errantreads's reviews
195 reviews

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

3.0

The Transmigration of Bodies by Yuri Herrera

adventurous dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A Mexican noir(ish) novella set in the time of pandemic. A day in the life of a fixer who is tasked with negotiating the exchange of two youths each captured by rival criminal gang lords.

The writing (via translation) is tremendous. This author is clearly influenced by Cormac McCarthy. Recommend.

Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera

adventurous hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.0

A haunting novella. In some ways at least. A story of empowerment and yet disempowerment. A look into the world of human trafficking (the immigration kind), motivations driven by poverty, and cultural tenacity. A linear story of a young woman traveling alone from Mexico to the US in search of her brother. I wasn't a fan of some of the choices made in the translation, but this is a great story that will stick with me for awhile.

Fox & I by Catherine Raven

adventurous hopeful informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

Fox and I is a tale of a woman—a woman as modern human and as human animal—and her introspective engagement with the natural world that surrounds her. It's a tale of participation and not mere observation and what that means to her and what that may mean to the rest of us.

This memoir is utterly unique and her writing is stupendous. I was also quite impressed with her ability to seamlessly weave a tale of both fiction and memoir. Fox and I deserves all the awards it is bound to win and is one of those rare books that will be read and reread for decades to come. Quite an achievement.

The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Eight thoughtful explorations of people out of place in this world, one way or another.

Making Corrections by Kf Whatley

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Searching for Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess by Fred Waitzkin

adventurous informative inspiring medium-paced

3.0

A fascinating look into the world of obsession and the lives of exceptional children and their parents. The prose was more than a bit stilted and cold as was the author himself (my impression), but the story of their lives is engaging and truly very unique.

(Note, the book is a very different animal than the movie. The movie is spectacular, by the way.) 

The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay

reflective fast-paced

3.0

I enjoyed this book. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I read only one or two entries each sitting. Instead, I essentially read it in two long sessions ... and since each entry is, more or less, unrelated except by theme, the experience is much like binge reading an entire blog.

Well written, often "Hmm" generating, I'd recommend this to anyone interested in reading something a bit more thought provoking. His writing I can already see influencing my own.

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

adventurous dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Tremendous, as is most anything McCarthy writes. An exploration of life and death and societal change and fate and individual agency.

Searching for Bobby Fischer: The World of Chess, Observed by the Father of a Child Prodigy by Fred Waitzkin

informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

A fascinating look into the world of obsession and the lives of exceptional children and their parents. The prose was more than a bit stilted and cold as was the author himself (my impression), but the story of their lives is engaging and truly very unique.

(Note, the book is a very different animal from the movie. The movie is spectacular, by the way.)