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bambooboy's reviews
98 reviews
The Key to You and Me by Jaye Robin Brown
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Vikas Adam's voice delivers a smooth noir, barrel-whisky finish to Rosen's deliciously gay whodunit, set in 1952 San Francisco. The fantasy of a luxury gay mansion hidden safely in the hills is shattered when the lesbian matriarch dies under mysterious circumstances. Andy, a recently outed and fired cop, contemplates throwing himself in the brackish and unforgiving waters of the Bay; that is, until he is recruited by Pearl, the mourning widow, to investigate her wife's death without homophobic police interference. Everyone's got a secret, everyone's got a reason, and everyone claims innocence; but someone must have killed her on that cold, rainy night.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Alcoholism
Description of possible triggers under the spoiler cut.
--Alcohol/ism: Alcohol is abused by many characters throughout.
--Graphic animal death: one rabbit is shot but doesn't die; neck is snapped. Second rabbit is shot between eyes. A dead rat is hidden in a bar of soap.
--Graphic, upsetting homophobia: Protagonist is outed and fired; later beaten nearly to death by former cop coworkers. The beating is described in detail. Slurs used without, social ostracism described.
--Graphic homophobia-driven mental and physical child abuse: A character recounts being locked in room and drugged, beaten by parents for being gay.
--Suicidal ideation: main character sets up suicidal plan to jump in river after being outed.
--Murder by poison: three people are murdered by poison.
--Suicide by poison: one character commits suicide by eating poisoned soup.
--Graphic animal death: one rabbit is shot but doesn't die; neck is snapped. Second rabbit is shot between eyes. A dead rat is hidden in a bar of soap.
--Graphic, upsetting homophobia: Protagonist is outed and fired; later beaten nearly to death by former cop coworkers. The beating is described in detail. Slurs used without, social ostracism described.
--Graphic homophobia-driven mental and physical child abuse: A character recounts being locked in room and drugged, beaten by parents for being gay.
--Suicidal ideation: main character sets up suicidal plan to jump in river after being outed.
--Murder by poison: three people are murdered by poison.
--Suicide by poison: one character commits suicide by eating poisoned soup.
The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones
In 2007, Tamora Pierce rocked the literary world by releasing a book on audio before releasing it in print. Stephen Graham Jones has taken it a step further with The Babysitter Lives, which is available only in its sonic format; harkening back to a time when spooky stories were shared, passed around over fires, stored in children's memories as they grew and passed them on, slightly changed but still fundamentally the same message.
The downside to the audio-only format is the inability to go back and reread more complex ideas to further absorb them. Of course you can rewind; when I read the quoted line above I must have clicked that "back 15" button four or five times to relive the delicious flavor of it, a triumphant fist bump to my eardrums. That unfortunately doesn't replace the way my brain reworks sentences when reading them on the page, putting together the pieces. It's a double-edged sword for Jones. The book is complex, intricate, and delicately vicious, which makes the listening-only format a bit inaccessible with the bigger ideas. I will probably have to listen to it again to fully grapple with it. But at the same time, I don't mind a bit! It's truly that good. I was even greedily listening to the acknowledgements, which I rarely do.
Not too long ago I read My Heart is a Chainsaw and I am so happy to report that his ability to write a good, fleshed out female character was not a one-off experience. While I don't think you have to be a woman to do so, I think it's fair to say that sometimes male authors don't take the time to really embody that voice; in both My Heart is a Chainsaw and The Babysitter Lives, we are presented with fully-formed human beings, making human decisions--and sometimes, human mistakes.
If you're looking for something to listen to while you set up your house for spooky season, are partaking in cozy fall activities, or maybe just doing the dishes, this book will absorb you.
Just make sure the house doesn't take you with it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
Shh, shh, shh. While your mom's gone, the babysitter's in charge, right? And guess what, Tia? It's bath time.
In 2007, Tamora Pierce rocked the literary world by releasing a book on audio before releasing it in print. Stephen Graham Jones has taken it a step further with The Babysitter Lives, which is available only in its sonic format; harkening back to a time when spooky stories were shared, passed around over fires, stored in children's memories as they grew and passed them on, slightly changed but still fundamentally the same message.
The downside to the audio-only format is the inability to go back and reread more complex ideas to further absorb them. Of course you can rewind; when I read the quoted line above I must have clicked that "back 15" button four or five times to relive the delicious flavor of it, a triumphant fist bump to my eardrums. That unfortunately doesn't replace the way my brain reworks sentences when reading them on the page, putting together the pieces. It's a double-edged sword for Jones. The book is complex, intricate, and delicately vicious, which makes the listening-only format a bit inaccessible with the bigger ideas. I will probably have to listen to it again to fully grapple with it. But at the same time, I don't mind a bit! It's truly that good. I was even greedily listening to the acknowledgements, which I rarely do.
