Take a photo of a barcode or cover
pineconek's Reviews (816)
So this one is a /ride/.
Firstly, the book is exactly what it says on the tin. A group of middle aged women, all part of the same bookclub, need to slay their local vampire. The vampire related horror is a bit campy at times but still suspenseful, which is the perfect balance for me.
The true horror in the novel is the horror of being spoken over by domineering husbands, avoidant grandchildren, and white employers who perceive your children as disposable. I really appreciated how claustrophobic (and genuinely horrifying) these scenes of not being believed/taken seriously were. The feeling of "I see this person for the evil they are, why won't you believe me!? Doesn't my pain matter!?" escalated as the book went on.
I'll definitely be reading more Grady Hendrix. A fair warning that, on top of the vampire lore/gore and palpable gaslighting, there are scenes of violence against women and children. All that said, I would recommend this widely if you're interested in modern horror, unlikely heroes, and a quick, gripping read.
Firstly, the book is exactly what it says on the tin. A group of middle aged women, all part of the same bookclub, need to slay their local vampire. The vampire related horror is a bit campy at times but still suspenseful, which is the perfect balance for me.
The true horror in the novel is the horror of being spoken over by domineering husbands, avoidant grandchildren, and white employers who perceive your children as disposable. I really appreciated how claustrophobic (and genuinely horrifying) these scenes of not being believed/taken seriously were. The feeling of "I see this person for the evil they are, why won't you believe me!? Doesn't my pain matter!?" escalated as the book went on.
I'll definitely be reading more Grady Hendrix. A fair warning that, on top of the vampire lore/gore and palpable gaslighting, there are scenes of violence against women and children. All that said, I would recommend this widely if you're interested in modern horror, unlikely heroes, and a quick, gripping read.
This had big "American horror story: 1984" vibes and I loved every moment of it.
This book is beyond ridiculous. It's completely implausible, full of deus ex machina, and borders on camp. Consequently, this book isn't for everyone. But as someone who loves campiness and drama and is able to suspend disbelief in favour of a fun story, this was narrative gold.
Much like a southern bookclub's guide to slaying vampires, it was a wonderful ride. And, much like SBGTSL, the true horror was in the small bits of social commentary - here, a focus on voyeurism, the fetishizing of female pain, and the rubber necking that true crime fans are guilty of (myself included). In short, this made me laugh, made me think, and thoroughly entertained me. Recommended if you're into outrageous plots, horror tropes, and things directed by Ryan Murphy.
This book is beyond ridiculous. It's completely implausible, full of deus ex machina, and borders on camp. Consequently, this book isn't for everyone. But as someone who loves campiness and drama and is able to suspend disbelief in favour of a fun story, this was narrative gold.
Much like a southern bookclub's guide to slaying vampires, it was a wonderful ride. And, much like SBGTSL, the true horror was in the small bits of social commentary - here, a focus on voyeurism, the fetishizing of female pain, and the rubber necking that true crime fans are guilty of (myself included). In short, this made me laugh, made me think, and thoroughly entertained me. Recommended if you're into outrageous plots, horror tropes, and things directed by Ryan Murphy.
Five stars for the themes and writing style. James Baldwin writes in a way that reminiscent to me of Anais Nin, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Giovanni's room is a painful exploration of human relationships, identity, masculinity, etc. set against a beautiful Parisian backdrop and a tragic plot. I don't usually use the highlight feature when reading ebooks but I found myself highlighting several moments in this one. It's a very meditative book, and I recommend it if you want to make yourself sad.
Giovanni's room is a painful exploration of human relationships, identity, masculinity, etc. set against a beautiful Parisian backdrop and a tragic plot. I don't usually use the highlight feature when reading ebooks but I found myself highlighting several moments in this one. It's a very meditative book, and I recommend it if you want to make yourself sad.
Speechless.
Let's put it this way: I recommended this to my therapist when I was only 54% done with this book.
I got my diagnosis in 2014, so it's been a while. So much of this book was familiar in a way I really needed. I was particularly struck by how similar my therapeutic journey was to Stephanie's in terms of the order in which we moved through different concepts, themes, modalities, etc... Because of that familiarity, this almost felt like a condensed cheat sheet of the lessons I learned when healing and doing my own research on cptsd.
My sincerest thanks to the author for not only writing the book but also reading the audiobook which included recordings from her therapy sessions. Vulnerability fosters connection and understanding. Widely recommended and, if you read this book, let's talk about it.
Let's put it this way: I recommended this to my therapist when I was only 54% done with this book.
I got my diagnosis in 2014, so it's been a while. So much of this book was familiar in a way I really needed. I was particularly struck by how similar my therapeutic journey was to Stephanie's in terms of the order in which we moved through different concepts, themes, modalities, etc... Because of that familiarity, this almost felt like a condensed cheat sheet of the lessons I learned when healing and doing my own research on cptsd.
My sincerest thanks to the author for not only writing the book but also reading the audiobook which included recordings from her therapy sessions. Vulnerability fosters connection and understanding. Widely recommended and, if you read this book, let's talk about it.
This book is so viscerally upsetting that I needed to finish it ASAP just to escape the universe.
A few years ago, I identified helplessness as being the most difficult emotion for me to cope with. Striving towards a goal but having the goalposts change, all your actions and words misconstrued, and seeing no realistic options other than failure all lead me to a pit of despair. That's what this book felt like. I deeply empathized with the main character and the emotional torture she experienced throughout the book. I read on in horror. Because of the above, this is straight up one of the most upsetting books I've ever read.
And I guess it says a lot about me that that's the reason I consider this a five star read.
A few years ago, I identified helplessness as being the most difficult emotion for me to cope with. Striving towards a goal but having the goalposts change, all your actions and words misconstrued, and seeing no realistic options other than failure all lead me to a pit of despair. That's what this book felt like. I deeply empathized with the main character and the emotional torture she experienced throughout the book. I read on in horror. Because of the above, this is straight up one of the most upsetting books I've ever read.
And I guess it says a lot about me that that's the reason I consider this a five star read.
I'm a sucker for all things Bechdel. I finished this book in less than 24 hours. It's more similar to Are You My Mother than to Fun Home in the sense that it's tying autobiography, musings, biographical details of people long dead, current events, and idiosyncrasies together. This was such an engrossing read and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys whimsical honesty.
Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need to start running again.
Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need to start running again.
Prepare yourself for the most biased review ever.
So this book meant so much to me for so many reasons. Firstly, I'm deeply familiar with this time in Polish history, but secondhand. My parents are exactly of the main characters generation, also participated in the resistance, and also left Poland in the early 80s. My parents lived in Wroclaw and grew up near there, and I've been to Warszawa, the Tatry, Rabka, and know exactly what the author is describing.
And then to have this book be written in English by someone like me (whose strongest language is English but who speaks Polish fluently) felt so precious. It's not something I ever experienced.
But then to have it be a book about same sex love, loneliness, and identity? And for it to pay gorgeous homage to Giovanni's Room (pokój Janusza...), another five star read from earlier in the year? I'm breathless and my little heart feels so seen and connected and like it's been through something electrifying.
This book is sad, political, melancholic, lonely, beautiful, and feels so familiar in the best of ways. A lot of that has to do with the person I am and the significance of this time in Polish history to me - but also the accurate depiction of the challenges of same sex love within a Polish historical context, which is something our community continues to struggle with. Anyway, I'm having a lot of emotions. I came to this book expecting the emotions and I was not disappointed. I'm so close to this material that I can't even recommend it appropriately - it just feels so perfect to me.
So this book meant so much to me for so many reasons. Firstly, I'm deeply familiar with this time in Polish history, but secondhand. My parents are exactly of the main characters generation, also participated in the resistance, and also left Poland in the early 80s. My parents lived in Wroclaw and grew up near there, and I've been to Warszawa, the Tatry, Rabka, and know exactly what the author is describing.
And then to have this book be written in English by someone like me (whose strongest language is English but who speaks Polish fluently) felt so precious. It's not something I ever experienced.
