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carlisbookshelf's Reviews (168)
I am OBSESSED. Okay, I think I’ve found my new favorite author in Kerry Winfrey.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really wanted to love this book, I truly did. Now, it’s not to say I hated it. I just felt slightly underwhelmed by the book. For me, The premise of the Chalk Man was so fascinating and something incredibly unique. I was hoping it would be a fast paced, über-atmospheric and suspenseful thriller, but the book itself started out SO SLOWLY for me. The first 50 or so pages were hard for me to get through because I was hoping for a lot more creepiness right out of the gate.
I feel like, once the suspense started kicking in, it was a lot harder for me to put the book down. At the end of the day, I struggled to connect to any of the characters at more than a surface level and wish there was a little more depth to the characters, especially their adult versions. I did love the flipping between 1986 and 2016; but I felt more of a connection and interest to the characters in 1986 because their adventures really felt like those from Stranger Things or the Goonies. But, I think we were just left scratching the surface with the characters.
Overall, I was underwhelmed and left wanting more.
I really wanted to love this book, I truly did. Now, it’s not to say I hated it. I just felt slightly underwhelmed by the book. For me, The premise of the Chalk Man was so fascinating and something incredibly unique. I was hoping it would be a fast paced, über-atmospheric and suspenseful thriller, but the book itself started out SO SLOWLY for me. The first 50 or so pages were hard for me to get through because I was hoping for a lot more creepiness right out of the gate.
I feel like, once the suspense started kicking in, it was a lot harder for me to put the book down. At the end of the day, I struggled to connect to any of the characters at more than a surface level and wish there was a little more depth to the characters, especially their adult versions. I did love the flipping between 1986 and 2016; but I felt more of a connection and interest to the characters in 1986 because their adventures really felt like those from Stranger Things or the Goonies. But, I think we were just left scratching the surface with the characters.
Overall, I was underwhelmed and left wanting more.
Good GOD, I am offended at myself for TAKING SO LONG TO FINALLY READ THIS MASTERPIECE.
I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue when I read it at the height of my quarantining, so naturally, I picked this one up as soon as I could. But i don’t have a clue as to why I kept putting off reading OLS… because I easily enjoyed it even more! (Which I didn’t think was possible, honestly). I love and relate to August so much and Casey McQuiston’s books are a master class at writing diverse, genuine, and realistic queer characters; One Last Stop is no exception.
Getting to the bottom of Jane’s story and how she got on the Q was not what I was expecting it to be at all. And I loved it. It’s just magical enough to keep me going and have it not be this weird, uncanny valley gimmick. It was clever, heartfelt, and well written, which again is a testament for McQuiston’s A-1 writing abilities.
It felt weirdly like a modern day version of Rent (minus the evictions and dying of AIDS and other depressing shit), and I don’t know if it was the setting, the characters, the story, or a mixture of all of the above… but I got the same vibes from my first viewing of Rent, like — I’m home and these are my kind of people. I can’t describe it, not fully or accurately. Highly, HIGHLY recommend this one, 365 days of the year.
I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue when I read it at the height of my quarantining, so naturally, I picked this one up as soon as I could. But i don’t have a clue as to why I kept putting off reading OLS… because I easily enjoyed it even more! (Which I didn’t think was possible, honestly). I love and relate to August so much and Casey McQuiston’s books are a master class at writing diverse, genuine, and realistic queer characters; One Last Stop is no exception.
Getting to the bottom of Jane’s story and how she got on the Q was not what I was expecting it to be at all. And I loved it. It’s just magical enough to keep me going and have it not be this weird, uncanny valley gimmick. It was clever, heartfelt, and well written, which again is a testament for McQuiston’s A-1 writing abilities.
It felt weirdly like a modern day version of Rent (minus the evictions and dying of AIDS and other depressing shit), and I don’t know if it was the setting, the characters, the story, or a mixture of all of the above… but I got the same vibes from my first viewing of Rent, like — I’m home and these are my kind of people. I can’t describe it, not fully or accurately. Highly, HIGHLY recommend this one, 365 days of the year.
