Jfc. CW everything in this book. I think many people won’t be able to read this. I also give it an award for making me say, “What the fuck” more times than I ever thought I would.

This book is creepy and terrifying in a real way. An indictment of toxic masculinity and every person who says stalkers are harmless and no big deal. It’s crass and vulgar and enjoyable in an unenjoyable way. It’s violent and disgusting often. But most of all it’s relentlessly sad because you know the ending very soon after it begins.

Extremely clear explanations backed up with examples in every section that elucidate specific points rooted in every day life. It is comprehensive and filled with actionable advice and the reasons behind them. It is an Extremely valuable text.

Well written and provides a first person account for some thing people probably already know about Silicon Valley, but gives a lot of context into the thinking, both good and bad, behind the bubble and the many many many startups. It’s thoughtful and insightful. Probably a more impactful experience for people who haven’t read about it and been aware of it.

While the story is the most straight forward of Gillian Flynn’s novels, her prose bumps it from a 3 star to a 4 star book for me. The psychology and dialogue of the characters are fantastic, as with the others. The premise isn’t as straight forward as it appears, making for a more satisfying finish. I suspect people who went through the whole satanic panic era will connect more with it than me, though.

I liked the writing style and the overall plot, but feel like the book would have been augmented from knowing The Leopard. I got the feeling often that there was a wider, or deeper context I was somehow not privy to because this novel is about the later life of the author of The Leopard, and I’m not familiar with that story. Probably this has contrasting themes. At the very least it’s made me quite curious about the book and I plan to get my hands on a copy. Otherwise though, a sad, old prince, a relic of times past in old Sicily was evocative and sometimes charming. Glad to have read it.

This book was a lot of fun. While I didn’t care too much for the meta knowledge and jokes, including the actual King Arthur tale. There is great representation for PoC and genders, including an ace character (whom I really enjoyed!). But I’m generally not into stories that don’t take things seriously, which is probably the majority of the book. Luckily though, there are emotional beats and subversions of the original story that land very well. By the end I quite enjoyed it and will continue to the next book.