Not too long ago I read My Heart is a Chainsaw and I am so happy to report that his ability to write a good, fleshed out female character was not a one-off experience. While I don't think you have to be a woman to do so, I think it's fair to say that sometimes male authors don't take the time to really embody that voice; in both My Heart is a Chainsaw and The Babysitter Lives, we are presented with fully-formed human beings, making human decisions--and sometimes, human mistakes.
If you're looking for something to listen to while you set up your house for spooky season, are partaking in cozy fall activities, or maybe just doing the dishes, this book will absorb you.
Just make sure the house doesn't take you with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Classism
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, Lesbophobia
Description of possible triggers under the spoiler cut.
--In a case of fratricide, a child has his eyes gouged out. The incident is described and his injuries are mentioned multiple times.
--In a case of filicide, a mother drowns her child.
--In a case of patricide, a father has his eyes gouged out.
--Someone commits suicide by hanging. It is described mutliple times.
--The victims of the aforementioned fratricide/filicide/patricide/suicide return many times in their injured, post-death forms.
--There are multiple incidents of body horror where the protagonist is injured, her insides are a "tofu-like substance".
--A child is possibly murdered by being hit by a car. It is never confirmed if this version of history comes to be the final version, but the post-accident scene is mentioned. A woman is also possibly killed by her car seat projecting her into the glass.
--Two children almost die by being locked in a freezer.
--There are many maggots in the book.
--An overdose is mentioned.
--Homophobia toward a lesbian daughter is briefly mentioned.
--There is a brief scene of anti-indigenous and anti-Mexican racism.
--The S slur against indigenous American women is used.
--There is a culturally appropriative costume worn by a character for the whole book.
--There are a few mentions of spiders, spiders eggs, and the feeling of both against skin.
--A man masturbates (unknowingly) in front of a minor. Even though he doesn't know she's watching, he is masturbating to the idea of her, so I don't think that really makes it any better. This incident is mentioned a few times after the fact by the protagonist.
--There is a giant lizard.
--As the protagonist is trapped in the house, there is a sense of claustrophobia.
--In a case of filicide, a mother drowns her child.
--In a case of patricide, a father has his eyes gouged out.
--Someone commits suicide by hanging. It is described mutliple times.
--The victims of the aforementioned fratricide/filicide/patricide/suicide return many times in their injured, post-death forms.
--There are multiple incidents of body horror where the protagonist is injured, her insides are a "tofu-like substance".
--A child is possibly murdered by being hit by a car. It is never confirmed if this version of history comes to be the final version, but the post-accident scene is mentioned. A woman is also possibly killed by her car seat projecting her into the glass.
--Two children almost die by being locked in a freezer.
--There are many maggots in the book.
--An overdose is mentioned.
--Homophobia toward a lesbian daughter is briefly mentioned.
--There is a brief scene of anti-indigenous and anti-Mexican racism.
--The S slur against indigenous American women is used.
--There is a culturally appropriative costume worn by a character for the whole book.
--There are a few mentions of spiders, spiders eggs, and the feeling of both against skin.
--A man masturbates (unknowingly) in front of a minor. Even though he doesn't know she's watching, he is masturbating to the idea of her, so I don't think that really makes it any better. This incident is mentioned a few times after the fact by the protagonist.
--There is a giant lizard.
--As the protagonist is trapped in the house, there is a sense of claustrophobia.
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
One of Hendrix's great strengths in writing is his ability to both horrify and entertain. While reading this book I was on the edge of my seat, afraid to turn the page; all the while chuckling here and there at his whip-smart talent for dialogue. The characters are thoughtfully written, and their development over the course of the novel is organic and raw. Family secrets have a way of eroding as they drip down. Can these two siblings put aside their differences and rebuild the trust that was lost, before it's too late?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Self harm, Car accident
Minor: Vomit
MANY SPOILERS, any possibly triggering items I could remember under spoiler cut.
--A child dies by drowning; another child almost dies by drowning.
--Dolls, taxidermy squirrels, and puppets come to life.
--A needle is poked into an eyeball.
--A character thinks they are hallucinating/losing their mind.
--A hand is amputated by a chainsaw.
--There is an attempt to exorcise an assumed demon from a child and puppet.
--A child is possessed.
--A severely dysfunctional family is portrayed in detail.
--There is a traumatic car accident.
--A child is made to self-harm during a possession; technically a puppet is doing it, but it's on her hand.
--An intentional house fire kills two people.
--Implied pet death and consumption; you only see a collar and bones.
--Injuries and death from a car accident are described, though not in complete detail, and after the fact.
--Dolls, taxidermy squirrels, and puppets come to life.
--A needle is poked into an eyeball.
--A character thinks they are hallucinating/losing their mind.
--A hand is amputated by a chainsaw.
--There is an attempt to exorcise an assumed demon from a child and puppet.
--A child is possessed.
--A severely dysfunctional family is portrayed in detail.
--There is a traumatic car accident.
--A child is made to self-harm during a possession; technically a puppet is doing it, but it's on her hand.
--An intentional house fire kills two people.
--Implied pet death and consumption; you only see a collar and bones.
--Injuries and death from a car accident are described, though not in complete detail, and after the fact.
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0