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librarymouse
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Tanya's poetry, scattered throughout this book is so incredibly poignant and beautiful. Edward Humes does a fantastic job humanizing the victims of violent crimes, such that the story of how they died and/or how their lives were changed forever doesn't become a story about the perpetrator of the crime. He weaves the stories of those who loved them, after they were lost, into the continued narrative, showing how life hiccups at a profound loss, and then moves on, fundamentally changed and damaged by the sudden and horrific ripping away of someone dear. These people deserve readers to care and know their stories, and their families deserve closure. DNA genealogy's integrat on into police work can be a slippery slope, as the limits of what DNA can tell you about yourself are expanded at a rapid clip. The risk of abuse is great, but the value of closure given to those left behind after an unsolved murder, or the closure of finding justice against the perpetrator of a violent assault seems worth the risk, where we currently stand with our understanding of the human genome.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness
Minor: Dementia
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
This account of the life of Christopher Knight is an engaging and well-told story about a very interesting man. The questions raised on solitude, it's benefits and detriments, and related prompts towards self reflection make this book more than what it initially appears to be, in terms of it's impact on the reader
This book is written in a very consumable manner. I read it in one go.
This book is written in a very consumable manner. I read it in one go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder
Eating disorders noted as briefly mentioned due to the severe emaciation of Christopher Knight as mentioned to occur after winter food scarcity and during his time in prison
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fast and interesting read. The first half of the book was a little slow, and the last half a little fast, but overall the pacing added to the element of mystery. It wasn't hard to guess where the story was going, in terms of the fungal poisoning, but smaller aspects of the mystery were still surprising.
Madeline having been dead since before the start of the events of the novel was an interesting twist. It makes a lot of sense looking back. It's also really neat how the integration of a language with so many pronouns into the plot through the character of Alex creates further interest and intrigue in how Maddie and Alex interact concerning the way she references the fungus as if it were a child. I don't have any particular love of Poe, beyond the general appreciation, but this was an engaging use of his premise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicide, Vomit, War
I marked eating disorders as being a graphic description because of the ways in which the emaciated characters are explained in depth.
informative
slow-paced
I read this for school. It is a short, but dense book, taking far longer to read than I thought it would. There are a few dry jokes thrown in for the discerning reader. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I'm unsure that I can adequately rate this as it compares to my recreational reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
As I was thinking about this book, my first instinct was to refer to the author as Maude. After having it drilled into me throughout an English degree, calling an author by their first name is not an instinct I often feel, but the raw and vulnerable way in which Maude Julien tells her story, the loneliness of her childhood, and her struggles with attempting to feign normalcy in adulthood in the wider world make her feel as if she's someone the reader knows personally. The atrocities she suffered in her childhood, her struggle for autonomy and free thought, and the slow petering out of her father's hold over her with the help of her kindly music teacher are hauntingly crafted in this book. I am still incensed on her behalf that her father, mother, and the man who repeatedly assaulted her never paid for the horrible acts they committed in a court of law, or through well-deserved animosity and revile from their peers. In telling her story, Maude Julien refuses to let the world allow her torment go unnoticed, immortalizes herself and the man who saved her as heroes, and immortalizes her tormenters villains in perpetuity.
In the face of the unthinkably horrific, Maude Julien paints a world in which a child can still wonder at butterflies and feel the love of her animal companions. In the face of a seemingly endless void of depression, she shows how the smallest spark can create an unshakable hope.
