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gwendle_vs_literature's reviews
117 reviews
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley
3.75
The Flavia de Luce mysteries are always delightful, and I enjoy them for a quick and mostly lighthearted palate cleanser after a few more serious books.
I’m looking forward to the next one, which will presumably give us a change of scene.
I’m looking forward to the next one, which will presumably give us a change of scene.
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph
medium-paced
4.0
I already knew / had encountered the majority of the information in this book, but having it all laid out in one place makes it easier to see the magnitude of it, and to understand why First Nations people are often mistrustful of government, healthcare, and “white” society in general.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
medium-paced
3.5
This book was okay, but I think I was set up to be disappointed in it by what I consider to have been overly enthusiastic praise from several people whose ideas and opinions I generally find valuable. There was nothing particularly wrong with the writing but nothing particularly good about it either, and I disagreed with several of the author’s conclusions. It’s worth a read if you’re interested in the subject of how cults use language, but despite my interest in the subject matter I found I had to drag my way through reading it.
This Is Happiness by Niall Williams
4.75
From the very first sentence, and definitely through the second chapter, the author’s gift for prose that skip back and forth across the border with poetry pulled me in.
I thought that this book would be a five star up until the last fifty pages or so, but from that point half of the the plot lost me, and to me the story felt “padded” in a way that stretched out the end of the book in a way that detracted from it — although the actual end (the final sentence) was, in all its simplicity, perfect.
The writing, however, is lyrical and magical and captivating, so even as elements of the plot lost me, the writing itself propelled me onward. And other people in the book club I read this for enjoyed the elements that put me off, so it very well may be a five-star read for you. When I inevitably revisit it in the future I may very well bump the rating to 5.
I am definitely interested in exploring some of Niall Williams’ other novels, and highly recommend This is Happiness.
I thought that this book would be a five star up until the last fifty pages or so, but from that point half of the the plot lost me, and to me the story felt “padded” in a way that stretched out the end of the book in a way that detracted from it — although the actual end (the final sentence) was, in all its simplicity, perfect.
The writing, however, is lyrical and magical and captivating, so even as elements of the plot lost me, the writing itself propelled me onward. And other people in the book club I read this for enjoyed the elements that put me off, so it very well may be a five-star read for you. When I inevitably revisit it in the future I may very well bump the rating to 5.
I am definitely interested in exploring some of Niall Williams’ other novels, and highly recommend This is Happiness.
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I found this book at a “little free library” in the park near my house, and I think it just became one of my favourite books of all time, which I expect to re-read often, and to recommend to absolutely everyone.
The writing is beautiful and natural, and considering that the characters (with two exceptions) and events are all “figments of [the author’s] imagination” it is one of the most real and raw and honest books I have ever read. The writing is literary without seeming contrived, and I was reading it at ever opportunity (on the bus, on my lunch break, the bus again, and before bed every night). Even now I should be asleep and yet I stayed up because I needed to finish it, and I needed to write about if.
The structure of the story (though not the content) reminds me greatly of Margaret Laurence’s The Diviners, and reading Crow Lake has made me want to revisit that other text.
If you’re looking for a poignant book about perspective connection, Crow Lake will not disappoint you.
The writing is beautiful and natural, and considering that the characters (with two exceptions) and events are all “figments of [the author’s] imagination” it is one of the most real and raw and honest books I have ever read. The writing is literary without seeming contrived, and I was reading it at ever opportunity (on the bus, on my lunch break, the bus again, and before bed every night). Even now I should be asleep and yet I stayed up because I needed to finish it, and I needed to write about if.
The structure of the story (though not the content) reminds me greatly of Margaret Laurence’s The Diviners, and reading Crow Lake has made me want to revisit that other text.
If you’re looking for a poignant book about perspective connection, Crow Lake will not disappoint you.
I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle
4.5
I thoroughly enjoy Peter S. Beagle’s plots and characters, and I frequently enjoy and always appreciate his writing style, however, his books don’t propel me forward through themselves, and consequently they take me longer to read than they ought.
As with all of Peter S. Beagle’s plots this one contains some complex fairytale logic that will require at least one more read to follow with anything like proficiency, but I’m sure that, as always, it will be worth it.
