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dobbsthedog's reviews
1760 reviews
Stuck with You by 'Nathan Burgoine
4.0
Okay, so this was ridiculously sweet. Highly recommend if you’re just looking for a quick palate cleanser, or if you need a good read for a reluctant reader or someone who finds reading challenging. This is a hi-lo reader, meaning high interest, low readability; basically a lovely story with a larger size font and spacing, as well as easy language.
Karaoke Queen by Dominic Lim
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
DNF at 50%
I just really did not like this book. I tried, but it felt off. Like, I can’t quite put my finger on what didn’t feel right, but there was something.
I continued with it as far I did in hopes that maybe the further into the story I got that it might get better, but it didn’t.
Maybe I’m the wrong audience for this book. I don’t know… I really disliked the MC, he seemed incredibly self-centred and selfish. I also didn’t like the way he was immediately falling all over his ex, when they had said basically nothing to each other, as well as the objectifying language used. It felt like there was some sort of reckoning coming, but I just couldn’t be arsed to keep with it to find out.
And lastly, I really disliked the amount of lying that was going on throughout the story. And obviously I understand that sometimes you have to do what you have to do to be yourself and live your life, but this just really felt… wrong?
Overall, this just was not the book for me.
I just really did not like this book. I tried, but it felt off. Like, I can’t quite put my finger on what didn’t feel right, but there was something.
I continued with it as far I did in hopes that maybe the further into the story I got that it might get better, but it didn’t.
Maybe I’m the wrong audience for this book. I don’t know… I really disliked the MC, he seemed incredibly self-centred and selfish. I also didn’t like the way he was immediately falling all over his ex, when they had said basically nothing to each other, as well as the objectifying language used. It felt like there was some sort of reckoning coming, but I just couldn’t be arsed to keep with it to find out.
And lastly, I really disliked the amount of lying that was going on throughout the story. And obviously I understand that sometimes you have to do what you have to do to be yourself and live your life, but this just really felt… wrong?
Overall, this just was not the book for me.
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma
4.0
This book was super weird, but I liked it?
Every story (with the exception of one small part of one) is from the POV of the woman in the story. There is such a wide variety of stories, with varying degrees of reality. I enjoyed all of the stories, and I liked how they were structured; almost just slices of a larger story. They mostly had quite abrupt starts and endings, which I normally wouldn’t like, but which seemed to fit in with the overall feel of this collection.
Another book club book that I never would have picked up otherwise.
Every story (with the exception of one small part of one) is from the POV of the woman in the story. There is such a wide variety of stories, with varying degrees of reality. I enjoyed all of the stories, and I liked how they were structured; almost just slices of a larger story. They mostly had quite abrupt starts and endings, which I normally wouldn’t like, but which seemed to fit in with the overall feel of this collection.
Another book club book that I never would have picked up otherwise.
Address Book by Neil Bartlett
5.0
Oh, this was such a lovely book. I listened to the audio, which is narrated by Bartlett, and it was so, so good. He’s a gifted narrator and hearing him narrate these stories really brought them to a whole other level. Highly recommend the audio.
This is a collection of seven short stories and they are based on the places that people live. What a great way to theme a book. They take place during different times (as far back as the 1870s and as recently as present day) and the way that Bartlett is able to clearly express the time period just in the way that he writes is incredible.
These seven stories look at the lives of a variety of queer people; from a closeted queer teen who ends up having a casual relationship with a man for decades, until the other dies of aids, to the teacher who becomes intensely infatuated with a young man and tries to paint him (not one of his students), these are glimpses into all sorts of lives. Most of the stories are bittersweet, but they feel so very real, like they could have been written about your neighbour.
This is only the second Neil Bartlett book that I’ve read, but I am eager to read more!
This is a collection of seven short stories and they are based on the places that people live. What a great way to theme a book. They take place during different times (as far back as the 1870s and as recently as present day) and the way that Bartlett is able to clearly express the time period just in the way that he writes is incredible.
These seven stories look at the lives of a variety of queer people; from a closeted queer teen who ends up having a casual relationship with a man for decades, until the other dies of aids, to the teacher who becomes intensely infatuated with a young man and tries to paint him (not one of his students), these are glimpses into all sorts of lives. Most of the stories are bittersweet, but they feel so very real, like they could have been written about your neighbour.
This is only the second Neil Bartlett book that I’ve read, but I am eager to read more!
Waiting for the Long Night Moon by Amanda Peters
5.0
This is a fantastic collection of short stories, covering the Indigenous experience in Canada.
I actually cried when I read Homecoming, which is about a child who has returned home after surviving eleven years in residential school and he can no longer understand his parents, because he’s been forced to give up his language.
There are also stories about MMIWG, Le Grand Dérangement told from the POV of an Indigenous family, and so many others.
This is a beautifully written book, and while not always easy to read, it was a quick read.
I actually cried when I read Homecoming, which is about a child who has returned home after surviving eleven years in residential school and he can no longer understand his parents, because he’s been forced to give up his language.
There are also stories about MMIWG, Le Grand Dérangement told from the POV of an Indigenous family, and so many others.
This is a beautifully written book, and while not always easy to read, it was a quick read.
Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas
4.0
I really enjoyed this one!
I quite liked Tom Severin as a romance hero, even though he’s very much not the typical romance hero. I don’t know if it was intentional on Kleypas’ part or not, but I was definitely reading Severin as being autistic-coded. The high intelligence, his discomfort with emotions, his more factual way of thinking, all feel autistic-coded to me.
I really could have done without all the body shaming throughout most of the book, though. That’s the one thing that I really didn’t like with this one. I know it was done so that Tom would have his moment to tell Cassandra how he would be attracted to her no matter what, but it still felt gross to read.
Overall, really enjoyed this one, probably my second favourite after Devil’s Daughter in this series. Also, Basil is a fantastic side character, I hope we see a bit more of him in the last book of the series.
I quite liked Tom Severin as a romance hero, even though he’s very much not the typical romance hero. I don’t know if it was intentional on Kleypas’ part or not, but I was definitely reading Severin as being autistic-coded. The high intelligence, his discomfort with emotions, his more factual way of thinking, all feel autistic-coded to me.
I really could have done without all the body shaming throughout most of the book, though. That’s the one thing that I really didn’t like with this one. I know it was done so that Tom would have his moment to tell Cassandra how he would be attracted to her no matter what, but it still felt gross to read.
Overall, really enjoyed this one, probably my second favourite after Devil’s Daughter in this series. Also, Basil is a fantastic side character, I hope we see a bit more of him in the last book of the series.
Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi
5.0
I don’t even know what to say about this book, except WOW.
This book is just jam packed, there is never a dull moment. It’s an intimate look at sex, corruption, and power in a Nigerian city.
Told from the POVs of 5 friends and taking place over one weekend, one bad decision leads to a hit being put out on one of the friends, sexual discoveries, and murder. These friends are put in absolutely wild situations, that all come together in the end with sort of a resolution? The ending is very abrupt and very much left open, so many different things could happen, and it felt like the right sort of ending for this story.
I really liked the discussions on sex work, as there are three sex workers that are key to the story, and the discussions on attempting to ethically fulfill certain deviant fantasies.
I really appreciate that Akwaeke Emezi is doing so many different things with their writing. I feel bad to say it, but I’ve actually DNF’d two of their other books, but then this one and You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty just completely blew me away with how good they were. I will definitely continue to seek out their books, because when they work for me, they really work for me.
This book is just jam packed, there is never a dull moment. It’s an intimate look at sex, corruption, and power in a Nigerian city.
Told from the POVs of 5 friends and taking place over one weekend, one bad decision leads to a hit being put out on one of the friends, sexual discoveries, and murder. These friends are put in absolutely wild situations, that all come together in the end with sort of a resolution? The ending is very abrupt and very much left open, so many different things could happen, and it felt like the right sort of ending for this story.
I really liked the discussions on sex work, as there are three sex workers that are key to the story, and the discussions on attempting to ethically fulfill certain deviant fantasies.
