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archaicrobin's reviews
625 reviews
Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere by Maria Bamford
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
1.0
Unpopular opinion but I did not like this book. I understand Maria is a comedian and an eccentric but listening to this audiobook was obnoxious, immature, and neverending.
Bamford narrates the novel and does many different voices and characters that shows off her talent in voice acting cartoon characters, but doesn’t do much in the terms of literary narration. Her voice just grated on my nerves and I didn’t find her humor funny or even entertaining, it was just annoying. The audiobook also has this gimmick of playing a mixing bowl sound at the start of each chapter to math her recipe theme and it was jarring to the say the least.
The flow of this book was also non existent, I finished it and honestly can’t tell you what it’s about beyond her mental struggles and her mother. I wouldn’t recommend this book to literally anyone, and I honestly don’t know why it’s being marketed like it’s groundbreaking because it’s not.
If you’re a big fan of Maria Bamford I could see you loving this book, but as someone that’s only vaguely familiar with her I see no reason to pick it up and wish I’d just DNF’d like I originally planned.
Bamford narrates the novel and does many different voices and characters that shows off her talent in voice acting cartoon characters, but doesn’t do much in the terms of literary narration. Her voice just grated on my nerves and I didn’t find her humor funny or even entertaining, it was just annoying. The audiobook also has this gimmick of playing a mixing bowl sound at the start of each chapter to math her recipe theme and it was jarring to the say the least.
The flow of this book was also non existent, I finished it and honestly can’t tell you what it’s about beyond her mental struggles and her mother. I wouldn’t recommend this book to literally anyone, and I honestly don’t know why it’s being marketed like it’s groundbreaking because it’s not.
If you’re a big fan of Maria Bamford I could see you loving this book, but as someone that’s only vaguely familiar with her I see no reason to pick it up and wish I’d just DNF’d like I originally planned.
Man, Fuck This House by Brian Asman
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Haunted Houses are my favorite horror genre so I’m always willing to try a new haunted house book. Man, Fuck this house I picked up at a horror convention and wasn’t sure what to expect. This book is not for everyone, it has some grammar errors, the characters aren’t that fleshed out, and the story is incredibly weird but overall I enjoyed it. If you’re a fan of weird horror or love a good haunted house story like I do you’ll appreciate the unique take on a haunted house in this one. Is this a phenomenally written terrifying story? No, it’s silly, it’s weird, and its characters are a little stereotypical but it’s a good time.
Mothered by Zoje Stage
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Zoje Stage is officially one of those authors that are hit or miss for me. This is the third book I’ve read by Stage and I would put it at the bottom of my list, I really did not enjoy this novel.
Grace is in the middle of a pandemic with no job and struggling to meet her mortgage for the house she just recently bought. With an offer to help ease the financial stress, Grace allows her mother to move into her spare room in hopes of mending their relationship and also easing the financial strain of being a homeowner in a pandemic. Soon Grace realizes her decision was a mistake as she begins to lose clarity and her mother becomes more nefarious.
This book honestly was a mess. The characters were boring and not compelling in anyway. All of the horror scenes were dreams and had no real impact so they were honestly boring to read. The dreams were so frequent I got to a point where I would just skip entire paragraphs if the dream was obviously there for scares and not to reveal anything relevant. If you took out all the dream sequences this novel would be half its length, but you can’t even do this because the dreams are part of the plot unfortunately.
Because of all these no se cual dreams the pacing was way too slow and nothing interesting was ever really happened because it was all just dreams. Even the ending fell flat because the lead up to it was so disjointed and Grace as a character was flat and not compelling. When your main character is boring and unlikeable in a mundane way that’s a problem. Even Grace’s close friend Miguel was boring, he felt like a cardboard version of a real person only there to trigger Grace’s “growth” as a character and act as a springboard for the story to progress at times. Honestly none of the characters were likable or interesting and pair that with slow pacing and a boring plot, you get a novel that was very hard for me to finish.
Seriously, the only character I was invested in this whole novel was Coco the Cat, and yes she remains unscathed at the end of the novel thankfully.
I still love Stage’s novel Getaway and recommend that to anyone looking for a survival horror/thriller with strong female characters, but Mothered will
not be one I recommend.
