megansmith's reviews
183 reviews

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I am surprised how much I like this! I normally hate books with divorce and I dont admittedly know how or why this got on my list, but it did really make me love Ann Pratchett’s writing style. For a very stressful storyline, the deep relationships within the story provided a lot of coziness. If you love reading about interpersonal relationships in a book, you will enjoy this a lot. 

I dont have a ton of complaints, this didnt make my heart soar or anything with the book so it wasnt like, one to stay on my shelves forever, but I did enjoy my time with it! Id still recommend it and I’ll be looking to read Tom Lake in the near future. 

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

She ate, she left zero crumbs, she had me kicking my feet in the first half and sad and depressed in the second half. But overall, I LOVED this book. I'm not joking when I said I read 60% of the book almost nonstop in one night and probably would have finished it too if I had the time to read it continuously. 

The writing is so charming and humorous, and I found myself laughing out loud at parts early on. The buildup and scenes in this story were just so enchanting and I found myself deep in this world. But this story also felt so approachable at the same time, and I think many readers would find themselves enjoying this at all levels of readership. I loved the characters, I loved the backstories, and the concept behind the book was just so fascinating! 

There's a few nitpicks I have minor points off for, but these feel like personal preference.

I feel this about most time travel content I read, but I think a lot of books mess up some part of time travel (understandably, it's quite confusing) and it felt like the end wasn't 100% congruent with the beginning in terms of it's time travel laws. I think this book keeps time travel somewhat contained and not as expansive as it could have, which I think helps remove confusion, but the end had some confusing threads I still could not understand. How do the Brigadier and his partner I already forgot the name of, tie into the story? They got so little explanation other than them being lovers and that they're from the future. Why are THEY so obsessed? Are they a part of the Ministry, or something else? Also, I don't quite understand how Simella got connected to the Brigadier and such in the future, that also confused me. BUT, I don't think this is a book for those that want really well-thought out, explained time travel and I think that's also okay. Two, GOD DAMMIT I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED WHEN SHE WENT TO ALASKA. DID THEY MAKE UP OR NOT. I THINK THEY DID AND IM GONNA TELL MYSELF THEY DID BUT CMOOOON. I wanted a happy ending and I think that would've tonally matched the first half of the book so it felt incongruent to get this ending instead. Again, second one is heavy on the personal preference.

 

Overall though, she was one of my favs for 2024, I really enjoyed this read and would highly recommend to anyoneeeee

Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel

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

3.75

This book was interesting! Idk if it was earth-shattering or one of my favorites but, it was a really unique spin on a novel and a fascinating character study. I loved how it all spanned in such a short amount of time. And the messages were there, whatever you wanted to uncover from this story. I think if you like short stories, you will enjoy this read. 

Feck Perfuction: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life (Business Books, Graphic Design Books, Books on Success) by James Victore

challenging hopeful inspiring fast-paced

1.0

If you're reading this and you're one of my coworkers, no you aren't, back out of this page and leave please <3

---

I did NOT like this book. I have not had to brute force myself through a book in a long time, much less one this short and easy to read, but fuck this was bad. I did not choose this book myself, one of my coworkers put this in a list of book club reads and I voted for it was intrigued by the title and honestly, just preferred it over some worse options on the list.

As a general principle as a graphic designer with many identities that are opposite to "white, straight, cis-male", I try to avoid taking too much advice from creatives in this category since on top of the advice that comes from a place of deep privilege, I find this group of designers to be laden with some of the thickest egos in our industry and lo and behold, that is all I found in the pages of this book. Advice was contradictory at best, insensitive at worst. Much of it centered around this whole narrative that boiled down to more or less, "fuck the 9-5, if you have the 9-5 you're a sad sap who needs to get a life because you're awful and boring and not fun". There's so much missing nuance here and I think this just taps back to this really specific group of designers that feel so rejected by the lifestyle they initially pursued that they rebel against it so much and try pursuing their own thing, and in the process become so bullish about living THEIR specific life and encourage other people to do so, that they've become the thing they hated. What's the difference in shaming 9-5er's as a person with a "unique" career vs shaming someone who doesn't pursue a traditional 9-5? There's a lot of ways to have a fulfilling, sustainable life and career and this book misses that point tenfold. Some takes were so full of privilege and seeping with selfishness that by the time I got to chapter 5, all my notes were just "man, I really hate this."

There were very few passages I did resonate with, but I will give my small amount of credit where credit is due, not EVERYTHING was a complete hate. But this book was full of basic platitudes you could find in a Home Goods, strewn with just a bunch of "fucks + shits + asses", sexual metaphors (no joke, one section ended with "junk food, no cardio, and stale sex life make Jack a dull boy"), and a lot of "if I pulled myself out of poverty by my bootstraps and my raging hard on for creativity (also "raging hard on for creativity" was direct from the book), you can do it too if you're not SCARED of totally ruining the lives of yourself and everyone around you in favor of being cReAtIvE!" (he did quite literally brag about how he chose to print 5000 posters with his design with his rent money and got himself and his girlfriend evicted from their apartment, but he's now so glad he has a wife that is willing to sacrifice it all for him to be creative). So all that in mind, I'm not surprised I found at least a few things to resonate with. Because nothing was groundbreaking. That's all this boiled down to, someone that tried so hard to be outside the box that he found himself in a new box of his own making. And it just has a lot of curse words written on the outside in bad handwriting, but looks like the original box.

