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raesengele's reviews
291 reviews
Autonomous by Annalee Newitz
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Right off the top: this is not the LGBT friendly cyberpunk book that it's advertised as. Yes, it's full of queer characters, but in the way of the 50s and not a queer woman in the modern era. Seriously, if the author's queerness hadn't been included in her bio I would have thought this was written by someone outside of the community.
This is my second attempt to get through this book and though I got further this time, I've been absolutely dragging my feet doing so. The base concept of Autonomous is intriguing, but every primary character (except for Jack) and the romances are so uncomfortable they were getting in the way. I read other reviews to get a feel for if I should just push through and decided from there it's just not worth it. I'm already tired of man is clearly into other man but even after having sex with him refuses to admit his feelings because "I'm not gay" (or the f-slur which Newitz uses a shocking amount for a queer woman) types of stories and I was willing to push through if the book ended with him getting past that, but since he seemingly doesn't AND gets away with it by coercing his genderless android partner to change pronouns for him I'm just not here for that. I'm also just not here for Jack's weird relationship with Threezed. The power imbalance is just too much even if Jack is (poorly) fighting against it.I skimmed the scene with Jack's ill-fated partner which was just disappointing as well. It felt so akin to Cosima and Delphine in Orphan Black but with a heavy dose of bury your gays and I'm just tired of that, as well. I guess I'm just already too tired with the state of the world to give my time to a book focusing on characters and topics that are even more bleak.
This is my second attempt to get through this book and though I got further this time, I've been absolutely dragging my feet doing so. The base concept of Autonomous is intriguing, but every primary character (except for Jack) and the romances are so uncomfortable they were getting in the way. I read other reviews to get a feel for if I should just push through and decided from there it's just not worth it. I'm already tired of man is clearly into other man but even after having sex with him refuses to admit his feelings because "I'm not gay" (or the f-slur which Newitz uses a shocking amount for a queer woman) types of stories and I was willing to push through if the book ended with him getting past that, but since he seemingly doesn't AND gets away with it by coercing his genderless android partner to change pronouns for him I'm just not here for that. I'm also just not here for Jack's weird relationship with Threezed. The power imbalance is just too much even if Jack is (poorly) fighting against it.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
2.0
This book just was not for me. I skimmed through most of it.
I just do not like Weir's writing style. It feels juvenile. The humor wasn't funny. He's clearly never spoken to an actual teacher in his life. This is a prime example of why "show don't tell" is a dumb hill to die on. So much of this could have easily been told and had the same impact. None of this was helped by the fact that the lead just grated my every last nerve. It felt very science bro-y to me.
I'm also just not a space girlie which is why I'm giving it two stars instead of one. I'm sure there's a possibility someone who is into space would enjoy the tedious way this was written, but it drove me crazy. Honestly, the only reason I finished was because it was a bookclub book.
I just do not like Weir's writing style. It feels juvenile. The humor wasn't funny. He's clearly never spoken to an actual teacher in his life. This is a prime example of why "show don't tell" is a dumb hill to die on. So much of this could have easily been told and had the same impact. None of this was helped by the fact that the lead just grated my every last nerve. It felt very science bro-y to me.
I'm also just not a space girlie which is why I'm giving it two stars instead of one. I'm sure there's a possibility someone who is into space would enjoy the tedious way this was written, but it drove me crazy. Honestly, the only reason I finished was because it was a bookclub book.
MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
challenging
dark
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? Yes
5.0
The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Death, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide, Rape, Xenophobia, War, and Cancer
Minor: Homophobia
The slur "gypsy" is used frequently throughout this book instead of Romani
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Saint Grit by Kayli Scholz
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If you're at around the 50% point and are thinking is anything going to happen, just keep reading. I actually put Rebecca down for several reads for that exact reason and damn I'm glad I came back to it and didn't DNF is entirely. Once the plot gets going IT GETS GOING! Absolutely worth wading through the first half.
2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron
informative
fast-paced
3.0
If this isn't your first rodeo, but you're still interested in this book, let me save you some time:
Plot and experiment with what time of day you write to figure out when your focus is best.
That's basically what the "write faster" part of this book boils down to.