Grace is in the middle of a pandemic with no job and struggling to meet her mortgage for the house she just recently bought. With an offer to help ease the financial stress, Grace allows her mother to move into her spare room in hopes of mending their relationship and also easing the financial strain of being a homeowner in a pandemic. Soon Grace realizes her decision was a mistake as she begins to lose clarity and her mother becomes more nefarious.
This book honestly was a mess. The characters were boring and not compelling in anyway. All of the horror scenes were dreams and had no real impact so they were honestly boring to read. The dreams were so frequent I got to a point where I would just skip entire paragraphs if the dream was obviously there for scares and not to reveal anything relevant. If you took out all the dream sequences this novel would be half its length, but you can’t even do this because the dreams are part of the plot unfortunately.
Because of all these no se cual dreams the pacing was way too slow and nothing interesting was ever really happened because it was all just dreams. Even the ending fell flat because the lead up to it was so disjointed and Grace as a character was flat and not compelling. When your main character is boring and unlikeable in a mundane way that’s a problem. Even Grace’s close friend Miguel was boring, he felt like a cardboard version of a real person only there to trigger Grace’s “growth” as a character and act as a springboard for the story to progress at times. Honestly none of the characters were likable or interesting and pair that with slow pacing and a boring plot, you get a novel that was very hard for me to finish.
Seriously, the only character I was invested in this whole novel was Coco the Cat, and yes she remains unscathed at the end of the novel thankfully.
I still love Stage’s novel Getaway and recommend that to anyone looking for a survival horror/thriller with strong female characters, but Mothered will
not be one I recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Restart by Gordon Korman
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this book with my fifth graders as a whole group read aloud and they absolutely loved it. Chase was a horrendous bully before falling off his which puts him in a coma. When he wakes up it’s revealed he has amnesia and this begins his journey of discovering who he used to be and who he now wants to be.
This was an excellent read aloud for the beginning of the year because it talks about self-control, bullying, and how our actions affect more than just ourselves. If you’re a YA reader or also a teacher looking for read alouds I highly recommend Restart.
This was an excellent read aloud for the beginning of the year because it talks about self-control, bullying, and how our actions affect more than just ourselves. If you’re a YA reader or also a teacher looking for read alouds I highly recommend Restart.
The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
A festive Christmas game turned murder mystery with actual anagrams hidden in each chapter sounded like a blast. It was not. At first this seemed to be going somewhere, the characters were cliche and dull, but the plot and the extra element of clues for the reader kept me going. Unfortunately, the pacing in this book is horrendous and it didn’t keep me going for very long. You can only drag this game out so far with such cardboard characters. The whole novel gives Lifetime Movie, and not in a good way.
This book goes so LONG before the first murder occurs and even LONGER after that. The deaths were so poorly paced and absolutely meaningless because all of the characters sucked due to their complete lack of originality and depth. I wanted characters to die, I wanted no one to take this stupid house. A character would die and I would have to go to the family tree in the front of the book to remind myself why I should even care and who they were, which did not make this an engaging mystery for me.
Along with horrible pacing, and boring, borderline infuriating , characters is the books complete failure to write a cohesive, intriguing, and gripping mystery. This book is so long because I swear there are chapters that are only 3-4 pages long and written solely for the purpose including one of her stupid anagrams. These long drawn out chapters to reach anagram goals or make the 12 days of Christmas relevant, really dragged the plot to the point where I’d read about 50 pages and NOTHING plot driven would happen. I would get another paragraph on the food, or Sara being a bitch, or Lily again being the entire source of her own problems but never fucking doing anything about it. I think if you took out the anagrams, 12 days gimmick, holiday food, and Lily’s annoyingly repetitive self involved narratives, this book would barely be a novella.
So a murder mystery with terrible pacing, a poorly executed plot, and the worst characterizations I’ve experienced so far makes this a 1/5, 1/10. I would say read anything else. I like mysteries, ive read Agatha Christie, I know good mysteries and this is very much NOT it.
This book goes so LONG before the first murder occurs and even LONGER after that. The deaths were so poorly paced and absolutely meaningless because all of the characters sucked due to their complete lack of originality and depth. I wanted characters to die, I wanted no one to take this stupid house. A character would die and I would have to go to the family tree in the front of the book to remind myself why I should even care and who they were, which did not make this an engaging mystery for me.
