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ailurolily's reviews
155 reviews
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This was a sweet, sad, but in the end hopeful kind of book. I started reading it because it sounded interesting, then a few weeks later I found my book club was going to discuss it at the next meeting! Good timing, I'd say lol
There was a brief period where I took a short break from it since I wasn't entirely sure if it was clicking with me, and honestly I was considering dropping it. The main reason I picked it back up though was because my book club was reading it. I'm glad I stuck it through to the end though because it was overall an enjoyable read.
my primary positive about this book was just the raw hopefulness it exudes. It shows how the lonely people, grieving people, and people struggling to find their place in the world end up finding community, value, and peace. It was a very wholesome read, despite some of the heavy topics it covers.
I do really love the main characters of this story as well. Marcellus was a king, Ethan was a simple but loveable fella, Cameron was VERY frustrating at times, but I ended up somewhat liking him in the end. And, of course, Tova was a badass old woman.
Despite the loveable main characters, many of the side characters were pretty flat. This didn't ruin the book for me, but it was a bit of a weak point in it imo. Since it was primarily about Cameron's and Tova's journey, I don't really see it as a huuuge flaw that the other characters weren't the most developed, it can just be annoying to see simple caricatures of people and did sightly taint the book for me
(I say slightly. this still was an overall good read that I'd recommend)
There was a brief period where I took a short break from it since I wasn't entirely sure if it was clicking with me, and honestly I was considering dropping it. The main reason I picked it back up though was because my book club was reading it. I'm glad I stuck it through to the end though because it was overall an enjoyable read.
my primary positive about this book was just the raw hopefulness it exudes. It shows how the lonely people, grieving people, and people struggling to find their place in the world end up finding community, value, and peace. It was a very wholesome read, despite some of the heavy topics it covers.
I do really love the main characters of this story as well. Marcellus was a king, Ethan was a simple but loveable fella, Cameron was VERY frustrating at times, but I ended up somewhat liking him in the end. And, of course, Tova was a badass old woman.
Despite the loveable main characters, many of the side characters were pretty flat. This didn't ruin the book for me, but it was a bit of a weak point in it imo. Since it was primarily about Cameron's and Tova's journey, I don't really see it as a huuuge flaw that the other characters weren't the most developed, it can just be annoying to see simple caricatures of people and did sightly taint the book for me
(I say slightly. this still was an overall good read that I'd recommend)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Cancer
Minor: Drug abuse
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.
In the end I found I wasn't particularly excited to read it. I think this may have more to do with the writing and characters than the mystery (the mystery is still intriguing so I get why people enjoy it). I'm halfway through the book and most of the characters fall flat to me
Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.
No. Just... no.
I wanted to like it, and I still am curious about how the story unfolds, but god some of the writing was SO unbelievably cringy. For example:
I wanted to like it, and I still am curious about how the story unfolds, but god some of the writing was SO unbelievably cringy. For example:
"Crap crap fudging bugger monkeypoo crapola arse chops . . . I just accidentally liked one of her photos from five years ago. Damn it. Could I look any more like a stalker??? I’ve un-liked it now but she’ll still get the notification. Grr, laptop/ tablet hybrids with touch screens are ABSOLUTELY HAZARDOUS to the casual Facebook prowler."
‘Why are you being nice to me? What do you want?’‘Nothing,’ Pip laughed. ‘I’m just asking how football was.’‘No,’ Zach butted in, ‘that’s far too friendly for you. Something’s up.’‘Nothing’s up.’ She shrugged. ‘Only the national debt and global sea levels.’
In the end I found I wasn't particularly excited to read it. I think this may have more to do with the writing and characters than the mystery (the mystery is still intriguing so I get why people enjoy it). I'm halfway through the book and most of the characters fall flat to me
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I'm not as invested in the story as I hoped I'd be. I plan to circle back to it eventually, but right now it's just a chore to read and when I do read it, it's out of some obligation to finish it rather than an enjoyment of the book itself.
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Interesting book, for sure, but I do struggle to see where all the hype lies for it. I'm not used to reading short stories, so most of my criticisms may may be due to the different medium.
One example is that the characters all felt very same-y story to story, but character focus wasn't necessarily the aim (and is difficult to manage in shorter stories due to the minimized length). Since I tend to enjoy very character-focused books, I think this was one of the reasons it didn't really click for me.
The prose also felt somewhat... dry to me? It felt like I was reading a non-fiction article or paper. Like the author was explaining something to me, rather than the story take a natural approach. And this would have been fine for a few of them, if it was about an old scientist writing in his diary, marking his discoveries, or a person recounting their past. But a majority of the stories were not like that. It just made each of them feel duller than they could have.
I can be really picky when it comes to prose, though, so take what you will from my review.
The main goal of this book was to give readers philosophies, moral questions, and ideas for us to ponder and I would say it successfully did that. While I wasn't blown away by any of thr stories, I know st least a few of them will stick in my mind for some time. Despite the low review, it's still worth a read for sure.
One example is that the characters all felt very same-y story to story, but character focus wasn't necessarily the aim (and is difficult to manage in shorter stories due to the minimized length). Since I tend to enjoy very character-focused books, I think this was one of the reasons it didn't really click for me.
The prose also felt somewhat... dry to me? It felt like I was reading a non-fiction article or paper. Like the author was explaining something to me, rather than the story take a natural approach. And this would have been fine for a few of them, if it was about an old scientist writing in his diary, marking his discoveries, or a person recounting their past. But a majority of the stories were not like that. It just made each of them feel duller than they could have.
I can be really picky when it comes to prose, though, so take what you will from my review.
The main goal of this book was to give readers philosophies, moral questions, and ideas for us to ponder and I would say it successfully did that. While I wasn't blown away by any of thr stories, I know st least a few of them will stick in my mind for some time. Despite the low review, it's still worth a read for sure.
Poison for Breakfast by Lemony Snicket
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You about Being Creative by Austin Kleon
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
A very short, very sweet read. The art style is gorgeous; I really love that rough sketch look as well as water color, so for that alone 10/10. One of the pages really resonated with me:
"Sometimes I want to say 'I love you all'", said the mole, "But I find it difficult."
"Do you?", said the boy.
"Yes, so I say something like 'I am glad we are all here'"
"Ok," said the boy.
"I am glad we are all here."
"We are so glad you are here too."
I have nothing else to add, really, but I would highly recommend this book :)
"Sometimes I want to say 'I love you all'", said the mole, "But I find it difficult."
"Do you?", said the boy.
"Yes, so I say something like 'I am glad we are all here'"
"Ok," said the boy.
"I am glad we are all here."
"We are so glad you are here too."
I have nothing else to add, really, but I would highly recommend this book :)
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5