eralbesu's reviews
429 reviews

Mouth: Stories by Puloma Ghosh

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.5

This collection was very hit or miss with me. I enjoyed some stories more than others but overall I was underwhelmed. 

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

challenging reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

The beginning of this story had me hooked. Watching this relationship unfold was so compelling. The heavier themes were thought provoking and at times repetitive, though not at all unrealistic. 

This book made me realize I don’t always dislike pop culture references in my fiction.  

The prose was beautiful, but at times tedious and meandering (which is something I was not expecting from a 164-page book). Particularly towards the end, when I was mainly focused on wrapping up the story. The second half of the book was less enjoyable for me. 

Overall, I think this book was beautiful and really well done and I’m excited to read more from Caleb Azumah Nelson. 

This Motherless Land by Nikki May

adventurous challenging sad tense slow-paced

4.5

This book was packed full of tension and angst. The story of Funke and Liv was heartbreaking and frustrating. The author did a wonderful job of weaving a story and keeping me hooked. 

There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes Jr.

adventurous challenging medium-paced

4.0

Very interesting and insightful stories. The collection had a black mirror-esque feel to it. And the choose your own adventure story was very moving, albeit difficult to experience as intended via audiobook

Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner

adventurous informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

I enjoyed this book. It made me nostalgic for the French Countryside. The larger story about a special agent infiltrating activist organizations was interesting enough, but the anthropological discussions and facts about the region really piqued my interest. It’s a slow and dry book, but I enjoyed reading it. 

The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest

funny lighthearted slow-paced

4.0

This was cute. It was a bit longer than it needed to be, but cute. 

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

I really enjoyed the first few stories but the law & order: svu stories took me completely out of it and I struggled to get back in. 

Out On a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

2.5

This was a bit of a drag to get through. I don’t know how I managed to hear so much about this book but still not know that this entire storyline was predicated on a surprise pregnancy. That’s not a trope or theme that I enjoy. 

Aside from that, the book seemed extremely run of the mill and mediocre. It also felt very cheesy. The fmc could’ve been any fmc from just about any contemporary romance with the addition of having a congenital limb difference. The mmc was also run of the mill with the addition of having an acquired limb difference. The tension of the “will they? won’t they?” was weak. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t even enjoy the side characters. I was holding out hope for much of the story but my patience was growing thin by the time I reached the point where the fmc kept getting upset at the rich mmc buying things for the home and the baby. It started to feel ridiculous to me. That’s another trope I don’t enjoy in contemporary romance: poor woman lives with rich man but wants to prove she’s not in it for the money so she denies purchases/gifts that are absolutely necessary. 

So, no, I didn’t enjoy. 

Woo Woo by Ella Baxter

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Ok, I’m not really sure how to describe what I’ve just read. I’m not sure what the story is trying to say (if it is trying to say anything). Sabine is unlikable and difficult to root for. She is an artist who is seemingly prone to slipping into manic psychosis prior to putting on an exhibition. She has a husband who puts up with her weird and loves her in spite of it (possibly because of it). I just really didn’t enjoy this book. It wasn’t awful but I kept feeling like I was almost tapping into something being said about the creation and consumption of art but the story kept going off the rails for me. 

I was given an alc of the audiobook and it really took me a while to adapt to the narrator. This style of writing that only uses “said” for dialogue can be a little grating to listen to. I’m aware a lot of publishers asking authors to only use “said” for dialogue, but it doesn’t really work for audiobooks in my opinion.

Overall the story was bizarre without being absurd and Sabine was difficult character to read. 

Thank you to Brilliance for the alc!

The Blueprint by Rae Giana Rashad
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.

I was struggling to stay engaged with this one. I wanted to continue reading via audiobook but I honestly am not even sure of what’s happening at certain points of the book. But as a New Orleans native, I’m hopeful I can return to it when I have the bandwidth for it bc I love the discussions of Louisiana and New Orleans.