jessdrafahl's Reviews (154)

Fahrenheit 451 is one of those classics that sticks with you, no matter how old it is. Written more than 60 years ago, everything that Ray Bradbury wrote in this supreme dystopian novel still seems entirely possible. The idea of the onset of technology, primarily, seems more and more daunting as the years march forth. In Bradbury's novel, people are plastered in front of their screens that give little to no meaningful content to them, but rather keep them entertained with their "families." Children are not raised, but thrown in front of screens and sent off to school with the hopes of being raised without any intervention. How is that not different from the iPads that are shoved in toddler's hands to keep them quiet? To know that Bradbury had predicted this society, and that we lived up to it nonetheless, is horrifying. Perhaps books, after all, cannot be our saving grace.

A well-written book, but the main character is simply insufferable.

Thank you to Hidden Gems Books for a copy of this book in return for a review.

First, I would like to start off with the positives of the book. What I love about this novella is the world-building within it. I think that Ross Kingston has developed an incredible world in which this story is told. The naming process in itself is an interesting concept, as is the idea of the Artifacts and the Alphas. Passing Seasons was probably my favorite character, although I wonder if that is because he comes across as an Aslan-like character. I would like to have learned more about the lore behind these things, but I suppose that in the mainland series this would be covered more.

My biggest scorn of the series, however, lies with its main character. Considering that she does not even speak for the beginning quarter of the novella (because she is defying her father?), she's a hard character to even begin to like. She is also incredibly childish in the way she acts and goes about her business. It seems to me that she acts in a way of learned helplessness and almost thrives on her blubbering nature. In fact, the plot of the novella only occurs because she manages to stumble into the conflict. Once more, I would like to say that I really liked the world presented in this novella. I think that a lot of interesting things could be done with such a setting. It is spoiled, however, by giving it to us through the lens of a nearly intolerable main character.

What is The Great Gatsby if not the great American classic? Fitzgerald encapsulates the idea of the American dream and the superficiality of the issues of the upper class in 1920's America beautifully in this novel from the perspective of the middle class. All of the characters, from the aggressive Tom Buchanan to the illustrious Jay Gatsby, populate the decadent world of East and West Egg, encompassing the lies, deceit, and frivolous relationships between the wealthy characters in the novel. Nothing makes me realize as much as this novel does that the problems that the first-class face are something facetious in nature, as real problems are often appropriated to fit into the lives of characters that have not once faced true oppression and any true struggle. Fitzgerald masterfully shows this arrogance by having the main character be of the middle class who can appropriately comment on the frivolous nature of the upper class characters. My only gripe with this novel, although perhaps contradictory to my own writing, is that the writing sometimes felt superfluous. If the writing were from the perspective from one of the more wealthy characters, I would find it more understandable. However, since it is from the perspective of Nick, I think it would have been more effective had the writing been more relaxed. Nonetheless, this is a great classic, and quite a quick read.

Having grown up reading creepy pasta, the newly found genre of internet-based horror is quite dear to me. Not only do I have my own personal ties to the style, but I can’t help but admire the unique perspective that the genre gives on horror. These short stories only say as much as they need to, most not exceeding five pages. “Candle Cove,” the titular story, is probably my favorite of the bunch, as it heavily leans into the format of an online forum. I also love “The Stillwood King.”

For a quick look into the type of stories that Straub tells, if you look up “Local 58” on YouTube, you may be in for a treat. 

I only gave this collection 4.5 stars due to some formatting errors in the printing of this binding. 

Although I had already known the gist of the story of the Radium Girls, particularly as I am quite personally enamored (or rather intrigued might be better wording) by the macabre, there is nothing that quite prepares you for the agony and anger of this particular novel. There are two types of horror that this book details. The first of which, and likely the most obvious of the two to someone who has not read the book, is the horror that the radium wreaked upon the bodies of the radium dial painters. The second horror, which quickly becomes obvious, is the horror of industrialization and a failed justice system. This is the strong, emotional argument that this book is making. However, it is also what hurts the novel. The second half of book is a series of events in which where you think that the case is being solved, but where you find one step forward, there is another step back. I know that it seems ridiculous to complain about this, as it happened in real life, but Moore nonetheless is responsible for the redundancy of the writing. The novel takes the reader through two separate legal cases following the radium dial painters, or rather, the victims of radium poisoning. I'm willing to read through the details of a court case, no matter how uninteresting to myself, but it is aggravating to get to the end of the case to find that my mental efforts for such a strain were unrewarded. Once again, as this isn't a fictitious tale, maybe it's in ill taste for me to complain (especially since the radium dial painters had to endure the true trial, knowing that they were living corpses at the same time). However, again, I feel as though Moore could have improved this section of the novel.

My complaints being said, I still believe that this was an incredibly important book. If this book were part of a school's curriculum, I would applaud them for their effort at educating not only the danger of unknown science, but also the evil of capitalistic corporations and industries whose concern is in how much money one can make rather than the safety and value of human life. Furthermore, once again despite my complaints, this was a fairly fast read. I definitely didn't fly through the pages, but they weren't a slog, either. I would suggest this book not only to those interested in the macabre like myself, but perhaps also to those interested in the fallacies of the justice system and industrialization. 

Wherever disaster and death is concerned, there is always a sense of intrigue. Why else do we focus on disasters such as the Titanic, 9/11, or Deepwater Horizon if not for a strange pull that we feel towards tragedy? I learned about Chernobyl many years ago when I stumbled across urbexing on YouTube. After falling down a rabbit hole of abandoned buildings, it was inevitable that the town of Pripyat and Chernobyl would emerge as one of the most notorious abandoned towns, probably in the world. 

To get to the point, Adam Higginbotham's detailed explanation of the numerous events surrounding the disaster is not my introduction on the subject. Perhaps my interest in the subject influenced my four-star rating, but I found the no-nonsense approach to the topic essential to the telling of a truly scientific disaster. Although my eyes did glaze over some of the more technical numbers, I also believe that it is essential to understand—at least at the most superficial level—the workings of an RBMK nuclear reactor. Additionally important, which was another interesting read, was the history of radioactivity. The tragedy of the Radium Girls and Marie Curie's eventual death were only preludes to the real horror that occured in Chernobyl. I applaud Higginbotham on his ability to objectively relate to the reader this information while at the same time conveying a sense of horror and unease. 

Maybe I'm biased, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A few parts of the book were laborious to get through, and other parts seemed redundant. Despite this, I think that this was a worthwhile read, especially to those who are only just dipping their toes into the disaster. I would also suggest this to fans of the HBO miniseries who are interested in topics that expand beyond what the show covers.

The beauty of storytelling is that stories can be told in a number of ways. The prose that Heather Morris chose in writing The Tattooist of Auschwitz was probably the most common of storytelling techniques that authors employ. For this exact reason, I was hesitant to read this novel. There is a fine line between telling a story in prose and the romanticization of plot. (It is for this reason that I dislike The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and is even a theme proposed in Maus II regarding the exploitation of profit by writing about the Holocaust, but that is neither here nor there). However, Morris is able to carefully ride the fence of well-written prose without being pulled away under the lull of romantic imagery and fictional storytelling. She was careful in writing Lale's story only with the truth and facts. She did not hide from the painful truth of the history, nor did she revel too long in the atrocities. What I think is most beautiful about this story is the focus on the love between Lale and Gita. Again, for as many Holocaust stories are out there, it is necessary for each one to find its own focus or theme. This love stands in a stark contrast to the experience of survivors such as Primo Levi, who write about the machine that forced the prisoners of Auschwitz to relieve themselves of their humanity. It is refreshing, then, to know that the Nazis failed even then in relinquishing man fully of his humanity and love.

I think that this novel is fantastic, especially for those who have never read any books about the Holocaust before. I have not read Night, as most have, but was instead introduced into Holocaust literature through Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl. However, other books that are just as good include:

Primo Levi Survival in Auschwitz
Ida Fink A Scrap in Time
Victor Frankl Man's Search for Meaning
and, probably one of the most devastating:
...I Never Saw Another Butterfly...

The sadness of this book did not hit me until the last two pages, but when it did, it came rolling with wet tears and quiet sobs. The main character, Marin, is much the same. She is detached from the story as much as possible, and she is only vaguely aware of the sadness and pity that those around her feel. She only has part of the story. But when those last two pages arrive, so does Marin. For the first time, she’s able to see herself and reclaim her life. She finally feels present in the novel. And me, well, I’m a sucker for that kind of story. 

This was an incredibly fast read, told between the past and the present as the reader figures out the story and why Marin has decided to run away across the country without even a single goodbye. The story touches on grief and love and how they are both intertwined, between both the living and the dead. I definitely wouldn’t say that this is a masterpiece, and I think that more could have been said, but it was beautiful nonetheless.