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alexblackreads's reviews
846 reviews
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
3.0
To me, this was a book that had a lot of great ideas, but failed to execute them all well. I enjoyed what Clarke was trying to do, but too much of this book was conceptual and vague. Instead of focusing in on her own ideas, it felt like so much of the book was left in the air for the reader to read into it whatever they wanted.
I struggled so much with caring about anything at the beginning. None of it made sense, which was the goal, but because nothing made sense, I didn't want to keep writing. I almost fell asleep the first three times I picked this book up. It was boring and pointless. The second half became much more grounded and I did care a lot more, but it shouldn't have taken so long to get there.
Weird is honestly just not for me. I want my books to feel grounded in reality, whether it's our reality or a different one. It felt like Clarke was so focused on her lofty ideas that she let the story get away from her.
The writing was pretty and I can see why others love this, but it was just an okay book for me.
I struggled so much with caring about anything at the beginning. None of it made sense, which was the goal, but because nothing made sense, I didn't want to keep writing. I almost fell asleep the first three times I picked this book up. It was boring and pointless. The second half became much more grounded and I did care a lot more, but it shouldn't have taken so long to get there.
Weird is honestly just not for me. I want my books to feel grounded in reality, whether it's our reality or a different one. It felt like Clarke was so focused on her lofty ideas that she let the story get away from her.
The writing was pretty and I can see why others love this, but it was just an okay book for me.
If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim
3.0
I wanted to love this book so much, but it didn't quite hit the wrong notes. At its best, this book centered on Haemi, a young refugee who spirals into mental illness over the course of two decades. I loved the portrayal of her as a young woman trying to survive, making choices she already knows will bring her unhappiness even as she's making them. Her trauma and her life are so full throughout this whole novel. I thought I was going to fall in love with her story.
But then at its worst, this book could turn into a shallow love triangle, two cousins both in love with Haemi. Neither of them were nearly as interesting or as developed as Haemi herself. She carried the story and the two men felt superfluous. Occasionally they had some interesting insights, but it seemed like their primary goal was to lengthen the novel.
I also found the book rather disjointed. Jumping between characters and across so many years interrupted the flow of the story for me. I struggled with caring in between the massive jumps and readjusting to how much we missed during major time skips. At times it felt like two or three different stories all crammed into a single book.
I was still torn between two and three stars, but the ending was so heavy handed and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It kind of cheapened the whole book.
The writing was lovely and I did really adore the character of Haemi, but unfortunately this novel was kind of a let down. I'd recommend to fans of historical fiction and tragic love stories, but it missed the mark for me.
But then at its worst, this book could turn into a shallow love triangle, two cousins both in love with Haemi. Neither of them were nearly as interesting or as developed as Haemi herself. She carried the story and the two men felt superfluous. Occasionally they had some interesting insights, but it seemed like their primary goal was to lengthen the novel.
I also found the book rather disjointed. Jumping between characters and across so many years interrupted the flow of the story for me. I struggled with caring in between the massive jumps and readjusting to how much we missed during major time skips. At times it felt like two or three different stories all crammed into a single book.
I was still torn between two and three stars, but the ending was so heavy handed and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It kind of cheapened the whole book.
The writing was lovely and I did really adore the character of Haemi, but unfortunately this novel was kind of a let down. I'd recommend to fans of historical fiction and tragic love stories, but it missed the mark for me.
We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy by Kliph Nesteroff
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I hated the structure of this book. The jumbled timeline between past and present and the constant switching between countries made it very difficult for me to follow or care. I was also irritated by the sheer amount of quotations in this book. Nesteroff said in the introduction that as a white man, he didn't wish to speak over indigenous voices and so he quoted liberally. To me it kind of felt like he knew it wasn't his place to be writing this book and was trying to make up for it. I only got 67 pages in so I can't comment on too much, but it wasn't to my taste.
The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up by Evanna Lynch
5.0
This was such a beautifully written book. I'm always astounded by people who are so multitalented- acting, dancing, writing. How is it possible for Evanna Lynch to be such a wonderful actor and also manage to write a book as stunning as this? I cried multiple times.
This is the best depiction of eating disorders I've ever seen in any form of media, page or screen, fiction or nonfiction. She captured what it is like so perfectly to be inside the head of someone suffering from an eating disorder while simultaneously having such poignant thoughts on life, suffering, and the world as a whole.
I feel like for books about eating disorders, this is about as non triggering as it gets, but it was still so hard to read at points. The trauma she went through at the hands of some medical professionals was horrifying, and I'm so glad she has made such strides toward healing.
This book helped changed my perception of myself, as someone who has struggled with disordered eating in the past. I would highly recommend anyone who feels able to read this book. Everything about it was wonderful and heartbreaking and so insightful. This was a magnificent way to start my 2024 reading.
This is the best depiction of eating disorders I've ever seen in any form of media, page or screen, fiction or nonfiction. She captured what it is like so perfectly to be inside the head of someone suffering from an eating disorder while simultaneously having such poignant thoughts on life, suffering, and the world as a whole.
