alexandriaslibrary's Reviews (250)

A tightly wound story with a narrator you can't help but like

Unsettling, unusual, and crisp stories! Things aren't what they seem, or they are what they seem and what they are is freaky

Short stories about trans women having crushes, smoking weed, and considering their relationships. Relatable, tender, and bittersweet

Is it really a favorite for me if it isn't described as "haunting"? Wow! A story of a zombie mourning her former lover and their quiet, beautiful life together before the end of the world. The monster-trope is so well-utilized here. The narration and world is heightened just so that is really draws out the grief, heartache, and struggle with morality. For fans of Carmen Maria Machado, Julia Armfield, and the 2013 classic 'Warm Bodies!'

A well-written & well-paced thriller about Black girls being hunted in a small Appalachian town. It really balanced interpersonal dynamics and the larger societal horror and was a true page turner

Masterclass poetry. Spring, rebirth, mythos and life after love 

Some funky short stories for fans of Her Body & Other Parties or Kelly Link. Lots of monsters and things that go bump in the night 

What a romp! A great mix of plot-driven and character-driven, these 350+ pages breeze by. A bit outside my typical genre, but I thought the sci-fi and romantic themes were engaging and earned. As a true compliment, it reminded me of staying up all night to read a 100,000+ word fanfic on AO3 (given hurt/comfort and secret love)

My Italian queen <3 

Valentino was my preferred story of the two. A golden son (who is actually kind of a dud) shocks his family when he marries an older, ugly woman. Ginzburg hits this perfect pitch of dysfunction, love, and dark humor. 

In Sagittarius, a mother who is bored with her life befriends a larger than life woman and they plot to open an art gallery. This one was slower, but still ended with an umph

“Another one, if he died on the battlefield, at least he was looking to the sky.“

“How was it possible to survive amid this endless experience of dying? To look at it day after day. To think. To try it on despite yourself. 

Is it possible to talk about it? What lends itself to words and to our feelings? And what is ineffable?”

A heartbreaking collection of personal accounts from the Soviet women of World War 2. Over 200 women from every side of the war (snipers, sappers, nurses, surgeons, laundresses, partisans, etc) tell their stories, some for the first time ever. They are grouped thematically (how they joined the war, first time seeing death, love on the front, reuniting with their children). But the stories are all hopeful and tragic, full of life and so much death. 

It would be a great read for anyone interested in the human condition, World War 2 buffs, or those wanting to learn more about Soviet history. Really remarkable and will stay with my for a long time