bookforthought's reviews
711 reviews

Tutto nella norma by Gaia Spizzichino

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

2.0

Seguo l'autrice sui social da parecchio tempo e ho avuto modo di apprezzare la sua ironia e il suo sguardo sulla società moderna, motivo per cui ero parecchio incuriosita dal suo primo romanzo. Purtroppo l'ho trovato deludente, essenzialmente una lunga serie di stereotipi sui 30enni di oggi che pare una collezione di post uniti debolmente da una trama.

Non ha aiutato il fatto che la protagonista mi sia risultata profondamente irritante e supponente e che la narrazione in prima persona non abbia aiutato nell'approfondire né il personaggio principale né quelli secondari, che appunto risultano estremamente piatti. La crescita finale della protagonista (se così si può chiamare) è troppo repentina e priva di basi solide per funzionare coerentemente nel contesto del romanzo, e purtroppo non aiuta a migliorarne il giudizio finale.

Peccato, perché in alcuni (pochi) passaggi ho effettivamente ritrovato quella voce originale e ironica che normalmente apprezzo e che avrebbe potuto produrre un'ottima critica della società moderna ma che, purtroppo, qui generalmente è mancata.
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Il welfare. Tra vecchie e nuove disuguaglianze by Chiara Saraceno

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informative fast-paced

3.0

Interessante panoramica dei sistemi di welfare, con un'attenzione specifica verso alcune politiche (es. sanità e scuola). Può essere utile come ripasso o per ottenere spunti aggiuntivi se si ha già una conoscenza di base delle logiche sottostanti il welfare state e le politiche associate. Altrimenti, risulta un po' troppo specifico per un'introduzione (dando anche molti concetti per scontati) e troppo generico per gli addetti ai lavori.
The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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

4.0

Always a pleasure to see what the gang is up to next. This one was particularly touching at times but still with several moments of its trademark humour and some surprising turns.
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Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe

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

2.0

I read this book in full spooky season because the blurb made it sound perfect: gothic atmosphere, a remote estate, secrets, witchcraft... basically spooky gold. And yet, when I finished it, I found myself disappointed and left wanting, although I couldn't really articulate why. I gave myself some time to process (a little longer in truth than I'd planned to be honest), trying to get some clarity but several weeks on I'm still no further in this.

Starting off with the positives, the atmosphere is spot on. The author does a great job with the settings and captures the dark, cold weather particularly well. I could almost feel the cold seeping through the page (and my headphones for the parts I listened to on audiobook). The settings are vivid and the tension is palpable, which is the main reason I didn't abandon this halfway through, because for the rest I was fairly disappointed.

The characters were profoundly unlikeable, and not in a good, interesting way. The main character, a woman trying to leave her past behind as a mysterious event led to her losing her job in London, had all the cards to be an interesting, complex character but ended up being quite flat for me. The rest of the cast is entirely forgettable, and I actually mixed them up pretty frequently aside from the mansion owner, his sister and the MC's neighbour, who came across as very one-dimensional.

Quite a few mysterious happenings occur throughout, which may or may not amount to witchcraft, but I became increasingly frustrated as it felt as though the story wasn't really going anywhere. Eventually, I was just bored and the ending felt completely anticlimactic. Nothing is really explained, a lot of things just fall into the void, and what is implied to have happened would contrast with everything we've read up to that point, making the whole thing even more confusing.

Essentially, this didn't quite have enough plot for my taste, feeling to me more as directionless meandering, but also didn't go deep enough in exploring its characters to read like a character study. Such a shame, because the ideas were clearly there and the writing itself was actually good, but I was left very unsatisfied overall.

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
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The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

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dark emotional inspiring fast-paced
No rating as it just doesn't feel right to rate my "enjoyment" of Britney Spears' life.

