All of that was great. But unlike similar books like Homegoing, it didn't leave as much as an impact. The later generations failed to grab me as much as the earlier ones, and there were parts that seemed rushed or not elaborated on enough. Still, I really appreciated how it highlighted the social issues of the time, which still echo down today. The issues of race, identity and homelands is of course at the forefront, but also interesting to me was the casual way the misogyny of the times were portrayed. I really liked how natural it felt, that things were expected of women and no one really questioned it, especially the women. The ordinary way it was a part of the world made it even more extraordinary and I really appreciated the lowkey approach. While it still was a good book, it just lacked that extra factor for me to consider it one of my favs.

The Adventure Zone: Here Be Gerblins (Clint McElroy)

8/10 A solid adaption of a well-loved (and well-deserved) D&D podcast! I've listened to the first arc of this podcast before, which is what this volume is based on. The two things I really appreciated about TAZ were the humor, and the unconventional ways they change up the typical high fantasy D&D environment. I thought this graphic novel managed to convey both rather well! I especially liked the colorful, almost casual comic style. It works for their style of humor by having comedic expressions and exaggerated scenes rather than detailed fantasy artwork. I also liked how they incorporated the fourth wall breaking DM comments. I'll be on the outlook for their next arc!

Women Talking (Miriam Toews)

4.5/10 I can definitely see where the value of this book comes from. The set up is a prime metaphor for women's issues as well as the role religion plays in those issues. There's a lot of discussion to be had about the characters, the choices they make and how that reflects on society today. But...I did not enjoy reading this book. Honestly, if I was forced to write on essay on it for a class I might have appreciated this book more. But as a reader, the writing felt unbearably tedious and rigid, the topics repetitive and dull...and all this with its short length too. The worst part of it is, (and this might too be a metaphor) the POV for this women's conversation is a man. And such an annoying one too, I really could not stand his random facts. I went back and gave Animal Farm a higher score after reading this because both of them seem like they'd be really good study topics but at least Animal Farm was way more engaging to read.

Women & Power (Mary Beard)

6/10 I feel like this book might have been way more compelling as an actual lecture or even better, a TED talk. It's an interesting angle she takes by comparing the treatment of women in Greco-Roman historical context to that of Western society today, especially with the influence that the culture had on Western civilization. Still, this book didn't really present anything mind blowing. There were some points that I thought were interesting and I still remember, such as points on Medusa and the fashion choices of women in power both in the past and today. But there were other points where I felt like the references she was making felt a little forced, or weren't as unique and memorable. Even the topics that I did like, the entire thing was a bit too short for her to go in-depth and expand on them. Overall, it was an alright read but not exactly epiphanic for me.

A Murder in Time (Julie McElwain)

5.5/10 Alright, so this book could've been half as long and it would've been twice as good. Honestly, it's not a bad concept: FBI agent slips back into time, solves a murder, flirts with a handsome marquise. What's not to love? But the book has so much goddamn filler. The intro and build ups take way too long. Like saying "and he'll murder again!" once as a chapter closing is fine but when they do it 5 times it just ends up with me going "bitch I hope the fuck you do". The protagonist is also way too much of a Mary Sue. It's not enough that's a top FBI agent in a male dominated world, she's also got some BS backstory about her being a superbaby (and therefore also parental figure issues? I don't know). She's got all the spunk and sass of a 21st century gal! While some of the characters are presented as having a 'modern' attitude, most of them are just there to make the protagonist look good by saying dumb, presumably historically accurate things. It's just too unbelievable sometimes. And speaking of unbelievable, the almost non existent build up for the main couple. Still, despite all my complaints, it was easy to read and good in a fanfiction standard kind of way. I'm sort of curious how the story will continue from this book. Like I said, it's a neat concept and it could be fun as a mystery series with the MC solving cases in the past. Now if all of them could just be...shorter.

Undead Girl Gang (Lily Anderson)

8/10 I actually really enjoyed this book! It does have all the trappings of a typical high school YA fic, the stereotypical cliques, the loner 'outcast' protagonist, but it also manages to turn some of them around. I really like the concept to begin with and I liked the blend of mystery novel with a hint of urban fantasy. What I loved most about the whole Wicca and spells element of the book was that it didn't try to push the idea that it was all real and everyone can do it as long as they buy the right ingredients from their local New Age/Occult shop. "Spells are just prayers with more steps and a name that scares people." I expected it to go the other way considering the premise is literally about a spell that succeeds in bringing people back to life, but I'm pleasantly surprised. I liked the cast of characters and the female friendship theme. At the heart of it, that's really what a lot of the appeal is with witches and Wicca and covens, especially for teenagers. We're all just trying to be a little less lonely.

PLUS I was actually surprised at the ending. I thought it gonna be a typical YA ending where they solve the case, grow up a little, and the girl gets the hot guy. But damn...that was hardcore. I mean, a little too crazy, especially with the whole setting a house on fire and dying in it, but still. Did NOT expect that.

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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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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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may day

Five months is probably the longest I've done anything in a row

May Book Reviews

Do Not Say We Have Nothing (Madeleine Thien)

9/10 "Throughout history there have been many moments that can never be recovered, but you and I know that they existed." This novel read like one of the many symphonies it described. It began with the meeting of two people and like instruments, events and characters joined in and built up a wave of words. Historical movements, like musical movements, separated the story as we followed the lives of not just the named characters but the progression of China itself. The period of history in China from the era of Mao Zedong to the Cultural Revolution and the Tienanmen Square protests is an unbelievably complicated one in many ways. Even now in China there are mixed feelings towards the leadership during that period and its many effects can still be felt in today's government and society. I felt the story of the characters were merely a frame for the concepts it was presenting; music, math, philosophy. Rather than the story of a protagonist, the book focuses on many characters and their POVs and in doing so demonstrated that the successes and tragedies that they faced could've been the stories of any one living through that era. Overall, it was a moving, meaningful story dealing with a subject that it expressed vividly. It is more of a heavier read and slow to get started, but it gives more room for analysis. Most of all, the setting was incredibly well done and I would recommend reading it especially for anyone wanting to understand a part of China's history.

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore (Matthew Sullivan)

5/10 A wholly underwhelming book. From the idea and title, I thought it would be an interesting, fun mystery novel. Instead it turned out to be darker, and frankly more boring, than I thought. It's not a bad book, it's just very forgettable. The characters never grew on me and I couldn't really empathize too much with the protagonist or her problems. There were a couple of ideas in there that were kinda neat, but nothing outstanding. It didn't really give clues as much as obviously false leads. The ending was fine but felt a bit anti-climatic.

The Martian (Andy Weir)

8/10 This book surprised me from the beginning, because I had never seen the movie before but knew the basic premise. Going into it I thought it would be a gritty, fight for survival type of book with lots of hard to understand scientific jumbo. But luckily, the book made clear that it wasn't going to be like that. The main character's optimistic and good-natured way of dealing with his situation is refreshing to read. The science is easily to understand; even if you don't understand the terms, the protagonist lays it out in a way that makes sense. It reminds me of xkcd a bit, which is great because I love those comics. The POV changes between the three main groups (on Mars, in space and on Earth) I liked as well as it gave a sense of actual stakes that the log format doesn't have. While a couple of the challenges the protagonist had to confront did seem contrived, in a Murphy's law of drama kind of way, and the overall ending was predictable given the tone of the book, I enjoyed reading and following along on Mark Watney's time on Mars.

The Atrocity Archives (Charles Stross)

2/10 God this book was....Maybe atrocity is too much but it wasn't pleasant either. The book dumps you in the middle of the so-called 'action' by loading on a bunch of science-magic technobabble without even trying to explain anything. You have no idea what's going on and as the story progresses, just what it's trying to achieve. The book is split up into three different arcs that are one tangentially related sentence away from three different short stories. It takes way too long to get to the main arc, and it feels unsatisfying. The last arc was just a mess. How was it even related to the middle? Why was the main female character just shoved aside for a random new woman who doesn't understand anything? And 'main female character' is a generous term for a character who showed up seemingly a genius (although with the mysterious technobabble who can even tell anyone's level of intelligence) only to be kidnapped (twice) and fall for the main character with barely any chemistry. Not to mention the protagonist with all his esoteric terms and snobby attitude towards anyone who doesn't apparently know as much as he does. What a dick. A computer programmer's wish fulfillment novel. I hate it.

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (Alan Bradley)

6/10 A decent follow up to the first Flavia de Luce mystery. I really enjoyed the first one, but the second one didn't really have any fresh new additions. Flavia is as same as she always is, and I do like her character. I liked the first one for involving her father since their relationship is really interesting, especially with the hints towards his past and her deceased mother. This one put her family members on the sidelines even as they introduced her aunt. It felt like it took a little too long to get the real meat of the mystery and I guessed the culprit pretty easily. Still, there were some parts of the resolution that surprised me and that's always a good sign in any mystery novel.

How the Hell Did This Happen? (P.J. O'Rourke)

4/10 I didn't really finish this book. The tone was comedic but it didn't really feel intelligent. It felt more heavy-handed, like someone trying to be funny by making fun of what was happening without really trying to make a point or address any real issues with their comedy. The author seemed to be on a kind of middle ground in the debate, making him also in the middle ground in terms of likability. And speaking of likability, halfway through the book I found that I didn't really care about all of the people involved in the 2016 elections; at least not the way they were written about here.

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fourshadowing

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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