oosij's reviews
109 reviews

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park

1.5

written well, i just did not like that lol. bonus points for making me fact check actual korean history. hated rhee syngman being written in a lowkey positive light. 

82년생 김지영 by 조남주, Cho Nam-joo

4.5

a book that makes you angry as a woman, to know just how far we've come for women's rights but also just how far behind we are in this patriarchy - no matter the country, the culture, the background.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

let her work at the damn convenience store in peace!

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

a truly bizarre art piece that's unhinged women and motherhood and gender dynamics of a nuclear family and and and!

also it certainly wasn't the book's goal, i'd say, but the first half hammered home for me just how much i don't want to be and am not ready to be a mother lol. 

Persuasion by Jane Austen

slow-paced

4.5

can you believe this is the first jane austen novel i've actually read? i mean, i've watched adaptations, of course, but now that i've finally dipped my toes into her world of voracious verbiage, i think i can easily say this is one of THE slice-of-life slow burn romance you recommend when people want something angsty, where you yell at the characters to just hurry up and get their shit together (but secretly revel in how stupidly blind they're being). 

i'm not sure what's holding me back on the full 5 stars though...

Girls Against God by Jenny Hval

3.0

you know when you're taking in an experimental, evocative, (usually) grotesque modern art exhibit? yeah, this book is that but in written form. 

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

2.0

a predictable HEA for a story revolving around magic and family and The Self. glad to be done with this book after having it sit on my shelf since its drop. 

I Hope This Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.5

i absolutely tore through this. the only reason it's not 5 stars is that i wish it was a slower burn (i have fanfic masochism, what can i say?) and had julius's pov as well. 

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

kinda wild how much closer we get to the america octavia butler wrote about in the late 90s. so many aspects of what happens is so relevant to today. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Pregnancy

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

3.5

a rare case where i watched and liked the movie first, so reading the book felt like a drag.