maxgardner's reviews
366 reviews

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Victim by Andrew Boryga

challenging funny reflective fast-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? Yes

4.0

This Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality by Peter Pomerantsev

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

Listening to this was a bit of a challenge because it's pretty dense for the first half, and most of that density comprises of details on international relations that I'm woefully ignorant about. Pomerantsev references a lot of historical fights various countries have had with fascism and authoritarianism, and though I'm aware of these at a high level, I am bad with geography and keeping track of the specifics with regards to the names of people and places as well as specific years, so some of the details blurred together for me in the first couple of chapters. I also think Pomerantsev struggles to really emphasize and highlight the points he's making at times, where I can understand what he's getting at but the actual statement of the point lacks any umph that helps it stand out and really make an impact. He gets better with this as the book goes on, and the latter half feels really tight and well constructed (though it's also helpful that I am more familiar with some of those historical facts). Overall, this is a really fascinating read, and he's making observations and drawing connections between the way propaganda has evolved that force you to not only understand some modern behavioral patterns we've seen with identity politics, but also to reflect on your own relationship with identity and how that's been shaped.

Less by Andrew Sean Greer

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I loved all of the characters in this—Eve's family, her friends, and the strangers that become something like family on her journey with grief. Eve's family dynamic is relatable in the way they love each other wholly but with that kind of bluntness that only comes when you've spent so much time around each other and experienced so many formative moments together. Nwabineli handles the core story well—maybe almost too much so. I know that grief is all-encompassing and moves at its own pace, and she illustrates this well in Eve's long and meandering path back toward some sense of normalcy. But even I was a bit exhausted with Eve toward the end. That being said, it feels genuine in that sense because grief is not one-size-fits-all and isn't something that induces rational or logical thought in the people affected. I think this is Nwabineli's point—Eve's struggle to move past what happened goes on even longer than maybe the reader feels it should, which challenges you to extend your empathy and broaden your understanding of it. But it isn't all doom and gloom—there are moments of joy, and those feel triumphant after so many stretches of darkness.

My only real issues with the story are the choices to make Eve's husband wealthy and some of the ways Eve finds her way back to herself. Although I understand his family wealth sets up an angle Nwabineli wants to explore with the intersection of socioeconomic and racial divides, it also creates a lot of conveniences that lead to the story repeating some of the same ebbs and flows with Eve's grief. She's never forced to reckon with the financial strain of being unable to work due to how overwhelming her grief is. Her family doesn't have to bear that financial burden in addition to the massive emotional burden they're already sharing amongst themselves. And the social commentary Nwabineli makes through this choice are not explored with much depth as most of the story is focused on the way Eve's husband died and how she reconciles that with what she knew of him. Plus, all of the conflict around the mother and the wealth feels super low stakes because none of it seems like an actual threat. The more interesting ideas come in a short confrontation we finally get toward the end where Eve must reckon with her understandable hatred for her husband's mother and her awareness of what that type of grief must feel like for a mother. I wish we'd gotten more of that throughout. I also didn't really buy the way Eve finds motivation to get better through her niece and nephew—yes, we know she loves them, but she very suddenly seems to need to see them, and I just did not see that progression fleshed out very well in the story. The connection between that and what she discovers in regards to her own condition are obvious, but that is not enough to make me buy into it.

All that said, I think there's plenty to like in this story, and it's a pretty well done exploration of grief, specifically in relation to suicide.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I just like T.J. Klune's writing style a lot, at least based on the two books I've read by him. This one, similar to House in the Cerulean Sea, features characters who are borderline caricatures in somewhat cheesy scenarios, but Klune is able to breathe life into them and the story in a way that makes you fall in love with them. He walks that line between bad cheesy and good cheesy very well, and I found myself laughing at things that I simultaneously recognized were a bit cringey. That isn't to say all of it lands for me—the ghost dog peeing on people it doesn't like didn't hit once, but I just don't love that trope as it is. But even the stuff that doesn't land doesn't take away from the overall joy I got from the story. Klune also has this ability to touch on some really profound realities of the human experience, and though he isn't approaching it in this high-brow, "serious literature" way, it's still thought provoking and emotionally impactful. Overall, I really enjoyed this and look forward to my next read by him!

There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé by Morgan Parker

challenging emotional funny reflective slow-paced

3.0

There are some standout poems in this, but as a whole, I was looking for more focus and a stronger throughline to all of the pieces. I guess maybe this is why I struggle with poetry.

Misfits: A Personal Manifesto by Michaela Coel

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.5

I wish this had not just been a transcription of her speech—there are so many ideas she could have expanded on and better connected. As it is, her exploration of these moments throughout her life and the themes she uncovers and attempts to connect them with feel quick and underdeveloped. I appreciated the intro and epilogue, but there was a lot of missed potential, considering the medium, to add depth to what worked well in her speech. That being said, I still really enjoy Michaela Coel's storytelling in general and got plenty out of this.

Bluets by Maggie Nelson

emotional funny informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

This started off pretty rough for me, but as a whole, I enjoyed this collection and am interested in revisiting it in the future.

The Year of No Mistakes: A Collection of Poetry by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz

emotional funny reflective sad

3.5

I enjoyed this collection overall—Aptowicz has some really great moments throughout and offers poignant observations on failed romance and the struggle of recapturing your identity post-breakup—but it did lack focus for me at times.