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redheadreading's reviews
2110 reviews
Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
A unique little read that I don't quite know what to make of! Reminded me a little of Treasure Island!!!! by Sara Lavine in the way you watch a girl become increasingly alienated from those around her with some darkly comic aspects. At its best, I really felt for Pizza Girl and the void of loss, trauma and fear she's living with, the way it utterfly freezes her and sends her spiraling into self destructive behaviour. Whilst the openness to the ending feels fitting, I do find myself not wholly satisfied but unable to put a finger on what exactly is missing...
Endless Night by Agatha Christie
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I knew this was one of Agatha's faves from her work so was interesting to finally read it! Somewhat atypical of her style with a slower unspooling of a love story that picks up with talk of a curse that may or may not be real... Occasionally chafed against the pace but it was fun trying to sort the clues from the red herrings and the last few chapters were brill.
The Joy of Snacks: A Celebration of One of Life's Greatest Pleasures, with Recipes by Laura Goodman
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
Light, fun and frothy. Some of the snack discussions were interesting little drabbles (why do we love crunch? Why does coffee cake work?) but some felt a little too "in joke" from time to time (lots of lists of food memories which sometimes felt like when other people try to describe their dreams to you, a gazillion mentions of LA). I feel a great affinity with the joy and love for snacks expressed throughout though! Very dairy-heavy so not sure how many I'll realistically be able to make (just leave it off, I hear you cry, but surely that changes the flavour profile/balance too much??). Now I must go buy lots and lots of crisp flavours, farewell...!
Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love by Elsie Chapman
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Lovely lovely lovely!
A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin
adventurous
slow-paced
3.0
Judy I Lin has crafted such a gorgeous world and I love all the little details, pointing out how embroidery style differs between regions, mouthwatering descriptions of food, beautiful details about the scenery and, of course, the fabulous magic system of the shennong shi and their tea brewing powers (although it's much less present in this than the first).
I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book, alas. I missed the court politics and intrigues, whereas this was more of a quest narrative for Ning. I think I've read a few books lately which begin rooted in court politics and end up becoming quite fantastical with demons and questing to find magical items and personally I always find myself missing the original plotline. It was interesting getting Kang's perspective in this, I guess, particularly as it's narrated in a slightly different way to Ning's, but he does spend quite a lot of time in the dark so isn't particularly thrilling! On the whole, I think Judy I Lin has some real strengths in her writing, some gorgeous descriptions and interesting ideas, but I feel quite disappointed overall with how this duopoly has concluded.
I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book, alas. I missed the court politics and intrigues, whereas this was more of a quest narrative for Ning. I think I've read a few books lately which begin rooted in court politics and end up becoming quite fantastical with demons and questing to find magical items and personally I always find myself missing the original plotline. It was interesting getting Kang's perspective in this, I guess, particularly as it's narrated in a slightly different way to Ning's, but he does spend quite a lot of time in the dark so isn't particularly thrilling! On the whole, I think Judy I Lin has some real strengths in her writing, some gorgeous descriptions and interesting ideas, but I feel quite disappointed overall with how this duopoly has concluded.
If I Don't Know by Wendy Cope
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
When Idyll and Being Boring were one after the other I thought to myself "surely this must be a five star collection?" The rest didn't wholly live up to that inner height as sometimes it fell a bit too into twee for me, but I love Cope's gentle humour, simple grace of her poems and I'm looking forward to exploring more.
The Condiment Book: A Brilliantly Flavourful Guide to Food's Unsung Heroes by Claire Dinhut
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
Be right back, I simply must go make an ungodly amount of pickles and dips...
Dreams: The Many Lives of Fleetwood Mac by Mark Blake
informative
fast-paced
3.0
This works through the band's history chronologically but also has a non-linear aspect to it - every new member gets a chapter dedicated to them in a "potted history" style and then we bounce around between spotlights on certain songs, specific events or gigs in the band's history etc. The downside of this is the book can get very repetitive with certain details being mentioned/explored multiple times as well as occaisionally reading like a promotional puff piece (do I need to know every product that Mick Fleetwood has put his name to?). In its favour, though, is that this is a very easy read with short chapters so is super accessible whether you know the band well or not!
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
Really enjoyed the first part of this which was essentially magical Project Runway (absolutely my jam), but then the book becomes a journey narrative with a fairly classic YA romance plotline which just didn't interest me as much.