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gwendle_vs_literature's reviews
94 reviews
Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton, James Patterson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
The writing isn’t terrible, but it’s overly, pointlessly descriptive, melodramatic, and trying way too hard to be mysterious.
This was a book club pick, so I made myself keep going until I was halfway through, but I already finished one book club assignment that I didn’t enjoy this year, and there are too many other books that I want to read for me to put any more time into this one.
This was a book club pick, so I made myself keep going until I was halfway through, but I already finished one book club assignment that I didn’t enjoy this year, and there are too many other books that I want to read for me to put any more time into this one.
Fog by Miguel de Unamuno
medium-paced
3.5
I discovered that this book exists when a conversation meandered in such a direction that it lead me to wonder whether the movie Stranger Than Fiction was based on a book. It wasn’t, but apparently it was inspired by Miguel de Unamuno’s Niebla (variously translated as “Fog” or “Mist”) which is often credited as being the first work of Magical Realism, and with which it shares its central conceit; a man discovers that he is a character in a work of fiction, and the writer is going to kill him.
This is a dense text, a little bit difficult to get through — like other modernist texts it’s a bit dense with some stream of consciousness, and like other absurdist texts it’s a little all over the place, dragging it’s heels through the inconsequential, and then finding itself at major plot points with very little indication of how it arrived there. Much of the humour falls a little flat more than a century after it was written, but the same is true of almost everything. And reading a work in translation tends to add another layer of obfuscation since cultural and linguistic differences (even of contemporary works, let alone works from 100+ years ago) something is always lost.
It’s an okay story, and apparently a highly influential one, so I’m glad I read it — but I struggled to enjoy it. If I revisit it in a few years (which I likely will given the trouble I went through to get my hands on a copy in English translation) I might like it more.
This is a dense text, a little bit difficult to get through — like other modernist texts it’s a bit dense with some stream of consciousness, and like other absurdist texts it’s a little all over the place, dragging it’s heels through the inconsequential, and then finding itself at major plot points with very little indication of how it arrived there. Much of the humour falls a little flat more than a century after it was written, but the same is true of almost everything. And reading a work in translation tends to add another layer of obfuscation since cultural and linguistic differences (even of contemporary works, let alone works from 100+ years ago) something is always lost.
It’s an okay story, and apparently a highly influential one, so I’m glad I read it — but I struggled to enjoy it. If I revisit it in a few years (which I likely will given the trouble I went through to get my hands on a copy in English translation) I might like it more.
Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu
4.0
This is a fairly solid collection of stories, but there was one that I distinctly didn’t like, and a couple that fell a bit flat for me compared to the rest.
I had comments on each individual story, but the app crashed and didn’t save them . . . I might come back and give my detailed review later, but not right now.
I had comments on each individual story, but the app crashed and didn’t save them . . . I might come back and give my detailed review later, but not right now.
Miss Subways by David Duchovny
medium-paced
3.0
The writing was decent but not excellent — there were some sentences that even though I reread them three or four times still didn’t make sense (not too many, but enough that it became annoying).
The characters were a bit all over the place, and to the extent that they developed it was to become worse, less likeable people.
The plot felt weak and had some tangents that didn’t add anything, while also making some leaps that could have used connective details. The opening was interesting, then it lost me, and I kept reading in the hope that it would get better, which it didn’t.
It was fine, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I doubt I’ll try any of his other books.
The characters were a bit all over the place, and to the extent that they developed it was to become worse, less likeable people.
The plot felt weak and had some tangents that didn’t add anything, while also making some leaps that could have used connective details. The opening was interesting, then it lost me, and I kept reading in the hope that it would get better, which it didn’t.
It was fine, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I doubt I’ll try any of his other books.
A Winter Grave by Peter May
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This felt like a rushed attempt to turn a mediocre screenplay into a mass-appeal formulaic “gritty”police procedural novel equivalent of a herlequin romance — which is fine if that’s what you’re looking for, but it’s not what I like to read. I would have abandoned it after the first few chapters, but it was a selection for one of my two book clubs, so I felt obligated to finish it.
The first chapter was interesting (I felt intrigued, like one should at the beginning of a piece of detective fiction) but then it fell apart.
The writing is choppy, with what could have been decent compound sentences broken up into numerous single-clause sentences, which not only killed any momentum the text might have had, but also frequently resulted in grammatical errors — you cannot have the word “until” in a sentence unless there is a second clause (it can come either before or after the until clause) that explains what was happening until. Putting the until in its own separate sentence, and sandwiching it between two actions either of which could have been the the thing that was happening “until”, is just sloppy writing.
The vocabulary is run of the mill, which is absolutely fine, but makes “oleaginous” stand out like a flashing neon sign — just say oily, dude.
A huge portion of the text is extremely detailed descriptions that do nothing to create a mood, or reveal character, or scatter clues — they’re just long dry descriptions with no purpose. In this book, if the curtains are blue, it’s just because they’re effing blue. I’m not saying that every detail needs to have profound meaning, but it’s nice if some of them do.
I found the characters to be two-dimensional and didn’t particularly care about any of them, because none of them felt like real people.
It was a slog to get through this book, and a relief when I got to “THE END” (which is actually there, in all caps, at the end of the text). There are so many good books in the world; high quality detective fiction, and speculative fiction about climate catastrophe, and suspenseful thrillers, and compelling portraits of flawed characters . . . give this one a pass and read a few of those.
The first chapter was interesting (I felt intrigued, like one should at the beginning of a piece of detective fiction) but then it fell apart.
The writing is choppy, with what could have been decent compound sentences broken up into numerous single-clause sentences, which not only killed any momentum the text might have had, but also frequently resulted in grammatical errors — you cannot have the word “until” in a sentence unless there is a second clause (it can come either before or after the until clause) that explains what was happening until. Putting the until in its own separate sentence, and sandwiching it between two actions either of which could have been the the thing that was happening “until”, is just sloppy writing.
The vocabulary is run of the mill, which is absolutely fine, but makes “oleaginous” stand out like a flashing neon sign — just say oily, dude.
A huge portion of the text is extremely detailed descriptions that do nothing to create a mood, or reveal character, or scatter clues — they’re just long dry descriptions with no purpose. In this book, if the curtains are blue, it’s just because they’re effing blue. I’m not saying that every detail needs to have profound meaning, but it’s nice if some of them do.
I found the characters to be two-dimensional and didn’t particularly care about any of them, because none of them felt like real people.
It was a slog to get through this book, and a relief when I got to “THE END” (which is actually there, in all caps, at the end of the text). There are so many good books in the world; high quality detective fiction, and speculative fiction about climate catastrophe, and suspenseful thrillers, and compelling portraits of flawed characters . . . give this one a pass and read a few of those.
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is a novel in the style of James Joyce’s Dubliners, with chapters that are really short stories, but which are all woven together through family connections, cross-story character interactions, and circumstance.
It’s difficult for there to be strong character development because each chapter is a snapshot of a person’s life, or of a relationship, or of the ways people cope with loss and grief and catastrophe. But sometimes a character would warrant a mention in a later chapter and their growth would be evident, or at least implied, there.
I highly recommend this book — it’s a well-crafted exploration of humanity, capitalism, harsh realities, and hope.
It’s difficult for there to be strong character development because each chapter is a snapshot of a person’s life, or of a relationship, or of the ways people cope with loss and grief and catastrophe. But sometimes a character would warrant a mention in a later chapter and their growth would be evident, or at least implied, there.
I highly recommend this book — it’s a well-crafted exploration of humanity, capitalism, harsh realities, and hope.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’d been interested in this book from the first moment the cover caught my eye in one of my local independent book stores and I read the back cover (particularly because I read Other Minds last year , which is a combination nature and psychology book about actopuses and other cephalopods) so when it turned out to be the September pick for one of the book clubs I belong to I was excited to read it and it did not disappoint me.
I really enjoyed Marcellus as a character — and I think I liked all of the characters, which is rare for me. I got frustrated with characters sometimes, but I was never annoyed by them.
I’m not usually a fan of endings or epilogues that go out of their way to tie up absolutely every last thing with a little bow, but the epilogue in this book was done well, and I wasn’t rolling my eyes at it.
It doesn’t make it into my five star list, but I highly recommend it.
I really enjoyed Marcellus as a character — and I think I liked all of the characters, which is rare for me. I got frustrated with characters sometimes, but I was never annoyed by them.
I’m not usually a fan of endings or epilogues that go out of their way to tie up absolutely every last thing with a little bow, but the epilogue in this book was done well, and I wasn’t rolling my eyes at it.
It doesn’t make it into my five star list, but I highly recommend it.
The Maid by Nita Prose
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The story was okay, but the main character/narrator is clearly supposed to be some form of neurodivergent, and I found her stereotypical, and internally inconsistent when the plot requires her to be — she came across as a caricature rather than a well-developed character.
Like so many books published in the modern age it felt like this one lacked a good editor; not so much for spelling or grammar, but for content. As an example, the main character describes herself as understanding a concept for the first time when she already demonstrated understanding of it several pages previous. I understand that it was probably a matter of rearranging a sequence of events from a previous draft, but this is the kind of thing I expect either the author or the editor to catch.
Overall the book was fine, but there are better mysteries out there, and there are definitely books with better representation of neurodiverse individuals.
Like so many books published in the modern age it felt like this one lacked a good editor; not so much for spelling or grammar, but for content. As an example, the main character describes herself as understanding a concept for the first time when she already demonstrated understanding of it several pages previous. I understand that it was probably a matter of rearranging a sequence of events from a previous draft, but this is the kind of thing I expect either the author or the editor to catch.
Overall the book was fine, but there are better mysteries out there, and there are definitely books with better representation of neurodiverse individuals.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a fun and easy read. I’d seen the movie, so although there are some differences I had a general idea of the plot before I started. I recommend this as a bit of a palate cleanser between more challenging reads, and definitely recommend it as a tween/young adult book.
Medicine River: Penguin Modern Classics Edition by Thomas King
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.25
This was King’s first novel, and it has a slightly different feel than some of his later works, but the style was still familiar. It was more similar stylistically to Truth and Bright Water than to Green Grass Running Water, particularly as it lacks the latter’s elements of magical realism, but it’s more like the latter structurally. If you’re looking for a tidy ending that wraps up a clearly defined plot you won’t find that here — but if you’d like to follow meandering trails through the the lives of characters that feel more like real people than like characters, then I recommend this book.