Take a photo of a barcode or cover
the_gandy_man's reviews
112 reviews
The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket
3.5
Good, but relatively unremarkable I feel like. I like the crowd hating freaks and loving violence and sloppy eating, but it doesn't feel like there's much more going on.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
2.75
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I mean it's fine. It's kinda boring at parts. The plot is pretty lame and the characters are just ok. The near-future dystopian world is interesting, but it feels pretty basic. The usually book did enough to keep me interested, but it rarely did more.
The whole hyper-empathy thing is weird. It feels out of place in an otherwise very grounded setting. If it were central to the story, like "what if near future dystopia but some people feel pain when others feel pain", then it would work better since it would be THE thing the book is making a point about. But it's treated as more of a side thing. Like we're gonna tell this very realistic story and then also make up a magic disease to make a side point about empathy.
I have mixed feelings about Earthseed. The idea of going to space as a sort of divine goal is really cool, afterlife through humanity living on and spreading across the stars. It feels too much like she's just atheist, and then assigning new words to fundamental truths that aren't notable or interesting. Like "God is change". No, change is change, you've just decided to call it God. The space thing is the only unique idea that actually gives Earthseed some merit in my opinion. The rest is just philosophical babble that doesn't really say anything. And so it's not especially convincing how willing people are to become her disciples.
The whole hyper-empathy thing is weird. It feels out of place in an otherwise very grounded setting. If it were central to the story, like "what if near future dystopia but some people feel pain when others feel pain", then it would work better since it would be THE thing the book is making a point about. But it's treated as more of a side thing. Like we're gonna tell this very realistic story and then also make up a magic disease to make a side point about empathy.
I have mixed feelings about Earthseed. The idea of going to space as a sort of divine goal is really cool, afterlife through humanity living on and spreading across the stars. It feels too much like she's just atheist, and then assigning new words to fundamental truths that aren't notable or interesting. Like "God is change". No, change is change, you've just decided to call it God. The space thing is the only unique idea that actually gives Earthseed some merit in my opinion. The rest is just philosophical babble that doesn't really say anything. And so it's not especially convincing how willing people are to become her disciples.
Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
3.75
This book is Dresden Files firing on all cylinders. Great character stuff with Harry. Really exciting. This book does a lot for many of Harry's relationships, and Butters is a great addition. Exciting implications for the future as well.
I still don't like the male gaze shit. I understand it's Harry's POV and that's a flaw of his, but it's like every time Harry sees a woman it feels like I've been transported into a Transformers movie. Previous books had some really embarrassing moments, but not this one (iirc) so maybe we're trending the right way.
I still don't like the male gaze shit. I understand it's Harry's POV and that's a flaw of his, but it's like every time Harry sees a woman it feels like I've been transported into a Transformers movie. Previous books had some really embarrassing moments, but not this one (iirc) so maybe we're trending the right way.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
3.75
This book is a lot longer than the previous 3, and it adds a lot to the world and characters. The bulk of this book is great, but a few things bring it down to being only barely the best Harry Potter book so far.
The SPEW shit is terrible. Unbelievably so. What the fuck is the point? Are we, the reader, supposed to agree with Harry and Ron that slavery is ok because they say they like it? Hermione is the only one who thinks maybe there's some systemic problems there and that's meant to be like a joke? Haha silly woke Hermione. It's really bad.
Also couldn'tCrouch Jr. just had Harry touch some random object? You're telling me the only way to get Harry to touch a portkey is this elaborate scheme involving the triwizard tournament? It feels like I missed a part where they explained why all that was necessary. These books seem to frequently have plot holes, but this one seems extra big and obvious.
And Rowling, again, loves a twist. And with that twist comes a third act full of people explaining how their secret plan unfolded. It's a good twist, but we gotta find a better way to communicate this stuff.
The SPEW shit is terrible. Unbelievably so. What the fuck is the point? Are we, the reader, supposed to agree with Harry and Ron that slavery is ok because they say they like it? Hermione is the only one who thinks maybe there's some systemic problems there and that's meant to be like a joke? Haha silly woke Hermione. It's really bad.
