Scan barcode
courtneydoss's reviews
777 reviews
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
5.0
The Woman in the Window was pretty low on my list of books to read, if I'm being honest. The premise seemed appealing, but not too original, and the reviews I'd seen for it seemed a tad overhyped. Still, I added it to my book list and when it came available at my local library, I decided to give it a shot. I am so glad that I did. This book was fast paced, tense, and emotional. Although I dragged my feet through the first half of the book, I stayed up late into the night reading the last half because it was ridiculously difficult to put down. There were times when my heart sped up, times when I cried, and times when I was legitimately creeped out. A.J. Finn has really stepped up to the plate with this stellar debut.
This novel follows Dr. Anna Fox, a child psychologist, who just so happens to be agoraphobic. After experiencing a terrible trauma, Anna has shut herself into the only place that she feels safe, and given over to a string of bad habits. She abuses alcohol, takes too many pills, and spends most of her days watching black-and-white movies. Oh, and she also likes to watch her neighbors through their windows. After witnessing a terrible event through the Russells' window, Anna is suddenly faced with the idea that maybe her house isn't as safe as she imagines it to be.
There is a trope in psychological thrillers wherein the narrator proves to be unreliable, or else to be suffering from some sort of psychological issue that makes their motives or perceptions questionable. Never, in my whole life as a reader of thrillers, have I found a book that executed this particular trope as well as The Woman in the Window. The issues of Anna were so extreme that even I was questioning whether any of the major "thriller" parts of the novel had even happened. As characters in the novel dismissed Anna for her deep psychological issues and rampant substance abuse, I found myself following suit. I didn't entirely trust Anna, and that has never happened to me before. I can usually decipher truth from untruth when it comes to the fiction that I'm reading, but this novel did a superb job of blending Anna's skewed perception with the realities around her.
One thing I didn't expect from this novel was to feel emotional. I even shed a tear at one point, because I felt so deeply for the main character. Anna is flawed. Quite simply, she is a total mess, but to live inside her head for the duration of this novel makes all of those psychological issues so much more relatable. The reader is given a intimate look at the realities of agoraphobia, trauma based mental illness, depression, and substance abuse. By making Anna into a child psychologist, A.J. Finn demonstrates that even when logic and understanding of the illness is present, the effects of it are still incredibly debilitating. It shows in no uncertain terms that anyone, no matter the strength of their mental faculties, can be mentally ill.
When reading mysteries and thrillers, I live for the grand reveal. I adore the moment of vindication or of surprise when the outcome turns out differently than what I expected. However, with this novel, I found that the greatest reward from it was in the process of reaching that ending. I was so enthralled by Anna's journey that I was a bit sad to see it end. That doesn't happen to me often, so I have to give this book an emphatic 5-star review.
I recommend this book to anybody that enjoys psychological thrillers, unreliable narrators, and fast-paced novels.
This novel follows Dr. Anna Fox, a child psychologist, who just so happens to be agoraphobic. After experiencing a terrible trauma, Anna has shut herself into the only place that she feels safe, and given over to a string of bad habits. She abuses alcohol, takes too many pills, and spends most of her days watching black-and-white movies. Oh, and she also likes to watch her neighbors through their windows. After witnessing a terrible event through the Russells' window, Anna is suddenly faced with the idea that maybe her house isn't as safe as she imagines it to be.
There is a trope in psychological thrillers wherein the narrator proves to be unreliable, or else to be suffering from some sort of psychological issue that makes their motives or perceptions questionable. Never, in my whole life as a reader of thrillers, have I found a book that executed this particular trope as well as The Woman in the Window. The issues of Anna were so extreme that even I was questioning whether any of the major "thriller" parts of the novel had even happened. As characters in the novel dismissed Anna for her deep psychological issues and rampant substance abuse, I found myself following suit. I didn't entirely trust Anna, and that has never happened to me before. I can usually decipher truth from untruth when it comes to the fiction that I'm reading, but this novel did a superb job of blending Anna's skewed perception with the realities around her.
