estellegodard's reviews
246 reviews

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

slow-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

2.0

I am disappointed because I’ve liked ottessa’s previous books and I had hope for this book. I enjoyed the first section but I realized after a bit that each section was super repetitive and nothing new was really being added to the narrative. ottessa’s writing does not shine here and the messages she’s trying to infuse into the novel are sloppy. eventually this all becomes extremely tired and everything grotesque has little value because we literally don’t care about the characters. 

Dear Dolly: On Love, Life and Friendship, Collected wisdom from her Sunday Times Style Column by Dolly Alderton

funny inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

3.5

not nearly as good as her previous memoir but this book is an uplifting read and adresses a wide range of problems without getting redundant. the column format makes for snappy chapters which allowed me to fly through this 

White Tears / Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad

slow-paced

2.75

I’m disappointed because I thought I was going to really enjoy this. while I did learn things I thought it was convoluted and extremely repetitive. 

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

dark fast-paced

5.0

what a ride! this was an exquisitely written book & such a thrilling story. I have not a complaint about it and had a great time reading it. it didn’t shy away from the gory and explicit subjects and the prose made it that much more captivating. dorothy’s decent into madness was a treat to read and crippling to have to sit back and watch it happen to her 

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire

3.0

there were some really beautiful poems in this collection (the last one really struck me!) & the author has a gift for titles. however majority of the poems didn’t work for me, perhaps this is due to the cultural disconnect. 

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

slow-paced

3.0

I read Never Let Me Go many years ago and this was absolutely in the same style, which leads me to believe that I simply am not a huge Ishiguro fan. I appreciated that nothing is spoon fed to us and we learn about the universe through bits and pieces. I think it was difficult for me to appreciate the slowness of this book however and by the end I was ready for it to be over. 

The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang

informative sad medium-paced

3.0

while this was a very interesting book, I did not find it to be engaging in the way that other non fiction books have been for me. it was a bit repetitive and while it said that it aimed to explore the japanese soldiers’ state of mind during the war crimes, I felt that there wasn’t much content about that. I thought the epilogue made some great points and brought a lot of the themes and parts together. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Torture

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

what a beautiful little book. this read more like poetry than a novel yet the story was woven so beautifully and authentically that the prose just supported it. I have never related to a love story more and I loved how modern it felt. I think the conversations surrounding trauma and race were a little poorly incorporated into the love story which is why I can’t give this a perfect 5/5 , but I think there is a lot to be said about these topics and the author did an excellent job describing these emotions anyway. 

Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi

fast-paced

5.0

I flew through this !! the audio narration was such a treat. hearing the stories about a young chef making his way through the New York restaurant scene was incredible. there were parts that were a bit cheesy but it’s a “rags to riches” story after all. the pleasure I took consuming this surpasses any little issues I had with it because it was thoroughly enjoyable and I loved listening to the different culinary influences & dish descriptions.  I also loved the inclusion of recipes after each chapter, I thought that was really clever. 

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

4.5

I flew through this audio book. it was a really accessible non fiction book and it opened my eyes to a lot of things I hadn’t thought about before, like how persuasive language can be weapon used even when it doesn’t seem like that’s what’s happening.