aaayykay's reviews
124 reviews

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This book sat on my shelf for a while before I got to it, so I'd had some time to build up anticipation. Mysteries are not my default genre, but I have been getting into them more and more lately. The idea for this book is fantastic and interesting. Kind of like the movie Groundhogs Day mixed with Clue along with good, old fashion detective work, but more murder-y. For me, unfortunately, the execution of these ideas felt a bit lacking. I felt the book took more time than it needed to lay out the story aka, it felt as long as it's 400ish pages looks. I've seen a few people say "It's so good, I couldn't even predict the final answer", and I couldn't quite either, but I think that is more due to a deluge of information on many many characters. I'm not sure, as the reader, I actually had all the details I need to draw the final conclusion on my own, despite the info overload. 

I think the book did a good job of letting us get a sense of each person that Aiden embodies, but I didn't like how many ways he basically said that Ravencourt is disguising because he is so fat. And Dance was shamefully old. And Derby was a rapist. And they are all (mostly) rich, bored, white dudes. There we're really many characters you could cheer for, but plenty that the narrator insulted. I maybe over sensitive, but there it is.

There were a few times that that author used a turn of phrase that just totally took me out of the scene. Odd similes like (I'm paraphrasing) 'the moon peered through the clouds like a dog through a fence'.  They didn't fit the mood for me. 

Overall, I'm glad I read it, and you should give it a go if you're looking for a fresh mystery, but be prepared for it to be slow-going. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Rape

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Klara is an AF, and Artificial Friend, waiting in a department store for a family, a child, to choose her. Unlike most of the other AFs, including the newer models, Klara is highly observant of the world around her, and uses her observations to acutely interrupt the world. 

I enjoyed that very little description is giving of the AFs, of how artificial or human they may look, if they are more like adults or children, where they came from. Without giving too much way, I felt the hopefulness of Klara push up against the very real probability of loss deeply. The pace of the book is at times slow, but it feels purposeful, in order to let the characters bloom. 

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

3.0

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

4.0

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman

3.0

This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett

5.0

She's my idol in all things comedy. I couldn't hate this book even if I wanted to. This book is a great combination of her personal family stories and stories of how she made her way into TV, Film and the Broadway stage. It's charming.




Carol, if I ever meet you, I will cry and laugh and cry and then do a Tarzan yell through my star-struck tears.

Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews Edwards

5.0

There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble by Laurie Notaro

2.0

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

5.0

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

5.0