One thing I didn't expect from this novel was to feel emotional. I even shed a tear at one point, because I felt so deeply for the main character. Anna is flawed. Quite simply, she is a total mess, but to live inside her head for the duration of this novel makes all of those psychological issues so much more relatable. The reader is given a intimate look at the realities of agoraphobia, trauma based mental illness, depression, and substance abuse. By making Anna into a child psychologist, A.J. Finn demonstrates that even when logic and understanding of the illness is present, the effects of it are still incredibly debilitating. It shows in no uncertain terms that anyone, no matter the strength of their mental faculties, can be mentally ill.
When reading mysteries and thrillers, I live for the grand reveal. I adore the moment of vindication or of surprise when the outcome turns out differently than what I expected. However, with this novel, I found that the greatest reward from it was in the process of reaching that ending. I was so enthralled by Anna's journey that I was a bit sad to see it end. That doesn't happen to me often, so I have to give this book an emphatic 5-star review.
I recommend this book to anybody that enjoys psychological thrillers, unreliable narrators, and fast-paced novels.
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
3.0
*sigh*
From the mind that created such excellent, atmospheric thrillers as The Death of Mrs. Westaway and The Turn of the Key comes a story that is not nearly as entertaining or original. In A Dark, Dark Wood is chock full of cliches, unlikable characters, and incredibly predictable twists. In fact, they are so predictable that the utter blindness of our protagonist comes off as stupidity rather than simple dramatic irony. I understand that this is Ruth Ware's first novel, so I do have to cut her some slack here, and its definitely not her worst novel, but I wanted so much more out of this than I got.
Leonora is invited to the hen party of her long lost high school bestie, Clare. Accepting against her better judgment, Nora ends up in a far flung location with a group of people that she hardly knows, celebrating her old friend's engagement to *surprise* Nora's ex-boyfriend, who she is unfortunately desperately hung up on. Something bad happens, as we are reminded over and over again throughout the novel, but what exactly it is isn't spelled out until way later due to an unhelpful bout of trauma based amnesia.
Amnesia as a plot device is not my favorite trope, and in my opinion it wasn't very realistically handled. Throughout the novel, Nora gains her memory back little by little, but for some reason can't conjure up five minutes of her day that would make the most difference until the very end of the book. I'd buy into the trauma based nature of it if it weren't for the fact that she remembers the trauma before she remembers the five crucial minutes. I don't know how trauma based amnesia works, but I'd be willing to guess that it doesn't work like that.
Nora and her relationship with Clare is both a strength and a weakness to the novel. On one hand, the depiction of frenemies and the way a beautiful, popular girl might prey on a more mild mannered, less confident girl was realistic. So, too, was the depiction of said mild mannered girl's complicity in her own degradation and victimization. Nora wants to be a confident young woman, far removed from who she once was, but back in the presence of Clare, she is once again the sixteen year old that she thought she'd left behind. We see Nora leaning into the persona of a doormat in the company of her high school friends, regressing and making excuses for the mean girl behaviors of her friends. That was realistic, but I thought that certain characters were over the top cliches of the roles they were supposed to play, (i.e. too blatantly selfish, or needy, or bitchy for the sake of being bitchy), lacking any real depth.
Despite how scathing this review might seem, I actually really like Ruth Ware, and I do plan to read the one remaining title from her catalog that I haven't yet read. I just know that she could do so much better than this book, so I can't rate it anywhere near as high as her other novels.
From the mind that created such excellent, atmospheric thrillers as The Death of Mrs. Westaway and The Turn of the Key comes a story that is not nearly as entertaining or original. In A Dark, Dark Wood is chock full of cliches, unlikable characters, and incredibly predictable twists. In fact, they are so predictable that the utter blindness of our protagonist comes off as stupidity rather than simple dramatic irony. I understand that this is Ruth Ware's first novel, so I do have to cut her some slack here, and its definitely not her worst novel, but I wanted so much more out of this than I got.
Leonora is invited to the hen party of her long lost high school bestie, Clare. Accepting against her better judgment, Nora ends up in a far flung location with a group of people that she hardly knows, celebrating her old friend's engagement to *surprise* Nora's ex-boyfriend, who she is unfortunately desperately hung up on. Something bad happens, as we are reminded over and over again throughout the novel, but what exactly it is isn't spelled out until way later due to an unhelpful bout of trauma based amnesia.
Amnesia as a plot device is not my favorite trope, and in my opinion it wasn't very realistically handled. Throughout the novel, Nora gains her memory back little by little, but for some reason can't conjure up five minutes of her day that would make the most difference until the very end of the book. I'd buy into the trauma based nature of it if it weren't for the fact that she remembers the trauma before she remembers the five crucial minutes. I don't know how trauma based amnesia works, but I'd be willing to guess that it doesn't work like that.
Nora and her relationship with Clare is both a strength and a weakness to the novel. On one hand, the depiction of frenemies and the way a beautiful, popular girl might prey on a more mild mannered, less confident girl was realistic. So, too, was the depiction of said mild mannered girl's complicity in her own degradation and victimization. Nora wants to be a confident young woman, far removed from who she once was, but back in the presence of Clare, she is once again the sixteen year old that she thought she'd left behind. We see Nora leaning into the persona of a doormat in the company of her high school friends, regressing and making excuses for the mean girl behaviors of her friends. That was realistic, but I thought that certain characters were over the top cliches of the roles they were supposed to play, (i.e. too blatantly selfish, or needy, or bitchy for the sake of being bitchy), lacking any real depth.
Despite how scathing this review might seem, I actually really like Ruth Ware, and I do plan to read the one remaining title from her catalog that I haven't yet read. I just know that she could do so much better than this book, so I can't rate it anywhere near as high as her other novels.
Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
2.0
I didn’t hate this book, but I don’t think I exactly enjoyed it either. There were definitely bits that entertained me, but throughout I was distracted by how genuinely unlikeable I found the writer. The way she speaks to and about her loved ones seemed genuinely disrespectful and I know that if I were one of them, I would cringe to see that kind of stuff in print. I was particularly troubled by her judgmental assessment of her friend Isabel and her astoundingly ungrateful behavior toward her husband. Obviously, this is all taken through the types of things she says in her book and may not accurately reflect reality, but throughout I felt as though she were a “cool girl”; making herself seem more edgy and interesting by shit talking her friends and family under the guise of humor. The fact that she is introspective in some points and then completely oblivious to moments of assholery is frustrating. Overall, though, I’d say this is an easy to follow read and inspires an appreciation for all the work that goes into cooking fancy meals. Just ignore the parts that aren’t about cooking.
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
3.0
Moll Flanders is beautiful. She is also dirt poor in the squalid, miserable streets of 1700s London. With no family and no options, Moll pulls herself up by her bootstraps and takes on the hazardous, uphill climb to a place of financial stability, but every time it seems as though she has reached the summit and things finally start to look good for her, something knocks her back to the bottom again. "Moll Flanders" tells the story of our plucky little heroine as she attempts to make an advantageous match (or five), falls into a life of crime, and eventually cleans up her act. This novel takes the scrappy, dirty little nobodies that sit in the periphery of other novels and places them center stage in the form of a tough, adaptable, and ambitious titular character.
Moll Flanders is a fascinating character. On the surface, she presents herself to the world as modest, honest, and virtuous, but underneath it all she is the farthest thing from it. For most of the novel, Moll is an unrepentant liar. She seamlessly flows from con to con, manipulation to manipulation, and secures herself a rather cushy life through doing so. Even her name is a lie, an alias made up to shelter herself from the consequences of her deceit. Despite all of that, though, she is a sympathetic character. We understand why she does what she does, even when she doesn't need to do it.
As I read, I couldn't make up my mind if Moll was the luckiest person in the world, or the least. On one hand, she finds people nearly everywhere she goes that are willing to help her out. On the other, she is constantly getting knocked down by dying husbands, unexpected losses, and unplanned pregnancies. All throughout the novel she yo-yos from happiness to misery and back again. Her life is chaos, and the only tools she has to create some semblance of stability are her looks, her charisma, and her wit. In the beginning, she relies mostly on her looks and charisma, wooing, seducing, and outright manipulating men into providing for her. As she grows older, and her looks begin to fade, she is forced to instead rely on her wit and charisma, devising means of stealing what she can't earn and talking her way out of trouble.