Along with horrible pacing, and boring, borderline infuriating , characters is the books complete failure to write a cohesive, intriguing, and gripping mystery. This book is so long because I swear there are chapters that are only 3-4 pages long and written solely for the purpose including one of her stupid anagrams. These long drawn out chapters to reach anagram goals or make the 12 days of Christmas relevant, really dragged the plot to the point where I’d read about 50 pages and NOTHING plot driven would happen. I would get another paragraph on the food, or Sara being a bitch, or Lily again being the entire source of her own problems but never fucking doing anything about it. I think if you took out the anagrams, 12 days gimmick, holiday food, and Lily’s annoyingly repetitive self involved narratives, this book would barely be a novella.
So a murder mystery with terrible pacing, a poorly executed plot, and the worst characterizations I’ve experienced so far makes this a 1/5, 1/10. I would say read anything else. I like mysteries, ive read Agatha Christie, I know good mysteries and this is very much NOT it.
Lucky Girl: How I Became A Horror Writer: A Krampus Story by M. Rickert
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A quirky holiday horror novella about 5 strangers that end up spending Christmas together to ease their loneliness. A strange tradition is started, ghost stories are told, and secrets are unraveled.
This was a fun little Christmas horror story with Krampus arriving as a guest star. If you’re looking for a quick but interesting Krampus tale, this one was entertaining and had all the vibes.
This was a fun little Christmas horror story with Krampus arriving as a guest star. If you’re looking for a quick but interesting Krampus tale, this one was entertaining and had all the vibes.
Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 but Goodreads doesn’t have half stars. Tell Me I’m Worthless is a haunted house story that is so much more than that. I went into this pretty blind with no expectations and I’m glad I did because if you pick this up looking for just a haunted house story you will be disappointed because there is so much social commentary on trans rights, misogyny, violence against minorities, and our disjointed and hateful culture in todays world.
This book had scenes that were absolutely horrifying and had so many references to other literary haunted house stories, like The Haunting of Hill House and Bluebeard’s ghost. While the horror elements were superb this book at times read like a fever dream with chapters that were strings of consciousness from the characters, including the house itself. The author intertwines the supernatural horror with the horror of bigotry, hate, and sexual violence so well that there were scenes I struggled to read.
If you’re looking for a unique horror story with diverse characters and a meld of horror and social commentary then I highly recommend Tell Me I’m Worthless.
This book had scenes that were absolutely horrifying and had so many references to other literary haunted house stories, like The Haunting of Hill House and Bluebeard’s ghost. While the horror elements were superb this book at times read like a fever dream with chapters that were strings of consciousness from the characters, including the house itself. The author intertwines the supernatural horror with the horror of bigotry, hate, and sexual violence so well that there were scenes I struggled to read.
If you’re looking for a unique horror story with diverse characters and a meld of horror and social commentary then I highly recommend Tell Me I’m Worthless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Growing up in the 90s Britney was one of my favorite artists and a true icon. As I got older my tastes changed and I was into the punk world but still had a place for Britney Spears’ music. Reading her memoir and seeing her side of things from the beginning of her career to now was eye opening. The things this women endured from her family, friends, media, and colleagues was just infuriating. Britney does not hold back and talks about her mental health struggles, her “bad girl” era, her break up and victimization by Justin Timberlake (the loser), and her hellish nightmare of a conservatorship under her abusive father for 13 years. If you are a Britney fan this is a must read, but also if you were a nineties kid, you also need to read this! Britney does an amazing job of telling her side and FINALLY reclaiming her voice! I devoured this audiobook! Free on Spotify with a premium subscription!
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This chilly winter thriller is over the top and overdramatic and I loved it. The premise was intriguing but a little obvious and the characters interactions were cringey at times, but overall I enjoyed the craziness of this thriller, that always had me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Toxic friendship
And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-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
3.0
A short but intriguing novella about an infection that causes people to kill each other based on false narratives they take as reality. The narrator starts off stating he shouldn’t be trusted or believed and the story twists from there. A fun and eerie novella that made me think about perception and how it determines are reality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Blood, and Cannibalism