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mackreads324's reviews
28 reviews
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
informative
slow-paced
3.5
As an oncology nurse, I have heard of this book for a while and just needed to carve out the time to read it. It serves as a “biography” of cancer; a large feat for one book. Cancer, encompassing several different individual diagnoses, took on the enigmatic role of almost a villainous character. I will be honest: this book is dense. If you do not have medical knowledge or experience in the cancer world, I could see how this book would seem like too much information to consume at once. But as someone in this field, I found this book to be an easy to follow, concise (yes the book is long; but cancer has a long history), and comprehensive.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
(Sigh)
I don’t know. I know this book is critically acclaimed. I know this book often comes highly recommended. I tend to be a fast reader. I read A LOT, and if I like a book, you can often find me staying up until the wee hours finishing it in one setting. However this book- I had to *literally* force myself to finish it. There are moments throughout the book, undoubtedly, that I thought “ah, this is why people like Tartt.” But those moments, for me, were drowned out compared to the rest of the text.
People compare this novel to that of Dickens-era. I guess I could see the similarity….when I read Great Expectations, I remember my high school English teacher telling me it was “a classic”, raving about the prose and themes. However- I felt like the process of reading Great Expectations was akin to holding my eyelids open and forcing myself to read the words on the page, even though I would rather be reading anything else. This was reminiscent to that at times. True to the fact that a book can be a “literary masterpiece”, and also be not enjoyable.
If it was 300 less pages would I have appreciated it more? Maybe.
I don’t know. I know this book is critically acclaimed. I know this book often comes highly recommended. I tend to be a fast reader. I read A LOT, and if I like a book, you can often find me staying up until the wee hours finishing it in one setting. However this book- I had to *literally* force myself to finish it. There are moments throughout the book, undoubtedly, that I thought “ah, this is why people like Tartt.” But those moments, for me, were drowned out compared to the rest of the text.
People compare this novel to that of Dickens-era. I guess I could see the similarity….when I read Great Expectations, I remember my high school English teacher telling me it was “a classic”, raving about the prose and themes. However- I felt like the process of reading Great Expectations was akin to holding my eyelids open and forcing myself to read the words on the page, even though I would rather be reading anything else. This was reminiscent to that at times. True to the fact that a book can be a “literary masterpiece”, and also be not enjoyable.
If it was 300 less pages would I have appreciated it more? Maybe.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
emotional
reflective
5.0
Ocean Vuong tells the story of Little Dog through a semi-autobiographical novel in the form a letter to his illiterate mother. The novel itself blends prose with poetry, memory with metaphor, allowing Vuong to shine through as both a historian and an artist. The text reads as stream-of-consciousness-like fragments, including memories, recalled stories from his family, and almost confession-like revelations to a mother who will likely never read them. His imagery highlights his and his immigrant experience and his family’s war-induced trauma in a way that is visceral. His use of language is clever and his use of metaphor is both painful and beautiful. It was the type of book that when you’re finished, you want to pick it back up and do it all over -but this time savor the words as you’re reading them.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Another book by TJR that comes highly recommended to me, but ultimately didn’t live up to expectations. The format, while unique, read like the script of a VH1 biopic. I’ve been told it is more enjoyable as an audiobook, and maybe that’s true. I know that it would work well as a movie/show, and that I would probably watch. But as the entire narrative of the story was told through interview format, the book becomes highly character-driven with little plot substance. We are shown several times that different people have differing recollections of the events of the story, but when your only context is the substance of the interviews, you lack a reliable narrator and the story becomes muddled. To me the writing seemed juvenile at times, with Reid having a tendency to tell rather than show. I think the interview-only approach created a block between the reader and the characters, and I was unable to develop a strong understanding or relationship to any of the characters. I found the side characters having potential but falling flat and I craved further development. And while I really wanted to love the main characters, I was missing a connection and found them annoying most of the time.
I think she did a good job of evoking the music scene in the 70s-80s, with all of its sex and drug fueled energy. And I would probably watch this as a movie or show and think it was fine. But honestly for now, if I was looking for the feeling this book was trying to achieve, I would just watch Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham’s 1997 performance of Silver Springs, and save myself a lot of time.
