swatswatwhat's reviews
46 reviews

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

It’s hard a finger on why I liked this so much - it pulled me right away with the cinematography 30’s NYC. Not usually my style of plot but really surprised me. It was light but not fluffy. Great storytelling, a look into complexity of female friendship and the love piece was just add on. A lot to quotable lines.

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A collection of short stories that fall within the genres of thriller, dark fiction, horror and magical realism. Some stories are scarier than others. A few were a bore but it’s expected with a mix of authors. The first 6 stories were incredible. Stories across a range of styles across different areas of the indigenous cultures and space. 

The Diving Pool by Yōko Ogawa

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

First introduction to the author. The writing style immediately pulls you in. So effortlessly unsettling. It felt like there was a sinister draw cloud around me as I was reading it. 

3 short stories and a quick read (especially cuz she draws you in one line in). A little bit Murakami in a way where she draws you into the human consciousness really fast. 

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Truly the best book ever. It ripped out my soul. It is bittersweet, heartbreaking, survivalist and captivating. 

Unassuming cover and I had to google what Pachinko meant (arcade) but man, this book got me fully in all the feels.

A deeply engrossing historical saga across 4 generations of a Korean family who moved to Japan amidst political warfare. Such rich characterization that pulls you into the characters like I’ve never experienced before. Characters are shown with humanity and depth that you feel like you are walking beside them.

I have never had an author write such intentional sentences - every page of the 500+ book is necessary.  Writing style so straightforward yet so powerful. It was so hard to put it down. The end did feel a bit rushed but all in all, perfection.

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

dark medium-paced

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

1.0

Hated it. Earthlings was incredible even with the questionable choice of

heavy cannibalism

. This book was filled with stories with characters I didn’t care about and

the cannibalism just made me sick. - would not recommend especially for a vegan

The characters do connect across stories but in a very uninteresting way. Stories are incredibly weird but in an uncomfortable way. Moral don’t exist but it feels like it’s almost written for shock value which takes away from the message of conformity and what is deemed normal by society. Hard  will not recommend.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I got to stop with Franzen books until I come to terms with the fact that it will be another bleak story about a white family.  His acute eye and his ability to get into family dynamics is super compelling yet depressing af.  His books are completely about characters and very little plot - in a way where a lot happens plot matter but that doesn’t really matter. Full of unlikeable characters but not in a manner where you want to see what they will do next. Having a hard time giving up Franzen when Crossroads was a 5/5 for me but this might be the end for me. Now for the real review, truly have never read a more annoying character than Patty Berglund. 

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.0

Painful read for me. I got this book simply because I loved atonement. The plot itself (spy novel) didn’t peek my interests but I love the writing style of McEwan in atonement. Main character is insufferable and falls in love with everyone she meets. Snoozefest with dull characters.

The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Dull first book of the year. A story about a self-absorbed couple and their friend (who they don’t like) travelling Northern Africa encountering one rough experience after another. 

Port is arrogantly calling himself a traveller the entire time. Kit is constantly afraid and doesn’t show autonomy of her own. Turner, like Kit, just there for the ride. As the adventure continues, you see the layers of each character’s identity and fragile natures being revealed. 

Some memorable quotes and poetic, descriptive writing but overall a bummer of a story and characters that you can’t relate to.

I was there for the first 3/4 of the story and got re-engaged when Port and Kit were working on reconnecting when he was sick. Then after it became painful for me and I wanted my suffering to be over much like theirs.

Consequences by Penelope Lively

emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I love a generational story but this one just didn’t hit for me. The writing was not powerful enough. I wish she sink in deeper into events instead it felt like she showed us a snapshot image and quickly moved onto the next. Some very important events were skimmed making me lose interest in the characters.                           

Lorna’s section was probably the best. Molly’s didn’t feel flushed out and wasn’t given the depth she deserves. By the time they got to Ruth, I felt I had to really power through. Sometimes the protagonist felt undefined and almost like the same person in a different circumstance. 

Blah.

How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

funny slow-paced

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

3.0

A good read but absolutely did not need to be ~350 pages. Not a big revenge fantasy reader but this was an equal mix of dark and comedic. Sometime that would do very well as a Netflix triller.

There was sections and pages that could fully removed and wouldn’t have lost any plot or context. Some of the killings were repetitive with the same structure and obviously very far fetched but decent to read.

Ending was great - didn’t see the plot twist coming but they pulled it out in a really flat manner. This could have done in a much more cinematic manner.