But then to have it be a book about same sex love, loneliness, and identity? And for it to pay gorgeous homage to Giovanni's Room (pokój Janusza...), another five star read from earlier in the year? I'm breathless and my little heart feels so seen and connected and like it's been through something electrifying.
This book is sad, political, melancholic, lonely, beautiful, and feels so familiar in the best of ways. A lot of that has to do with the person I am and the significance of this time in Polish history to me - but also the accurate depiction of the challenges of same sex love within a Polish historical context, which is something our community continues to struggle with. Anyway, I'm having a lot of emotions. I came to this book expecting the emotions and I was not disappointed. I'm so close to this material that I can't even recommend it appropriately - it just feels so perfect to me.
I'm a simple woman: you give me a feminist mythological retelling with a morally ambiguous character? I will read it.
I knew very little of South Asian mythology before embarking on this Chonk of a book. I really appreciate how accessible it was and how rewarding of a long-slow-literary read it was. It feels unfair to compare it to Circe, since they're from such different mythos, but I would recommend reading this if you're into retellings, following characters from childhood through to morally ambiguous adulthood, and beautiful writing.
I knew very little of South Asian mythology before embarking on this Chonk of a book. I really appreciate how accessible it was and how rewarding of a long-slow-literary read it was. It feels unfair to compare it to Circe, since they're from such different mythos, but I would recommend reading this if you're into retellings, following characters from childhood through to morally ambiguous adulthood, and beautiful writing.
This deeply emotional book was somewhat of a beast to get through. While I enjoy books where nothing happens, the second novella could've used some editing so that there were fewer moments of "absolutely nothing happens". Otherwise, the themes explored were fascinating and heartwrenching. 3.5 rounded up.
Recommended if you want to think about bodily reproductive functions for a long time while witnessing slice of life.
Recommended if you want to think about bodily reproductive functions for a long time while witnessing slice of life.
Something to know about me: I have a soft spot for B-horror movies. Like the "straight to tv ones" that are kinda predictable but have a little je ne sais quoi that keeps them engaging.
And that's basically why I liked this book.
Right off the bat: the book is unrealistic in a way that puts many readers off of it. Personally, I don't mind suspension of disbelief as long as the "internal rules" of the story remain consistent and here, I found that they did. This book basically explores the question "what if your young child is intentionally malicious, keeps escalating their violent behaviour, and no one believes you?". The powerlessness of the situation was conveyed in a really interesting way and I generally found the child's "creative" pursuits very surprising.
One thing that sets this novel apart from other ones exploring the trope is that we have lots of insight into the child's mind and inner logic. I found this particularly well done as we navigate the weird line between feeling endearment and horror.
All that said, I'll reiterate that this book requires a suspension of disbelief. There's a few obvious "solutions" that come to mind, especially in the early portions of the book, and it's frustrating to not have the characters resort to those. I nevertheless enjoyed it and found it a page turner. So, while this book is definitely not for everyone, I would recommend it for fans of psychological horror who don't mind suspending disbelief and enjoy the "is my child evil" trope.
And that's basically why I liked this book.
Right off the bat: the book is unrealistic in a way that puts many readers off of it. Personally, I don't mind suspension of disbelief as long as the "internal rules" of the story remain consistent and here, I found that they did. This book basically explores the question "what if your young child is intentionally malicious, keeps escalating their violent behaviour, and no one believes you?". The powerlessness of the situation was conveyed in a really interesting way and I generally found the child's "creative" pursuits very surprising.
One thing that sets this novel apart from other ones exploring the trope is that we have lots of insight into the child's mind and inner logic. I found this particularly well done as we navigate the weird line between feeling endearment and horror.
All that said, I'll reiterate that this book requires a suspension of disbelief. There's a few obvious "solutions" that come to mind, especially in the early portions of the book, and it's frustrating to not have the characters resort to those. I nevertheless enjoyed it and found it a page turner. So, while this book is definitely not for everyone, I would recommend it for fans of psychological horror who don't mind suspending disbelief and enjoy the "is my child evil" trope.