patrick2024's reviews
119 reviews

dark funny fast-paced

3.0

My first attempt at horror. It was creepy and icky rather than scary. Easy to read. The racism faced by the Chinese was an undercurrent and makes me think I need to lean further into this. I enjoyed the window into Chinese tradition.
It was creepy and quite funny. And set in what we call covid times made it relatable.
The ending was quite unsatisfying and the lead character never really grew hence the 3.

The Women Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle

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emotional funny inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.75

Love love love this book.
The dialogue is so evocative. Even how you see the words on the page.
The narrative is authentic.
The characters are so flawed it makes them so real.
The story drew me in and by the last 1/4 I could not put it down. I think the non-linear jumps around time made it a slight challenge at the start and I still don’t see how it served the story.

Pictures of You by Emma Grey

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emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

A fun read. Quick pacing using time jumps and chapters from the perspectives of individual characters to good effect.
A very authentic rendition of coercive control added modernity to its narrative.
Utterly predictable with a scooby-doo ending.

Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced

3.75

It took a lot to get into this. The trick was to swot up in Virginia Woolf who is mentioned often. Then everything slipped into place.
I appreciated the authentic storytelling of a whole manner of relationships including just how dysfunctional so many are.
Residents of St Kilda, Melbourne will be especially engaged with this.

Mayflies by Andrew O'Hagan

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emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Good gods! The tears that flowed.
This book captures so authentically the male voice. More precisely male friendship and how it is expressed. It was so funny and so warm. Drawing you into the relationships making the experience of reading so visceral at the end.

Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher

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emotional inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.5

Memoir is not buy usual jam but Cher’s conversational authentic telling of her story kept me turning the pages.

This Accidental Present: A Story of Two Families by Ross Wilson

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Great contextualised insights into the live of Oodgeroo. I’m addition so many surprises about Brisbane at the time.

What you are looking for is in the library by Michiko Aoyama

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