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lauraborkpower's reviews
819 reviews
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
5.0
This is a great mystery that turns the who-done-it on its head. You know who did it, you just don't know why. Also, it fulfills a semi-guilty pleasure genre of mine, which is mysteries that take place in liberal arts colleges (or boarding schools).
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
3.0
This is the seven-years-in-the-making follow up to Tartt's The Secret History (excellent book!). This one is lush and gorgeous, the plot is intriguing, and the characters are complex and compelling. However (and a BIG however this is), the story begins with a murder and the murder is unsolved at the end of the book. Now, it's highly possible that I missed something here, but if I didn't, it's an absolute failure of a mystery. If I did miss something, then apparently it's too smart for me. If you're aware of the anticlimactic ending and are okay with not knowing who killed our heroine's little brother, then you'll be able to enjoy it more than I did (I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning because I needed to find out who the killer was, and then nearly threw the book out of the window and woke my mom up to yell at her when the book ended with no closure.). I'll most likely read it again for my own masochistic tendencies.
Loop by Kōji Suzuki
3.0
Not as good as the first two in the series, but an interesting read nonetheless.
Dark Water by Kōji Suzuki
3.0
An overly themed collection of short stories by the author behind the Ring trilogy. Each story incorporates (you guessed it!) water, though by the third/fourth story, I'd gotten a little tired of the gag. But there's some creepiness in here that might be worth a quick read.
Spiral by Sakura Mizuki
4.0
This is a great follow-up to Ring. It takes the trick to a cool and creepy new place. I quite enjoyed it.
Ring by Kōji Suzuki
5.0
A great read and it's obvious why it inspired the films. It's a detective novel of sorts, which that oh-so-creepy supernatural element.
Oblivion: Stories by David Foster Wallace
4.0
A great collection of short stories, though in a very different way than Girl With curious Hair. It should be read if only for the final story, a brilliant telling of September 11, 2001 without actually telling it. That story also involves poop. And that's just awesome.
Girl with Curious Hair by David Foster Wallace
5.0
Brilliant and twisted. Deliciously twisted. Thank you Mike Wirkus!