I feel like for books about eating disorders, this is about as non triggering as it gets, but it was still so hard to read at points. The trauma she went through at the hands of some medical professionals was horrifying, and I'm so glad she has made such strides toward healing.
This book helped changed my perception of myself, as someone who has struggled with disordered eating in the past. I would highly recommend anyone who feels able to read this book. Everything about it was wonderful and heartbreaking and so insightful. This was a magnificent way to start my 2024 reading.
Dark Corners by Megan Goldin
3.0
I was very disappointed by this book. I loved the Night Swim when I read it in 2022. It was a fantastic thriller in so many ways with really great writing and a whole lot of depth. But this sequel fell flat for me. I was torn between two and three stars, but despite my disappointment I feel like this was entertaining enough. It just barely scraped into the 3 star range.
For starters, I hated the romance. Like genuinely hated it. I really enjoy a good romantic subplot, but the operative word there is 'good.' This romance had no depth and no development. The two characters had no rapport, except I guess that they're both single and available. It made me cringe every time they had a scene together, which luckily was not all that often.
The plot itself was also very obvious. I guessed the twists and turns really early on in The Night Swim too, but the difference was that I still cared about the story in that book. I cared about the characters and the details and the development. I didn't care about anything here. I knew what would happen and in addition to being obvious, it felt so generic. The killer is generic. The victims are generic. Even Rachel Krall herself seems to be lacking the depth I saw in her in the first book.
I also found it incredibly annoying that the reader was often not privy to the same information as the narrators in the book. I get that thrillers keep secrets from the reader and that's kind of the point, but this was like investigative content. For example, Rachel, the main character, would send a text message with insights on the case to the FBI agent, but then we wouldn't see the text message. I really hate when thrillers do that.
I was also super annoyed by all the judgment this book was throwing at influencers- for two main reasons. First it's super played out right now. Yes haha influencers are shallow and vapid losers, what clever commentary you have. But also the main character is a literal influencer. She has a true crime podcast. She is one of them. It had "not like other girls" vibes in a way that I found very irritating.
This is one of those sequels that really makes me question my enjoyment of the first book. Like it was still entertaining enough. I didn't hate it or anything and it was a perfectly adequate thriller. The writing style is still nice and I was always down to continue, but I was hoping for so much more after The Night Swim.
For starters, I hated the romance. Like genuinely hated it. I really enjoy a good romantic subplot, but the operative word there is 'good.' This romance had no depth and no development. The two characters had no rapport, except I guess that they're both single and available. It made me cringe every time they had a scene together, which luckily was not all that often.
The plot itself was also very obvious. I guessed the twists and turns really early on in The Night Swim too, but the difference was that I still cared about the story in that book. I cared about the characters and the details and the development. I didn't care about anything here. I knew what would happen and in addition to being obvious, it felt so generic. The killer is generic. The victims are generic. Even Rachel Krall herself seems to be lacking the depth I saw in her in the first book.
I also found it incredibly annoying that the reader was often not privy to the same information as the narrators in the book. I get that thrillers keep secrets from the reader and that's kind of the point, but this was like investigative content. For example, Rachel, the main character, would send a text message with insights on the case to the FBI agent, but then we wouldn't see the text message. I really hate when thrillers do that.
I was also super annoyed by all the judgment this book was throwing at influencers- for two main reasons. First it's super played out right now. Yes haha influencers are shallow and vapid losers, what clever commentary you have. But also the main character is a literal influencer. She has a true crime podcast. She is one of them. It had "not like other girls" vibes in a way that I found very irritating.
This is one of those sequels that really makes me question my enjoyment of the first book. Like it was still entertaining enough. I didn't hate it or anything and it was a perfectly adequate thriller. The writing style is still nice and I was always down to continue, but I was hoping for so much more after The Night Swim.
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
4.0
This was so good. Like I know, I'm showing up way late to the party. Everyone already knows Robin Hobb is good. But like, it is just so good. Her writing style is fantastic. It's so easy to read and so smooth and compelling. It takes skillful writing to be completely unobtrusive and hers is fantastic.
I really enjoyed the characters. They were all really well developed and such interesting people, both good and bad. I really liked the overall story. I loved the twists and the turns and the growth of the characters along the way.
I loved the politics in this, but I do wish it had been more developed. There was so much going on and it felt like we only scratched the surface of it. The same with the magic systems. I'm really hoping these are things we get into a lot more in the rest of the trilogy because there's so much room to explore.
There wasn't tons I struggled with here. I'm not a fan of animal death so that was not fun. I also found parts of it kind of generic. I'm not the biggest fantasy reader so it might be that it feels generic because so many people have taken inspiration from her books in the last thirty years, but there were many times I was reading and feeling tired of seeing the same tropes again and again.
I will definitely continue on with the series. I already have the rest of the books out from the library and man are they long. But I believe 2024 will be the year of Robin Hobb for me. Highly recommend, obviously.
I really enjoyed the characters. They were all really well developed and such interesting people, both good and bad. I really liked the overall story. I loved the twists and the turns and the growth of the characters along the way.
I loved the politics in this, but I do wish it had been more developed. There was so much going on and it felt like we only scratched the surface of it. The same with the magic systems. I'm really hoping these are things we get into a lot more in the rest of the trilogy because there's so much room to explore.
