Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the audio ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
Another banger from Ira Levin. I didn't Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the audio ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
Another banger from Ira Levin. I didn't love it quite as much as Rosemary's Baby, but you can clearly tell that this dude could write, and was waaay ahead of his time. And the actual book is much more subtle and impressive than its pop culture residue would have you believe. (Don't even get me started on the bastardization that is the 2004 film. Now that I've read the book, I hate that movie even more.)
It's the early 1970s and our main character is Joanna Eberhart, a photographer who has just moved to a pretty little town called Stepford with her husband and two kids. At first she's loving her new community, and even makes a couple of friends, but soon it becomes clear that all the other housewives (or hausfraus as they call them) are eerily similar in very disturbing ways. They are all obsessed with cleaning their houses, never socialize with other women, and have large breasts and trim waists. They are unfailingly sweet and polite, so Joanna holds no ire for them, but she is concerned nonetheless. Her concern morphs into distress when her friends suddenly seem to change into Stepford wives as well*, and she is sure that the Men's Association (which didn't exist until six or seven years prior) are responsible for what's going on with Stepford's women (the wives of course; no one cares about the children or the elderly).
*One friend, Bobbie, is initially described as messy, with a large bottom and dirty toes, and she is infamously haphazard with her housekeeping and mothering skills, so when she changes it's a huge red flag for Joanna.
The commentary here, that men (even ones that previously professed to be okay with—even proud of—their wives' ambitions, achievements, and personhood) would rather murder their wives and replace them with robots than have to rethink their view of women as inferior beings. There is a scene in here where in hindsight Joanna's husband has clearly just found out about what will happen to his wife soon, and his reaction is truly disgusting. I wish Joanna would have burned the house down with him inside it.
I'm giving this four stars because I'm unsure how I feel about the ending and its implications. It feels very decisive and right for the 1970s, but I would be interested to see if Levin had written it today, what he could have come up with instead.
(The new audiobook, narrated by January LaVoy, with the Peter Straub afterward narrated by Grover Gardner, was a great listen, and I highly recommend it.)
As you did it to the strangest of my sisters you did it to me
MATTHEW 25:40
Next time I read this, I need to have the Bible and other resources with me
As you did it to the strangest of my sisters you did it to me
MATTHEW 25:40
Next time I read this, I need to have the Bible and other resources with me because I'm sure I missed a lot. The prayers and liturgy and scripture I recognized that she had referenced did hit harder than the ones I didn't. But the reason this isn't getting five stars is because some of the actual verse in the poems flopped pretty hard. The ones that were bangers made up for those, but still can't give this a five. Seemed very much like a debut poetry collection (says the person who knows nothing about poetry and doesn't like it that much). But dang do I love Emily Austin's style. (Former and lapsed Catholics, this one is for you. Hope you don't mind a bit of well-intentioned blasphemy.)
[4.5 stars]
Read Harder Challenge 2024: Read an indie published collection of poetry by a BIPOC or queer author....more
This was fantastic fun, and I learned a bunch while reading it. Very similar to my experience reading Bitch last year, except geared towards a young aThis was fantastic fun, and I learned a bunch while reading it. Very similar to my experience reading Bitch last year, except geared towards a young adult audience. Absolutely recommended for everyone, though, because it completely overturns some very basic assumptions that patriarchal society takes for granted. The natural world is absolutely chock full of queerness. We're fuckin natural as shit*. Plus, it's funny!
*About 10% of white-tailed deer are born intersex and asexual and live their lives just chilling in sexless groups, occasionally adopting orphaned fawns. As an asexual person, I find this amazing and heartwarming. Lots of fun tidbits like this in this book!
Read Harder Challenge 2024: Read a YA nonfiction book....more
This is a ridiculous book that I loved very much. Also, because I have low spoons at the moment and also because I couldn’t do better, here are some kThis is a ridiculous book that I loved very much. Also, because I have low spoons at the moment and also because I couldn’t do better, here are some key moments from the blurb:
"Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she’s fallen in love."
"Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor."
"Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent co-parent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen’s eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out."
"Eating her girlfriend isn’t an option."
"And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life."
I think you’ll agree whoever wrote that blurb deserves an award of some sort. And in my opinion, it perfectly represents what you will get in the book: a tongue in cheek, weird little story about a monster who learns to be a person, while gross and funny things are constantly happening to and around her.
Also, I WILL NOTE LOUDLY, both of the love interests in this book, Shesheshen and Homily, are not only homoromantic but ASEXUAL. There is also a tertiary character in here that is called the offspring for most of the book that made me CACKLE every time it was on page. The last time I laughed this hard at a book and tabbed so many memorable, funny, and utterly weird lines was Gideon the Ninth.
I don’t know what to tell you about all the mediocre reviews of this one. They just don’t get it. I thought this book was perfect and exactly what I wanted, and I can’t wait to see what John Wiswell and his weird little mind do next.
Read Harder 2024: Read a book based solely on the title.
r/Fantasy BINGO 2024: Book Club or Readalong Book (Hard Mode)
I was at a bit of an emotional remove from this one, and I don't know why, but it was still a fun time. Julie was v. relatable and Elle made my heart I was at a bit of an emotional remove from this one, and I don't know why, but it was still a fun time. Julie was v. relatable and Elle made my heart hurt. I skipped all the sex scenes.
Read Harder Challenge 2024: Read a book by an author with an upcoming event (virtual or in person) and then attend the event. (Saw them at the 2024 Tucson Festival of Books and got this book signed!)...more
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
The ending pushed this one over the edge for mThanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
The ending pushed this one over the edge for me. But so much about this book is five-star worthy: great characters, horror concepts that genuinely made me uncomfortable, a slew of subtle references to things that I love, amazing queer representation, smart dialogue, and a killer understanding of story. I knew Chuck Tingle had a five-star book in him, it just wasn't Camp Damascus for me, it was this.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
I liked this, but there are some pretty significant Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
I liked this, but there are some pretty significant things keeping me from giving this any higher than three stars. The biggest problem being that several of the twisty details and reveals make no sense, and we get no explanations for them. Some of this I guess I can write off if it turns out this will be a series, which the very last sentence seems to imply is the intent, but I was left really dissatisfied and I don't actually know if this is book one, so I'm still counting this as a ding.
This is a story about five kids who started playing a Japanese card game, and then under circumstances they never talk or think about, left one of their friends behind for dead. Now, four years later and seemingly haunted by the ghost of their friend, they have reunited to finish the game in hopes that they can bring him back from the creepy Japanese underworld slash gameworld he has been stuck in for four years.
Right away, I thought the decision to have four POVs was the wrong one. This is a short book, and two narrators would have bene more than okay. I would have chosen Emerson, but probably Maddie would have been the one the author would have chosen, and then Dax. The decision to have all the kids be characters just meant that it took me way too long to actually get invested in the story and the characters, not until the 50% mark. And there really wasn't any narrative purpose behind having them all as POV characters.
The second thing, as mentioned above, is how incomplete this book feels. It needed fifty more pages at least. The ending was the worst, as we go from the kids playing the game, to somehow having everything wrapped up and fixed in literally an instant. I literally listened to the ending three times just to make sure I hadn't accidentally tuned out and missed something, but I didn't. It read like the author couldn't figure out how to explain what happened so she just decided to skip the explanation entirely. The explanation, and the climax, which is only the most important part of the book. I kind of can't believe her editor let her get away with it.
The game aspect wasn't really used enough, in my opinion. The only truly satisfying game portion of the book involved the kids playing Truth or Dare with younger versions of themselves. That was the only genuinely great part of the story.
There is also an entirely unresolved subplot involving an empress wanting to come back from the dead and rule the world. Again, if there is a sequel, I suppose this isn't an issue, but it's unclear.
All in all, not mad I read this, but I could have been reading something better....more
As often happens with books that I five-star love and gobble up in a mindless pleasure fest of reading indulgently, I am finding it hard to have anythAs often happens with books that I five-star love and gobble up in a mindless pleasure fest of reading indulgently, I am finding it hard to have anything to say beyond BOOK GOOD READ NOW. But let's try anyway.
This is the second book in Courtney Milan's Wedgeford Trials series, about a small town in Victorian England that is full of mostly Chinese emigrants (as always, the author's notes are a must-read for historical context) but other members of the Asian diaspora as well. The town has become infamous in larger England for holding annual games called the Wedgeford Trials, which bring a lot of outsiders in, which is a great base for a series of romance novels. This particular book doesn't have much of a focus on the games at all; in fact they're barely in it. It's more about the larger community, as experienced by two people who feel outside of it. (One of them significantly more than the other.)
Our lifelong Wedgeford resident is Naomi, a Chinese/Japanese young woman who desperately wants to take an Ambulance class, despite her over-protective parents' wishes. It's on her quest to sign up for these classes (which were basically first-aid) that she meets (or rather, meets again) Kai, who she at first takes for a man who only speaks Chinese. She drags him along and then when she receives pushback from the white men in charge of the sign-up, on the spot makes up a fake fiancé, who is apparently Kai, so she can get her way. Unbeknownst to Naomi, Kai and she have met before, and in fact, they are ALREADY engaged, and have been since childhood, when Kai's conman father duped the whole village into a scheme, stole heaps of money, and then scarpered off, leaving Kai behind to face the consequences. He is returning to Wedgeford to commit once last con. On the way home to Wedgeford, Naomi discovers her mistake, but Kai keeps their childhood betrothal to himself, for obvious reasons. Somehow, they end up fake engaged anyway, as it's in both of their interests. I won't say more than that because it gets complicated, but doesn't feel that way while you're reading.
The character arcs here are glorious. The community is so wholesome and fun. Kai's past and present collide in a way that is very satisfying, and Naomi's perspective shift through the novel, to do with both herself and her relationship with her parents, was incredibly well done. It's also stinkin' cute, and Kai is a master potter, so we get a lot of really cool historical detail about Japanese pottery that I absolutely ate up, which then caused me to go down a YouTube rabbit hole that I don't recommend you go down unless you want to lose several hours of your life.
I actually think I liked this one quite a bit more than the first book. I connected with the characters more, and the plot and their emotional arcs felt like they had a lot more substance than Chloe and Jeremy's story did, which was basically just extremely pleasant fluff. This is fluff with substance, which is that even fluff? But anyway, apparently I'm really into that dynamic, and this is a very good book that you should read also....more
A great thing about these books is that because they all take place in different locations, I find it much easier to remember what happened in each boA great thing about these books is that because they all take place in different locations, I find it much easier to remember what happened in each book, and the actual movement of the plot even months later, not something that is common for me anymore. Aging is so fun. I'm glad because this is the last book I read in April and I'm only now getting around to reviewing this.
This book follows Lady Trent's first expedition as a scholar and a naturalist rather than as a wife of a scholar. Due to travel time and the nature of the work itself, she expects to be away from home for almost two years, and knows she might not come back at all. This time around they're headed into the swamps of Eriga, and she has her colleague Tom with her, and a young woman named Natalie who is essentially a runaway. (She is ace and she doesn't want to get married.)
This book is so far my least favorite in the series for how much it leans into the political/diplomatic side of things rather than the adventure and science parts, but it was still really interesting, and the character growth we see in Lady Trent was really satisfying, as she has some hang-ups that are specifically related to the expectations that are placed on her gender and on her as a mother that conflict directly with what she wants most, which is to study dragons. Her relationship with Tom is actually a pretty big focus here, as he grows to respect her and they develop a true friendship.
The dragons aka swamp-wyrms were pretty great, too.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
This actually reads more as a cozy fantasy with a rThanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
This actually reads more as a cozy fantasy with a romance in it rather than a romance with cozy elements. So heads up cozy fantasy fans! I really, really enjoyed everything to do with the plot and the house full of misfits that end up being a found family for each other. The romance was a little bit iffier for me. The third act conflict felt like it was there because the author thought it had to be, and it felt contrived to me, like if these characters were actual people left to their own devices they would have behaved differently. It just pulled me entirely out of this otherwise lovely book. Which is still worth reading! I would like to live in Violet Gables.
"The ____'s Guide to _____ a/and ______" Accountability Rating: I have decided to start holding K.J. Charles can do no wrong.
[4.5 stars, rounded down]
"The ____'s Guide to _____ a/and ______" Accountability Rating: I have decided to start holding books accountable for frivolously using the extremely overused title construction this book also uses. This book gets a 5/10. As much as I love K.J. Charles, there are no guides to be found anywhere in this book. And the scoundrel is the one that does the seducing. Methinks this was an editorial decision by the publisher. Her titles don't usually lean trendy.
Alternate Titles for This Book: I am truly terrible at titles, but especially historical fiction titles. I would probably try to fit secret in there somewhere. Or maybe since Gentleman was in the title of the first book, I'd lean towards a pun on Lords or Earls, since they figure strongly in this book. And maybe something about fixing or healing? Bah. Someone take a crack at this....more
I actually really liked this, and I'm really surprised about it. This book deserves a longer, more thorough review, but I'm just not capable of doing I actually really liked this, and I'm really surprised about it. This book deserves a longer, more thorough review, but I'm just not capable of doing that at the moment. I can see how this book wouldn't work for some people, but if it doesn't, it seems a matter of taste to me. I feel like Emily Tesh knew exactly what she wanted to do with the story, and pulled it off. The concepts, characters, plot twists, and everything else this book was wanting to explore I thought it explored really well, and did so with nuance and care*, for the most part.
*The one moment in here that absolutely should have been removed was the scene at the end with a certain two characters touching each other's hair/hair-equivalent, as like a gesture of solidarity? It was genuinely one of the cringiest things I've ever read.