Moll's story is a genuinely good one, but writing from the 1700s is an acquired taste. If you aren't used to reading classics, the massive difference between what constitutes a good book now and what constituted a good book back then might be a little jarring. There is very little poetry in the work of Daniel Defoe. The facts are presented in a straight forward way, and there is very little in the way of description and atmosphere. I don't recall even one paragraph that described what Moll looked like, other than to be pretty, and certainly nothing of the other characters. Many of the characters don't even have names, described only by their roles in Moll's life. The story, while a worthwhile one, reads as "this happened, then this happened, then this happened," without much focus on thoughts or feelings or descriptions. It can be tedious, especially toward the end when the action has slowed to a crawl and Moll's only further adventure is to wrap things up.
At the end of the day, "Moll Flanders" is worth the read. It provides a unique insight into the desperation of poverty in 18th century Britain, and showcases one of the most unique and memorable heroines of classic literature. With five husbands, a handful of lovers, and an astounding NINE!!! children, I imagine a modern day Moll Flanders as your tattooed, blue haired grandmother who shares her pot with you and is always telling you inappropriate stories about guys she hooked up with in the 60s. In fact, I would love to see a modern day adaptation of "Moll Flanders" that amounts to just that!
Moll Flanders is a fascinating character. On the surface, she presents herself to the world as modest, honest, and virtuous, but underneath it all she is the farthest thing from it. For most of the novel, Moll is an unrepentant liar. She seamlessly flows from con to con, manipulation to manipulation, and secures herself a rather cushy life through doing so. Even her name is a lie, an alias made up to shelter herself from the consequences of her deceit. Despite all of that, though, she is a sympathetic character. We understand why she does what she does, even when she doesn't need to do it.
As I read, I couldn't make up my mind if Moll was the luckiest person in the world, or the least. On one hand, she finds people nearly everywhere she goes that are willing to help her out. On the other, she is constantly getting knocked down by dying husbands, unexpected losses, and unplanned pregnancies. All throughout the novel she yo-yos from happiness to misery and back again. Her life is chaos, and the only tools she has to create some semblance of stability are her looks, her charisma, and her wit. In the beginning, she relies mostly on her looks and charisma, wooing, seducing, and outright manipulating men into providing for her. As she grows older, and her looks begin to fade, she is forced to instead rely on her wit and charisma, devising means of stealing what she can't earn and talking her way out of trouble.
Moll's story is a genuinely good one, but writing from the 1700s is an acquired taste. If you aren't used to reading classics, the massive difference between what constitutes a good book now and what constituted a good book back then might be a little jarring. There is very little poetry in the work of Daniel Defoe. The facts are presented in a straight forward way, and there is very little in the way of description and atmosphere. I don't recall even one paragraph that described what Moll looked like, other than to be pretty, and certainly nothing of the other characters. Many of the characters don't even have names, described only by their roles in Moll's life. The story, while a worthwhile one, reads as "this happened, then this happened, then this happened," without much focus on thoughts or feelings or descriptions. It can be tedious, especially toward the end when the action has slowed to a crawl and Moll's only further adventure is to wrap things up.
At the end of the day, "Moll Flanders" is worth the read. It provides a unique insight into the desperation of poverty in 18th century Britain, and showcases one of the most unique and memorable heroines of classic literature. With five husbands, a handful of lovers, and an astounding NINE!!! children, I imagine a modern day Moll Flanders as your tattooed, blue haired grandmother who shares her pot with you and is always telling you inappropriate stories about guys she hooked up with in the 60s. In fact, I would love to see a modern day adaptation of "Moll Flanders" that amounts to just that!
Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
4.0
Color me impressed. This was a solid entry into the Stalking Jack the Ripper series that improved vastly upon the previous two. I know that a lot of people are torn about this one, because of the introduction of the "love triangle" trope, but the fact that Kerri Manscalco really brought her A-game to the writing of this book just made the story that much better. There was none of the endless discussion of her skirts, no tedious repetitive filler sentences. And Audrey Rose was so much more likable this time around. She wasn't getting her panties in a knot over innocent comments or actions on the part of her partner, and she wasn't acting so superior to everyone (at least, not as much as she used to).
For me, the fact that all the kinks in the writing have been worked out totally makes this the best book in the series. I loved the carnival/circus/cruise setting, and I actually really liked the "love triangle" thing. Mephistopheles was cute and mysterious and dangerous maybe, and I think he would be exactly the type of guy to tempt a real 17-year-old girl. Indecision before commitment for life is normal for a girl that is so young. Readers tend to project their own thoughts and feelings onto the character, putting their extra years of experience into what they think the character should do. I tried not to do that. I'm almost thirty, and I made a lot of stupid decisions when I was seventeen. Getting a crush on the cute guy who is absolutely smitten with me and also is sexy and dangerous in a different way to the only other relationship I've ever been in WOULD be tempting to me when I was young and dumb. It actually made me like Audrey Rose more to see that she wasn't trying to be this infallible little badass, and instead was a normal teenager who just so happened to also be badass.
Anyway, A+ work on the part of Kerri Manscalco. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.
For me, the fact that all the kinks in the writing have been worked out totally makes this the best book in the series. I loved the carnival/circus/cruise setting, and I actually really liked the "love triangle" thing. Mephistopheles was cute and mysterious and dangerous maybe, and I think he would be exactly the type of guy to tempt a real 17-year-old girl. Indecision before commitment for life is normal for a girl that is so young. Readers tend to project their own thoughts and feelings onto the character, putting their extra years of experience into what they think the character should do. I tried not to do that. I'm almost thirty, and I made a lot of stupid decisions when I was seventeen. Getting a crush on the cute guy who is absolutely smitten with me and also is sexy and dangerous in a different way to the only other relationship I've ever been in WOULD be tempting to me when I was young and dumb. It actually made me like Audrey Rose more to see that she wasn't trying to be this infallible little badass, and instead was a normal teenager who just so happened to also be badass.
Anyway, A+ work on the part of Kerri Manscalco. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.
Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
3.0
I love Daphne du Maurier. My Cousin Rachel and Rebecca were both powerful gut-punchy novels and I went into Jamaica Inn expecting the same sort of thing. Unfortunately, it did not deliver. The story was straightforward, deliciously suspenseful and atmospheric, but without all of the shocking twists and turns that made the aforementioned books so memorable. From someone else, this might have been a five star book, but compared to du Maurier's other work, it falls short. Maybe this is because it was one of her earliest novels, before the success of Rebecca, or perhaps my two favorites of du Maurier's work are flukes, and most of her work is like Jamaica Inn. That remains to be seen, but I am still a devoted du Maurier fan girl, and this book was solid.
Jamaica Inn tells the story of plucky young heroine Mary Yellan who, after her mother dies, moves to the titular inn to live with her vibrant Aunt Patience and Patience's supposedly amazing husband, Joss Merlyn. When Mary arrives, though, she realizes that her preconceptions were flawed. Aunt Patience is no longer the vibrant youth Mary remembers, Joss is hardly the Prince Charming that she expected, and Jamaica Inn is a seedy place that the locals distrust. Mary makes the best of it, but she soon realizes that Jamaica Inn hides a lot of secrets, and none of them are good.
I liked Mary Yellan. She was a tough-as-nails, rebellious, hardcore young woman who didn't back down from anybody. She wasn't taking any of Joss Merlyn's shit, except as much as was required to stay with her Aunt Patience. I liked her romance with Jem, the sort of reluctant way that she fell in love with him, and how charming he was. Sure, he was sexist as hell, as were most of the characters in this book, but he was still attractive in that "bad boy" kind of way.
Despite being a tough girl, Mary made a few dumb decisions, and I saw them coming from a mile away even though it wasn't confirmed until the "grand reveal" toward the end of the book. But predictability doesn't always ruin a book for me. I didn't mind that the ending was predictable, because I enjoyed the journey to get to that point very much. Jamaica Inn's greatest strength is the atmosphere. I love the windswept, desolate moors of the Cornish countryside. It is reminiscent of the Brontes, who of course I love as well.
3-stars, although it would be 5-stars from anybody but my beloved Daphne.
