kaitquinn's reviews
273 reviews

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

Though initially daunted by the heft of this book, the unfamiliar subject matter (anthropology/archaeology), and the journalistic style, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I was really impressed with Becky Cooper's research, perseverance, and level of detail + how she managed to write in a way that felt engaging, despite all the details thrown at us. I like that there are multiple topics at play - Jane Britton (her life and death, the investigation of her murder), anthropology & archaeology (both as subjects and the academics/politics of it), and the misogyny & politics of the anthropology department at Harvard (and of the institution itself).

I don't think everyone will find this subject matter interesting and want to spend 500 pages with it, but I think if at least two of the above topics interest you, you might find We Keep the Dead Close an interesting read. If you're only into true crime and/or just want to know more about Jane Britton's murder, this probably isn't the book for you.

I'll note that A LOT of names come into play, sometimes with so many pages between one mention and the next, I forgot who they were. But this is only the case with maybe 2-4 people mentioned in the book.

It's also not chronological. Of course, it goes back and forth between the past and the time in which Cooper was working on the book, but it also jumps around within those time frames. This didn't really bother me, and it felt intentional. Just something to note.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

Exiles of Eden by Ladan Osman

emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

A Kick in the Belly: Women, Slavery and Resistance by Stella Dadzie

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

The Stroke of Winter by Wendy Webb

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I really love the concept of this book and enjoyed the use of artwork to help tell the story. I liked the book for the most part. It was engaging, suspenseful, spooky, and ended with some twists I didn't see coming. 

Some things did feel a bit out of nowhere, though.

Like Ted's interest in Mallory. I kind of saw it coming from the scene where they're in the pool together. Her sponsor asking Mallory if Ted is handsy was a bit too on-the-nose, so that was when I saw it coming. But there was no build up or other signs. While I'm not opposed to this trope, there are already so many plot points in this book that can't give the Ted/Mallory situation room to breathe. I don't think it's even necessary to the story. Ted can still try to keep Mallory from taking the job or try to help her escape without being romantically interested in her.

Another thing that bothered me early on was the sudden shift in Ted's and Caroline's respective attitudes toward Mallory.

While it makes sense in the end why Ted was so cold and harsh during the interview and Caroline was above-and-beyond nice, the shift to him being overly nice toward Mallory and Caroline being more sharp with her is almost instant.

Despite the book trying to do too much at times, I did like the story and the characters. I especially appreciated an ending I didn't see coming. And again, the artwork is fantastic. The version I read had interviews with the two artists who created the artwork and it was really fascinating to read, especially the process of the artist who did the child drawings.

Truce by Prudence Brooks

emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Prudence Brooks’ TRUCE is a gut punch of a debut poetry collection that opens like a bandaid ripped off the poet’s wounds and gulps a little more oxygen with every poem. The experiences of disability, toxic relationships, modern love (“…largely I am content scrubbing the drain / with a long-handled brush”), a poet’s need to write (with all the gritty details, bounding “out of bed to write a series of poems from the perspective of a dildo”), and anxiety (“I am too much to ponder, / too much to hold”) that Brooks lays out in these poems are detailed and specific yet universally evocative. I particularly appreciate the honesty in the poems about love and marriage.
 
Brooks’ narrative poems are exquisite and immersive, while extended metaphor poems like “Wife as a ‘To Be Read’ Pile” are so well crafted, you forget there’s even a metaphor. From “dandelion afghans” to “most days feel like waiting / for water to boil” to the writer “hunched in crusty, unwashed underwear at your cluttered desk, greasy hair pulled back in an oversized clip,” each image, metaphor, and literary phrase is meticulously crafted to keep the writing fresh, the reader on their toes, and the speaker honest (because “Happiness is a crocheted beige turtleneck. / It’s itchy and a little embarrassing. / I don’t like to wear it everywhere, / but it’s snug and protective / and it comes in my measurements”). 

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

I thought the concept of this book was interesting, and the ending

leaves you with a strong, abrupt image. I was surprised to click to the next page on my e-reader only to find that was it

Part of me wanted more, to see what unfolds, especially to one particular character. But at the same time, it makes the ending feel more eerie. Other characters had kind of a meh ending - not bad but not interesting. I appreciate the atmosphere of the book and the treatment of insomnia, especially how it effects each character differently.

Judas Goat by Gabrielle Bates

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0