chairman_meow77's reviews
29 reviews

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

3.5

The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie Jr.

adventurous dark funny sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This is a wonderful snapshot into the frontier west. Yes there is a liberal usage of slurs and the language is what people today would call *gags* “problematic”. If you offend easily or if you are not keenly interested in the frontier west then this is not the book for you. The landscapes are beautiful and descriptions of seasons, animals, bodies of water, etc are varied and captivating. I will say one last time the tone and language is outdated, but what do you expect from a novel about the 1840s written in the 1940s? This is a wonderful bit of history and an excellent example of frontier literature. I must say I did not like Boone very much. I know this part of the theme of the novel but he felt wholly unrelatable to me after a few (gratuitous) run ins with other frontiersmen. This is a personal issue and not one of poor writing. The story often goes from a glacial pace to all of a sudden boom a huge event happens with almost no transition or build up. There is no tension in this novel because if something happens the chapter or part ends and we pick up 3 years later. Those are the reasons I rated the book a 3.50.

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

adventurous dark funny informative reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

A brilliant work of satire. 

Sanctuary by William Faulkner

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

The Pale King by David Foster Wallace

challenging funny reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

There are flashes of brilliance here but it is very obvious this is an unfinished novel that was collated by DFWs editor after his death. It reads more like a collection of short stories with shared characters. The moments of inimitability make it worth the read but I also feel disappointment that we will never be able to experience the completed and polished version of this novel. If you are a DFW fan this is worth the read, if you are on the fence about him or don’t feel strongly about him one way or another you probably won’t finish this novel. 

The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

A lovely sweet novel full of interesting characters and intriguing situations. 

Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition by Marc Reisner

challenging dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

This is the most frightening book I have ever read. No work of fiction or horror can compare to the true horrors that occurred in the West through the 19th and 20th centuries. If you are living in the American West you MUST read this book immediately. 

The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

This novel will leave me contemplating existence, humanity, and genetic modification for a very long time to come. Some of the sexual content in the middle of the novel seemed gratuitous at the time but I am not abandoning the thought that I may be missing something essential in these scenes that provides a kind of reinforcement to the larger themes presented. 

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

I have never read a book that describes the thoughts, anxieties, desires of a drug addict. As a recovering addict the sections of the novel that addressed addiction were incredibly accurate almost to the point of despair. David Foster Wallace is an incredible writer and this book changed my life. I am still thinking about the ending and trying to figure out how it relates to the rest of the novel and if the ending we received is actually a conclusion to the rest of the novel rather than just a random and free standing vignette. If you love language and literature then you MUST read this novel. 

The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75