Lastly, as a designer, this book bothered me so much. Which I wouldn't think I'd be saying but I am! Some illustrations paired with the writing were interesting, and I will give him credit, James' handwriting is unique. But it is HARD to read. We're in an era of design where there's a spotlight on accessibility, now more than ever before, and you're a communications designer who communicates your personal work primarily through your own handwriting, and it's difficult to read? If this is a test, like he says in the book, everything is a test, you failed to even fill in your name in the right place and thus failed the exam. The page numbers were also placed so deeply in the gutter of the book that I didn't even notice there were any until page 67, otherwise I would've tracked my progress sooner. And the printing process made each page number uneven, which I don't know if that was intentional due to the title of the book, but it bothered the shit out of me. I am assuming it was intentional because of the back of the book. This is another thing that drives me so wild with this era of male designers, they're so caught up in why the curtain is blue that they don't realize the house is burning down behind them. Good design isn't so caught up in finding "artistic meaning" that it becomes difficult and inaccessible for a majority of audiences - it just becomes a personal exercise in ostracizing the people you're supposed to be working for. 

I'll end on this - one passage I noted said, 

What’s important about what you think of my work is not how you feel about it, but what you do about it.

Which, in this case, I know James will therefore not care what I think about his work. As he says earlier in the book too, despite working for clients, he doesn't give a shit what they think, so long as he's happy (but also, later mentions that you have to have a purpose in life and if you aren't doing things for others than you're wasting your life, more or less). BUT what I will do in response to this work of his, is this: is push way harder to not read books by privileged designers with outdated views when presented with a really bad list of reads at work, and continue pursuing work and passages written by creatives that interest me and look more holistically at the world we live in. This book is outdated at best, harmful at worst, and worth nobody's time. There's far better books out there in the world that can get you motivated to create without taking in all this harmful bullshit in the process. 

Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.5

I don’t know if this is one of those books I was just honestly too stupid to understand, or if this is actually a mindfuck for the general population, but I hardly had a single idea what was going on the entire time. This book feels like an unending ramble and I had a hard time making heads or tails of what was happening. It was hard to understand who characters were because of the way they were introduced, there were also way too many plot lines introduced in such confusing ways to make any sense with the stories and stories within the story included. This book felt pointless and just when maybe the point of the novel was summed up in one of the last two pages, I lost my interest in caring about what the book meant, and why I should care. Truly so frustrating and not a relief to read! The description on this book threw me off so much. Its not wrong but its very misleading for how this book actually is! I dont think id recommend this unless you want something that makes you really confused and love confusing endings that dont make sense. 

I will say - I didnt give this a lower rating because some of the stories were intriguing, and I was struck by the last line in the book that kind of summed it all up. I do think though the book could be more straightforward AND still make the point it was trying to make. Just not my preferred writing style or cup of tea. Her writing can be very descriptive and I found myself in parts of Prague reading this (which is part of why I picked this up). I could also see some of the more comedic moments in the story with her great sense of description. So it has some merits, and if you like a real mind-bender, this would be for you. 

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Not gonna lie, this one knocked me off my feet in such a good and unexpected way. I bought this hearing the hype of Dolly Alderton + good reviews from friends, a bit nervous about it though because I usually hate breakup / divorce / cheating novels. But man, I really loved this. I was really shocked at how empathetic I felt for this narrator I had very little in common with and honestly would not side with in real life, much less a narrator I know is incredibly unreliable. But Alderton writes her characters in such a loving and tender way and her research comes through in such a heartfelt way. And I love how

Jen’s narrative was pulled in at just the right time, in the right place. Truly such a good tie up to this book.

This story feels so real and open and says many of the things people wished they could say to others when theyre going through a breakup, and it both opened my eyes a bit but also captured me so much. I also loved how this story flowed, I honestly felt like this book was super visual. Despite it not being super description rich, I could see the characters interactions as if I were watching a limited ep tv series, and

the storage unit scenes tipped me off to this especially

I wanted to take a point off for how somehow, for being a really terrible commedian, Andy is still able to rent in London without breaking more of a sweat about finances, but Im going to suspend my disbelief and let this book shine with the value it deserves. I ate this sh*t up in literally three days, in four sittings and Dolly Alderton’s work WILL be moving up on my TBR. Highly recommend, one of my favs of the year! 

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have mixed feelings on this, but mostly positive! This was a really interesting premise, some of which I think the author executed nicely. The writing is incredibly descriptive and the ending really pulled me in, making me wonder how it was all gonna turn out. I also loved hearing about an era of time I knew very little about.

