connormills93's reviews
32 reviews

They: A Sequence of Unease by Kay Dick

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

A perfect little slice of tension and intrigue. I loved how the book bloomed throughout the read through as more context of the situation developed, life stopped me from finishing this in a day as I very much wanted to.

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

dark funny tense fast-paced

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

5.0

A stunningly written book about power abuse that throws you around like a rag doll, and with good reason, you the reader are also just a means to an end, along for the ride and how lucky we all are, to simply put, enjoy American Psycho for hot girls and gays.

I’d seen recently Charli XCX say in an interview that “Club Classics” was just a character study with a sly smile and it’s in this style of “inner circle” smirk that we can find Irina.

The power dynamics at play throughout are cruel and beautifully chewed over. I really enjoyed the scenes in which Irina entered into dangerous situations in which we classically imagine she’s at a disadvantage but how she’s always in control, above every situation, as we discover not as an act of survival but continually pushing the boundaries to try and feel what a boundary would even feel like at this point, her hunger grows in tandem with her separation from reality and we are once again reminded we are not in control as the reader, were no more important than the boys brought into the home photo studio.

Slick and filled with dark humour I devoured this book greedily, or maybe I’m just a bit more of a sub than I first thought. 

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

dark funny reflective 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

5.0

This is actually one of the few times I’m finding it hard to put into words my feelings on a book but trying my best this is a hilarious off-beat roll in to self destructive inner child healing.

Also that Piñon chapter nearly finished me off I near threw the book in disbelief and very quickly cradled it all within a couple of pages.

The story is captivating but this is very much a novel in which you pop on your seat belt and allow yourself to be carried along for the ride.

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

A lyrical and devastating tour de force of self loathing, yet I feel even this depth of emotion isn’t even within this main characters reach as his tirade of self destruction burns everyone in his path making the subtle nod towards Macbeth somewhat more apt as the book progresses.

I found the way the author describes the passing of time in the room dreamy and loved the quickening pace captured in the moments where anything was possible during Giovanni and David’s first encounter and could relate to the rejection of your culture to mirror the rejection in yourself, in all it was an amazing book and worth the read, it wasn’t perfect but for someone who struggles to enjoy “classics” it certainly kept me entertained and hungry for more.

Limbic by Peter Scalpello

4.5

She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark

dark funny mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

One word to describe this collection of short stories is delicious. This book is perfect for anyone wanting to enter into horror at an entry level or as a long time veteran, it’s a snappy humorous look at the different facets of hunger which drive and destroy us, beautiful pacing with an immaculate standard of writing throughout. The title story being a personal favourite with a really clever writing technique that instantly transported me to the setting.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.25

pandemonium by Andrew McMillan

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

pandemonium simply put is a masterclass in catching a moment and while the poems themselves seem to capture a turbulent storm Andrew seems to be within the eye of its passing and able to give a collected nuanced view of grief, love and growing.

A personal favourite was swan but nothing will break me quite like the first stanza of the first poem, for me it sets up the collection beautifully.

I Felt the End Before It Came: Memoirs of a Queer Ex-Jehovah's Witness by Daniel Allen Cox

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

1.5

Part memoir part essays I found the book to be quite informative and had a genuine intrigue throughout. That being said I felt the biggest should I say let down of this book was the writing style, especially during the section in which the author discusses cocktail recipes, at this point the writing had felt quite honest and to somewhat of a degree, raw, yet this section was littered with for lack of a better word "cringe" one shot musings which quite honestly left me rolling my eyes. It's at this point the book dropped dramatically in my expectations and found it hard to continue reading. Maybe just a personal gripe of mine but it then began to colour what I had read so far almost as if the author was to insecure to allow us to take our own conclusions on the work we were reading and then from this form our own connection to the work. I hate to say it as I wanted to move past it but more and more I felt the phrase "pity porn" come to the forefront of my interaction with the work and it just spoiled it to much for me. Maybe I'm being harsh and again I really did enjoy the first couple of sections but unfortunately it all just fell flat for me towards the end. 

Shy by Max Porter

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A lyrical novella which feels closer to a poem than a story. Max Porter's writing style is captivating in the way he conjures up vivid images in this story. A stream of consciousness is the best way I can describe the way the plot progresses with a nod to tempo in the way the format of the book changes which I especially appreciated, given the interests of Shy, it felt authentic.  My only gripe being how I personally found it hard to follow at points and had to stop and re-read parts to understand where the story was moving but apart from that an empathetic and beautiful book.