I don't typically read memoirs as I'm not really into the genre, but having grown up with Spears' music as a teenager I was very interested in (finally) hearing her side of the story. This is truly heartbreaking at times, thinking just how much she suffered over the years and how despicably she was treated, let down by those closest to her, by the media and by society as a whole. It isn't the best-written book, and it probably could have used a bit more depth and editing in certain passages, especially those exposing the misogyny in the industry and in society as a whole. At times it feels more like a therapeutic exercise than something meant to be read by a wide public, but it is important for Spears' voice to be heard again in whichever way she sees fit, and I do hope getting her story out in the world brings her some solace. Michelle Williams was a wonderful narrator for the audio version.
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L'unica persona nera nella stanza by Nadeesha Uyangoda

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challenging informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

Analisi lucida e chiara, ricca di esempi tratti da esperienze autobiografiche, libri e media per illustrare, comprendere e cominciare a decostruire il razzismo in Italia.
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L'incendio: Reportage su una generazione tra Iran, Ucraina e Afghanistan by Cecilia Sala

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informative fast-paced

4.0

Bel reportage, anche se per chi segue regolarmente il podcast dell'autrice, Stories, potrebbe risultare ripetitivo in alcuni passaggi. Lettura scorrevole nonostante i temi trattati e la sintassi a volte un po' ostica.
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The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

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adventurous mysterious 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

4.5

Ok, so this one had been sitting on my digital shelf for so long I had almost forgotten all about it until I randomly decided to pick it up in the summer. Oh, the joys of mood reading... I was actually really excited about a Middle Eastern fantasy since it seems to be a setting I usually enjoy but, I'll admit, some of the reviews I'd read mentioning heavy politics had me worried for a minute. Seems I worried for nothing though, because I ended up liking this one a lot!

Everything about this book was fascinating: the plot, the setting, the characters, the writing... I also started listening to the audiobook because I couldn't bear to tear myself away from it while walking or doing chores. That's quite rare for me, so it was an excellent sign. The way it was all woven together actually felt new and refreshing, even though it builds on several common tropes and mythology. Still, it never feels that way, certainly thanks to the author's amazing writing.

The worldbuilding was a bit intricate and I'll admit to getting lost at times (and I'm still not sure about a few things), but I did like the focus on the politics and the relations between different social groups in Daevabad. I decided to just roll with it and enjoy the ride, which proved to be the winning choice as otherwise I would have ended up too confused to appreciate the settings and the relationships between the characters. Speaking of which, the characters were one of the things I liked the most here: morally grey, flawed and with plenty of secrets to hide... just what we like to read about! I will admit to rolling my eyes a bit when a love triangle reared its head, especially since I definitely wasn't a fan of one of the pairings.

Now, I did have some issues with the pace, which felt very uneven. After a great start, things sort of dragged along for a while and then exploded again towards the end. While the emotions stirred up by the end were plenty and made up for the slight boredom in the middle, it still felt unbalanced. Still, I had a great time with this and definitely hope to pick up the second book in the trilogy in the New Year!

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
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Il canto di Natale by Charles Dickens

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare

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

2.5

I love a good murder mystery, and even better if it's a historical one. Sadly, Miss Aldridge Regrets didn't quite hit the mark for me. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book, but it just felt very bland, repetitive and generally quite boring.

I did like the historical context, which felt very well done and detailed, and I particularly appreciated the introduction of the racial aspect and reflections on Lena's passing as white, as well as discussions around class differences. I also enjoyed some of the relationships that developed between different characters, which added something of interest to what would have otherwise been a fairly bland read.

Most of the story takes place on board the Queen Mary on the journey towards the USA, with occasional flashbacks to Lena's life in London and excerpts from the killer's diary. That being said, the characters mostly just go about their business, occasionally interrupted by a murder. They seemed to be just drifting along, with no sleuthing of any kind, and Lena felt especially passive, letting things just sort of happen to her, even despite being a murder suspect at one point.

By the time I got to the ending, I just didn't care about any of it anymore, and the final reveal did nothing to improve my feelings towards this. So, this one just didn't quite work for me, leaving me unsatisfied and bored, and I don't think I'll pick up the next books in the series.

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.