Scan barcode
A review by bookdingo
Death by Coffee by Alex Erickson
1.0
I got about 1/10th of the way through this one before I decided to bid it "adieu". I didn't even let the characters finish unpacking yet!
Here's a fun quotation from an obnoxious character:
"The library is a mess these days. No one seems to want to read real books anymore. They have their newfangled electronic devices and call that reading." Why does that make the library a mess? Never blame librarians for your tech phobias. They're here to help!
I would never discount a book altogether based on ignorance of libraries, but the physical descriptions and interactions so far are just ... bleh. For example: When the main character meets her neighbor, she describes him as the following: "His skin was the color of caramel and there was an upward slant to his eyes." I tire of reading descriptions for skin tones as food related, particularly if this character is a POC. And for a character who has just moved to a small town, this lady sure is quick to make negative assumptions about people. This one waddles, everyone glares or scowls, this one looks like a school marm, etc.
I'd rather read this book from the POV of the narrator's best friend, Vicki. Vicki's the one who was passionate about opening up the "Death by Coffee" bookstore and coffee house in the first place. Vicki's the one who is escaping from parental pressure, the one who loves her cat Trouble enough to let him hang in the store despite allergy concerns, the one who is eager to run a small business. I'm barely into this book and I'm latching onto her! Why can't she tell the story?? Our narrator seems "meh, okay" about running a business, and she encapsulates the stereotypes that we Millennials fight against (getting money from parents, no real ambition, shallow).
Here's a fun quotation from an obnoxious character:
"The library is a mess these days. No one seems to want to read real books anymore. They have their newfangled electronic devices and call that reading." Why does that make the library a mess? Never blame librarians for your tech phobias. They're here to help!
I would never discount a book altogether based on ignorance of libraries, but the physical descriptions and interactions so far are just ... bleh. For example: When the main character meets her neighbor, she describes him as the following: "His skin was the color of caramel and there was an upward slant to his eyes." I tire of reading descriptions for skin tones as food related, particularly if this character is a POC. And for a character who has just moved to a small town, this lady sure is quick to make negative assumptions about people. This one waddles, everyone glares or scowls, this one looks like a school marm, etc.
I'd rather read this book from the POV of the narrator's best friend, Vicki. Vicki's the one who was passionate about opening up the "Death by Coffee" bookstore and coffee house in the first place. Vicki's the one who is escaping from parental pressure, the one who loves her cat Trouble enough to let him hang in the store despite allergy concerns, the one who is eager to run a small business. I'm barely into this book and I'm latching onto her! Why can't she tell the story?? Our narrator seems "meh, okay" about running a business, and she encapsulates the stereotypes that we Millennials fight against (getting money from parents, no real ambition, shallow).