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447 reviews by:
librarymouse
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am interested in reading this book over and over again in the hopes that some day I'll understand every facet of it.
This is not my favorite book, but I am very interested in studying it.
This is not my favorite book, but I am very interested in studying it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, War, Classism
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a cute, fast read. I'm glad to find books with ace characters. Sal and Clara are good for each other and are solidly personalized to the reader very early on in the story. Sal's registration is an interesting plot device. I like how she is humanized without losing sight of her true physical and internal nature. Her being able to be both person and robot adds a necessary and insightful depth to the story.
I just wish there was more. I prefer longer books with richer world building, but for the size of the novel, the world building was rich enough. I hope there will be more books published in this universe!
I just wish there was more. I prefer longer books with richer world building, but for the size of the novel, the world building was rich enough. I hope there will be more books published in this universe!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Xenophobia
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I am filled with existential anxiety, but I adore the crew of the Merian. Ariadne is a fun narrator, Elena and Jack add necessary tension, and Chikondi is easy to love. The amorous dynamics of the crew are really neat, and I love how they differ from humanity as it is now. Collectivism and honoring the goals, sacrifices, and ethos of the organization they've loved and believe in overall is a fantastic way to tie up a thought provoking story.
This concept could have easily sent me down a panic spiral, but the groundedness of the crew and their tender and sincere humanity makes this story as comfortable as it can be, given the circumstances.
This concept could have easily sent me down a panic spiral, but the groundedness of the crew and their tender and sincere humanity makes this story as comfortable as it can be, given the circumstances.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
I really loved this book. Parts are viscerally heart breaking, others peaceful, and others still are wonderfully human. This book has so many wonderfully integrated references to folklore, library history, and theatre.
God being a woman and making the arch angel who are working in her stead the antagonist of the novel is narratively, incredibly interesting, bringing into questions of biblical good versus moral good, and it acts as a reminder that being a hero does not necessarily imply goodness just as being a villain doesn't necessarily imply evil.
The novel's twists are artful. I had not expected Leto's suicidal ideation to have been pushed to it's breaking point by Andras, as had I not expected Claire to be a murderer, nor Leto to be Claire's grandson. Andrea's calculated betrayal was well crafted and the library's stand against him was glorious. Claire's willingness to unwrite the souls of those who are a threat to those she loves is a gorgeous character flaw. I'm glad she wasn't guilted out of it. I look forward to seeing more of Romiel in hell.
It feels like I've met a collection of pleasant new friends and I look forward to knowing them more as the series progresses.
The novel's twists are artful. I had not expected Leto's suicidal ideation to have been pushed to it's breaking point by Andras, as had I not expected Claire to be a murderer, nor Leto to be Claire's grandson. Andrea's calculated betrayal was well crafted and the library's stand against him was glorious. Claire's willingness to unwrite the souls of those who are a threat to those she loves is a gorgeous character flaw. I'm glad she wasn't guilted out of it. I look forward to seeing more of Romiel in hell.
It feels like I've met a collection of pleasant new friends and I look forward to knowing them more as the series progresses.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This was a fun narrative told through Stanley Tucci's distinctive voice and with a flair for the families. Despite an increasingly busy schedule, I have had the constant urge to cook and share the food and culture I grew up with, quite similar to Tucci's, while reading this book. I look forward to a time in my life when I have the time and money to spare, to host lavish dinner parties as a way to show my love. This book was a fantastic look into The human side of Stanley Tucci, beyond his presence on screen, and with its vivid descriptions of both food and family, it couldn't help but feel like home
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Pregnancy
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is lovingly crafted and insightfully cyclical in its form.
I did not expect Griselda to die. At the very least, the parallels of their deaths were narrativelyIinteresting. The priest standing dumbly by as William notes the futility of his work in the war and the futility of war, just as William had stood frustrated and malcontented as Griselda roused herself to drink from the wine he offered her. Neither of the care fivers had any idea of the reality of what it means to know one's own, personal and physical destruction.
Both William and Griselda were hard to like at the beginning of the novel, but I believe that is intentional. They are meant to be caricatures of the blindly ideological worst of the movements they were a part of.
