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bennysbooks's reviews
644 reviews
Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin
3.0
I can't decide between a 2.75 or 3 star rating for this book. I'll probably err on the side of generosity and give it a 3, because if you had asked me in the first half of the book how I felt, I would have told you that I loved it. Jalaluddin's writing occasionally reads a little saccharine for me personally, and her dialogue can be stiff at times, but she infuses enough heart, warmth, and quippy humour that I can look past it. I found all of the things that I loved about her writing in Hana Khan Carries On, and I was enjoying the You've Got Mail-style romantic developments, but the further I got into the book, the more exasperated I felt.
I prefer for my romance reads to have more going on plot-wise, but I think I counted around 18 different plotlines (or sub-plotlines, or dropped plot points, or underdeveloped points that had less bearing on the story than I would have thought at the outset, or threads wrapped up in an easy sentence because there wasn't time or space to deal with them more thoroughly). It became very scattered, in my opinion, and sometimes lost impact. I was also super disappointed in the "plot twist" at the end, because it was melodramatic in a way that didn't fit with the rest of the story. Even after finishing, I still have questions about the purpose of so many things, big and small. I could have used either more book, or less clutter. It isn't even that I didn't enjoy the various elements of the story, but that they might have been more interesting spread across more pages (or more books, honestly. The "plot twist" could have made an entirely different book).
In the acknowledgements, Jalaluddin said something about her first book taking much longer to write, and I think it shows. I'm still excited to read Much Ado About Nada (freaking fabulous titleš) and see what I think about it.
I prefer for my romance reads to have more going on plot-wise, but I think I counted around 18 different plotlines (or sub-plotlines, or dropped plot points, or underdeveloped points that had less bearing on the story than I would have thought at the outset, or threads wrapped up in an easy sentence because there wasn't time or space to deal with them more thoroughly). It became very scattered, in my opinion, and sometimes lost impact. I was also super disappointed in the "plot twist" at the end, because it was melodramatic in a way that didn't fit with the rest of the story. Even after finishing, I still have questions about the purpose of so many things, big and small. I could have used either more book, or less clutter. It isn't even that I didn't enjoy the various elements of the story, but that they might have been more interesting spread across more pages (or more books, honestly. The "plot twist" could have made an entirely different book).
In the acknowledgements, Jalaluddin said something about her first book taking much longer to write, and I think it shows. I'm still excited to read Much Ado About Nada (freaking fabulous titleš) and see what I think about it.
That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.
Just not for me. I think I can see why it works for people, and I did find it funny/charming. I just didn't feel anything about the main love interest or think there was much in the way of chemistry, and the plot never captivated me.
Disclaimer: the demon's name is the same as a friend's D&D character, and that definitely didn't help. I don't think it would have changed much, but it did produce the occasional cringe.
Disclaimer: the demon's name is the same as a friend's D&D character, and that definitely didn't help. I don't think it would have changed much, but it did produce the occasional cringe.
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
5.0
Two for two. Challenged, expanded, sobbing.
"Language is not so transparent, but we are sometimes known, even so. If we are lucky."
The Secret of the Jade Bangle by Linda Trinh
5.0
My 6-year old is obsessed with this series. Linda Trinh has managed to write compassionate, enlightening books for kids that are well-written enough for an adult to sit through, and I am beyond grateful. It's a pleasure for both of us to spend time with the Nguyen kids.
Distant Star by Roberto BolaƱo
3.0
For the first 60% of the book I was mesmerized. A lot of it went over my head (not knowing enough about the Chilean poetry/literary scene of the 70's), but I was engaged by the rambling, stream-of-consciousness writing style, and the fascinatingly suspicious narration. The narrator is highly unreliable - all of the information we get from him is either decades old reminiscences, the result of dubious research, or secondhand gossip (often from one, seemingly obsessive, old friend). And yet everything is presented in this detailed, omniscient way. It was entertaining, but at a certain point things just became repetitive (yet another digression about a new historical/literary figure with a barely discernible connection to Wieder), and bizarre in a boring way. I didn't hate the ending, but I also didn't feel much about it at all. It's a strange, sometimes funny, quite dark little book. Glad I read it, but not sure I would ever return to it.
I've had a couple of BolaƱo novels on my shelves for years now, but was too intimidated to pick them up. Very excited to continue reading his books.
Read for the Storygraph Read the World challenge 2024.
I've had a couple of BolaƱo novels on my shelves for years now, but was too intimidated to pick them up. Very excited to continue reading his books.
Read for the Storygraph Read the World challenge 2024.
Higglety Pigglety Pop!: Or There Must Be More to Life by Maurice Sendak
5.0
Found a used, 1967 edition. I think it's been well loved - the cover is worn and ripped, with a ring from a tea or coffee on it, and clippings of articles about Maurice Sendak carefully tucked between the pages. I've owned it for a few months, but kept putting off picking it up. I lost a beloved grandparent last year, and books about loss like this are hitting harder than usual. But something about it being my first book of 2024, the first year I will spend without my grandpa, felt right.
I adored this book. Even without the added level of personal grief, it is a strange and delightful read. Nobody writes children's literature with the faith in children, and in stories, that Sendak did.
I adored this book. Even without the added level of personal grief, it is a strange and delightful read. Nobody writes children's literature with the faith in children, and in stories, that Sendak did.
Touching My Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest by Jamling T. Norgay
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced