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finallyfinnian's reviews
72 reviews
People Like You by Margaret Malone
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
I very much enjoyed this collection of short stories. The author has a good grasp of the awkward and realistic ways in which people exist in the world. If you’re a fan of all tidily wrapped up endings, you may not enjoy these. But if you’re like me and you like stories that kind of leave you saying, “Yeah. It’s like that” at the end, you should enjoy these. There are some absolute standouts in the so-awkward-it-makes-my-toes-feel-weird category, especially “I’m Your Man” which is cringe-worthy in how realistic the process of trying to conceive can be. If you’re a fan of short stories and of the human condition in general, check these out.
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
5.0
"Listen. Billy Pilgrim came unstuck in time." Kurt Vonnegut created a masterpiece with Slaughterhouse Five, a genuine piece of brilliant and sardonic genius. If you were forced to read this in high school and hated it, go back and read it as an adult. Like Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, this book means more and makes so much more sense with some life experience behind you.
Southland by Nina Revoyr
5.0
After her grandfather's death, Jackie learns of an old mystery surrounding the murders of four young black males during the Watts riots of 1965. Alternating between the story of the search for the truth about the mystery and the story of the actual events of the 60's, told in the point of view of several different characters, this story is a rich and complex tale of racism, cruelty, poverty and Japanese internment camps. Revoyr tells a great story without getting too maudlin about an intense subject. There are a couple of dips into Steven Spielberg type emotional set ups, but all in all, the author allows the reader to just feel the shock and horror of the events because the events are, indeed, shocking and horrible, not because the reader is being manipulated to feel something. Excellent book and well worth a read.
Backcast by Ann McMan
5.0
This book is incredibly well-written. The characters and their odd relationship dynamics may seem strange to some, but having been in large lesbian circles, they seem real and messy and awkward and beautiful to me. This book has a fish as a character and yes, Phoebe is believable, and no, I don't think any author but Ann McMan could have pulled off something so weird without it being... you know... weird. The interspersed essays are brilliant. This book needs more than one read, but you won't mind. Read it once just for the enjoyment and then a second time to chew on it, to figure out things you missed in the first reading.
The Old Deep and Dark by Ellen Hart
4.0
As someone who doesn't usually read mysteries, I have to say, I enjoyed this so much. I thought Jane was a real and likable main character and her best friend, Cordelia, was larger than life and utterly charming. The mystery was complex enough that I didn't know "who dunnit" and the setting in the old theater was just creepy and mysterious enough. A fun and charming read.
The Warrior's Path by Catherine M. Wilson
5.0
This is an exceptionally well-crafted book and I highly recommend it to anyone, whatever genre they usually prefer. The characters, the relationships, the way the young companion grows - it transcends simple genre lines. I can't wait to read the next ones.