My cons: The beginning felt SLOW. I struggled til like over halfway through with the pace. But then the really interesting events went so quickly.

The romance also felt super sudden and honestly really forced, I struggled to root for them as a couple. And I wish the magic was explained a bit more.

Also, I struggled a bit on names, just because the book would flip between nicknames and formal names. Maybe if I read this in less sittings I wouldve gotten them down quicker? 

I had higher hopes for this book and Im kind of disappointed, but parts of it still caught my attention. Idk! If the premise interests you im sure you’ll like it, but it didnt live up to the quality of Ninth House that I was hoping for. 

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.25

I wanted to like this more, but man I’m really disappointed in some aspects of this! 

The most glaring and obvious one was this book’s frankly weird and gross relationships with race and gender. It threw me off immediately when the author was describing background characters and would almost exclusively call out characters by their race (“a Black woman, an Asian man, etc”) and use that as the only descriptor, but then every other person that was white was not described that way. Fast forward to one of the story’s villians having a moment with the main character and using really hateful language, it just cemented this really weird dynamic the author was pushing. You can make villains scary without having them make a bunch of hateful comments about getting “slapped like his wife”, calling a different character a J*p, telling the main character to go back to the kitchen etc etc in a really short span of pages. Hell, the scariest villain of the book barely said anything and she was far scarier than this racist, mysoginistic buffoon. Woof. That gets a lot of stars off for me, I expect more elevated writing with all the resources available for education out there these days. 

Beyond that, this book I think also suffers from an identity crisis. Gruesome, gory deaths that were repeated and recounted across multiple pages, were paired with very surface level, almost young-adult style writing. Some characters felt so flat. and very emotional sections were honestly just boring for the agony or depth of suffering we could’ve seen the characters go through, to fully understand the scope of what was happening. I think the author just needed to pick a route, young adult or adult and commit - this honestly works much better as a young adult book imo. 

What I do think this book did well were aspects of time travel, and bringing back loose ends later in the story. I also was intrigued by the premise of these magical books, and the solutions presented didnt disappoint. 

HOWEVER, the real ending was truly disappointing for how thought out the rest of the book was.

The book casually insinuates Cassie was the one who made all the books but then doesnt dive into it other than one brief page? And then how the hell does the negative energy just linger and take form from Barbary to Rachel?

I think this book was going for some sequel bait but frankly, if this was setting fishing bait, they put the worm on and it fell off the hook before it even hit the water. I expected better follow through and clarity when the rest of the book easily provided it.

Overall; Im disappointed and was hoping for more from this. I say, feel free to skip. There are plenty of other books in this genre that avoid many of this book’s problems. 

Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly McGhee

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was interesting! I was pulled in by the premise and the follow through definitely didn't disappoint - this fit well in the genre of workplace trauma, just packaged in an entirely new premise. I appreciated the new concept and I was really intrigued to know where McGee was taking this novel. The writing was also great - I found myself skipping sentences, tied up in the dialogue, and then having to backtrack so I could catch the descriptive writing around the dialogue. 

My only two gripes with this would be - 1) I feel like i missed parts of this book because Jonathan in this case is introduced as someone that's pretty dim-witted and is clearly an unreliable narrator. That's fine, however I feel like there were a lot of key moments where I was supposed to be picking something really terrifying up and just totally missed the point of it. Which leads me to, 2) for how much it's hammered in that Jonathan does not make it to the end of the book (NOT A SPOILER, it's literally on the first page), I wish the third person narrator came in more than they did! I think it could've helped with gripe #1 that I have. 

Otherwise, I did enjoy this. It's maybe not my TOP top favorite just because it's so bleak - I read a lot of bleak books but this was a new low for me, I won't lie. But it's also so good and worth the read. 

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

I think overall I liked this, this wasn't a huge standout for me but I will definitely be thinking about themes from this book for a while! If you liked the Giver, or Klara and the Sun / Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, I think you'd enjoy this. 

The plot is really fascinating, I loved the concept and it felt like a unique take on time travel. After reading the author bio, I was completely unsurprised something so thought provoking came from a philosophy scholar! 

What I think got me were the periods of slow builds. I actually struggled getting through some of the first chapters, but once I got through the first build, this book picked me up a bit. I also didn't want to have to re-rent it from the library, so that was half my motivation. I think the end and middle paid off, but I could have used a bit snappier of writing in parts. This book is a slower, moody read, and it may just not be my vibe. And that's fine! 

I think also just a few elements were unexplained in the book and I would've loved more explanations as to why those things happened. The main one:

I was expecting Odiele to run into Lucy in the future and have her pave the way for the jailbreak, so I'm confused why that didn't come up again. Did seeing her future self and putting two and two together alter her present that much, but not enough to be detectable? I just feel like it wasn't explained very well but, ah well.

 

I think if you're in the mood for a slow burn, or love a good thought experiment, you'll like this book!