I think she did a good job of evoking the music scene in the 70s-80s, with all of its sex and drug fueled energy. And I would probably watch this as a movie or show and think it was fine. But honestly for now, if I was looking for the feeling this book was trying to achieve, I would just watch Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham’s 1997 performance of Silver Springs, and save myself a lot of time.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was recommended to me by several people, and while I can definitely understand why, I felt like it was good but not great. I really liked the format: presenting you early on with the promise of secrets revealed, and a story told through memories. The old-Hollywood backdrop was easy to be immersed in. And while our characters were not always loveable (I actually found Evelyn and Celia to be insufferable at times), they were flawed and human. I did enjoy how this book explored different types of relationships and love, with the idea that you can have multiple “soulmates” and that different types of love, romantic and platonic, are valuable.
My biggest problems with the book are surrounding the nature of the representation of the characters. For me, the first page where Reid is introducing us to Monique, a biracial woman, it seems off and cringe-y. The way Monique is described in regards to her racial identity seems inauthentic. Evelyn, a Latina woman, undergoes physical transformation allowing her to assimilate into Hollywood and pass as white. While the problematic elements of that point are glossed over, we instead are given several instances of people obsessing over the beauty of her “unnatural” bleach blonde hair and too-dark skin. I think there was an opportunity presented to dig deeper into Evelyn’s Hollywood-induced white washing and further develop her personal identity In that regard, and I think it was missed. And the way queer relationships are presented in this novel also at times seems performative. Reid is a straight white woman. And while I do not think that writers should be limited to only write about their personal experiences, I do think you have to avoid being tone-deaf, or else your characters will fall flat and you risk alienating your audience.
I also think that Evelyn being the primary narrator of the novel leads to the other characters falling into the background. Maybe I would have liked the book better if the other characters, like Monique and even Harry and Celia, seemed less two-dimensional.
My biggest problems with the book are surrounding the nature of the representation of the characters. For me, the first page where Reid is introducing us to Monique, a biracial woman, it seems off and cringe-y. The way Monique is described in regards to her racial identity seems inauthentic. Evelyn, a Latina woman, undergoes physical transformation allowing her to assimilate into Hollywood and pass as white. While the problematic elements of that point are glossed over, we instead are given several instances of people obsessing over the beauty of her “unnatural” bleach blonde hair and too-dark skin. I think there was an opportunity presented to dig deeper into Evelyn’s Hollywood-induced white washing and further develop her personal identity In that regard, and I think it was missed. And the way queer relationships are presented in this novel also at times seems performative. Reid is a straight white woman. And while I do not think that writers should be limited to only write about their personal experiences, I do think you have to avoid being tone-deaf, or else your characters will fall flat and you risk alienating your audience.
I also think that Evelyn being the primary narrator of the novel leads to the other characters falling into the background. Maybe I would have liked the book better if the other characters, like Monique and even Harry and Celia, seemed less two-dimensional.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
4.75
I saw a few reviews mention that The House in the Cerulean Sea is the embodiment of a warm hug, and that rang true for me. It included lovable characters
who grow and change, a dreamy backdrop that you “wish you were there”, and magic. I fell in love with all of the children - I can’t say I ever have felt this protective over fictional characters. I found myself rooting for Linus along his journey of realization, wanting him to find his courage to leave behind the mundane and become an advocate for these kids. This book is an ode to embracing being different and pushing against bigotry and for justice and progress -a fantastical story with applications in the real world.
who grow and change, a dreamy backdrop that you “wish you were there”, and magic. I fell in love with all of the children - I can’t say I ever have felt this protective over fictional characters. I found myself rooting for Linus along his journey of realization, wanting him to find his courage to leave behind the mundane and become an advocate for these kids. This book is an ode to embracing being different and pushing against bigotry and for justice and progress -a fantastical story with applications in the real world.
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Detransition, Baby explores womanhood, motherhood, gender identity, relationships, and the uncommonly addressed, detransitioning. Peters introduces us to three main characters: a trans woman with a deep desire for motherhood, a de-transitioned man struggling with the idea of impending fatherhood and his own gender identity, and a divorced pregnant cis biracial woman juggling a decision on motherhood and family.
I have to admit that this is the first book I have read where trans individuals stand in the spotlight, not just a character in the periphery. That fact put my own heteronormativity on display to myself, and make me realize I need to expose myself to more media written by and shown from the lens of trans people. This book is tense, raw, and messy. I felt like by the end of it I had an open wound.
I went through the book cycling between hating and loving the characters, and to me, that’s often a sign that it’s a good book. Flawed characters with traumatic pasts, hurting others, tackling life decisions, facing their personal desires and identity. The book didn’t seek to make martyrs or heroes out of the characters, but let them live their chaotic, messy lives while happening to be trans. You don’t really get the “closure” you think you want at the end, but instead just characters continuing to make it through live the best they can.
I have to admit that this is the first book I have read where trans individuals stand in the spotlight, not just a character in the periphery. That fact put my own heteronormativity on display to myself, and make me realize I need to expose myself to more media written by and shown from the lens of trans people. This book is tense, raw, and messy. I felt like by the end of it I had an open wound.
I went through the book cycling between hating and loving the characters, and to me, that’s often a sign that it’s a good book. Flawed characters with traumatic pasts, hurting others, tackling life decisions, facing their personal desires and identity. The book didn’t seek to make martyrs or heroes out of the characters, but let them live their chaotic, messy lives while happening to be trans. You don’t really get the “closure” you think you want at the end, but instead just characters continuing to make it through live the best they can.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming and Abortion
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
emotional
reflective
3.75
This will they/won’t they, second chance story of these two seemingly star-crossed characters was in a lot of ways, captivating and engaging. I felt like the female characters in this book were written so strongly and I fell in love with Eva and her daughter. This book had moments of aching tenderness, and also quick wit and humor. Certain topics were presented in ways that were meaningful and executed well; like invisible disabilities, substance abuse, racism in the literary world, etc.
I found myself wanting more development in Eva’s dream novel: I found her lineage and ancestry captivating and would have liked a deeper dive into the history of the women in her family.
I also couldn’t help but think: so much of this was focused on their week-long romance when they were teens, but so much of that relationship was rooted in toxicity, self-harm, and masking one’s traumas with substance abuse, that I had a hard time personally buying into the fact that that made them fated lovers. I appreciate their own growth in the time between their meetings, and really loved the both of them as adults, but we definitely get close to crossing the line of romanticizing toxicity.
I found myself wanting more development in Eva’s dream novel: I found her lineage and ancestry captivating and would have liked a deeper dive into the history of the women in her family.
I also couldn’t help but think: so much of this was focused on their week-long romance when they were teens, but so much of that relationship was rooted in toxicity, self-harm, and masking one’s traumas with substance abuse, that I had a hard time personally buying into the fact that that made them fated lovers. I appreciate their own growth in the time between their meetings, and really loved the both of them as adults, but we definitely get close to crossing the line of romanticizing toxicity.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I just feel like it is….meh.
I think the main characters are archetypal (see: the weird but special, ugly but beautiful girl) and the secondary characters are caricatures at best who don’t offer much depth to the story (for example, we only get fleeting violent outbursts from her brother), which makes these characters just seem flat.
Her writing style, while certainly unique, gives “different for the sake of being different while not offering much to the overall effect of the book, and making things more difficult for your readers”.
Also, serious issues were included without real implications for the plot, making them seem superficial and treated as a novelty. There are books that handle trauma well, and I don’t think this is one of them.
Knowing that it is supposed to not just be a romance but a commentary on social issues and class….and I just didn’t feel the significance. The political and social issues (see: the mention of the Gaza demonstration) were mentioned really only in passing and seemed like superfluous things added for effect instead of real purpose in the plot.
I ended the book with my main emotion just being “frustrated”.
Idk. Maybe I read it wrong, or what was how I was supposed to feel at the end?
I think the main characters are archetypal (see: the weird but special, ugly but beautiful girl) and the secondary characters are caricatures at best who don’t offer much depth to the story (for example, we only get fleeting violent outbursts from her brother), which makes these characters just seem flat.
Her writing style, while certainly unique, gives “different for the sake of being different while not offering much to the overall effect of the book, and making things more difficult for your readers”.
Also, serious issues were included without real implications for the plot, making them seem superficial and treated as a novelty. There are books that handle trauma well, and I don’t think this is one of them.
Knowing that it is supposed to not just be a romance but a commentary on social issues and class….and I just didn’t feel the significance. The political and social issues (see: the mention of the Gaza demonstration) were mentioned really only in passing and seemed like superfluous things added for effect instead of real purpose in the plot.
I ended the book with my main emotion just being “frustrated”.
Idk. Maybe I read it wrong, or what was how I was supposed to feel at the end?