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hounded's reviews
65 reviews
Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha
4.5
A beautiful poetry collection that was well written and easily made me cry a multitude of times.
The wording really hits like a gut punch in specific ones like "What is home?" And "On Gaza Seashore"
My favorites in this are "Palestien A-Z", "On a Starless Night", "A voice from beneath" , and "Mosab"
The wording really hits like a gut punch in specific ones like "What is home?" And "On Gaza Seashore"
My favorites in this are "Palestien A-Z", "On a Starless Night", "A voice from beneath" , and "Mosab"
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
4.25
Amazing book with such a strong anti-war message that really felt important to read right now. The characters were all so memorable and felt so real. Even when the plot seemed really out there the humanness of the characters made it all so believable.
I'm truly impressed with how it jumps around but not once did I feel lost.
This is one of the most unique storytelling techniques I've ever read and I highly recommend reading it if you need a story that makes you feel human.
I'm truly impressed with how it jumps around but not once did I feel lost.
This is one of the most unique storytelling techniques I've ever read and I highly recommend reading it if you need a story that makes you feel human.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
3.5
It's a very original idea and I understand what it's going for in terms of a critique of the Cis het white rich man and all of that is well and good. However I did find a majority of the book quite boring which is not a detriment to the writing but it did make it less enjoyable to me. It defiantly helped add to the unreliable narrator really making you question if Bateman does all these horrible things or if he's imagining it because his life is Boring and repetitive.
But then when it started going to the actual murders themself that started to feel a bit dull (though no less disgusting). I know this is supposed to add to the narrator again as he's bored so the killings become more intense to try and interest him again but it felt like too much shock factor and not actually that disturbing. (Honestly with this whole ordeal I feel like I've read better ways this was done).
I probably will not reread this anytime soon. But I'm still glad I read it.
All I know now is defiantly going to avoid men who say they relate to Bateman with an even wider breadth then before
But then when it started going to the actual murders themself that started to feel a bit dull (though no less disgusting). I know this is supposed to add to the narrator again as he's bored so the killings become more intense to try and interest him again but it felt like too much shock factor and not actually that disturbing. (Honestly with this whole ordeal I feel like I've read better ways this was done).
I probably will not reread this anytime soon. But I'm still glad I read it.
All I know now is defiantly going to avoid men who say they relate to Bateman with an even wider breadth then before
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Xenophobia, Racism, Drug use, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Hate crime, Classism, Child death, and Antisemitism
Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
0.25
Wow. I wonder why this book has so many high reviews? Reading this was torture!
The main character is the epitome of the "I'm not like other girls" type and it is unbearable to listen to. The type that loves Halloween and reads at a bar and is so cynical but under all that she cares! Literally referring to herself as a "wolf" and her rage is dangerous and so animalistic! This character just screams I want to live in a hot topic!
Bleh!
People calling this a feminist book need to read a lot more before doing that. They must have skipped over all the parts where she literally says how she feels happier with a "Powerful and strong man" when the whole point of her character is she's supposed to be a bad ass independent woman? This was a half attempt at some sort of feminist view. I can't discredit the viewpoint of "Men can do what they want but women can't let's change it" but the way it is handled is so poor and felt like it meant nothing in the end.
I really should have put this book down when the character says she relates to Elsa From FROZEN? Saying that because she embraced her power she was dangerous a princess and a villian at the same time. woof.
This attempt at body horror is nothing. It felt like a desperate attempt to make this boring story more interesting and the main character having her moment but it was nothing. A bunch of just thrown in gore because it was a cry for help that this book had no story. The graphic killings are dull and predictable not to mention strangely always cut off or strangely censored? None of them shocked me and felt that they were taken from a poorly made horror movie.
Truely I am shocked that this is so highly rated? There's fun slasher books out there that are much better then this.
The main character is the epitome of the "I'm not like other girls" type and it is unbearable to listen to. The type that loves Halloween and reads at a bar and is so cynical but under all that she cares! Literally referring to herself as a "wolf" and her rage is dangerous and so animalistic! This character just screams I want to live in a hot topic!
Bleh!
People calling this a feminist book need to read a lot more before doing that. They must have skipped over all the parts where she literally says how she feels happier with a "Powerful and strong man" when the whole point of her character is she's supposed to be a bad ass independent woman? This was a half attempt at some sort of feminist view. I can't discredit the viewpoint of "Men can do what they want but women can't let's change it" but the way it is handled is so poor and felt like it meant nothing in the end.
