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lenorayoder's reviews
131 reviews
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
First of all: while I recommend reading this book, Orson Scott Card is a terrible person and who knows what terrible things he donates money to. If you read Ender's Game, please do it by buying it used or borrowing from someone, not anything (like buying new, borrowing ebooks and audiobooks from a library app, etc.) that could give that man royalty money.
There’s a lot to love about this book, but the author’s vibes are truly rancid and permeate the whole thing. I like what this book says about empathy, and some of the critiques of military culture and war. Despite some critiquing though, this book never manages to feel as anti-war/military as it seems like it should given the subject matter. The pervasive sexism clearly comes from the author instead of serving as another layer of the military critique. The portrayal of religion and its suppression is strange and doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the book. The way Card depicts and talks about young boys… really rubs me the wrong way.
Card was clearly enamored with the Battle Room and lingered on it a lot, and I think that’s to the detriment of what this story could have been, its themes, and the ideas I found a lot more interesting and nuanced. I would have liked to see a deeper exploration of the computers’ AI (that’s never called AI), and how it manifests in the game Ender plays on his desk. I also think the narrative doesn’t capture enough of Ender’s complexity and inner life. A lot of the characters just don’t feel as complex as it seems like they easily could be. The whole book feels more like a prequel than a standalone, and that’s a shame because there’s so much good material to work with.
Again, a lot to love and I loved this book when I was a kid. As an adult who can read between the lines though... oof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Child death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Antisemitism
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
emotional
sad
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
I liked a lot of the themes and there were some really good lines that will stick with me. Even though I saw it coming the last chunk of the book still made me cry. Felt intensely 2012 and teenagery at times, which I'd consider a good thing given that's who this book is written about and for.
Unfortunately, a lot of the characters didn't feel like real people to me. The narrative always felt like it was keeping too much distance for the characters to become fully realized. As a consequence I never really bought into the love story as much as I wanted to. That distance also made the timeline feel unclear unless explicitly stated, and as a result the pacing also felt off.
I see why this was a sensation and I'm glad I read it, but I'm just a little too old (and too into character-focused stories) for it to hit me the way it might have ten years ago.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Who Goes There?: The Novella That Formed the Basis of the Thing by John W. Campbell Jr.
mysterious
tense
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
First of all, regardless of its pitfalls I would absolutely recommend this novella. It's a quick read that's completely worth it.
The good: The premise and plotting of this book is so compelling. For the entire book you're only told who one of the Thing impersonators is, and everyone else is up in the air. When the book sticks to the psychological thriller aspect of this scenario - that anyone could be a Thing and there's no way of knowing who or how many - the book is amazing. I love that the book sometimes lingers on the horror of the Thing , but mostly cuts away from heavy action or dramatic moments that other books would linger on. This often helps keep the tension up and the attention focused on how the men are reacting to these circumstances, which is I think what the book does best. The 30's sci-fi is really fun, I liked Campbell's ideas of how technology might advance to allow a group of people to live for months on end at the south pole, and what they might be doing there. Campbell also clearly did his research, and I appreciate that each character's motivations remain consistent and make sense, even the Thing's to the extent of what we know.
The bad: At times the book is confusing to keep tension and momentum going and build atmosphere, but at time it feels unintentionally confusing. Despite frequently describing minute parts of the setting in language that felt out of place from the rest of the book, I was often confused about where people were. At some point I remember snow being mentioned when I hadn't even realized the characters were outside. I was also frequently confused about who was who since a lot of characters are introduced with little detail very quickly. I think the story loses something when you don't know how many people are crowded into how small of a room, who those people are, and if a scene is happening outside where it's extremely cold and easy to get lost. In some instances the confusing timeline added to the feel of the book, but in others I think it took away from emphasizing either how quickly a situation can devolve or how long the men have been living in a really tense situation. Lastly, while I appreciated Campbell's research in some respects, that man had trouble killing his darlings. There are several instances where characters explain or discuss something scientific or world-buildy. In a lot of these instances, dialogue would have felt more natural and tension/momentum higher if these things had remained unsaid, alluded to, or summarized.
Because I love the good so much and I think a lot of the bad can be chalked up to this being written in the 1930's, this gets 4 stars from me. I really liked it! If this had received a modern editing treatment, it would probably be 5 stars. 100% recommend, and it was fun to read during a snow storm as part of my winter challenge. Also, the screen treatment in this edition gets 1 star. Thank god studios went with Carpenter's vision instead.
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
Unfortunately, this book has a LOT of pitfalls. First, the characters. At some point those alternate perspectives of Charlotte and Mr. Collins start to feel very two-dimensional. Miss Bingley's character is absolutely assassinated, and becomes a weird amalgamation of her role and Lady Catherine's in P&P. Kitty is almost completely wiped from the book, it's kind of astonishing. Mary has two romantic interests, but one barely feels like a real person and the other feels more multi-faceted butisn't endgame so we don't get to see more. Mary herself starts to feel less like a real person and more like a pale imitation of other Austen heroines.
And now, the plot... it barely exists. Very little happens with Mary in the first half of the book. Then, Marytakes a whole ass trip to London, gets a new wardrobe, improves her conversation skills and meets... two new people. The romantic plot feels lazy and it's the only thing the book has going on for the latter half. Every plot point feels like a pale imitation of something we've seen executed much better by Austen, sprinkled with less impactful paraphrases of Austen's iconic lines! It's rough.
The more I think about this book the more holes I poke in it, but at the end of the day it still gets 3 stars from me because I really enjoyed that first half before I started thinking about it too hard.
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
This book mostly feels like wasted potential. There was a lot to love in the first half - Mary's relationship with her father is heart-wrenching, alternative perspectives of Lizzy, Jane, Charlotte, and Mr. Collins during the events of Pride & Prejudice add some interesting complexity to that story, and seeing Mrs. Bennet framed through a dramatic lens rather than a comedic one makes obvious what Austen only implied in her story. This book's strength lies in exploring these platonic and familial relationships - the hope Mary desperately places in her father (and to a smaller extent, Lizzy) is so compelling to read.
Unfortunately, this book has a LOT of pitfalls. First, the characters. At some point those alternate perspectives of Charlotte and Mr. Collins start to feel very two-dimensional. Miss Bingley's character is absolutely assassinated, and becomes a weird amalgamation of her role and Lady Catherine's in P&P. Kitty is almost completely wiped from the book, it's kind of astonishing. Mary has two romantic interests, but one barely feels like a real person and the other feels more multi-faceted but
And now, the plot... it barely exists. Very little happens with Mary in the first half of the book. Then, Mary
The more I think about this book the more holes I poke in it, but at the end of the day it still gets 3 stars from me because I really enjoyed that first half before I started thinking about it too hard.
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Solid romance read, and I'm an absolute sucker for time travel. The way Mae and Andrew both get so emotionally intense so fast was a bit much for me (the way Mae responded to their fight by drawing a picture of them old and married and giving a speech about loving Andrew forever felt legitimately unhinged and obsessive ), but overall I liked the romance and I was happy Mae and Theo weren't endgame. A nice read to end the year with.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Death, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
Let this Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care by Kelly Hayes, Mariame Kaba
4.0
Gave me something to think about and imparted some really valuable pieces of wisdom. I love that this book is realistic without being cynical. I highly recommend.
My main problem with the book is that it talks a lot about meeting people where they are and how organizers and activists have brought people into movements, but a lot of the book is written at a high reading level and uses terms unfamiliar to the average person without clearly defining them. I think that several entries in the glossary were more confusing than helpful, and that the book would have really benefited from a more extensive one. This probably isn't much of a problem for people who are already involved with the movements the authors organize around. However, the book frequently seems to also be speaking to new activists or people considering becoming activists, so I wish the book's language was a little more friendly to that audience.