Not gonna do a summary here, not enough mental energy, you can read the blurb. I'll wait.
Light spoilers here: I've seen some pushback to the idea that Kyr would have been deprogrammed so quickly and easily, but I think what happened here was right. Kyr was never going to change, unless world-altering circumstances made her. First they force her to question everything, which she never would have done on her own, and then her brainwashing is broken by essentially (view spoiler)[giving her new perspective via timey-wimey stuff that literally gives her new memories (hide spoiler)]. I don't think anything less than this would have been able to get Kyr out of her own head enough to reevaluate things, at least not in time to save her or anyone else. And that's a damning enough message in itself!
This book wanted to explore an unthinking adherent to a fascist death cult, what that person's life would look like to others, and what it would take to shake them out of it. The story had me the whole time, even when I didn't like anybody. It was an interesting way in to the narrative, where you have to literally read between the lines at what is not being said, or what Kyr is not noticing or understanding in order to get a more full picture.
The last half of the book gets pretty wild in terms of sci-fi concepts, and I blew through it, not expecting a book with such grim subject matter to give me those "fun" feelings. I will definitely read from Emily Tesh again....more
I’m two for two with Alison Cochrun! Although, for me, the slight edge goes to The Charm Offensive, I still really enjoyed my time with this second boI’m two for two with Alison Cochrun! Although, for me, the slight edge goes to The Charm Offensive, I still really enjoyed my time with this second book of hers.
Last Christmas, Ellie met Jack in Powell’s when they both went for a copy of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, and over a cute argument over “shared custody”, and Jack poking gentle fun at Ellie (who had been crying alone and talking to a footstool as if it were her friend) they start to bond. Jack asks Ellie for coffee, and then they end up spending the whole day together. This is a big deal for Ellie, who is demisexual, and rarely develops attractions to anyone. And then Jack breaks her heart. Fast-forward to this Christmas when Andrew, the landlord who owns the building she works in, asks her to fake-marry him so he can access his inheritance, and shenanigans lead to her agreeing to this and to going home with him for Christmas, and surprise! Jack is Andrew’s sister.
I really don’t have too much to say about this one. It was a really good time, I read it super fast, and I enjoyed the banter and flirtation and ridiculousness along the way. I also appreciate the author’s determination to write about mental health and asexuality, both of which were also prominent in The Charm Offensive as well. But even though Ellie and Charlie (one of the MC’s in that book) are both demisexual and have severe anxiety, the way they affect both characters is completely different, and that nuance is something I really enjoyed. And, as many people have pointed out in their reviews, this book also has some really interesting discussions about failure, and what it means to have a healthy perspective on failure as a concept.
This wasn’t a favorite for me like it has been for a lot of other people, but it was a great book to ring in the new year with....more
I ran this through my CAWPILE spreadsheet because I was feeling wiffly-waffly on whether to rate it four or five stars . . . and it came out at 4.5 stI ran this through my CAWPILE spreadsheet because I was feeling wiffly-waffly on whether to rate it four or five stars . . . and it came out at 4.5 stars. Headdesk. So Goodreads, I'm really going to need you to step up and give us half stars. I can't handle all this decision making anymore.
I read The Charm Offensive back in July and I'm sad I didn't sit down to write a review right away because I really loved this one, and it deserves a I read The Charm Offensive back in July and I'm sad I didn't sit down to write a review right away because I really loved this one, and it deserves a more nuanced discussion than I'm about to give it.
This book was vaguely on my radar when I put together my 2022 Read Harder Challenge TBR, and a quick search for romances with asexual protagonists secured its place on that list (one of the main characters is demisexual). The basic plot is that tech-genius Charlie (who is awkward and has a bad public image--for shitty reasons, may I add) goes on the the dating show Ever After (a very thinly disguised Bachelor analogue) to rehabilitate his image, but he's far from the dashing, charming men the show usually features. In fact, he's a mess. Dev is a producer on the show, and it's his dream job. He's been a fan since he was a kid, and he not so secretly longs for his own HEA. The two men bond while Dev tries to help Charlie succeed on the show.
But what ends up happening of course is that the two fall for each other instead of Charlie falling for one of the women he's supposed to be dating.
The premise is what drew me to this book, but I was so pleased to see that the author handled it with emotional care and thoughtfulness. The book is funny, too. It made me laugh out loud, which is rare. What ended up really getting me here is that Charlie burrowed into me emotionally, both because he's a great character, and because I found him so relatable with his range of neurodivergence: OCD (check), his anxiety disorder (check), and being on the asexual spectrum (check). And though I am not on the autism spectrum, which Charlie almost assuredly is, I related very much to his social awkwardness. Is Charlie actually me? Potentially. Where is my Dev?