I don’t think I will ever love I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons as much as I do The Last Unicorn but it will undoubtedly be a favourite in the fantasy / fairytale genre.
As with all of Peter S. Beagle’s plots this one contains some complex fairytale logic that will require at least one more read to follow with anything like proficiency, but I’m sure that, as always, it will be worth it.
I don’t think I will ever love I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons as much as I do The Last Unicorn but it will undoubtedly be a favourite in the fantasy / fairytale genre.
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
3.0
I picked this up at a book sale and didn't realize until later that it was by the same author as The Librarianist, which was a book I decided not to finish.
This was better than that (there was no rampant misuse of words) and I made it through without too much effort, but I’d be very selective about who I’d recommend it to.
The humour for me didn’t lie in the situations themselves being funny, but arose because the story came across as a satire of the Western genre which I am fairly familiar with because I grew up watching them with my dad, but also not inherently a fan of. That said, some of the gore and violence were overdone in a way that blew past drawing attention to the violence of both the fictionalized Western genre and the real historical era during which it is based, and was simply gratuitous and detracted from the story.
This was better than that (there was no rampant misuse of words) and I made it through without too much effort, but I’d be very selective about who I’d recommend it to.
The humour for me didn’t lie in the situations themselves being funny, but arose because the story came across as a satire of the Western genre which I am fairly familiar with because I grew up watching them with my dad, but also not inherently a fan of. That said, some of the gore and violence were overdone in a way that blew past drawing attention to the violence of both the fictionalized Western genre and the real historical era during which it is based, and was simply gratuitous and detracted from the story.
The Manticore by Robertson Davies
3.0
I want to be able to rate this higher as this is a trilogy I’d like to recommend, but The Manticore is definitely the weakest of the three books.
The narration feels contrived, and the exchanges between David Staunton and the doctor even more so. Overall there’s an artificial flavour that’s characteristic of quite a bit of literature of the era and which I find I need to be in the right mindset for.
I would recommend Fifth Business to nearly anyone, but The Manticore and World of Wonders don’t make it into my “must read” Canadian Literature canon.
The narration feels contrived, and the exchanges between David Staunton and the doctor even more so. Overall there’s an artificial flavour that’s characteristic of quite a bit of literature of the era and which I find I need to be in the right mindset for.
I would recommend Fifth Business to nearly anyone, but The Manticore and World of Wonders don’t make it into my “must read” Canadian Literature canon.
The Witches of New York by Ami McKay
3.0
I was really enjoying this book for about the first hundred pages, but after that it seemed to become a bit formulaic and it gave me a sense of having read it before.
The book wasn’t bad — I think that I would have loved it in high school; but at 43 I found it a bit of a slog to finish it — I think my pace cut in half in terms of pages per day. The writing was fairly good, with interesting characters, and there were element of the story that I liked, but i mostly lost interest in the plot — not enough to give up on reading it, I kept hoping that it would catch my interest again, but I was disappointed in the ending which felt like I had already read it in other books.
I’m going to pass it along to a co-worker who I think (and hope) will enjoy it more than I did.
The book wasn’t bad — I think that I would have loved it in high school; but at 43 I found it a bit of a slog to finish it — I think my pace cut in half in terms of pages per day. The writing was fairly good, with interesting characters, and there were element of the story that I liked, but i mostly lost interest in the plot — not enough to give up on reading it, I kept hoping that it would catch my interest again, but I was disappointed in the ending which felt like I had already read it in other books.
I’m going to pass it along to a co-worker who I think (and hope) will enjoy it more than I did.
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
fast-paced
4.5
Although the subjects of fixation were different, reading this book felt like the author had been inside my head listening to my thoughts.
The passage that I most related towas when Gilda is thinking in response to Giuseppe’s inane toxic positivity “just choose happiness” garbage.
“I am still waiting for the happiness I chose to kick in”
That section was perfect.
This was a remarkably quick read for me, I just devoured it.
If you want to know what it’s like to live with severe anxiety and/or obsessive thoughts this book is a good snapshot.
The passage that I most related to
“I am still waiting for the happiness I chose to kick in”
That section was perfect.
This was a remarkably quick read for me, I just devoured it.
If you want to know what it’s like to live with severe anxiety and/or obsessive thoughts this book is a good snapshot.