hannacolm's reviews
203 reviews

Black Days by Jackson Ellis

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

All Fours by Miranda July

adventurous 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

5.0

One of the most raw/real/true fiction books I’ve read in a long time. Miranda July has said it before herself - “it’s very close to the bone.” If you are curious about polyamory and open relationships, this could be a good read for you. But also, this book makes me excited about aging and coming into myself.

The real lore behind this book is compelling. I had fun in the rabbit hole.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

2.75

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

3.0

Sophomore slump and  feels very phoned-in. Couldn’t relate to any of these people. There were a few redeeming scenes, not much else. A little cringe. Such a stark difference from Cleopatra and Frankenstein which is one of my favorite reads of the year.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

adventurous medium-paced

2.75

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

inspiring 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death

Supper Club by Lara Williams
Did not finish book. Stopped at 51%.

BORING

Hum by Helen Phillips

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Overall, it is worth reading, even with many flaws. I am not sure if listening to it on audiobook added to the experience or made it worse. Ariel Blake is one of the better narrators I’ve come across, especially in this book because her voice works well for the hum robots, but the children’s voices were extremely annoying and made me not care about them. Some of the more dramatic moments were TOO dramatic and made me cringe. 
Anyway, this novel explores above all, motherhood, which I never have and never will experience, and so I could not relate to it. But it also delves into hot topics such as robots/ AI, consumerism, cancel-culture, misogyny, and climate change. I think exploring more heavily the secondary themes would have been more impactful. In ways this book is very disturbing; hums are programmed to constantly be selling products to humans - and this could also be an analogy for how chronically online we all are; how we are constantly inundated with ads from influencers and social media in general. 
The ending was anticlimactic and cheesy as f*** and makes me wonder if Helen Philips is an AI-sympathizer.