annoyedhumanoid's reviews
176 reviews

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

adventurous emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

just a guy and his cat and a love for humanity.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.25

never a more emphatic yes to "Are the flaws of the main character(s) a main focus of the book?"

the misogyny in this book… and the fact that

Amy went back to Nick

… what happened to strong independent women??

i laughed out loud at the

"I just wanted to make sure I had the last word"

ending

Fence, Vol. 6: Redemption by C.S. Pacat

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

we’re getting somewhere!

they went on a date

! i’m excited for the next installment

still wondering if they’re British—or maybe Australian??

The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I wondered which line on her palm had to do with me.

i was amazed by the writing, the vividness of the narration

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

i came to this book having loved Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and searching for a love letter to humanity like Anxious People. sadly, this book lived up to neither. i suppose it was in the genres list all along (i.e., the lack of "literary"), but it was pretty run-of-the-mill compared to the ingenuity of Tomorrow. it did almost make me cry at work, though.

Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

many emotional things happened  but i felt we didn’t actually get the narrator’s emotions, like his feelings were sealed off

The Brightness Between Us by Eliot Schrefer

adventurous dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

it was impossible for the sequel to fully live up to the original—its twist at the end of part one is everything i've ever wanted from a story—but this is still good in its own right! it took me a while to get into it, but after the third part i was invested. a satisfying story told well.

Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte

challenging dark slow-paced

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

4.0

the first three stories were the scariest horror stories—and some of the best short stories in general—i've ever read, but i recommend them to no one; to do so would be morally unconscionable. from there the collection shifted its focus from rejection to the internet and identity politics and lost my interest along the way, but "Re: Rejection" pulled it back a bit. i love when creatives shroud themselves and their work in mystery—go girl give us nothing [beyond what's on the page]!

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

the mystery aspect fell somewhat flat, and i wanted more from the ending in general, but overall it was an entertaining and heartfelt story