sleepycaboose's reviews
43 reviews

Circe by Madeline Miller

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

The City & the City by China Miéville

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A book I’ve been meaning to read for a long time, and it lived up to all my expectations. It’s an exploration of what a city is and can be, probing the limits of our perception and what we can be trained to see/unsee. I found it to be thoroughly thought-provoking: as another reviewer said, a realistic depiction of a surrealist setting. I liked how the places were grounded in real-life traditions and cultures, with a sprinkling of geopolitics. I usually dislike when authors coin neologisms, but it was tastefully done here. References to “grosstopic closeness,” “topolgangers,” and “insiles” make etymological sense and convey real meaning in the context of the two cities.
If you’re looking for an emotional story with a cast of fleshed-out characters with layered motivations and backstory, look elsewhere. The real stars of the book are the City and the City, not the individuals living within them.
Would recommend reading in multiple sittings. Not a breezy read, in the best way.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia and Murder

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

Had to read in one sitting. My first time reading Butler, but not the last.
An intense story, written perfectly with so much care and nuance. Every plot choice felt intentional, deeply symbolic without being overly obvious, and I empathized deeply with many of the characters.
In love with how Butler uses and describes time travel as a metaphor for emotional connection and disconnection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Rape

Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.

It’s a book about two women that’s very obviously written by a man (derogatory). Not quite boobing boobily around, but close. DNF

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

dark sad medium-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

The Hike by Drew Magary

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Babel by R.F. Kuang

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

emotional funny inspiring fast-paced

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown

funny informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

A well-written memoir. I enjoyed the personal elements of the author's story and insights into the life of a professional astronomer.

Asian Americans in an Anti-Black World by Claire Jean Kim

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

Transformed my understanding of Asian American positionality within the racial dynamics of the US. Required reading for anyone looking to understand the history of Asian Americans in the context of white supremacy and Negrophobia. Especially valuable for its scholarly discussion of various landmark court cases and discriminatory laws.