errantreads's reviews
219 reviews

Great Possessions : An Amish Farmer's Journal by Wendell Berry, David Kline

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Excellent set of essays exploring the natural world (emphasis, birds) of the author's local region within walking distance. Beautifully written, this book is bound to become a classic of the genre. Loved it.

Bound by Blood by Rick Nelson

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.25

What a fun read. A great mystery. Really well developed, three-dimensional characters, and a nice twisty plot that winds its way around the New Orleans region and the Louisiana bayou. If you like a good modern gumshoe mystery, you have come to the right place. Recommend.

In the Garden with the Pruning Shears by Donna Campbell Smith

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

Portents: A Collection of Cainsville Tales by Kelley Armstrong

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Well written. For whatever reason, I felt this had a similar vibe as Zelazny's The Chronicles of Amber.

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