Literally the only reason I didn't give this five stars is because I thought the third-act breakup felt inorganic. And even though I really, really liked the payoff of it, I wish she would have found a way to make that part of the book feel more realistic, like the rest of the book. (And I mean more like emotionally realistic; because this is a comedic book, there is absolutely stuff in here that is ridiculous, but purposely so.)
Also, I did the audio and enjoyed it very much. Vikas Adam (whose performance I recently hated in Lavender House but loved here) Graham Halstead, and Cassandra Campbell were very enjoyable narrators. (Cassandra Campbell narrates the mixed media portions of the novel: behind the scenes transcripts from the show, emails, etc, while Vikas Adam is Dev and Graham Halstead is Charlie.)
[4.5 stars]
Chipping Away at Mt. TBR, July 2022—Book 20/31
Read Harder Challenge 2022: Read a book with an asexual or aromantic main character....more
The awards and accolades, as well as the enthusiastic reception this book has received, is definitely merited. This book is a little bit enchanting. IThe awards and accolades, as well as the enthusiastic reception this book has received, is definitely merited. This book is a little bit enchanting. I listened to the audiobook, which was very good, but the copies you read with your eyes are illustrated, so don't miss out on that. I checked out the e-book from my library so I could scroll through and look at the pretty pictures. (My favorite was the Devonian Sea illustrations, but I couldn't find any online).
[image]
Anyway, this book combines a rich imaginative world with a richly emotional story about loss and grief, that is also part coming of age for our protagonist Ellie (full name, Elatsoe). Ellie is part of a tradition of women who can bring back the spirits of dead animals (dead people are forbidden as they are just angry and violent). She is also Lipan Apache, and both her family and culture are woven seamlessly into her story. They live in a world that has evolved alongside magic, and magic talents and occurrences exist right alongside cell phones and comic books. Darcie Little Badger's magic feels very lived in, and magic is just another thing in this world, not the centerpiece.
The plot of the book kickstarts when Ellie's cousin Trevor dies in a car crash, but when he visits Ellie in a dream before crossing over to the other side, he tells her he was murdered, and he tells her by whom. When she tells her parents, they believe her, and it becomes a family effort to find out why this man has killed their family member, and to of course get involved when they find out what happened and why.
I'm adding this book to the very, very long list of excellent books I read in 2023, and I will be purchasing a hard copy for myself. Probably when I inevitably re-read it I will bump it up to five stars. And I will definitely be checking out the prequel, which will follow her grandmother (who has a woolly mammoth ghost as her companion).
This was very sweet and a little bit unhinged, which I of course always appreciate. This is actually a bit more in line with Klune's self-published stThis was very sweet and a little bit unhinged, which I of course always appreciate. This is actually a bit more in line with Klune's self-published stuff, with darker themes and humor with a little more of an edge to it. I am REALLY curious to know what the original story in this book looked like; he's vague in the end notes but apparently somebody told him the world wasn't ready for it (????) and things were changed up pretty heavily.
There are some light premise/plot spoilers below, so proceed accordingly.
This is a loose retelling of the original Pinocchio story by Carlo Collodi. I've never actually read that version, only seen the Disney movie many times as a kid (and once as an adult—still terrifying), but even so the players are there, and the themes (what makes someone a "real boy?" aka a person) are pretty on point as well. I enjoyed those aspects of the story, but Klune takes it further than that, and all my favorite stuff in the book came from that. I also thought he used the idea of puppets in a pretty subtle way, which was a bit of a change for him. Usually he makes his subtext text, which is dangerous because that can easily turn into schmoopsiness, which is the reason I have not given his previous two standalones five stars. I am using the word "which" too much.
Part of the reason this is my favorite of his books that I've read is that the darker elements and themes balanced out his tendency towards schmoop. The story is set in a future world where humans created robots, and the robots decided humanity was a very bad idea and killed us all. My "the robots will kill us all" Goodreads shelf has never been more apt.
The very end of the book felt a little bereft of stakes (maybe this is the part he changed?). The (view spoiler)[love interest/important-character-gets-amnesia-but-don't-worry-he'll-recover-by-the-end storyline is not one that has ever really worked for me, and the many times I've seen it in pop culture and books has only reinforced that. I'm still salty about the finale of Chuck. (hide spoiler)]. But I loved Victor and his relationship with his father, Gio. I love poor, tortured Hap. I loved the buddy comedy that was Nurse Ratched and Rambo. I love that Victor is ace!
I think this might be one that I eventually bump up to five stars.
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