I really should have put this book down when the character says she relates to Elsa From FROZEN? Saying that because she embraced her power she was dangerous a princess and a villian at the same time. woof.
This attempt at body horror is nothing. It felt like a desperate attempt to make this boring story more interesting and the main character having her moment but it was nothing. A bunch of just thrown in gore because it was a cry for help that this book had no story. The graphic killings are dull and predictable not to mention strangely always cut off or strangely censored? None of them shocked me and felt that they were taken from a poorly made horror movie.
Truely I am shocked that this is so highly rated? There's fun slasher books out there that are much better then this.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison
4.5
Oh my god this Story. I have no mouth and I must scream is going to be in my head for the rest of time. The writing was nice and blunt but in a very artistic manner. every sentence felt very natural like it was being spoken to me and not that I was reading it. Even when the setting of the book felt confusing it only aided to the fear of the characters. The characters themselves were so strange but I couldn't help but relate to them and their struggle and worry about their endings. AM at the center of it all is such a sympathetic villain but still what it was doing felt so violent! Even just vulgar! But it made sense every aspect of it made sense! You can feel the despair and the fear in every step. It was truely a scary book and the message in it and the themes of humanity and autonomy is just. SO good!!!.
The fact that at the end Ted and AM suffer the same fate. Trapped in the same hell of their own creation. This really stuck with me. The thought of being born without autonomy but knowing about it. Experiencing it through such a skewed lense like AM does. To the absolute horror of it getting taken away like Ted, but ted gets the satisfaction and the privileged of getting to have that last moment of free will. Something AM will never have. It's so so so upsetting! I can't decide what the worst fate is. But you can argue they both lost in the end. Ted says to us that AM won. But did it? Making ted unable to speak, taking away the one thing it had to continue the suffering. The one motivation it had. That's not winning.
Please read this story. It's important
Please read this story. It's important
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis
4.25
As someone who not well-versed in academic language for big subjects like this I was really happy to be able to actually understand everything. It really helped me find words to explain situations like what she talks about in the book. I listened to the audio book that was narrated by Angela Davis herself and it was really nice.
I learned a lot from this book and encourage everyone to read it!
I learned a lot from this book and encourage everyone to read it!
Acting Class by Nick Drnaso
5.0
Oh my god!!!! I think this is my favorite of his work yet! I finished the whole thing in one day I was so engrossed by it!
Incredibly upsetting and eerie. Every time I turned a page I was frightened by what could possibly happen next. The unreality and unreliable narrators of this book are some of the best I have ever experienced! The ending for me was just a bit disappointing but it is sooooo worth reading! I already want to re-read the whole thing!
Plus in this one there was some panels where the art genuinely unsettled me so much compared to the other books by him I've read! This was such a good horror and I will be thinking about it the rest of the month!
Incredibly upsetting and eerie. Every time I turned a page I was frightened by what could possibly happen next. The unreality and unreliable narrators of this book are some of the best I have ever experienced! The ending for me was just a bit disappointing but it is sooooo worth reading! I already want to re-read the whole thing!
Plus in this one there was some panels where the art genuinely unsettled me so much compared to the other books by him I've read! This was such a good horror and I will be thinking about it the rest of the month!
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
2.5
I am not a King fan and for me this is personally one of his best ones. But even this being one of his better stories the writing still felt bland and uninspired. King's writing always have felt very plain and his style can be unpleasant. The story itself was enjoyable and I did feel for the main character. I did like the ending and I'm glad I read it after so many years. But as my reading has matured this book feels very under where I am now. I would still read it as a good pallet cleanser between really heavy books
Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito
4.5
I loovveed this collection! I've been meaning to get into Junji Ito's work for so long and this was such a good introduction. Even the stories I didn't particularly care for were still interesting and the art more then made up for any lacking story! I don't know why everyone's hating on slug girl 😔 I think that the story was just silly enough and uncomfortable enough to be a excellent short story
My favorites were Slug girl, Floaters, and The Bloody Story of Shirosuna
My favorites were Slug girl, Floaters, and The Bloody Story of Shirosuna
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.
It feels harsh phrasing it like this but it really just started to read like a house of usher fan fiction. It wasn't to my taste in writing style 😔 I enjoy retellings of stories but this one just wasn't for me