goatsrsexy's reviews
591 reviews

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

3.75

My top genres are litfic and sci fi. So this book was a big win for me. It's about a paraplegic Nigerian American author who writes a hugely successful science fiction novel, and her celebrity status opens her up to interesting things that make her feel a bit like she's living in her own sci-fi novel. 

There are alternating chapters from her perspective, from her novel, and from her family members giving interview style responses...

Some parts of the book did drag a bit for me here and there but the fun part about this more experimental form of storytelling is that as soon as you start getting bored, the perspective switches and things are interesting again.

I found the end of this book touching and surprising, in a great way! This was my first book from this author but certainly won't be my last.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

3.75

I listened to this as an audiobook, which for me is very different than reading because I'm not great at focusing without a visual. So my mind drifts and I miss things etc.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the Goldfinch and I always wanted to read this, then I saw the audiobook specifically mentioned in Perfume And Pain by Anna Dorn (which I loved) so I thought why not. I pretty much only listen to audio books on my 15 min commute home from work so it took me a long time to read.

I listened to American Psycho earlier on and I didn't like it at all. I'm not a fan of Brett Easton Ellis at all but the reason I bring him up is because this book felt like what I wanted his books to be. Maybe it's the female author factor, maybe I just prefer The Secret History. Either way, this book was exactly what I wanted it to be.

I hope I get the chance to read this with my eyes sometime to get the full experience.

Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. It was certainly a fairly shallow take on its subject matter, but it was a lot of fun and quite funny. This is a satirical story about rich people who do horrible things to each other and the people around them. Like I said, it was a bit shallow. But it made its point, and I found a lot of Demi's chapters quite poignant. I'd certainly recommend this book to those who enjoy satire and unlikeable characters.

A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.

Unfortunately I accepted this Netgalley arc from the publisher right BEFORE reading Marisa Cranes debut novel. If I had read it first I would have known that her style of writing is not for me. A Sharp Endless Need has beautiful prose, it's well written, it's an objectively good book... I just didn't like it. I just didn't find it particularly engaging and I didn't really relate to the story. 

If you liked I Keep My Exoskeletons To Myself, and if you are interested in an intense sapphic sports romance, you will most likely enjoy it and I recommend giving it a try.

Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid

3.0

This book was just okay. Tbh I was definitely expecting more because I love Ava Reid but this story felt like it was missing something, especially the second half of it. The world building and stuff was super interesting and I was really into it at first but when things started happening I kinda lost interest. I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between the characters and the ending felt soooo rushed with an open ended completely unsatisfactory ending. Overall, while there were parts I did enjoy, this book was a miss for me. 

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

3.0

I loved this series but unfortunately this last book was my least favourite. There were many parts I truly enjoyed, but overall the story was just too slow for me and I didn't connect to the characters in the same way I did in other books. Maybe that's cus there were no human characters?? I don't think that's the reason though.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

5.0

Warning for mild non specific spoilers!!


I loved this book. Obviously we go in knowing what's gonna happen which is so traumatic tbh. Seeing a young Haymitch full of love and hope and knowing how he is 24 years later is so sad!! There were also so many characters we know in this book! It felt like a true prequel to Catching Fire. 

Honestly, seeing how everyone tried and had hopes of ending the Hunger Games, and knowing that they do ultimately succeed but not until 25 years later, it was rough. I cried a lot reading this book and I'm not a big cryer!

I love the way the two prequel books contribute so much to world building for the Hunger Games, personally I like both prequels a lot more than the original trilogy and I think it's clear that Suzanne's writing skills have improved a lot. I loved the epilogue of the book and I'm so glad we got it. I really hope the movie finds a way to put that in as well. 

I really hope there's more books in this universe eventually, I feel like there's so many stories to tell!

Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

Okay this book is so great! And it's a debut by a Canadian author which we love!!

Julie and her twin, Chloe, were separated as young children after their parents died in a car crash. Julie went to live with her aunt while Chloe got adopted by an affluent white family. Julie grew up poor and feeling pretty unloved, and as a teenager she found Chloe on the internet because she'd become an influencer.

The sisters never really reconnect and Julie feels some bitterness towards Chloe, but when she gets a weird call from her sister she decides to go check on her and finds her dead body. Figuring all of Chloe's fame and money shouldn't go to waste, Julie makes a split decision to take her life and pretend to be her.... Shockingly she seems to pull it off, but there's something very strange and ominous going on with Chloe's group of influencer friends.

I really loved this book! It started off as an interesting story about influencer culture and slowly turned into a horror novel with hints of surrealism. Near the end of the book I was actually horrified and couldn't look away (in a good way). I would definitely recommend this book to most people and also, I kinda wanna see a movie of this lol.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for the advanced copy!

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

5.0

This was such a good book. Difficult to read at times but so compelling and well written. I loved all the different povs which made everyone feel more real and worthy of empathy, some of the chapters felt like in-universe short stories, and I love books that tell big stories through small stories, so that's something I loved.

Obviously the political commentary was very relevant and the footnotes added a lot of gut sinking feelings because they really helped to draw direct parallels between this dystopian world and our actual reality.

It's not easy to empathize with rapists and murderers, but it's valuable. Of course it's natural to want to distance ourselves from people who commit monstrous crimes, but they are still people and I will always believe that everyone should be treated with dignity and decency no matter what. I think this book did a really good job of making that point by giving us loveable characters who we don't want to love.

This is definitely my favourite read so far this year.

Death Valley by Melissa Broder

3.5

A strange and interesting book about a woman mourning the relationship she had with her father as a child, and dealing with his impending death. A lot of surrealism which I love, but I didn't really connect with this book. It was strange and funny and entertaining but ultimately it just didn't feel meant for me.