In the face of the unthinkably horrific, Maude Julien paints a world in which a child can still wonder at butterflies and feel the love of her animal companions. In the face of a seemingly endless void of depression, she shows how the smallest spark can create an unshakable hope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Forced institutionalization, War
Minor: Pregnancy
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I'd wanted to read this book for a long time, and while interesting, I was a bit disappointed by the degradation of my understanding chemistry and physics, and by the simultaneous depth and shallowness of the material addressed. The focus of the book is split between the mechanical and chemical aspects of nuclear science and industry, and the human side of atomic accidents. It's length and the information density makes it hard to recall what occurred at the beginning of the book, by the end. That being said, this was a very interesting read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Blood, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Forced institutionalization
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm really not sure what to think of this book. It's very consumable. I read it in just over an hour. At a few points, I wondered if this book is an allegory for the changes that occur when a child starts showing signs of autism, since both David and Nina are noted to line up things just before their poisoning becomes severe. I'm not sure that that is the case, but this book, as per the title, reads like a fever dream. There's definitely a commentary being made on the visibility of disabled children, how they're viewed when the disability is developed, and on a wealth disparity between the urban well to do and the rural poor.
I'm sure if I were to read this again and again, I'd find a new understanding each time.
the confirmation of the migrations being done in the greenhouse being real, at the end, is an interesting twist (?). I don't know that it can be called a twist because David is co narrating, and were told by Carla that it is real, but Amanda's scepticism is infectious. Nina being in David's body at the end of the book, unrecognized by her father is heartbreaking. Carla saying that if she could have another child, she'd want one like Nina is made all the more unsettling and sad with the ending. Her tying knots, as if trying to reinstate the snapped, ineffable rope that connects her to her mother
I'm sure if I were to read this again and again, I'd find a new understanding each time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Medical content, Grief
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So much happened in this book! I really enjoyed how long this addition to the series is, allowing me more time with the characters I've come to love. Dina and Sean have found balance in their roles as innkeepers and within their romantic relationship. They're really healthy, and good for each other. That also acts as a framework, foreshadowing Dina's recognition of and reflection on the growth of her power.
They're are a few subtle nods to the initially-introduced plot of Wilmos being missing, throughout the long, bachelor-esque interlude, keeping him in mind for readers, without necessarily breaking the suspension of disbelief.
I am not a fan of The bachelor TV program and series related to it, but I really enjoyed the dating game plot of this book. The higher stakes and more nuanced cultural variances made it a lot more engaging than I expected, when I went into the book already expecting to enjoy it.
This book, like the others in the series, does a fantastic job neatly tying up the main plot lines while continuing/concluding plots introduced in previous books and introducing new threads to be followed in later additions to the series. I am eagerly awaiting more.
A few things:
They're are a few subtle nods to the initially-introduced plot of Wilmos being missing, throughout the long, bachelor-esque interlude, keeping him in mind for readers, without necessarily breaking the suspension of disbelief.
I am not a fan of The bachelor TV program and series related to it, but I really enjoyed the dating game plot of this book. The higher stakes and more nuanced cultural variances made it a lot more engaging than I expected, when I went into the book already expecting to enjoy it.
This book, like the others in the series, does a fantastic job neatly tying up the main plot lines while continuing/concluding plots introduced in previous books and introducing new threads to be followed in later additions to the series. I am eagerly awaiting more.
A few things:
- I loved Dina standing up to the busybodies on the innkeeper council!
- The true reason Caldania killed her brother is heartbreaking, and it makes her character so much rounder and more tangible as an individual
- Are the growing power of Dina recognizes in herself and the unprecedented powers Maud recognizes in herself indicative of something, or are we just getting overpowered main characters so they're able to survive progressively stronger adversaries?
- Donna is the Costco lady!! I love that Dina follows her knitting blog, gives her husband yarn for her, and still doesn't recognize her.
- How old is the fuzzy, feline ripper of souls?
- I want to know more about Sebastian North. I'm about 90% sure I've now read every book in this series, but it feels like I'm missing something. That feeling might just be very good foreshadowing.
- Where are Dina's parents, if not with their inn?
- Can the Scottish guy trying to adopt Dina get her parents declared dead even though she has a sort of proof that they are alive?