Also couldn't
And Rowling, again, loves a twist. And with that twist comes a third act full of people explaining how their secret plan unfolded. It's a good twist, but we gotta find a better way to communicate this stuff.
The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket
3.75
Fantastic. We're starting to get into the meat of the big mystery, where every answer is bringing up even more questions. I like how over time, you slowly realize that Lemony Snicket has something to do with it all, and that his anecdotes about his own life may be clues. I like the constant tension of having to hide from everybody, having nowhere safe to go and nobody to help. The third act is great. Very cinematic.
Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey
4.25
Fantastic. The characters are all great. The plot is gripping. I love the way it weaves together elements of political power struggle with cosmically terrifying mystery.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
3.75
Very good. I like the world, and how things are revealed about it slowly since we're learning everything from Klara's perspective. Klara's whole deal is really interesting, both in the interesting sci-fi concept way and the interesting character way. I like what the book says about love, relationships, and humanity. Its take on faith is very interesting, but I can't say I fully understand it.
The Strange Bird: A Borne Story by Jeff VanderMeer
3.75
Good story. It's a bit too introspective at times for me. The ending is great.
The Shining by Stephen King
4.0
Fantastic book. It has some Kingisms that I don't love. Also, there's a lot of time spent in the first half of the book establishing backstory which makes it drag a little. But other than that, it's electric.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
3.5
This one has more hangin' around school stuff which I like. I like how the quidditch cup is a bigger part of the story, but quidditch remains a terrible sport. They actually made the last match exciting by requiring that they win by 50 points, so the quaffle part of the game actually matters.
The whole time travel thing is stupid. Time travel could fix basically all of everybody's problems, but instead it's just going to let Hermione take more classes, and then save Sirius and Buckbeak. It's ridiculous. Also, a lot of the foreshadowing doesn't really work when you go back and look at it. Hermione appearing or disappearing doesn't make sense. Surely she would go hide somewhere before using it, and not appear directly in class since it's imperative nobody finds out. However, as a plot device at the end of this book, and a twist reveal of what the fuck has been going on with Hermione, I think it's great.
I think the Ron/Hermione feuding is a bit overdone. Neither of them are very good friends for different reasons, but I think that's reasonable for 13 year olds or whatever they are. I think it strengthens their friendship in the end, and I guess it sorta acts as a precursor to their romantic shit in later books. But it's just too much.
The part toward the end where Sirius and Lupin explain everything is excruciating. It takes fucking forever. There's so much back and forth "Harry let me explain" "You're helping him!" "Harry it's not what it looks like" "You're evil and I hate you" like just get to the fucking point. It's so unrealistic. Any real person in that situation would try to communicate the most important points as fast as possible. And it really grinds an otherwise exciting third act to a halt.
Basically everything else about this book I like. I like that we sorta take a break from Voldemort. Good book.
The whole time travel thing is stupid. Time travel could fix basically all of everybody's problems, but instead it's just going to let Hermione take more classes, and then save Sirius and Buckbeak. It's ridiculous. Also, a lot of the foreshadowing doesn't really work when you go back and look at it. Hermione appearing or disappearing doesn't make sense. Surely she would go hide somewhere before using it, and not appear directly in class since it's imperative nobody finds out. However, as a plot device at the end of this book, and a twist reveal of what the fuck has been going on with Hermione, I think it's great.
I think the Ron/Hermione feuding is a bit overdone. Neither of them are very good friends for different reasons, but I think that's reasonable for 13 year olds or whatever they are. I think it strengthens their friendship in the end, and I guess it sorta acts as a precursor to their romantic shit in later books. But it's just too much.
The part toward the end where Sirius and Lupin explain everything is excruciating. It takes fucking forever. There's so much back and forth "Harry let me explain" "You're helping him!" "Harry it's not what it looks like" "You're evil and I hate you" like just get to the fucking point. It's so unrealistic. Any real person in that situation would try to communicate the most important points as fast as possible. And it really grinds an otherwise exciting third act to a halt.
Basically everything else about this book I like. I like that we sorta take a break from Voldemort.