bethsreading's reviews
71 reviews

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

The author writes of their experience observing a wild snail living on their nightstand while they were bed-bound with a chronic illness. It is a beautiful and insightful meditation on the phenomenal abilities of snails, the incredibly fast pace of the human everyday, and the societal isolation of unwell people who can not keep up with such speeds. A short but impactful read that I highly recommend (especially if you want to learn some cool snail facts)

*I do not give star ratings to memoirs

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The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

This is a book I’ve had on my TBR for such a long time. Not only was the cover stunning but the story of an underwater fantasy world based on Korean folktales and the red string of fate? Absolutely yes. However, this one ended up as a disappointment for me. I think it was more of a let down because it had so much potential. There were so many incredible ideas to work with and nearly all of them fell flat or where completely under developed.

This book needed to be double the length so it actually had space to develop the world and the characters. The progression of the story is so jumpy; there is never any downtime, it just hops from plot point to plot point, and most of the time it is actually quite jarring. I wanted the story to stop and take moments to breathe and let the characters and world actually come to life — it needed the meaningful ‘filler’ moments that flesh out a story.

The world building was one of the most disappointing parts. At times you had gorgeous glimpses of a Spirited Away style, enchanting underwater spirit world, but those moments got swept away in unanswered questions about the workings of the world and many elements that really didn’t make sense at all.

My biggest issue has to be the characters. They are all so one-dimensional. The main character doesn’t feel like a real person, just a collection of tropes that are told to you, not even really shown or given proper backstory. And the side characters feel like they only exist to aid the main character and fill in plot points. A lot of the dialogue felt awkward or elicited eye rolls and the relationships between the characters and their feelings are not meaningfully developed but just told to you, so I really felt nothing for them at all.

I think I am slightly harsh on this one because it had so much potential. Some of the writing is really beautiful, the story is very compelling and unique, and the characters could have been very meaningful. But overall it ended up being underdeveloped, one dimensional, and a big disappointment.

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Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Sword Catcher feels different to other high fantasy books I’ve read as its main focus is on the characters and the world’s precarious political situation. While it inevitably does have the shadow of a potential war lingering over the story - something I’m sure we will see more of in the coming books - I really enjoyed the less grandiose elements of the plot and I feel they make it stand apart from others in the genre. At many points, it felt like more of a mystery story than your typical fantasy, which for my tastes, worked really well.

The main issue I had with this book is that sadly, the first half of it is far too bogged down by world building. I do love how Cassandra Clare can create such vivid and fantasy worlds, and it is really important in a politically focused story to have its history be fully fleshed out, but the level of detail felt unnecessary at times and too dense for the first half of the book. I personally think that the first half of the book needed to be edited down about 80 ish pages as it was quite slow going at first. However, once I hit the 300 page mark, the pace really picked up and I absolutely flew through the rest of book.

While I did find Lin’s character annoying at times, overall the character’s were interesting, nuanced, and likeable. I really enjoyed my time reading it and I look forward to seeing how the story progresses in future books.

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Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin

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reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

This book is definitely not for everyone; if you’re someone that needs plot to a story - it is not for you. However, this book excels at creating a distinct and palpable atmosphere with beautiful yet direct writing. This is very much a character focused story and, while I didn’t always fully understand her actions, the narrator felt like a real person with a complicated view of herself and her own life. It is an interesting reflection on identity, autonomy, and the desire yet fear of something more. If you’re someone who likes atmospheric, character focused literary fiction - which I certainly do when I’m in the mood for it - I think you’ll like this.

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A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

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dark emotional hopeful tense 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

A dark and intoxicating exploration of love, polyamory, and abusive relationships. While I did find the writing style to be somewhat too overindulgent, it still worked given the gothic nature of the story. I think the relationships and dynamics felt real and nuanced and the vampire element added to the gothic atmosphere, but did not overshadow the real focal point of the book which was the relationships. I definitely recommend.

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Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

This is a gorgeously written and heartbreaking memoir exploring the depths of family, grief, and trying to exist as yourself. Truly beautiful.

(I do not give star ratings for memoirs)

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The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

My friend had been recommending this one to me for a long time, and I understand why. The book is written by journalist Michael Finkel as he interviews and explores the life of the most dedicated ‘hermit’ in modern times. One day, Christopher Knight leaves his job, gets in his car, and drives until he reaches his home town; once there, he abandons his car in the woods, explores until he finds the perfect camp, and remains there for 27 years, only leaving to steal food for survival from nearby cabins. Until one day, when he is finally caught and arrested. It beautiful and fascinating meditation on loneliness, contentment, and craving solitude in an overwhelmingly social society.

