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_lia_reads_'s Reviews (757)
I went into this book thinking it would be fun to learn about American cheeses. Instead what I got is one man’s random journey through cheese in the US.
The pros: I have a list of American cheese I want to try.
The cons: I know maybe 1% more about cheese than I did going into this book.
The writing is not my cup of tea. Beyond the random name dropping of producers and cheeses, the author spends a weird amount of time describing what people are wearing at a given moment (mostly without a reason). There are also some off-color jokes. At one point, while in France, the author comments that their fridge looks like a Make-a-Wish kid’s wish for cheese (I’m paraphrasing but you get the gist). That was enough for me to almost put the book down and walk away.
So if you’ve ever wanted to read Joe’s thoughts on cheeses and his hobnobbing at creameries and cheese events, this book is for you. If you actually want to learn about these cheeses, skip this one.
The pros: I have a list of American cheese I want to try.
The cons: I know maybe 1% more about cheese than I did going into this book.
The writing is not my cup of tea. Beyond the random name dropping of producers and cheeses, the author spends a weird amount of time describing what people are wearing at a given moment (mostly without a reason). There are also some off-color jokes. At one point, while in France, the author comments that their fridge looks like a Make-a-Wish kid’s wish for cheese (I’m paraphrasing but you get the gist). That was enough for me to almost put the book down and walk away.
So if you’ve ever wanted to read Joe’s thoughts on cheeses and his hobnobbing at creameries and cheese events, this book is for you. If you actually want to learn about these cheeses, skip this one.
Sometimes there are books that are overhyped, that I worry are not going to live up to the buzz. But I’m here to tell you that Addie LaRue TOTALLY lives up to all the hype. This is one of those books that I wanted to start again as soon as it was done.
The book has everything I love in a book: strong female lead, set (partially) in France, bookish references galore, a little bit of magic, a little bit of darkness, a cat...I loved the mix of magic and love story, but ultimately this is a sorry of Addie’s resilience in the face of a Faustian bargain. Through her story, Schwab poses the question: would it be like if no one remembered you? How would you survive moving through the world like a ghost? Some people have complained that this is a slow story, and it is, but that is the beauty in it. It is more about Addie’s internal struggles than it is an action-packed adventure.
The alternation between Addie’s life leading up to the present and the present was really well done. Addie has lived through a lot of moments of history, and I was afraid that there would be a lot of unnecessary name dropping. But this is handled very well, with Addie existing on the periphery of many of these famous peoples’ lives, but not making that the center of the story. In general, too, Schwab’s writing is beautiful. There are so many phrases and passages I want to return to; reading them was like eating a decadent dessert that you want to savor.
The book reminded me of the beauty of The Starless Sea, especially for all the moments of book love (but with less of the mind blowing, wtf moments). Both stories left me wanting to go back to the world as soon as I finished, too.
In short, this book is everything. It is one of my favorite books of all time. I am ruined for other books right now.
7 stars for this one (#iykyk)
TW: death; prostitution; loss
The book has everything I love in a book: strong female lead, set (partially) in France, bookish references galore, a little bit of magic, a little bit of darkness, a cat...I loved the mix of magic and love story, but ultimately this is a sorry of Addie’s resilience in the face of a Faustian bargain. Through her story, Schwab poses the question: would it be like if no one remembered you? How would you survive moving through the world like a ghost? Some people have complained that this is a slow story, and it is, but that is the beauty in it. It is more about Addie’s internal struggles than it is an action-packed adventure.
The alternation between Addie’s life leading up to the present and the present was really well done. Addie has lived through a lot of moments of history, and I was afraid that there would be a lot of unnecessary name dropping. But this is handled very well, with Addie existing on the periphery of many of these famous peoples’ lives, but not making that the center of the story. In general, too, Schwab’s writing is beautiful. There are so many phrases and passages I want to return to; reading them was like eating a decadent dessert that you want to savor.
The book reminded me of the beauty of The Starless Sea, especially for all the moments of book love (but with less of the mind blowing, wtf moments). Both stories left me wanting to go back to the world as soon as I finished, too.
In short, this book is everything. It is one of my favorite books of all time. I am ruined for other books right now.
7 stars for this one (#iykyk)
TW: death; prostitution; loss
I am honestly not sure where to begin when it comes to reviewing this book. It is weird, but also beautiful. Dark, but also funny at times. It is definitely not a thriller and definitely not one that everyone will enjoy. But I really did.
I think it is best to go into this book semi-blind about the premise. It starts with an upper middle-class white family enjoying a getaway from New York City in a rented house in the Hamptons. Then, the supposed owners of the house show up, and they happen to be Black. And you think you know where the book is going, but then it gets weird.
One word to describe this book is ominous. While the characters go about their lives and deal with things on a micro level, something bigger and scarier is happening. There is so much tension in this book, and that is palpable in Alam's writing.
The only thing I could have done without are the graphic descriptions of bodily functions. I get their purpose in the long run of the story, particularly in emphasizing the quotidien in the face of the larger world's problems, but boy were they not for me.
I also highly recommend this on audio. The narrator does an excellent job of capturing the humor, the cringe, and the tension all in one.
TW: graphic descriptions of sex and bodily functions
I think it is best to go into this book semi-blind about the premise. It starts with an upper middle-class white family enjoying a getaway from New York City in a rented house in the Hamptons. Then, the supposed owners of the house show up, and they happen to be Black. And you think you know where the book is going, but then it gets weird.
One word to describe this book is ominous. While the characters go about their lives and deal with things on a micro level, something bigger and scarier is happening. There is so much tension in this book, and that is palpable in Alam's writing.
The only thing I could have done without are the graphic descriptions of bodily functions. I get their purpose in the long run of the story, particularly in emphasizing the quotidien in the face of the larger world's problems, but boy were they not for me.
I also highly recommend this on audio. The narrator does an excellent job of capturing the humor, the cringe, and the tension all in one.
TW: graphic descriptions of sex and bodily functions
This was a beautiful, atmospheric book that surprised me with its depth.
This is definitely not a book for everyone but if you love literary fiction, you will likely enjoy this one. The story is told in small vignettes, some that lead from one to another and others that make great leaps through time. These vignettes are bracketed by her mom's surprise visit on her wedding weekend. It almost felt as though Evie was telling you the story of her life, jumping through time as she recounts it. However powerful, these jumps in time do make it difficult to follow the story in parts, and it takes some work to understand how the timeline fits together. Van Meter leaves you little clues as to when things take place, but there are a few scenes that I still cannot place in the overall timeline;
I enjoyed the parallels and dissonance of her parents' relationship with hers to Liam. Slowly, the story unravels the different parts of her childhood and early adulthood that made her into the woman she is in the present and future. Evie's relationship with her father is particularly heartbreaking, but I also loved the ways in which she explains the complications of it. He is her father, but he is so troubled, both by his addictions and his too-open heart.
Creatures tackles themes of grief, family, opening yourself to love, and forgiveness. I will be thinking about the intertwining of these themes for awhile, and returning to Van Meter's beautiful language.
Thanks to Algonquin for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
TW: addiction (drug & alcohol); drug use; adultery; loss of a parent; death; death of an animal (not depicted)
This is definitely not a book for everyone but if you love literary fiction, you will likely enjoy this one. The story is told in small vignettes, some that lead from one to another and others that make great leaps through time. These vignettes are bracketed by her mom's surprise visit on her wedding weekend. It almost felt as though Evie was telling you the story of her life, jumping through time as she recounts it. However powerful, these jumps in time do make it difficult to follow the story in parts, and it takes some work to understand how the timeline fits together. Van Meter leaves you little clues as to when things take place, but there are a few scenes that I still cannot place in the overall timeline;
I enjoyed the parallels and dissonance of her parents' relationship with hers to Liam. Slowly, the story unravels the different parts of her childhood and early adulthood that made her into the woman she is in the present and future. Evie's relationship with her father is particularly heartbreaking, but I also loved the ways in which she explains the complications of it. He is her father, but he is so troubled, both by his addictions and his too-open heart.
Creatures tackles themes of grief, family, opening yourself to love, and forgiveness. I will be thinking about the intertwining of these themes for awhile, and returning to Van Meter's beautiful language.
Thanks to Algonquin for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
TW: addiction (drug & alcohol); drug use; adultery; loss of a parent; death; death of an animal (not depicted)
I really, really wanted to love this book but I’ll be honest that I struggled with it a bit. I think part of that struggle was i went into this book expecting a different way of telling the story than what this actually is. The other part of my struggle was just how heavy this book is, and was definitely something I was not fully prepared for. Both of those things are on me, though, and not the book itself.
The writing in this book is absolutely stunning. There are sentences that will make you stop and re-read them. I enjoyed the way that the main story was broken up into the chorus and interludes, underscoring the influence of the ancient epics.
I also appreciated the story itself and Mengiste’s goal in writing it. I was only vaguely aware of Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia in WWII, and certainly didn’t know about the female soldiers that were an important part of the Ethiopian resistance. I am grateful to this book for shedding light on these events (and providing the world with a WWII novel not focused on the Nazis).
The brutally of this book is expected, given the subject, but I was not prepared for the multiplicity of moments of sexual violence, as well as violence in general. This really is a difficult read.
If you like books about war and/or books with strong female characters, you will enjoy this one
3.5 stars, rounded up
TW: lots, but the biggest ones; death of a child; sexual violence including rape; acts of war; antisemitism
The writing in this book is absolutely stunning. There are sentences that will make you stop and re-read them. I enjoyed the way that the main story was broken up into the chorus and interludes, underscoring the influence of the ancient epics.
I also appreciated the story itself and Mengiste’s goal in writing it. I was only vaguely aware of Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia in WWII, and certainly didn’t know about the female soldiers that were an important part of the Ethiopian resistance. I am grateful to this book for shedding light on these events (and providing the world with a WWII novel not focused on the Nazis).
The brutally of this book is expected, given the subject, but I was not prepared for the multiplicity of moments of sexual violence, as well as violence in general. This really is a difficult read.
If you like books about war and/or books with strong female characters, you will enjoy this one
3.5 stars, rounded up
TW: lots, but the biggest ones; death of a child; sexual violence including rape; acts of war; antisemitism
