drossg's reviews
16 reviews

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-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

5.0

This is a lovely (not an adjective I use, but most appropriate I can think of), satisfying book. There are parts I didn’t like as much (I was uninterested in the narration of comics stories, but there wasn’t too much of that), but to not give this 5 stars just feels disingenuous.
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A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Whatever it’s literary bonafides (I’ll leave that to the pros) this book is just very cool. If I had read it in high school I would have been obsessed with it. The stories set in the past made me think of Douglas Copeland, while others (particularly “Selling the General” and “Pure Language”) remind me of George Saunders. The last three chapters are my favorite, and however gimmicky “Great Rock and Roll Pauses by Alison Blake” may be criticized, it is also the most poignant.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

It is a hard read, but it’s a good read. It is fast-paced, and the structure helps divide things up. I like how the author did not try to sell the railroad, it is just a matter of fact. The book is fair and clear-eyed. The author’s style is criticized as overly “clinical” but I think it lends to what he’s doing here - he’s not sensationalizing chattel slavery or it’s effects. Just as the fact of the literal railroad he’s simply describing things as they are. I’ve heard of authors described as society’s physicians, and I could advocate a similar description for this book as well. It is difficult to rate “important” books, but it’s worth reading and I did enjoy it. So, 5 stars
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Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Bible faculty at my high school were all Anglican except one Presbyterian pastor. He would say one of the saddest misconceptions of Calvin was that he thought the world was and people are evil. Anyway, I’m sure he read this book
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-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

4.0

George Saunders is my favorite author. Once you get the hang of the format it reads quickly. If empathy annoys you you may not like it, but that’s Saunders (thankfully, he doesn’t ask us to empathize with everybody)
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The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker

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funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

One time I went to the store with my older brother. The cashier, a girl, asked him, “Did you find everything you need?”
He, handing her exactly what he had come for, replied, “I don’t think so…”