I really enjoyed the balance between biography and history in this book. I felt like the historical and philosophical musings genuinely enriched my ability to empathise and understand Christopher Knight. His story, both heartwarming and sad, is one I will be thinking about for a long time to come.

My only issue with the book was its brief but important look at autism. I do believe Finkel did do his best to research autism and give a fair understanding of it, as well as how it could apply to Knight, but I did not find his final depiction to be very accurate. Though I do recognise that this was published in 2017, and research and understanding about neurodivergence has changed a lot since then. I also felt that at some points, Finkel pushed the boundaries when it came to respecting Knight’s wishes to be left alone.

I do still wholeheartedly recommend this book and am very glad I read it.

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Penance by Eliza Clark

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Penance is a disturbing and macabre fictional true crime novel ‘written’ by a disgraced journalist about three girls murdering their schoolmate in a small seaside town.

One of the novel’s focal points is exploring the ethics of the true crime genre, particularly the exploitative aspects. A true crime story is so easy to get pulled into, as it offers some of the most extreme and disturbing corners of humanity; but it is important to stop and think: how true is true? Having two writers of the book, Clark herself and the journalist in the story writing the book, adds an extra layer of authorial distortion, demanding you constantly question the legitimacy and trustworthiness of every word you consume.

I particularly love writing that refuses to sit idly within binaries and instead adventures around all the boundaries of a topic, and this book does that. From the subject matter, it seems like there would be an obvious right and wrong, and while there is in the grand scheme of things, the layers and nuances offer a much more complex story. Clark, in my opinion, is quite clear in her stances, but they are thoughtful, balanced opinions that filter in through the story while still leaving room for personal moral engagement as the reader.

I think Clark also does a fantastic job of depicting teenage-hood, especially in the mid 2010s, and the involvement of the internet at the time. Tumblr basically being a main character really transported me back to what teenage life was like in 2015.

I did feel like there was perhaps some unnecessary historical backstory to the town, which did enrich the story and make it feel like a real place, but felt somewhat too much at times and I think some parts could’ve been edited down to streamline things a little.

Overall this was an incredible story and one I’ll be thinking about for a long time! As a warning though, please be sure to check the content warnings first as it covers some difficult topics (though I believe it handles them all well and with respect).

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So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I read Small Things Like These about a year ago and adored it. Claire Keegan’s writing is stunning and, to me, had a Joycean quality to it. So this year I wanted to read some more of her books.

The story follows Cathal over the course of an uneventful day while he reminisces on moments from his last relationship. Overall, I liked So Late in the Day. The main character is interesting as he is both somewhat sympathetic but also quite unlikeable. The story was paced well and kept me interested while maintaining it’s mellow tone. It does explore some interesting elements of misogyny that can easily be found yet disregarded in some heterosexual relationships; however, certain elements of this were a little unsubtle for my taste and I wish they had been explored in a more show and not tell way. For me, sadly, it was missing something that Small Things Like These had; it is something that I find hard to pinpoint but I think I could best describe it as the depth of earnestness.

I still love her writing style and it once again reminded me of the more tender, contemplative aspects of James Joyce’s writing. I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.

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Moominland Midwinter: Colour Edition by Tove Jansson

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

For the last four years, it has been a tradition of mine to read Moominland Midwinter as my first book of the year. Set just after New Years in Moomin Valley, the story follows Moomintroll as he is woken from his hibernation and becomes the first moomin to explore the perilous yet magical adventures of winter.

This book is the perfect way to get through the cold winter blues. Joining Moomin as he struggles with the cold, dark days is incredibly relatable, but also watching him experience the beauty of snowfall and make new, weird friends is deeply heartwarming. At its core, this story is about conquering a fear of the unknown, and persevering through the scary lows and heartening highs that come from falling head first into something totally new.

Tove Jansson’s writing is a genuine blessing to this world and she will forever be one of my favourite writers. Her prose is uncomplicated yet gorgeous and it enchants my heart in a way few other things can.

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bethsreading's reviews 71 reviews

bethsreading's reviews
71 reviews