jessdekkerreads's reviews
596 reviews

My Brilliant Friend: the Graphic Novel: Based on the Novel by Elena Ferrante by Elena Ferrante, Chiara Lagani

2.75

Talking at Night by Claire Daverley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.

Characters feel too stereotypical, standard tropes, no chemistry, uninteresting dialogue, feels very cringe to me. I’m not sure if it’s just me, as it seems this is getting rave reviews, but I can’t help feeling a constant cringe and eye roll as I read this. I’ll set it on my shelf to see if maybe more reviews roll in that convince me to pick it back up. :/ 

Omega Farm: A Memoir by Martha McPhee

reflective slow-paced

Another much anticipated memoir of this year for me, one about motherhood and memory, and returning home. This is very much a pandemic memoir, and unfortunately I found myself skimming this one quite a bit. It felt very repetitive. I appreciated McPhee’s recounting of returning home to care for her mother who was suffering from dementia; how her mother’s loss of memory affected her; the memories that then returned to McPhee after returning home; and how the pandemic affected her family - McPhee turning to nature to heal. But, when I found myself dozing or skimming, I knew it wasn’t the memoir for me. Again, another memoir that has a higher average rating on Goodreads, so take my mini review w/ a grain of salt. 

*thank you to Scribner for providing me with a final copy - this one is out now!

While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence by Meg Kissinger

reflective slow-paced

This had all the makings of a perfect memoir for me: blurbed by Rachel Aviv (her nonfiction book Strangers to Ourselves was a favorite of mine last year), described as a memoir “of a family besieged by mental illness.” - However, maybe my mistake was pushing through the audiobook when I wasn’t really connecting with it, instead of switching to the physical copy. I love memoirs, many of my favorite books are memoirs, yet, this one felt like it was lacking that emotional depth. And again, it may just be my unfair expectations. This author is an investigative journalist, and the audiobook narration very much reflected that: a lot of detailed facts, not a whole lot of emotion. I typically seek out memoirs that delve into loss, grief, or mental health and how society often fails those who suffer from it, however, despite the sensitve subject matter of this one, this just ultimately came down to reader preference - this currently has a 4.54 rating on Goodreads, so I am certainly among the minority on this. 

*thank you to Celadonbooks and NetGalley and @macmillanaudio for the ARCs - this one is out now!

All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.

The Bass Rock is one of my all time favorite books, and while I am a fan of Wyld’s atmospheric writing style, this book has elements that I enjoy, the discussion on the history of male violence against women, and gender stereotyping; however, I find myself pushing through, only picking up the novel to finish it, not really because I’m enjoying it. In the end, this deserves to go to a better home, someone who will give it the attention it deserves. 

Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens

5.0

A queer historical fiction narrated by a ghost? Say less. 

I LOVE a ghost narrator. And one that’s filled with queer longing and desire? Even better. 

Incredibly atmospheric. A young ghost falls in unrequited love with a writer. Very much about society's expectations placed on women, spanning centuries. 

I felt so warm reading this. It was both breathtaking and humorous. Alive and just delicious. 

Feels like: crisp autumn leaves; tracing your fingers over cold piano keys; ink stained fingers; a glass of Pinot noir; and of course, Chopin’s music. 

*thank you to @scribnerbooks for providing me with an ARC, I’m super late - this one is out now!

Night Side of the River by Jeanette Winterson

3.0

Interspersed short ghost stories, with stories shared from Jeanette Winterson’s own life and experiences w/ the paranormal.

I thought the first few stories, specifically centered around AI, were interesting but didn’t stick with me. I could easily see someone setting the collection aside after those stories, however, I’d strongly urge you not to give up, because the stories to follow just get better and better. If you’re picking this collection up because you’re familiar, and a fan of, Winterson’s beautifully vivid prose, you might be disappointed, as this is the most stilted, simplistic prose I’ve seen from her to date. However, I will say that the language and the prose of the stories I loved below is where Winterson’s true writing style shines.

When Winterson starts to center her ghost stories on people, that’s where this collection really comes alive. 

Here are the stories I enjoyed - some I even loved: 

• Boots - a Scottish ghostly tale ala Romeo and Juliet on the night of a queer wedding. Eerie, atmospheric.  

• People: No Ghost Ghost Story - how all consuming loss and grief can be; where you hope to be haunted by your recently lost loved one. 

• The Undiscovered Country - POV of a man after he dies and his partner buries him. He watches him through his grief, as he begins to slip away, slowly. Philosophical musings on death and life(lack thereof) after death. Most romantic ghost story I’ve ever read. – I plan to purchase a final copy of this collection for this story alone. 

PS: if you’ve been here a while you’ll know that Winterson’s memoir is one of my favorite memoirs of all time, so if you haven’t picked that up yet, I strongly urge you to do so. 

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the early copy, this collection is out 10/24/23!

North Woods by Daniel Mason

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This was such a unique read. One that I loved so much that I have a difficult time expressing why, other than just telling you to read it and experience it for yourself. 

The central character being a cottage in the North Woods. We follow a long list of characters that visit this cottage over a 400 year timeframe. Some human, some not. 

This book was CLEVER and witty and I loved every second of it. Please read this one and sit with it, take your time.

What an opening chapter, I was hooked instantly and haven’t felt that excited about a novel’s promise from just the first few pages in so long. 

For fans of: Greenwood by Michael Christie for that cast of characters spanning generations, but also the nature writing & historical fiction elements; the polyphonic and unique storytelling by Tess Gunty in The Rabbit Hutch (who also blurrbed this novel) and the dreamlike prose and well researched historical facts similar to Maggie O’Farrell’s writing.

Feels like: sleeping in meadows; running through autumn leaves; silently standing in the middle of the woods, listening to the woods and creatures and plants breathe; the taste of crisp apples in the Autumn; listening to Novo Amor on repeat; a crackling fire.

*thank you to @atrandombooks for the final copy - this one is out now!

My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds by Hannah Pick-Goslar

5.0

Thin Skin: Essays by Jenn Shapland

5.0