I said this from the beginning, but I knew this book was going to make me feel all the feels at the end. I really liked how Matteo and Rufus were very easily polar opposites in how the lived their lives, how they dealt with the news of their imminent deaths, as well as their outlooks on how to spend their last day on earth. It really brought out a good balance between them and I loved watching them teach each other things and watch how their relationship formed in the short time they knew each other.
The concept itself, the idea of Death-Cast and receiving a phone call stating that you’re going to die within 25 hours, is super creative and unique. I really liked the cast of characters and this is one of the few books I’ve finished where I truly wanted to know what happened to each character in the months after the book takes place. I thought I was going to hate all of the different character perspectives, and while
I did find some of the tertiary characters’ perspectives a little arbitrary, I liked how the author connected all of them back to Rufus and Matteo in some minor way.
Overall, I thought I going to be a bigger mess emotionally than I ended up being. But, this book still hit me emotionally.
The concept itself, the idea of Death-Cast and receiving a phone call stating that you’re going to die within 25 hours, is super creative and unique. I really liked the cast of characters and this is one of the few books I’ve finished where I truly wanted to know what happened to each character in the months after the book takes place. I thought I was going to hate all of the different character perspectives, and while
I did find some of the tertiary characters’ perspectives a little arbitrary, I liked how the author connected all of them back to Rufus and Matteo in some minor way.
Overall, I thought I going to be a bigger mess emotionally than I ended up being. But, this book still hit me emotionally.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (rounding it up to 4 because the ending made me weep.)
The Dictionary of Lost Words centers around our main character, Esme Nicoll, a young girl who grew up motherless and surrounded by a world of words and her father’s work on the first edition of the Oxford Dictionary. Ever the curious young woman, Esme took a unique fascination to the Scriptorium her dad and his fellow lexicographers worked at & the countless new words found in every nook and cranny.
We watch Esme grow up before our eyes & follow her journey from childhood into her adulthood, watching her relationship with words and the Scrippy evolve as she does. Esme goes through trials and tribulations that, even though the story takes place in the late 1800’s and continues into the height of the Women’s Suffragette movement in early 1900’s, is still relevant today. It’s a beautiful story and, damn, you can tell the author did her damn research and put every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears into this baby.
I truly loved Esme as a character (especially her relationship with Lizzie). I thought she was a beautifully written protagonist with just the right amount of nuance. But, I definitely found myself resonating more with her journey later on in her life, as opposed to in the first 1/3 of the book. (Which helped pull me through to the end).
The blending of fictional characters with real-life editors & contributors to the original edition of the Dictionary definitely made parts of this book slightly easier to get through. The reason I didn’t rate this book higher is because it’s a *very* slow-paced read and my big, dumb ADHD brain definitely struggled to maintain interest despite it all (I think that’s to be expected with historical fiction, especially as well-researched as this novel).
Life Hack: I ended up downloading and following along with the audiobook for most of the book which helped me significantly
The Dictionary of Lost Words centers around our main character, Esme Nicoll, a young girl who grew up motherless and surrounded by a world of words and her father’s work on the first edition of the Oxford Dictionary. Ever the curious young woman, Esme took a unique fascination to the Scriptorium her dad and his fellow lexicographers worked at & the countless new words found in every nook and cranny.
We watch Esme grow up before our eyes & follow her journey from childhood into her adulthood, watching her relationship with words and the Scrippy evolve as she does. Esme goes through trials and tribulations that, even though the story takes place in the late 1800’s and continues into the height of the Women’s Suffragette movement in early 1900’s, is still relevant today. It’s a beautiful story and, damn, you can tell the author did her damn research and put every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears into this baby.
I truly loved Esme as a character (especially her relationship with Lizzie). I thought she was a beautifully written protagonist with just the right amount of nuance. But, I definitely found myself resonating more with her journey later on in her life, as opposed to in the first 1/3 of the book. (Which helped pull me through to the end).
The blending of fictional characters with real-life editors & contributors to the original edition of the Dictionary definitely made parts of this book slightly easier to get through. The reason I didn’t rate this book higher is because it’s a *very* slow-paced read and my big, dumb ADHD brain definitely struggled to maintain interest despite it all (I think that’s to be expected with historical fiction, especially as well-researched as this novel).
Life Hack: I ended up downloading and following along with the audiobook for most of the book which helped me significantly