- The tendril reaching for and opening a door onto the planet that Maud and Helen are living on was such a beautiful way to end the book. Magnolia green is reaching for one of the other children it helped raise, and in doing so, allowing for easier travel for the family to see each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Xenophobia, Trafficking
Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
The time Patrick Radden Keefe spends with each client shows his dedication to his craft. This book humanized people and events often sensationalized beyond individuality by press coverage. This is a really interesting and engaging read, with chapters long enough for readers to be invested in the stories being told. Each story is self contained, allowing for this book to be read at whatever pace you'd like to read it.
When I got to the last chapter, I was waiting to understand what crime Anthony Bourdain had committed or had been a part of uncovering, beyond drug use, before I realized that in the subtitle also notes rebels.
When I got to the last chapter, I was waiting to understand what crime Anthony Bourdain had committed or had been a part of uncovering, beyond drug use, before I realized that in the subtitle also notes rebels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Infidelity, Trafficking, War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm glad I got this book in print to read, but now, I'm unsettled by it.
Ruth Anne's snoopy😭. Twice, when he came up, first in Amy's thoughts right after Ruth Anne succumbing to the pennetants, and again at Ruth Anne's memorial, I nearly cried. Grady Hendrix has a neat trick of characterizing his characters with little, branded quirks, like Ruth Anne's religious attachment to Blistex and Amy specifically stopping at the Speedway for coffee that somewhat break the suspension disbelief while making them a bit more interesting. Ruth Anne's Snoopy waiting for her on the couch at a home she'll never return to takes that almost comical brand name dropping and turns it on it's head. Making the thought of a mass produced toy waiting for it's loving owner to return home such a deeply gut wrenching thing in the slog of gore and terror in this book makes upsetting and gorgeous space for grief. Ruth Anne gouging out her own eyes to avoid seeing the things that terrified her, with the childlike belief that if she can't see them, they can't see her is equally upsetting.
Matt and Trinity are interesting characters, but they don't get as much space in the book to be known. The focus is on Amy, Basil, and Ruth Anne. Ruth Anne does a great job personalizing Basil to Amy, beyond the archetype of ineffective middle manager. He believes in her as a person. It just takes a while for the two of them to understand each other.
This book really takes the concept of the real evil being capitalism to the furthest degree possible beg it would fall into a spoof/satire category. Orsk is a corporate, bureaucratic nightmare.
The gradual shifting of the images from possible furniture pieces to torture equipment is honestly funny. I like how each item is showcased in the chapter. In some scenes, this book reads a bit like a fanfiction, which isn't a bad thing. It provides much needed moments of levity.
Ruth Anne's snoopy😭. Twice, when he came up, first in Amy's thoughts right after Ruth Anne succumbing to the pennetants, and again at Ruth Anne's memorial, I nearly cried. Grady Hendrix has a neat trick of characterizing his characters with little, branded quirks, like Ruth Anne's religious attachment to Blistex and Amy specifically stopping at the Speedway for coffee that somewhat break the suspension disbelief while making them a bit more interesting. Ruth Anne's Snoopy waiting for her on the couch at a home she'll never return to takes that almost comical brand name dropping and turns it on it's head. Making the thought of a mass produced toy waiting for it's loving owner to return home such a deeply gut wrenching thing in the slog of gore and terror in this book makes upsetting and gorgeous space for grief. Ruth Anne gouging out her own eyes to avoid seeing the things that terrified her, with the childlike belief that if she can't see them, they can't see her is equally upsetting.
Matt and Trinity are interesting characters, but they don't get as much space in the book to be known. The focus is on Amy, Basil, and Ruth Anne. Ruth Anne does a great job personalizing Basil to Amy, beyond the archetype of ineffective middle manager. He believes in her as a person. It just takes a while for the two of them to understand each other.
This book really takes the concept of the real evil being capitalism to the furthest degree possible beg it would fall into a spoof/satire category. Orsk is a corporate, bureaucratic nightmare.
The gradual shifting of the images from possible furniture pieces to torture equipment is honestly funny. I like how each item is showcased in the chapter. In some scenes, this book reads a bit like a fanfiction, which isn't a bad thing. It provides much needed moments of levity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail