nixiethepixie's reviews
290 reviews

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Butler asks urges us to reflect and poses big questions without offering us neat solutions. An interesting world where aliens and humans interact and see how to build a new world. Lilith is an interesting protagonist who holds many truths complexities at once, the only way to survive. I was especially drawn to the question of if it’s still you and your truth if it’s under their rules, lens and definitions. Speaks to systems and structures within our every day. Compared to Butler’s other work, I found I wanted to know more of Lilith’s inner world, but equally her being subject to the world around her is one of the proposals of the book. This book definitely felt like the beginning of a trilogy, having to build a world and rules, and more to come. 

Vernon Subutex 1 by Virginie Despentes

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

A sprawling tapestry of fascinating characters amidst the backdrop of Paris and the death of a punk rock star. Touches on lots of different aspects of *life* within this current time. For so much of the reading experience, I pondered what was punk about this work, but I realised its state of being, not following any particular rules and expectations, was punk. I enjoyed the way this world unfolded on its own accord and kind of just obsessed with Despentes and want to read more of her work. Definitely a world for those who are happy to sit in an atmosphere and story where not much happens, but every moment we do encounter carries a history with it. This work thrives in this observatory way that gets in the head of the characters, most of whom we only spend a chapter or so with. I enjoyed finding out how different characters were connected and how they experienced different shared encounters. Am definitely curious to continue the trilogy. 

The Years by Annie Ernaux

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

I feel grateful and humbled by this reading experience. A chronicle of a life, a history, a moment in time. Impressions of moments - big and small, and a beautiful encounter with the impossible task of capturing a life. 

Ernaux is generous in her storytelling, and writes with such grace and frankness across this sprawling tapestry of moments, memory and history. Of course Ernaux reflects so generously on time, French and world history, class, gender and sexuality, but for me (upon this reading) I was continually drawn to her reflections of time, memory and past selves, and the impossibility of the task. I felt similarly when encountering A Girl’s Story.

I often felt humbled and excited by my youth and all the possibilities, and lives yet to be encountered. Overwhelmed by the feeling that there is significance to be found in every moment and I wonder how moments, memories and stories will be documented. 

I can’t help but wonder what it was like translating this, and what magic lives in the original that English-readers will never know. I wonder where I will meet this book next in life.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

challenging dark reflective 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

5.0

Always floored by the writing of Octavia E Butler. Brilliant characters that we follow through a richly imagined world, in this case, rooted in the darkness of history, truth and its ongoing repercussions. For me, Kindred sits in the realm of historical fiction with a beautifully rendered time travel element. No fussiness as to the rules of the world, it just is. Kindred flows with an urge of truth telling, and every so often hits us with a hard truth to sit with. Continually interrogated the relationship between history, time, legacy and bloodlines. Musical, robust and honest. Butler truly is a visionary. 

The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Happy to have finally got round to this. A mysterious, gentle dystopic world surrounding the imposed removal and loss of memories. In some ways, I was never fully sold on the logic of the premise which isn’t usually something I’d find myself caught up with. However, I enjoyed the characters, and there were some really beautiful passages and idea particularly surrounding the nature of memory, and the necessity of storytelling - stories can and will live on despite what happens to us and our living memory. The end was pretty dire, as was the crumbling of relationships and existence into thin air.

The Light-House by Edgar Allan Poe

I wish I could read the rest of this story, or maybe this is the end…

Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Glad to have finally finished reading this after a third attempt. I really enjoy the premise of this story - of beasts existing within society, only slight differences making them distinguishable from humans. The way they emerge in true forms at the full moon. Beasts are human, human are beasts. The story weaves together with short studies of the different beasts which makes for nice bite-sized segments, but ultimately a fairly seperate/disjointed through line. In some ways we are left wanting more of both the beasts, and also our narrator. Some of the metaphors or allusions I feel like may be somewhat lost in translation, or more context specific, but I was happy to spend time in this curious little world, and the constant questioning of beasts and how they exist within the world and within us.

Foster by Claire Keegan

emotional reflective sad 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? No

3.5

A little novella, a swift dip into a world and its characters, but Keegan packs in a strong atmosphere within a short time. Encountering moment of tenderness and care through the eyes of a Young Person - discovering and re-discovering what connection can be.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

A mysterious, bubbling, delight of a read. Enriches the imagination with heart and humour, Piranesi gives us a lens into the world infused with wonder, curiosity and care. Some moments I found were really engaging, and others I found my imagination couldn’t quite meet, but overall enjoyed the gentle tone, mystical elements, and the passages that remind us of the simply joys and beauty in this lifetime. 

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

• 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

4.0

Interspecies spaceship sci-fi! Overall a joyful and sweet time. In some ways felt like a super accessible sci-fi, with strong world building but a greater focus on relationships. Following multiple storylines, the work suffered a bit from wanting to go back to your favourite story - mine being Rosemary and Sissix. Some parts were truly joyful and super satisfying, whilst other moments felt like they lagged or weren’t as engaging for me. Sometimes the works socio-political context and world building felt a bit heavy-handed, but other parts of it existed in the world in an empowering way. But overall had a lovely time and was nice to engage in a delightful world that imagines beyond our human-centric imaginings of the future, space travel and community. And a wonderful book to read in the process of remembering how to read again and engage in fictional worlds!