furtherjoy's reviews
25 reviews

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

challenging dark funny reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

Loved this story! This was my second Dolly Alderton read and it certainly won’t be my last. She is just so talented at storytelling!

The depiction of friendships and feminist themes behind this story were brilliant. And the family storyline was so compelling and engaging. The neighbor storyline was also hilarious but I wasn’t the biggest fan of that resolution. Lovely epilogue.

I see myself thinking of this book often.

Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados

funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Decadent and goes nowhere!

Perfect no plot just vibes type of book. Happy Hour isn’t something I normally would pick up, but this was such an enjoyable and lighthearted read! Granados is so talented at writing and I appreciated the wisdom shared by her leading Isa. I truly am excited to read her future works. 

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Oh wow!

The Stranger by Albert Camus

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.25

I really wanted to like this because it’s a classic but I dreaded reading this. Between the narration style, the pacing, and the lack of dimension in the plot, I felt this story fell flat.

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Beautiful, heartfelt, and emotional

The Conjurer's Wife by Sarah Penner

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

The twist was a bit predictable but I enjoyed the writing style and thought it had a cool premise!

Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Hard to rate this one because there are some hits but also some major misses. At some points I felt like I couldn’t put this down, but at other times I felt like I was just forcing myself to get to the next story. Moshfegh writes a good character, even if they’re unlikeable, and is great at storytelling, and that shines in stories like No Place for Good People, The Beach Boy, and A Better Place (very reminiscent of what I liked about Lapvona and MYORAR), where it still felt possible as a reader to root for the main character. Sometimes, however, it felt like there were no redeeming qualities for characters and no context to explain why they were the way they were, which just seemed lazy, and was really frustrating to read. Also, I love how Moshfegh isn’t afraid to get gross, but a lot here felt unnecessary and gross just for the sake of being gross. Could also do without the ableism and fatphobia. 

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Beautiful, profound, and deeply touching. I cried and cried and my heart kept breaking. So thankful to have been able to read along. 

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Woah. Captivating, eerie, wacky, and genius. Finished wanting more of a resolution, but otherwise would’ve been 5 stars.