Jamaica Inn tells the story of plucky young heroine Mary Yellan who, after her mother dies, moves to the titular inn to live with her vibrant Aunt Patience and Patience's supposedly amazing husband, Joss Merlyn. When Mary arrives, though, she realizes that her preconceptions were flawed. Aunt Patience is no longer the vibrant youth Mary remembers, Joss is hardly the Prince Charming that she expected, and Jamaica Inn is a seedy place that the locals distrust. Mary makes the best of it, but she soon realizes that Jamaica Inn hides a lot of secrets, and none of them are good.
I liked Mary Yellan. She was a tough-as-nails, rebellious, hardcore young woman who didn't back down from anybody. She wasn't taking any of Joss Merlyn's shit, except as much as was required to stay with her Aunt Patience. I liked her romance with Jem, the sort of reluctant way that she fell in love with him, and how charming he was. Sure, he was sexist as hell, as were most of the characters in this book, but he was still attractive in that "bad boy" kind of way.
Despite being a tough girl, Mary made a few dumb decisions, and I saw them coming from a mile away even though it wasn't confirmed until the "grand reveal" toward the end of the book. But predictability doesn't always ruin a book for me. I didn't mind that the ending was predictable, because I enjoyed the journey to get to that point very much. Jamaica Inn's greatest strength is the atmosphere. I love the windswept, desolate moors of the Cornish countryside. It is reminiscent of the Brontes, who of course I love as well.
3-stars, although it would be 5-stars from anybody but my beloved Daphne.
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
3.0
Anne Bronte is without a doubt one of the most tragically underrated writers of all time. Overshadowed by her sisters, Emily and Charlotte, and their moody, asshole male protagonists, Anne's debut novel was far more grounded and realistic than her sisters', and betrayed her humble, religious upbringing in a way that would grow to be quite off putting for an increasingly secular audience. Agnes Grey is everything that Jane Eyre would have been had it been based on reality; humble and unremarkable. Perhaps that's why it has faded into obscurity, despite enjoying relative popularity when it was first published. As much as I love Anne, even I could understand why it isn't as popular nowadays.
Largely autobiographical, Agnes Grey tells the story of the titular character's foray into the rough and tumble world of employment as a governess. Filled with high hopes and optimism, Agnes slowly realizes that the life of a governess is not at all what she thought. Faced with wild, spoiled children, enabling parents, and frankly, a glaring lack of experience, Agnes struggles through two separate jobs, learning how to endure all manner of disappointments without betraying her emotions.
I have heard it said that Agnes is a rather boring heroine, and at face value I have to agree. She isn't very reactive or emotional, but I think that it is very telling about who Anne was herself. In the beginning, Agnes struggles with her frustration but is able to temper it. She swallows all of her negative emotions and turns inward, allowing herself to fade into the background. She still has all of these stormy emotions underneath, but she learns early on that she cannot allow herself to be the servant of her emotions. She must keep them at bay. It is a lesson that Anne, more than her siblings, perfected. She alone was able to retain employment as a governess, up until her brother Branwell messed it up for everyone. Branwell was a reckless drunk, Emily was a gloomy poet, and Charlotte was a desperate and love-sick over a married man. Anne was whatever she needed to be.
While I agree with the general consensus that Anne's grand opus is without a doubt The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, I think that Agnes Grey is a necessary read for any fan of the Brontes, because it is the most telling of what their life experiences consisted of. Charlotte never got to marry her married lover (whose wife was, unfortunately, not insane and locked in an attic). Emily's real life was never as exciting and broody as Cathy and Heathcliff's. Branwell never got sober. But Anne definitely took a lot of shit from people who thought they were better than her in exchange for money. And really, isn't that easier to relate to than star-crossed lovers and Cinderella stories? Not nearly as fun, but definitely more relatable.
Largely autobiographical, Agnes Grey tells the story of the titular character's foray into the rough and tumble world of employment as a governess. Filled with high hopes and optimism, Agnes slowly realizes that the life of a governess is not at all what she thought. Faced with wild, spoiled children, enabling parents, and frankly, a glaring lack of experience, Agnes struggles through two separate jobs, learning how to endure all manner of disappointments without betraying her emotions.
I have heard it said that Agnes is a rather boring heroine, and at face value I have to agree. She isn't very reactive or emotional, but I think that it is very telling about who Anne was herself. In the beginning, Agnes struggles with her frustration but is able to temper it. She swallows all of her negative emotions and turns inward, allowing herself to fade into the background. She still has all of these stormy emotions underneath, but she learns early on that she cannot allow herself to be the servant of her emotions. She must keep them at bay. It is a lesson that Anne, more than her siblings, perfected. She alone was able to retain employment as a governess, up until her brother Branwell messed it up for everyone. Branwell was a reckless drunk, Emily was a gloomy poet, and Charlotte was a desperate and love-sick over a married man. Anne was whatever she needed to be.
While I agree with the general consensus that Anne's grand opus is without a doubt The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, I think that Agnes Grey is a necessary read for any fan of the Brontes, because it is the most telling of what their life experiences consisted of. Charlotte never got to marry her married lover (whose wife was, unfortunately, not insane and locked in an attic). Emily's real life was never as exciting and broody as Cathy and Heathcliff's. Branwell never got sober. But Anne definitely took a lot of shit from people who thought they were better than her in exchange for money. And really, isn't that easier to relate to than star-crossed lovers and Cinderella stories? Not nearly as fun, but definitely more relatable.
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
2.0
Recently, I've been feeling like reading more horror, and Heart-Shaped Box was one of the highest recommended, non-Stephen-King books that I could find. It appeared time and time again on internet lists for books that transcended the barrier of the written word and legitimately scared the reader. I was pumped. Which is why this book was so disappointing. Sure, a lot of the descriptions were creepy, but I wasn't necessarily scared. I was looking for skin-crawly, keep you up at night horror, and this wasn't it.
Heart-Shaped Box is the story of aging rock-and-roller Judas Coyne, who purchases a ghost from an online store on a morbid whim. Obsessed with all things macabre, Jude orders the haunted suit and promptly forgets about it, but when it arrives he instantly knows something is off about it. As it turns out, the suit really is haunted, and the ghost that inhabits it is hell-bent on destroying Jude...and is willing to take down anybody else that gets in the way.
The imagery in this novel is pretty awesome. The descriptions of the ghost are particularly heebie jeebie, and although I think that the fear factor is greatly diminished later on in the book, the initial encounters with the ghost are really creepy. I think that the premise of this story is pretty strong, but it suffers from curse of over-explanation. What makes a book or movie truly terrifying is the unknown, and the nature of Jude's haunting is explained pretty early on. The reader learns early on what the exact limits of the haunting are, and so there is none of the tension that comes with the unknown.
Jude as a character starts out pretty unlikable, as far as I'm concerned, and the book comes across as a very masculine sort of novel. You can tell the difference between a novel written by a woman and a novel written by a man, and this was a quintessential boy's book. The character was tough and had the emotional range of a pitch pipe. His relationships with former girlfriend Anna "Florida" and current girlfriend Marybeth "Georgia" were both the toxic, and he was a total dick, if I'm being honest. He did pull it together a bit toward the end, but it didn't change the fact that he started out as an ass.
This wasn't the worst horror book I've ever read, but I think that it missed the mark when it comes to horror. For that reason, I gave it two stars.
Heart-Shaped Box is the story of aging rock-and-roller Judas Coyne, who purchases a ghost from an online store on a morbid whim. Obsessed with all things macabre, Jude orders the haunted suit and promptly forgets about it, but when it arrives he instantly knows something is off about it. As it turns out, the suit really is haunted, and the ghost that inhabits it is hell-bent on destroying Jude...and is willing to take down anybody else that gets in the way.
The imagery in this novel is pretty awesome. The descriptions of the ghost are particularly heebie jeebie, and although I think that the fear factor is greatly diminished later on in the book, the initial encounters with the ghost are really creepy. I think that the premise of this story is pretty strong, but it suffers from curse of over-explanation. What makes a book or movie truly terrifying is the unknown, and the nature of Jude's haunting is explained pretty early on. The reader learns early on what the exact limits of the haunting are, and so there is none of the tension that comes with the unknown.
Jude as a character starts out pretty unlikable, as far as I'm concerned, and the book comes across as a very masculine sort of novel. You can tell the difference between a novel written by a woman and a novel written by a man, and this was a quintessential boy's book. The character was tough and had the emotional range of a pitch pipe. His relationships with former girlfriend Anna "Florida" and current girlfriend Marybeth "Georgia" were both the toxic, and he was a total dick, if I'm being honest. He did pull it together a bit toward the end, but it didn't change the fact that he started out as an ass.
This wasn't the worst horror book I've ever read, but I think that it missed the mark when it comes to horror. For that reason, I gave it two stars.
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
3.0
“One of Us Is Lying” is not going to go down in history as one of the great American novels, but it is a genuinely fun mystery novel with a dash of teenage romance thrown in. While I devoured this novel in one sitting, I couldn’t help but feel like a teenager again; giddy at the romantic bits and hopeful for a happy ending. I did enjoy the mystery element of the story, and while the ending was on my radar about midway through, the author threw in enough red herrings to keep me unsure throughout. I will say that one negative about this book is the whole Bronwyn’s half Colombian thing. It seems as though her father was only made Colombian to add a dash of color to the book, but her mother was made Caucasian lest it be unbelievable that Bronwyn was born the picture of Caucasian beauty. I would have preferred if Bronwyn would have been fully Colombian, or if any of the other characters were made to be POC. That way it would feel less like Bronwyn was the token POC in the story. Otherwise, I thought this book was wonderfully entertaining and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to escape for a little while.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4.0
After hearing impressive things about Taylor Jenkins Reid, and particularly The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I decided to put in a request for this book from my local library. The story of an old Hollywood starlet with a full, scandalous love life definitely sounded like something I wanted to read. However, the wait list for this particular book was six long weeks, and so I contented myself with Daisy Jones and The Six. My first impression of that book did not bode well for Evelyn Hugo, as I found it stuffy and hard to get into. I tried reading it on Kindle and again on Audio book before finally just scrapping the idea altogether. The fact that I stayed on the wait list for this book was merely out of sheer stubbornness and unwillingness to give up my place in the line after a few weeks. I'm glad that I gave this book a chance though, because I adored it.
Real life Old Hollywood was messy and Evelyn Hugo's fictional version draws upon the drama to tell a compelling story about love, growth, and self-acceptance. The story begins with young journalist Monique Grant finding herself requested by name for a super exclusive article featuring bombshell Evelyn Hugo. When she arrives, she discovers that it has all been a ruse. There is no article. Evelyn isn't interested in helping Monique's employer with an exclusive interview. Instead, she's offering Monique the chance of a lifetime to serve as her official biographer. Over the course of several days, Evelyn's private life is disclosed to Monique, and by the end Miss Hugo has no secrets left.
I think the thing that I loved the most about this book is vaguely spoilerish, so I won't detail it outright except below in a spoiler tag. However, I will say that this book opened up my mind to a whole other type of romance novel that I didn't know I needed so badly. I didn't know that they wrote stuff like this in a compelling, accessible way and I'm so thrilled to have found it. I recommend it highly.
Real life Old Hollywood was messy and Evelyn Hugo's fictional version draws upon the drama to tell a compelling story about love, growth, and self-acceptance. The story begins with young journalist Monique Grant finding herself requested by name for a super exclusive article featuring bombshell Evelyn Hugo. When she arrives, she discovers that it has all been a ruse. There is no article. Evelyn isn't interested in helping Monique's employer with an exclusive interview. Instead, she's offering Monique the chance of a lifetime to serve as her official biographer. Over the course of several days, Evelyn's private life is disclosed to Monique, and by the end Miss Hugo has no secrets left.
I think the thing that I loved the most about this book is vaguely spoilerish, so I won't detail it outright except below in a spoiler tag. However, I will say that this book opened up my mind to a whole other type of romance novel that I didn't know I needed so badly. I didn't know that they wrote stuff like this in a compelling, accessible way and I'm so thrilled to have found it. I recommend it highly.