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pineconek's Reviews (816)
"Well THAT didn't happen in season 2 of the tv show!"
Firstly: I keep thinking the audiobook narrator is the actor from the show. He is not. But boy does he do a phenomenal job and how I am sad my library doesn't have the third book on audio.
Secondly: this book made me feel like I'd forgotten the entire second season of you. Turns out that was only part of the story. This book is completely different, alternative reality style. Some broad strokes are the same, but a lot of minor and major details are surprising and fun.
Thirdly: how does one rate a book written from the perspective of a misogynist psychopath whose delusions of grandeur make you laugh? Joe is crass, full of himself, pretentious, ridiculous, a little predictable, and yet I love the ride.
Bring on book 3, I'm ready.
Recommended if you liked the first book (this sequel is not a standalone), want to experience alt-season-2, and don't mind a narrator that keeps insulting Angelinos.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
Firstly: I keep thinking the audiobook narrator is the actor from the show. He is not. But boy does he do a phenomenal job and how I am sad my library doesn't have the third book on audio.
Secondly: this book made me feel like I'd forgotten the entire second season of you. Turns out that was only part of the story. This book is completely different, alternative reality style. Some broad strokes are the same, but a lot of minor and major details are surprising and fun.
Thirdly: how does one rate a book written from the perspective of a misogynist psychopath whose delusions of grandeur make you laugh? Joe is crass, full of himself, pretentious, ridiculous, a little predictable, and yet I love the ride.
Bring on book 3, I'm ready.
Recommended if you liked the first book (this sequel is not a standalone), want to experience alt-season-2, and don't mind a narrator that keeps insulting Angelinos.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
Rating a short story collection is often a difficult task. This one has two phenomenal stories - the first and last - which are alluded to in the title. The first made me feel childlike wonder while the last gave me the heebie jeebies. Like hardcore heebie jeebies. Like "I am so happy I don't live alone" heebie jeebies.
I'm not sure why the other stories didn't really hit the mark for me. I had a lot of trouble engaging with them and something about the pacing didn't seem quite right. It's difficult to put my finger on what didn't work, but I will say this: the writing itself was stellar and the vibes were immaculate. These were my bedtime stories for several days, because reading them often felt like being a young child who is told a fairytale they're too young to understand. While I think some of the intentions of the middle stories went over my head, the experience of reading them was ultimately pleasant.
A 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I recommend this collection to anyone who loves modern retellings of fairytales, doesn't mind reading a few forgettable stories before bed, and loves gorgeous evocative writing.
A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
I'm not sure why the other stories didn't really hit the mark for me. I had a lot of trouble engaging with them and something about the pacing didn't seem quite right. It's difficult to put my finger on what didn't work, but I will say this: the writing itself was stellar and the vibes were immaculate. These were my bedtime stories for several days, because reading them often felt like being a young child who is told a fairytale they're too young to understand. While I think some of the intentions of the middle stories went over my head, the experience of reading them was ultimately pleasant.
A 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I recommend this collection to anyone who loves modern retellings of fairytales, doesn't mind reading a few forgettable stories before bed, and loves gorgeous evocative writing.
A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
Oh, Joe.
While I appreciate all the changes the tv show made from the books, I'm loving reading the books. So many unexpected things happen, even if they have echoes of what I saw on Netflix a few years ago. The book is in fact somewhat darker than the show, touching on themes I don't remember encountering on netflix.
I enjoyed this sequel a lot. It's set in a sleepy town off the cost of Seattle where people largely don't die or go missing. So Joe needs to get creative when bodies accumulate around him. The amount of times he nearly gets caught continues to be comical and yet I can't stop reading.
I can't wait to embark on the eARC of the 4th book. Stay tuned for a reading vlog with my full thoughts on the series!
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
While I appreciate all the changes the tv show made from the books, I'm loving reading the books. So many unexpected things happen, even if they have echoes of what I saw on Netflix a few years ago. The book is in fact somewhat darker than the show, touching on themes I don't remember encountering on netflix.
I enjoyed this sequel a lot. It's set in a sleepy town off the cost of Seattle where people largely don't die or go missing. So Joe needs to get creative when bodies accumulate around him. The amount of times he nearly gets caught continues to be comical and yet I can't stop reading.
I can't wait to embark on the eARC of the 4th book. Stay tuned for a reading vlog with my full thoughts on the series!
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
Read these!!!
Do you like disturbing short fiction? Do you like black mirror? Do you like horror that's somewhat absurd and yet seems believable? Are you afraid of how warm this pot you're sitting in is getting?
Read these.
This debut short story collection is nothing short of stellar. I think there were maybe two stories where I didn't get full on jaw dropping brain tingles. Otherwise, every single story made me want to scream into the void. (Almost?) all stories are told in first person from the perspective of a young black person and describe a horrific "what if". These stories contain unflinching violence, righteous anger, and bursting creativity.
Recommended so widely, but especially if you want perspectives of the terrors of growing up black in America, late stage capitalistic hellscapes, and getting stuck in loops (of time, of suffering, of routine). Wow wow wow.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
Do you like disturbing short fiction? Do you like black mirror? Do you like horror that's somewhat absurd and yet seems believable? Are you afraid of how warm this pot you're sitting in is getting?
Read these.
This debut short story collection is nothing short of stellar. I think there were maybe two stories where I didn't get full on jaw dropping brain tingles. Otherwise, every single story made me want to scream into the void. (Almost?) all stories are told in first person from the perspective of a young black person and describe a horrific "what if". These stories contain unflinching violence, righteous anger, and bursting creativity.
Recommended so widely, but especially if you want perspectives of the terrors of growing up black in America, late stage capitalistic hellscapes, and getting stuck in loops (of time, of suffering, of routine). Wow wow wow.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
This was so bleak and I kinda loved it.
The disaster tourist follows a woman in her early 30s who works for a Korean travel company. And this company specifically organizes trips to disaster zones. And massacre zones. And other places struck by tragedy. Our main character then goes on one of these trips (as a consequence of unsavoury office politics) and chaos ensues.
This book is deeply uncomfortable and somewhat stressful to read. It's filled with upsetting moments, unsympathetic bureaucracy, and an interesting portrayal of "the tourist gaze". The later half unfolded into horror I both saw coming a mile away but also couldn't predict. I couldn't look away.
Recommended if you enjoy satire that occasionally goes too far, enjoy reading about the disembodied evils of corporate greed, and are looking for short translated fiction.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
The disaster tourist follows a woman in her early 30s who works for a Korean travel company. And this company specifically organizes trips to disaster zones. And massacre zones. And other places struck by tragedy. Our main character then goes on one of these trips (as a consequence of unsavoury office politics) and chaos ensues.
This book is deeply uncomfortable and somewhat stressful to read. It's filled with upsetting moments, unsympathetic bureaucracy, and an interesting portrayal of "the tourist gaze". The later half unfolded into horror I both saw coming a mile away but also couldn't predict. I couldn't look away.
Recommended if you enjoy satire that occasionally goes too far, enjoy reading about the disembodied evils of corporate greed, and are looking for short translated fiction.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
I love translated thrillers!!!! I love poetic justice!! I love horrible misunderstandings and bizarre symmetry of fate!! I love characters so traumatized that they re-enact the trauma years later in mysterious ways (ok that last bit is specific to The Sinner but my point stands).
Penance follows four girls who witness the abduction and off-screen murder of a fifth. When they realize what happens, they separate - stay with the body, find a teacher, find a police man, get the dead girl's mother. The story is told through letters, one from each of the four girls, relaying what happened that day and in subsequent years, up until the statute of limitations on murder (15 years) ran out.
Recommended highly if you enjoy twisted dark well-written thrillers, character studies of broken people who lash out, and want to read more translated fiction.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
Penance follows four girls who witness the abduction and off-screen murder of a fifth. When they realize what happens, they separate - stay with the body, find a teacher, find a police man, get the dead girl's mother. The story is told through letters, one from each of the four girls, relaying what happened that day and in subsequent years, up until the statute of limitations on murder (15 years) ran out.
Recommended highly if you enjoy twisted dark well-written thrillers, character studies of broken people who lash out, and want to read more translated fiction.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/iNUD3wZlu7w
What a trilogy.
Let's start with Dawn. I loved Dawn. A solid 5 star book that follows Lilith, a black woman in her late 20s who is among the first to meet the aliens that rescued the survivors of a nuclear apocalypse. They want to help human kind - in exchange for our genetic information.
I loved the oankali, the alien species, and really appreciated how developed the lore was. Oankali have three sexes - male, female, and ooloi, the sex that infuses an oankali organelle and manipulates genes upon conception. The sex that can heal dying organs, cure cancer and Huntington's in humans, and give unparalleled pleasure.
Lilith learns all about the Oankali and then is given the task of teaching several dozen humans about them and preparing them to repopulate the earth. The humans however can do so only under Oankali supervision and are sterile when not breeding with the Oankali. The produced hybrids, including Lilith's children, are the main characters of the second and third books. We also get to find out about humans who resist this new existence.
I found the second and third books less compelling but still quite good (this is what lowers my star rating to a 4). But let's talk themes.
Paternalism and consent are massively explored in this trilogy. The Oankali do what they do for humanity's own good, treat humans with love, and know (believe?) this is what is best for the human species. They're like zookeepers rescuing endangered species, breeding and engineering them, and then setting them free so that they escape extinction. But is that ethical to do when the species longs for self determination?
This was my first foray into truly post-human fiction and it's left me with more questions, internal conflict, and sense of unease than answers. And I do love a book that gets me thinking.
Highly recommended if you're curious about reading a book that includes lots of tentacle sex (yes, really) and enjoy musings on what it means to be human.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/AiaZh8Bpmyw
Let's start with Dawn. I loved Dawn. A solid 5 star book that follows Lilith, a black woman in her late 20s who is among the first to meet the aliens that rescued the survivors of a nuclear apocalypse. They want to help human kind - in exchange for our genetic information.
I loved the oankali, the alien species, and really appreciated how developed the lore was. Oankali have three sexes - male, female, and ooloi, the sex that infuses an oankali organelle and manipulates genes upon conception. The sex that can heal dying organs, cure cancer and Huntington's in humans, and give unparalleled pleasure.
Lilith learns all about the Oankali and then is given the task of teaching several dozen humans about them and preparing them to repopulate the earth. The humans however can do so only under Oankali supervision and are sterile when not breeding with the Oankali. The produced hybrids, including Lilith's children, are the main characters of the second and third books. We also get to find out about humans who resist this new existence.
I found the second and third books less compelling but still quite good (this is what lowers my star rating to a 4). But let's talk themes.
Paternalism and consent are massively explored in this trilogy. The Oankali do what they do for humanity's own good, treat humans with love, and know (believe?) this is what is best for the human species. They're like zookeepers rescuing endangered species, breeding and engineering them, and then setting them free so that they escape extinction. But is that ethical to do when the species longs for self determination?
This was my first foray into truly post-human fiction and it's left me with more questions, internal conflict, and sense of unease than answers. And I do love a book that gets me thinking.
Highly recommended if you're curious about reading a book that includes lots of tentacle sex (yes, really) and enjoy musings on what it means to be human.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/AiaZh8Bpmyw
I've been avoiding writing this review for two days because I was so disappointed that I did not enjoy this book. I go into soft fantasy stories that explore grief and human relationships with an open heart and, sometimes, I get hurt.
This Time Tomorrow follows a woman on the eve of her 40th birthday who get blackout drunk, passes out, and wakes up on her 16th birthday. I really enjoyed the first portion of the book where we got to know her life at age 39, but found myself getting frustrated when we went back to age 16. The pacing felt off and I didn't care much for her or any of the characters in the past.
(Mild spoilers ahead)
When she got back to age 40 (because of course she did), we got to see what changed. And then we did it again. And again. A few more times for good measure. It was Russian Doll (season 1, at least) but with what felt like far lower stakes.
I grew increasingly frustrated as the book went on, when I felt like too much emphasis was placed on the moral: "embrace the chaos of life. There's no such thing as a perfect choice. Accept change." The book that had started out fresh and interesting had dropped into very familiar territory and I couldn't help but lose interest.
I was really hoping to like this, and the high praise of comparing it to Emily st John Mandel's work really overhyped this for me. I was longing for emotion and longing, and it just didn't land for me. Recommended if you're in the mood for a Hallmarky time travel story.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/AiaZh8Bpmyw
This Time Tomorrow follows a woman on the eve of her 40th birthday who get blackout drunk, passes out, and wakes up on her 16th birthday. I really enjoyed the first portion of the book where we got to know her life at age 39, but found myself getting frustrated when we went back to age 16. The pacing felt off and I didn't care much for her or any of the characters in the past.
(Mild spoilers ahead)
When she got back to age 40 (because of course she did), we got to see what changed. And then we did it again. And again. A few more times for good measure. It was Russian Doll (season 1, at least) but with what felt like far lower stakes.
I grew increasingly frustrated as the book went on, when I felt like too much emphasis was placed on the moral: "embrace the chaos of life. There's no such thing as a perfect choice. Accept change." The book that had started out fresh and interesting had dropped into very familiar territory and I couldn't help but lose interest.
I was really hoping to like this, and the high praise of comparing it to Emily st John Mandel's work really overhyped this for me. I was longing for emotion and longing, and it just didn't land for me. Recommended if you're in the mood for a Hallmarky time travel story.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/AiaZh8Bpmyw
This is a "underline stuff because the words are beautiful and poignant" kind of book. And that makes me sad, cause I read it on a digital library copy which means I'll have to return my underlines.
But I digress.
Our wives under the sea is a book saturated with grief, unease, and the terror of the oceanic depth. Leah and Miri alternate the narration of the story - Miri tells us what happens when her wife comes back from her deep sea voyage that lasted months longer than it was meant to, while Leah recounts the moments that led up to her travel as well as the voyage itself.
I loved how both narrative threads felt like long exposes that danced around some horrific unavoidable eventuality. The tension building was superb, as was the sense of claustrophobia and unease cultivated throughout the book. The strange things that happen to Leah upon her return (bleeding from her skin, vomiting salt water) don't take center stage, but are instead details that intensity the horror and dread presented in this book.
This book blew me away and it's difficult to define what exactly I loved about it. I think it reminded me most of the movie Saint Maud (and there were some religious undertones, although not as overt), which I loved. I also think it satisfied the creepiness and excellent pacing I'd been looking for ever since being disappointed by Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke.
Anyway, I loved this. I need more of this. Recommended if the deep sea both fascinates and scares you, if the idea of losing a loved one without them being dead fills your heart with immeasurable ache, and if experiencing that dread-fear-grief in beautiful prose sounds like your idea of a good time.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/AiaZh8Bpmyw
But I digress.
Our wives under the sea is a book saturated with grief, unease, and the terror of the oceanic depth. Leah and Miri alternate the narration of the story - Miri tells us what happens when her wife comes back from her deep sea voyage that lasted months longer than it was meant to, while Leah recounts the moments that led up to her travel as well as the voyage itself.
I loved how both narrative threads felt like long exposes that danced around some horrific unavoidable eventuality. The tension building was superb, as was the sense of claustrophobia and unease cultivated throughout the book. The strange things that happen to Leah upon her return (bleeding from her skin, vomiting salt water) don't take center stage, but are instead details that intensity the horror and dread presented in this book.
This book blew me away and it's difficult to define what exactly I loved about it. I think it reminded me most of the movie Saint Maud (and there were some religious undertones, although not as overt), which I loved. I also think it satisfied the creepiness and excellent pacing I'd been looking for ever since being disappointed by Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke.
Anyway, I loved this. I need more of this. Recommended if the deep sea both fascinates and scares you, if the idea of losing a loved one without them being dead fills your heart with immeasurable ache, and if experiencing that dread-fear-grief in beautiful prose sounds like your idea of a good time.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/AiaZh8Bpmyw
Ok so it's 1:40am and I read this in one sitting and I'm so angry at how good this book was.
Like I'm legitimately vexed that I won't ever get to experience this book for the first time again. I'm so frustrated that I swore I wouldn't enjoy a book mentioning covid for years to come and yet this knocked it out of the park for me. I last felt this way when I was frustrated that no book could ever capture the awes of travel that the tv show Dark for me - and here I am now, enjoying that awe. My entire self is having a visceral reaction and I need a copy of this book immediately, I need to hold it, I need to reread it, I need to leaf through it.
Give me character studies, humanity, time loops, soft apocalypse, beautiful writing, allusions to previous work, ambiguous auto-fiction, satisfying plot progression, and a feeling of hope? I lose my mind.
I swear, Emily st John Mandel knows something that the rest of us don't know and I'm just so happy she shares that with the rest of us.
Recommended, obviously.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/ph6RGiTwc18
Like I'm legitimately vexed that I won't ever get to experience this book for the first time again. I'm so frustrated that I swore I wouldn't enjoy a book mentioning covid for years to come and yet this knocked it out of the park for me. I last felt this way when I was frustrated that no book could ever capture the awes of travel that the tv show Dark for me - and here I am now, enjoying that awe. My entire self is having a visceral reaction and I need a copy of this book immediately, I need to hold it, I need to reread it, I need to leaf through it.
Give me character studies, humanity, time loops, soft apocalypse, beautiful writing, allusions to previous work, ambiguous auto-fiction, satisfying plot progression, and a feeling of hope? I lose my mind.
I swear, Emily st John Mandel knows something that the rest of us don't know and I'm just so happy she shares that with the rest of us.
Recommended, obviously.
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/ph6RGiTwc18