I found the novel's use of "comrade" interesting, especially in light of having read this book and associated literature for a modernism course. One of our readings ruminated on the chasm of difference between comeradeship and friendship, and the longevity of the two relationships. In every situation, Williams comerades are relationships of circumstance which do not or cannot be retained and maintained when the circumstances disolve. William dying alone in the building in which he does clerical work after years of the soul/spirit/chutzpah he'd just grow being crushed back down to the state it had been when he lived under the thumb of his mother ties up the story neatly and in a way that begs questions about the futility of change, especially in change of ideology. This futility of attempting individuality within the monolith of nation and military is, in the end, the cessation of William as a character.
Both William and Griselda were hard to like at the beginning of the novel, but I believe that is intentional. They are meant to be caricatures of the blindly ideological worst of the movements they were a part of.
I found the novel's use of "comrade" interesting, especially in light of having read this book and associated literature for a modernism course. One of our readings ruminated on the chasm of difference between comeradeship and friendship, and the longevity of the two relationships. In every situation, Williams comerades are relationships of circumstance which do not or cannot be retained and maintained when the circumstances disolve. William dying alone in the building in which he does clerical work after years of the soul/spirit/chutzpah he'd just grow being crushed back down to the state it had been when he lived under the thumb of his mother ties up the story neatly and in a way that begs questions about the futility of change, especially in change of ideology. This futility of attempting individuality within the monolith of nation and military is, in the end, the cessation of William as a character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Slavery, Medical content
challenging
informative
fast-paced
The murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty we're horrendous. This book does a lot of work to explain how religions like Mormonism, especially radicalized fundamentalist Mormonism, can warp the world views of it's followers, shaping some into devout followers who are used and abused in the name of God by those in power and to create powerful, often delusional believers who are willing to kill, rape, and defile anyone from family members to strangers for the sake of their personal perception of God's will.
In the author's notes at the end of this book, Jon Krakauer addresses the path his writing process took. While his end product was not what he initially intended it to be, it was enriched by the research he'd done on the history of Mormonism. Having grown up in an area with a few Mormons, but not enough for them to be the dominant social group, I'd just lumped them into the group of people from religions I was not a part of. This peek at their storied history, historic and continued racism, historic and continued sexual violence and pedophilia, and the lengths to which the current church goes to hide the past from followers gives a suspicious tilt to the religion's intentions.
In the author's notes at the end of this book, Jon Krakauer addresses the path his writing process took. While his end product was not what he initially intended it to be, it was enriched by the research he'd done on the history of Mormonism. Having grown up in an area with a few Mormons, but not enough for them to be the dominant social group, I'd just lumped them into the group of people from religions I was not a part of. This peek at their storied history, historic and continued racism, historic and continued sexual violence and pedophilia, and the lengths to which the current church goes to hide the past from followers gives a suspicious tilt to the religion's intentions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book expresses a human aspect to war; giving faces, names, occupations, and families to the young German soldiers of WWI. Their deaths are all impactful, none more than Kat, but the need to keep fighting both the war itself and the internal struggles Paul feels brush the trauma of those deaths out of view without trivializing it. The switch at the end from a first person, personalized account, to a third person omniscient narrator finishes that action by showing the outcome of all of those traumas washing over him like a wave as the rumors of the wars near end reach him. This novel begs the questions of what happens when war is over, when all you've known in your adult life is war; what happens when everyone you hold dear, who knows you as you are and not how you were is gone; and what does it mean to feel alive? War is not something that can value life of any sort, in any way, and this book captures that essence of loss perfectly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this book! I just wanted more from the stories that weren't from the Kate Daniels series, and when I got to Curran and Jim's points of view, I wanted more of that. I guess my major complaint is that I enjoy the Kate Daniels universe so much that it feels like there wasn't enough. I also came to love the out of universe characters in the other short stories, and I wanted more lore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This collection looked like a fun and quick read, and that is exactly what it was. I just wish that it was longer. I also feel like the stories would have, or have had in the times before they were recorded, a greater impact as oral tradition
Content Warnings
Minor: Death