swatswatwhat's reviews
50 reviews

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Raw, heartfelt, delicate and heavy. AI felt like I was gliding through the words. This memoir is both soft and harsh. Some sections are painful to read but written so poetically with such deep emotions. 

This is a letter to the author’s immigrant mother that tells the story of a complicated, abusive but close knit family. It covers his first love, drug addiction, bipolar (small section)  queer and ethnic identities and the grey in between. The author writes without judgement of his past and his feelings.  The last few sections had stream of consciousness that felt too stream-y and like a disjointed poem which lost some points for me.

A beautiful read but makes you feel all the feelings.

Scattered All Over the Earth by Yōko Tawada

adventurous funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

This book felt strange, enchanting, playful and philosophical (but in a light manner). Loved the stream of consciousness type writing, although in some sections it felt like a dump. Enjoyed the author playful and quirky voice too. Interesting spin on dystopian style novel and the take on languages was poetic.

It’s essentially about a group that go on a “wizard of Oz” type journey. Some bland characters like Akash. The transitioning/transgender piece felt shoved in and wasn’t treated well.

Looking forward to reading the other two of the trilogy once it’s out. 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

A great concept and good read. The premise was great and I liked Haig’s writing style. I found some sections patronizing (and cringe) - I can imagine folks who have actually experienced depression finding the make “lemonade out of lessons” messaging near the end frustrating. Overall found it sweet and predictable. 

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

2.75

This rating is truly an average -  the second half of the book is a solid 4.5 and the first was a soft 1 (yikes). Wish I read Middlesex instead of this.

The first quarter of the book that went on and on about semiotics and English literature ….a complete snooze fest. Pretentious characters loving pretentious books.. gag. The first few sections didn’t add to the story whatsoever, or tell you anything about the characters other than that they are douche-y WASPs.

The middle of the book completely turned it around for me. This was the first of Leonard’s chapter. His writing on mental illness and mania/hypo mania was very well done. Around this time is when Mitchell’s religious quest also got interesting. The love triangle, the “finding yourself after college” are all classic troupes that could have been done better. Regardless the Leonard plot kept me in and interested in the later half. Ensign tried a pack a lot in but I felt satisfied.

 

Tales from the Café by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

medium-paced

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

2.0

Cheesy. Over explained. I got the first book (before the coffee gets cold) and this at the same time which was a mistake since they read the same way as expected. Rating this lower than first cuz I found the stories less interesting even thought it connected back to the characters from the first book.

Mrs. March by Virginia Feito

dark mysterious slow-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

Atmospheric, moody &  dark. Being inside of Mrs. March’s head was a thrilling experience and I found myself relating to some of her instructive thoughts (until she’s driven to madness). The description of events and people in her life were so detailed and vivid that I found them so jarring at times. It kept me locked in.

The internal monologues were so brilliantly written and with some seriously humorous parts.

The pace was consistent throughout and I was SO in until the last 50 pages or so. The ending didn’t do much for me but deserving of a 4 for the overall story.

Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jon Kabat-Zinn

reflective relaxing slow-paced

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

fast-paced

1.5

You either love or hate Vonneguts writing style. It’s a no for me.

Circe by Madeline Miller

medium-paced

3.5

Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen

5.0