And that part of the book is about 30 pages.
Honestly, this could have been a blog post. Actually, it was a blog post which makes sense.
The second half is all the same stuff you've most likely read before if you've read more than one book on writing. I will say, I did appreciate that Aaron isn't as prescriptive as some other books I've read. She's very open to the concept of pantsers and doesn't claim that meticulous plotting is the only way to be a successful author, which as a plantser, I appreciated. I also very much liked her section on character mostly because we approach character the same way--figure out their motivation/wants at the least then let them reveal who they are as you write. I've never been a fan of the plotting method that requires you to know a character's entire life history and/or unimportant details like how they take their coffee or which starter pokemon would they choose before you ever start putting words to the page. I also just don't like filling out pages upon pages of questionnaires for my characters. I'm also neurodivergent and small talk kills me, so that might have something to do with it.
The place we conflicted is she's yet another author who has fallen prey to the false idea that the 3 act structure is the only way to tell a story. It's a lie created by Hollywood. Literally. That's not me spouting conspiracy bullshit. Hollywood has a very strict outline that all scripts must adhere to in order to be funded. That strict outline follows the Three Act Structure. And for some reason in the last 10 years authors began touting around the Three Act Structure as anthropological fact that all readers will be able to naturally sus out and you'll never be a success unless you follow it...even though all of Shakespeare's plays were five acts and the Hero's Journey has 8 points, the Heroine's Journey has even more. There are other ways to tell a story, so can we please move on from this myth. Word to the wise, if a book on NOVEL WRITING only uses movies (Especially Star Wars. They all love to reference Star Wars.) as examples while talking about plot, take all of it with a grain of salt.
Anyways, it's a short book (the actual text is 100 pages), so if you're still interested or if you're new to writing, it's definitely worth picking up. Just know that there's not much that's revolutionary to her method. Just know what you're going to write before you write it and figure out what time of day you write best then guard that time like a mama bear.
Plot and experiment with what time of day you write to figure out when your focus is best.
That's basically what the "write faster" part of this book boils down to.
And that part of the book is about 30 pages.
Honestly, this could have been a blog post. Actually, it was a blog post which makes sense.
The second half is all the same stuff you've most likely read before if you've read more than one book on writing. I will say, I did appreciate that Aaron isn't as prescriptive as some other books I've read. She's very open to the concept of pantsers and doesn't claim that meticulous plotting is the only way to be a successful author, which as a plantser, I appreciated. I also very much liked her section on character mostly because we approach character the same way--figure out their motivation/wants at the least then let them reveal who they are as you write. I've never been a fan of the plotting method that requires you to know a character's entire life history and/or unimportant details like how they take their coffee or which starter pokemon would they choose before you ever start putting words to the page. I also just don't like filling out pages upon pages of questionnaires for my characters. I'm also neurodivergent and small talk kills me, so that might have something to do with it.
The place we conflicted is she's yet another author who has fallen prey to the false idea that the 3 act structure is the only way to tell a story. It's a lie created by Hollywood. Literally. That's not me spouting conspiracy bullshit. Hollywood has a very strict outline that all scripts must adhere to in order to be funded. That strict outline follows the Three Act Structure. And for some reason in the last 10 years authors began touting around the Three Act Structure as anthropological fact that all readers will be able to naturally sus out and you'll never be a success unless you follow it...even though all of Shakespeare's plays were five acts and the Hero's Journey has 8 points, the Heroine's Journey has even more. There are other ways to tell a story, so can we please move on from this myth. Word to the wise, if a book on NOVEL WRITING only uses movies (Especially Star Wars. They all love to reference Star Wars.) as examples while talking about plot, take all of it with a grain of salt.
Anyways, it's a short book (the actual text is 100 pages), so if you're still interested or if you're new to writing, it's definitely worth picking up. Just know that there's not much that's revolutionary to her method. Just know what you're going to write before you write it and figure out what time of day you write best then guard that time like a mama bear.
Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege, and the Murdaugh Family Murders by John Glatt
medium-paced
3.0
Information is good and thorough, but the writing style EXTREMELY dry. I've read more engaging Wikipedia articles.