There wasn't tons I struggled with here. I'm not a fan of animal death so that was not fun. I also found parts of it kind of generic. I'm not the biggest fantasy reader so it might be that it feels generic because so many people have taken inspiration from her books in the last thirty years, but there were many times I was reading and feeling tired of seeing the same tropes again and again.
I will definitely continue on with the series. I already have the rest of the books out from the library and man are they long. But I believe 2024 will be the year of Robin Hobb for me. Highly recommend, obviously.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
4.0
I really enjoyed this! It's definitely the longest, densest classic that I've read yet, so I was quite pleased that I didn't struggle much. The only difficult bits were really the politics/farming discussion and the Russian naming structure. I feel like it'd be nice to have a brief explanation on how their names work since the characters have several and I was slightly confused lol.
But I loved the characters. I loved their complexities and their (many) flaws. I loved how real they felt. I really enjoyed the complex relationships that were built and layered throughout the books. He does such a fantastic job of building this entire community of relationships. Everyone is connected to everyone else in a myriad of intricate ways. It was masterful.
I struggled a bit with the melodrama. It reads like a telenovela, which is very fun, but at times it is very over the top and loses that sense of reality that I enjoy so much. I want to be as invested in the characters as possible and there's a bit of distance created with the melodrama.
I also struggled with the way women were treated by the narrative. It feels like a moral story to me about women's role in society. It was a great deal more than that, but the underlying theme was there. I recognize that not everyone reads the story that way, but I couldn't shake that interpretation.
Overall, I really enjoyed this, though. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more Tolstoy and giving War and Peace a second try. I'd recommend this for people who like soap operas and stories about complex relationships and unlikable characters.
But I loved the characters. I loved their complexities and their (many) flaws. I loved how real they felt. I really enjoyed the complex relationships that were built and layered throughout the books. He does such a fantastic job of building this entire community of relationships. Everyone is connected to everyone else in a myriad of intricate ways. It was masterful.
I struggled a bit with the melodrama. It reads like a telenovela, which is very fun, but at times it is very over the top and loses that sense of reality that I enjoy so much. I want to be as invested in the characters as possible and there's a bit of distance created with the melodrama.
I also struggled with the way women were treated by the narrative. It feels like a moral story to me about women's role in society. It was a great deal more than that, but the underlying theme was there. I recognize that not everyone reads the story that way, but I couldn't shake that interpretation.
Overall, I really enjoyed this, though. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more Tolstoy and giving War and Peace a second try. I'd recommend this for people who like soap operas and stories about complex relationships and unlikable characters.
Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington
4.0
This was amazing. Harriet Washington really knows what she's talking about. This is one of the most well researched books I've ever read. It is incredibly graphic, so be prepared going in, and there is so much going on that at times it feels like a horror novel. She does a great job of capturing the individual people involved as well as the history, culture, and actual medicine. Just all around truly fantastic.
My main issue was that I couldn't always keep up with her, being someone who particularly struggles with science. She knew what she was saying, but I didn't always. This will probably be one that I'll come back to and maybe will get more out of it with each reread.
I can't recommend this enough. Absolutely a must read.
My main issue was that I couldn't always keep up with her, being someone who particularly struggles with science. She knew what she was saying, but I didn't always. This will probably be one that I'll come back to and maybe will get more out of it with each reread.
I can't recommend this enough. Absolutely a must read.
Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews
3.0
This was just okay for me. It took weeks to get through and I didn't care very much. I think the series changed so much that the things I really enjoyed about it were all different. Which is totally fine! I don't think the changes were bad so much as they just weren't to my taste. But this was a fine ending. A lot of excitement and drama. I'm glad I finally got to the end.
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Delphine Minoui, Nojoud Ali
A very interesting book that I'm choosing not to rate because this destroyed my faith in humanity. This book kind of broke me. It's so utterly heartbreaking and the worst part is when google Nujood after finishing the book. The books ends on a hopeful note, but Nujood's life did not follow that trajectory. She was married again before the age of 18 and dropped out of school, as did her younger sister who she desperately wanted to protect. I read nonfiction about the awful things humanity does all the time, but it hits different here. Like this is a girl who had resources, who had fame, who had people who wanted to help her, and it still didn't change anything.
In terms of the writing, it's a little brief and minimal. I think it's trying to give the impression that it was written in Nujood's voice, even though the original publication of this book was in French. I didn't love the writing, but I understood what it was trying to do.
I would recommend this, but man it was a rough time. I read it in one sitting and then spent about an hour after the fact researching her and her life after the book. It's one of those situations where I'm very glad I read it, but at the same time I kind of wish I didn't know everything.
In terms of the writing, it's a little brief and minimal. I think it's trying to give the impression that it was written in Nujood's voice, even though the original publication of this book was in French. I didn't love the writing, but I understood what it was trying to do.
I would recommend this, but man it was a rough time. I read it in one sitting and then spent about an hour after the fact researching her and her life after the book. It's one of those situations where I'm very glad I read it, but at the same time I kind of wish I didn't know everything.