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treehuggeranonymous's reviews
571 reviews
Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris by David King
3.0
An interesting read that will leave as many questions unanswered as it solves. I like that the book starts by outright saying 'this is the killer' and then going through the procedural drama.
I found some of the tangents a bit unnecessary. There's setting the context and then there's half a chapter on Camus and Picasso hanging out with Satre that has absolutely nothing to do with the murders or the Nazis.
I found some of the tangents a bit unnecessary. There's setting the context and then there's half a chapter on Camus and Picasso hanging out with Satre that has absolutely nothing to do with the murders or the Nazis.
I Crawl Through It by A.S. King
2.0
This book was hard to get into at first, but okay once you get past the first 10 or so chapters. Bizarre at times, with unreliable narrators that have you questioning what's real.
I didn't really like the main character Stanzi/(redacted) - just didn't connect with her. But I found the supporting characters, particularly China, really interesting and a lot more relatable. China writes insightful poems entitled "How to tell if your ______ is real" or "Your ______ has more self-esteem than me" and her experiences make this a must read for young girls and their mother's. Honestly I could have taken a whole book of just China and be okay with it.
I didn't really like the main character Stanzi/(redacted) - just didn't connect with her. But I found the supporting characters, particularly China, really interesting and a lot more relatable. China writes insightful poems entitled "How to tell if your ______ is real" or "Your ______ has more self-esteem than me" and her experiences make this a must read for young girls and their mother's. Honestly I could have taken a whole book of just China and be okay with it.
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
5.0
So I started reading this book based solely on the title (which is, by the way, a fantastic title) and no knowledge of what it was about. And I'm kinda glad I did it that way because I think if I'd read the blurb I'd have decided it wasn't for me.
The setting and historical events are completely unfamiliar to me, but I think the author does a good job of laying both out for the reader without judgment. I usually dislike non-linear time plots, but I think this one switches between the different time frames without being jarring and uses the time shifts really well to move the story along.
This is a very emotional and enthralling story with a bittersweet ending.
The setting and historical events are completely unfamiliar to me, but I think the author does a good job of laying both out for the reader without judgment. I usually dislike non-linear time plots, but I think this one switches between the different time frames without being jarring and uses the time shifts really well to move the story along.
This is a very emotional and enthralling story with a bittersweet ending.
The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
2.0
Kind of meh. Like it's okay and the concept seemed interesting, but there are a few things here and there that grate a little. Like some when French resistance fighters use 21st Century American slang. And sometimes it just falls a little flat in the way things are phrased.
The book's hero is no more bland than any other fictional architect and I guess he's supposed to be someone we identify with. He's not especially good or especially evil, just your average guy trying not to starve and making the same sorts of moral justifications the rest of us would in his situation. And I guess I get the point that the author is trying to make, but for the better part of the book he's not your most sympathetic character.
It's not a bad book so much as it's incredibly mediocre.
The book's hero is no more bland than any other fictional architect and I guess he's supposed to be someone we identify with. He's not especially good or especially evil, just your average guy trying not to starve and making the same sorts of moral justifications the rest of us would in his situation. And I guess I get the point that the author is trying to make, but for the better part of the book he's not your most sympathetic character.
It's not a bad book so much as it's incredibly mediocre.
Sons and Lovers by Geoff Dyer, D. H. Lawrence
1.0
I tried really hard to finish this book and managed to get about half way. And when it needed renewing a second time I knew I'd gotten as far as I could.
I just kept waiting for something to happen and for someone to come along that I could actually care about. But it just drags on in the everyday. Maybe it picks up in the last quarter and I gave up too soon, but what I read didn't compel me to find out.
I just kept waiting for something to happen and for someone to come along that I could actually care about. But it just drags on in the everyday. Maybe it picks up in the last quarter and I gave up too soon, but what I read didn't compel me to find out.
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
4.0
This is a book for book lovers. If you don't come away with at least one new book added to your reading list, then you are even better read than Sara and Amy.
I'd probably categorise this book as a book about friendship with some romance thrown in for good measure. The main character, Sara, is someone most book lovers and introverts will relate to very easily - someone who finds it easier to relate to fictional characters than to most people - who finds her place in the world by the end of the book.
My only complaint on this book is that there are a few too many B-story lines, and because of that you end up merging some of the characters together in your mind and end up feeling confused. For some of the characters I kept forgetting who they were and how they related to everyone else if more than a chapter went by without mentioning them. And there was one B-story I just wasn't interested in, so was a bit frustrated every time it broke into the main plot to remind me what was happening there.
Overall though, a really easy read. It's the sort of book that will leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling afterwards.
I'd probably categorise this book as a book about friendship with some romance thrown in for good measure. The main character, Sara, is someone most book lovers and introverts will relate to very easily - someone who finds it easier to relate to fictional characters than to most people - who finds her place in the world by the end of the book.
My only complaint on this book is that there are a few too many B-story lines, and because of that you end up merging some of the characters together in your mind and end up feeling confused. For some of the characters I kept forgetting who they were and how they related to everyone else if more than a chapter went by without mentioning them. And there was one B-story I just wasn't interested in, so was a bit frustrated every time it broke into the main plot to remind me what was happening there.
Overall though, a really easy read. It's the sort of book that will leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling afterwards.
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
2.0
Just didn't really enjoy this as much as I did other Chuck Palahniuk novels. I'm not sure why. For me it just fell a little flat.