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natalie_and_company's reviews
305 reviews
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
3.75
Quite enjoyable. Nothing majorly important to report other than the ending left me feeling very melancholy.
Bunny by Mona Awad
4.25
This book makes my head feel all spinny-like bunny!!!
Bunny is the perfect balance of mystery and resolution. Open-ended books often frustrate me to no end, because oftentimes the author leaves out details that create an ending that just feels lazy, gaping potholes left in the author's wake. But here Mona Awad provides just enough answers about what's going on here to allow you to speculate until your head spins right off. There are no plotholes, only a future in which we as a reader are not privy to. And that makes the ending of this book really leave a lasting impact.
There's so much to be said here about the rich and their disconnection from reality. So much about the warping of reality that comes with power and money. The Bunnies are the way they are because they can be. They are rich and have no need for a proper perception of reality, leaving Sam innately different from them, as she has spent her whole life clutching on to reality, the reality of being poor really takes so many dreamy, trendy, and quirky things away from a person. Of course the Bunnies only ever care about what they /want/ none of them have ever had a reason to even consider what they need, all their needs are met, thinking about life that way is literally beyond them.
This book so smartly made fun of rich people and their ability to weaponize art to their advantage. So brilliant, will definitely be picking up another Mona Awad soon.
Bunny is the perfect balance of mystery and resolution. Open-ended books often frustrate me to no end, because oftentimes the author leaves out details that create an ending that just feels lazy, gaping potholes left in the author's wake. But here Mona Awad provides just enough answers about what's going on here to allow you to speculate until your head spins right off. There are no plotholes, only a future in which we as a reader are not privy to. And that makes the ending of this book really leave a lasting impact.
There's so much to be said here about the rich and their disconnection from reality. So much about the warping of reality that comes with power and money. The Bunnies are the way they are because they can be. They are rich and have no need for a proper perception of reality, leaving Sam innately different from them, as she has spent her whole life clutching on to reality, the reality of being poor really takes so many dreamy, trendy, and quirky things away from a person. Of course the Bunnies only ever care about what they /want/ none of them have ever had a reason to even consider what they need, all their needs are met, thinking about life that way is literally beyond them.
This book so smartly made fun of rich people and their ability to weaponize art to their advantage. So brilliant, will definitely be picking up another Mona Awad soon.
Thirst by Mary Oliver
2.75
Again Mary Oliver fails to inspire me, this time because of the repetative themes and even lines in this poem. Every poem was about how glorious god and jesus are and how everything in the world is theirs. There's little variation in the interpretation of the majority of these poems. They are not necessarily bad, but to me it just seems like a collection of 15 poems that all say the exact thing.
We Spread by Iain Reid
2.75
Never read an Iain Reid book before, and now I am even more disappointed after finishing this book and finding out from others online that the endings to the other writings are all way better. It just felt like there was one too many questions left unanswered in this book. There's a balance between a mysterious ending and a lazy-feeling ending because there were so many clues left hanging without direction. So many details that were not clarified enough to be able to even speculate very well what happened at the end. Sad because the writing was mouth-watering, the descriptive detail was entrancing. Too bad we were entranced off a cliff....
Bakkhai by Euripides, Anne Carson
4.0
Anne Carson is such an individual not even the great Greek writers can change her writing style. I admire it as I think it makes texts like these so much more relatable in a modern context and also allowing these texts to stay relevant even as the society we live in looks gradually more different than the one Euripidies came from. Found myself laughing out loud to this play. What a time we live in to watch Anne Carson do her work.
No Exit by Taylor Adams
3.5
A solid 3.5 not really anything to complain about but also not much to write home about. A reader that goes down smooth like tea.
Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling
1.5
I'm so mad that this book was slow because the premise and even concept behind the end and scientific aspect is an AMAZING idea.
They should have picked a different cover because this cover gives such an incorrect impression of what the book might be about. Had it been marketed correctly as more of a scifi horror it MIGHT have been able to get a 2.5 because the idea is really ingenious but so much of the book was wasted meandering and learning about details that did not matter at all.
Annoyed :(
They should have picked a different cover because this cover gives such an incorrect impression of what the book might be about. Had it been marketed correctly as more of a scifi horror it MIGHT have been able to get a 2.5 because the idea is really ingenious but so much of the book was wasted meandering and learning about details that did not matter at all.
Annoyed :(
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
4.5
This story was wonderfully woven. Truly a tapestry of words strung together to create such vibrant and full picture of every character. No character here was the comic relief, no one was left without their wants and needs expressed, without their faults exposed. Although I do think Tané was left behind slightly. Her character was a little more simplified than anyone else's as she didn't really bring up much about her history or discover about her past. Despite this, the world of the Priory is dripping with love. The authors love for the world, the girlies love for each other, the characters love for their cultures. Without being overly political, Shannon creates a detailed and complex world.
This world shines so brightly, bringing its warmth and light to the reader so gently.
This world shines so brightly, bringing its warmth and light to the reader so gently.
Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics by Mitchell Plitnick, Marc Lamont Hill
4.0
This is a deeply detailed and intensely researched piece of writing. The reference level is top-notch, along with the political analysis being very sound. Although this is definitely dense and not a beginner's book, it is a wonderful and thorough in its lifting up of the Palestinian people.