I really appreciate that Akwaeke Emezi is doing so many different things with their writing. I feel bad to say it, but I’ve actually DNF’d two of their other books, but then this one and You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty just completely blew me away with how good they were. I will definitely continue to seek out their books, because when they work for me, they really work for me.
Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti
3.0
Received from NetGalley and LibroFM quite some time ago, thanks!
This book was okay. I can’t quite figure out what it is that didn’t quite work for me? Maybe it was a bit too much not-like-other-girls? I really don’t know.
I adored Vasti’s Halifax Hellions novellas, so was really looking forward to a full length novel, but for whatever reason this one just didn’t hit the same way as those ones did.
Overall, there was very little relationship drama, no third act breakup, Selina runs a library with an erotic section for women because she wants to educate them and Peter is a an abolitionist. All of these are things that should have made me love it, but it just fell flat.
The story is that Peter Kent, the new Duke of Sanford has fallen into the title, being an illegitimate son of the former Duke, who was raised in New Orleans. This obviously makes him an outsider in parliament and the ton. He is also trying to get custody of his two much younger siblings, as their mother has died. It is decided that it would look better for his petition if he’s married. And so starts his sort of courting of three different not-like-other-girls, when Selina is the not-like-other-girls that he actually wants.
Anyway, I’ll likely read Vasti’s other books, in hopes of getting something closer to the Hellions books. And this book wasn’t bad, it was just kind of blah, imo.
This book was okay. I can’t quite figure out what it is that didn’t quite work for me? Maybe it was a bit too much not-like-other-girls? I really don’t know.
I adored Vasti’s Halifax Hellions novellas, so was really looking forward to a full length novel, but for whatever reason this one just didn’t hit the same way as those ones did.
Overall, there was very little relationship drama, no third act breakup, Selina runs a library with an erotic section for women because she wants to educate them and Peter is a an abolitionist. All of these are things that should have made me love it, but it just fell flat.
The story is that Peter Kent, the new Duke of Sanford has fallen into the title, being an illegitimate son of the former Duke, who was raised in New Orleans. This obviously makes him an outsider in parliament and the ton. He is also trying to get custody of his two much younger siblings, as their mother has died. It is decided that it would look better for his petition if he’s married. And so starts his sort of courting of three different not-like-other-girls, when Selina is the not-like-other-girls that he actually wants.
Anyway, I’ll likely read Vasti’s other books, in hopes of getting something closer to the Hellions books. And this book wasn’t bad, it was just kind of blah, imo.
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
I’ve decided not to give this a book a star rating because, really, how do you? How do you impose a modern rating system on a classic gothic novel, the first gothic novel, published 250+ years ago?
Did I love the story? Not really. Did I find it entertaining? Definitely! And I absolutely appreciate the uniqueness of it and how it must have been received in 1764 when it was published.
So, we start the story with a murder, of Conrad, who is about to be married to Isabel, and is the prince’s only male heir. He appears to have been crushed to death by a giant helmet. What happens from here is very gothic, with lots of religion and surprise declarations of fatherhood (yes, multiples), scheming, murder, and a giant ghost.
I don’t want to go into too many details, because it is a short book, and I don’t want to spoil it.
Not as bonkers as The Monk, which is definitely the most bonkers thing I’ve ever read, but still there on the bonkers spectrum. Definitely looking forward to exploring more classic gothic novels in the future.
Did I love the story? Not really. Did I find it entertaining? Definitely! And I absolutely appreciate the uniqueness of it and how it must have been received in 1764 when it was published.
So, we start the story with a murder, of Conrad, who is about to be married to Isabel, and is the prince’s only male heir. He appears to have been crushed to death by a giant helmet. What happens from here is very gothic, with lots of religion and surprise declarations of fatherhood (yes, multiples), scheming, murder, and a giant ghost.
I don’t want to go into too many details, because it is a short book, and I don’t want to spoil it.
Not as bonkers as The Monk, which is definitely the most bonkers thing I’ve ever read, but still there on the bonkers spectrum. Definitely looking forward to exploring more classic gothic novels in the future.