thekuster's reviews
396 reviews

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

challenging emotional informative inspiring slow-paced

5.0

I plan on reading (listening to) all of Caitlin Doughty's books - this was so informative, hilarious and emotional all at once. There's so much to be learned about death and given it's inevitability, there's no reason to avert our eyes. 

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.25

4.25 * T. Kingfisher writes the most whimsical stories - I have yet to read anything written by her that I did not enjoy. This retelling of sleeping beauty was barely related to the original fairy tale, introducing us instead to Toadling, sweet with a bumbling naivete that does not align with her age. 

It definitely read as a novella, short and delightful - with something lingering for you to keep your imagination alive. 

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire

adventurous emotional fast-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? No

4.5

 4.5* Starting off the new year as usual with a Wayward Children installment - this time the story of Nadya and her world, Belyrreka. I had only a faint memory of Nadya from one of my least favourite books in the series (Beneath the Sugar Sky) and thinking back, I don't recall her personality being mature (ie. having spent years in Belyrreka) or that she had only one arm. She was quite unmemorable and well remedies with this new book.

This being Nadya's story was fantastic - the world of Belyrreka was difficult to imagine (layers of water?!) but still so vibrant. It was as memorable and exciting as the Goblin Market (Lundy's world). 

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.5

TJ Klune knows exactly how to write heartwarming, heartbreaking and wonderfully emotional stories - and in this case, putting an incredible amount of humanity into a crew of robots. The story is fantastical and ridiculous, but so vivid, I could see it like a movie in my mind. Flashes of Bladerunner in the City of Electric Dreams and Heaven, stylings of Wes Anderson in the Coachman and The Terrible Dogfish and Pixar drawings of Nurse Ratched and Rambo.

I really enjoyed it: the characters, the story of mistakes, tragedy, redemption and the beauty & hope of humanity. Quite necessary in the times we live in. 

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Ina Garten has always had such a warm, approachable demeanour on her shows and her audiobook delivers that same coziness. Having stumbled upon her on the Food Network decades ago, I never knew the backstory of her and Barefoot Contessa, and obviously knew nothing about her childhood or background. 

I really enjoyed her honesty about her marriage and her upbringing. Plus the reminders of how difficult being a woman was when she was starting her career and then completely changing it! 

It was wonderful to hear of her hard work, success, challenges and that she still attributes some of it to good luck, especially in her own voice. Her writing was nothing spectacular or even particularly captivating but I think because I feel the same way about life (that you may encounter some good or bad turn of fortune however it’s always about what you make of it) that is why I quite enjoyed her memoir overall. Plus, in my humble opinion, it’s just a wonderful way to live your life.

Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

I'm not sure why this novella took me forever to finish, it was quirky and funny from the very beginning, but perhaps just not that captivating. When I finally sat down to finish it though, it was such a lovely read. I felt a genuine fondness for all of the Whining Niners, Sings-to-Trees, trolls in general and a minor disdain for humans, ha! I have yet to be disappointed in anything written by T. Kingfisher and as we head into spooky season - her type of horror should be the perfect amount of scary for me (minimally scary!). 

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous fast-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? No

4.0

 Brandon Sanderson's writing feels quite familiar now - his diverse magic systems, his style of characters, even the setting itself - Warbreaker felt very reminiscent of Elantris and Mistborn. I also feel his female characters are all a bit same-y across the books I've read so far - all headstrong and somehow treading along a very similar path of self discovery. It brings a sense of comfort and reliability, but besides the interest of a new magic system, I don't feel like I'm experiencing anything fresh. Perhaps I should be trying the next ages within the Mistborn saga and there, I'll find something new and exciting.

Warbreaker was by no means bad - it was very captivating and fast-paced! I did have to roll my eyes at some descriptions of Blushweaver however - especially a quote that referenced her "respecting her body" by showing less of it? Rather gross and uninspired there.

Overall, Sanderson remains a reliable fantasy author for me, but just not the most exciting one. I really need to try some of his newer works. 

Funny Story by Emily Henry

lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

 4.5* Likely my favourite of Emily Henry's releases so far - adults who can communicate, so appreciated! Daphne and Miles both have their issues, you can tell they're working through it and bringing out the good in each other. A lovely cast of supporting characters, just a heartwarming, cozy read all around.

Side note: I'm going to skip Happy Place - unfortunately that one sounds like a conflict that could be solved by just talking to each other... 

Bad Dreams in the Night by Adam Ellis

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Love Adam Ellis' brand of humour and horror, but being a consistent follower of his material in social media meant I'd read at least a portion of the most of the stories published in this anthology. The annotations after each story explaining his inspiration and influences was a nice addition. 

Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier

informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

I lost interest less than halfway in unfortunately, but powered through to the end. The narration was just not the right voice and the material wasn't that engaging even though the points were all valid. The material was also a bit dated having been written before the pandemic.