My main problem with the book is that it talks a lot about meeting people where they are and how organizers and activists have brought people into movements, but a lot of the book is written at a high reading level and uses terms unfamiliar to the average person without clearly defining them. I think that several entries in the glossary were more confusing than helpful, and that the book would have really benefited from a more extensive one. This probably isn't much of a problem for people who are already involved with the movements the authors organize around. However, the book frequently seems to also be speaking to new activists or people considering becoming activists, so I wish the book's language was a little more friendly to that audience.
The Ultimate Guide to Permaculture by Nicole Faires
1.0
disorganized, confusing, poorly edited, very amateur. gave me a vague idea of a few things to research further and that’s it. would not recommend.
After School Nightmare, Volume 1 by Christine Schilling, Setona Mizushiro
dark
emotional
mysterious
3.0
so problematic… unfortunately i am intrigued 😫
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Dysphoria
Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Outing, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
mysterious
tense
4.5
This was my first time reading Ursula K. Le Guin. No wonder she's so well regarded, if this is representative of her work. Such a cool novella. The initial concept is interesting on its own, and then on top of that LG created such an interesting, atypical main character with supporting characters that are almost as good.
I love the aura of mystery that pervades the story and how much goes unsaid - my favorite example of this is George's eyes. Other characters always take the time to describe his eyes, and their feelings/impressions about George make this subtle shift after they've looked at his eyes long enough to describe them. It's so eerie and implies that there's more to whatever sets George apart than his dreams, but nothing is explained or explicitly said.
I also really liked the Heather/George dynamic, and how they reacted to each other. It's hard to put into my own words why I like their interactions so much - maybe that they're so different and yet LG has created such undeniable chemistry between them anyway that they immediately begin to gravitate towards one another anyway.
Something about the book didn't quite manage to grip me until close to the end. It's hard to pin down, but I think part of it is that sometimes things were over-described in a way that didn't mesh with how the rest of the book expects the reader to roll with new realities the way the characters do. So much of this book is so good, but it feels like something's missing, or coming up a little short because of how good most of it is. Still, George, his philosophy, the implications of the very existence of thealiens ... I'll be thinking about it this one for a while. I'm excited to read move of Le Guin's work. A couple of my favorite quotes:
"What will the creature made all of seadrift do on the dry sand of daylight; what will the mind do, each morning, waking?" I liked this when I first read it, but it's so much better after finishing the book. I went back just to read the opening paragraphs of the book once I finished it, and it's amazing how LGmanaged to foreshadow George's core character and the events of the book in a way that primes you for the philosophy of the story but doesn't really come together until you're mostly through the book. This line is especially good at the above while also just being beautiful.
"An irrelevant and poignant sensation of pleasure rose in him, like a tree that grew up and flowered all in one moment with its roots in his loins and its flowers in his mind."George having a terrible time and then this being his immediate reaction to hearing Heather's voice on the phone... I was giddy.
I love the aura of mystery that pervades the story and how much goes unsaid - my favorite example of this is George's eyes. Other characters always take the time to describe his eyes, and their feelings/impressions about George make this subtle shift after they've looked at his eyes long enough to describe them. It's so eerie and implies that there's more to whatever sets George apart than his dreams, but nothing is explained or explicitly said.
I also really liked the Heather/George dynamic, and how they reacted to each other. It's hard to put into my own words why I like their interactions so much - maybe that they're so different and yet LG has created such undeniable chemistry between them anyway that they immediately begin to gravitate towards one another anyway.
Something about the book didn't quite manage to grip me until close to the end. It's hard to pin down, but I think part of it is that sometimes things were over-described in a way that didn't mesh with how the rest of the book expects the reader to roll with new realities the way the characters do. So much of this book is so good, but it feels like something's missing, or coming up a little short because of how good most of it is. Still, George, his philosophy, the implications of the very existence of the
"What will the creature made all of seadrift do on the dry sand of daylight; what will the mind do, each morning, waking?" I liked this when I first read it, but it's so much better after finishing the book. I went back just to read the opening paragraphs of the book once I finished it, and it's amazing how LG
"An irrelevant and poignant sensation of pleasure rose in him, like a tree that grew up and flowered all in one moment with its roots in his loins and its flowers in his mind."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Drug use, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail