trishupaper's reviews
34 reviews

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire

emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

I'm not good at reviewing poetry, but this was very searing and beautiful. It was breathtaking.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Oh, I LOVED this book. Every moment reading this was enjoyable. Vera Wong, I think, is the perfect example of this character who's clearly well-intentioned, but also raised in a different time with traditional (and even toxic) principles and beliefs; who we shouldn't take too seriously when they're in  their strict, judgemental mode, but also isn't a stereotype of those characteristics (Pay attention, Arsenic and Adobo). Vera, although not having a drastic change by the end, is shown to still be challenged in her beliefs. Her reactions to this challenges might not be direct, but she is shown to be empathetic and patient even if she disagrees with something.
The mystery was fun to follow and guess. The sleuthing was one of the best I've read in a cozy mystery. It makes sense for the situation and the characters involved.
This book was just a really good time.

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

This is my first Banana Yoshimoto book. In terms of writing, I absolutely love the way she describes the environment, like she knew exactly how to detail things that I could not put into words about my surroundings. Her describing the early morning as "blue dawn" felt so right. In terms of storytelling, she's unexpected. She's not shy to give us huge cuts in time and plot, leaving me to grasp on to whatever plot she's allowing us to read about instead. Reading about a character's passing after they've died instead of leading up to it was something that I thought was subversive and interesting.
This story is about grief and having to continue living despite of it. Banana Yoshimoto did not find the need to use flowery prose to make this story resonate with the reader. It was simple, it was direct, but it was also very mentally and emotionally provoking.
I definitely had to remind myself not to read this book through a western gaze. I'm not the right person to comment about the Trans rep about this book, but I always found myself consciously comparing it to other queer rep I've read which, let's be honest, are mostly written by western authors, and I don't think that was the right thing to do. I do not think that was the right approach. I've had to keep telling myself to read this with the acceptance that I am not familiar with East Asian sentiments regarding queer identity.
ALSO, I read a blog saying how the translation of this book does not do justice to Banana Yoshimoto's writing, so I do feel a bit of a loss at not being able to read her writing in its fullest essence, so to speak.
But I liked this book very much and am excited to read more from her.

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Entertaining, and that's pretty much it. I liked reading about a lady exacting revenge on shitty people, but Maud wasn't very endearing. She didn't have to be likeable, but she wasn't compelling. In fact, she was a bit of a "not like other girls" girl, which only shows that the mindset defies age. The pace was also. bit odd. The last few chapters focusing on Maud's trip seemed out of place pot and tone wise.

Booked for Death by Victoria Gilbert
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.

Absolutely boring. 

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

T. Kingfisher knows how to write a scary scene. The horror elements in this book were absolutely frightening. The last quarter of the book felt too stranger things x silent hill for me. It wasn’t cheesy or ridiculous, but it just didn’t feel like the same story. I also found Sam’s pov/narration so winded to read. Idk if this is T.Kingfisher’s way of writing or because we’re in Sam’s headspace, but there was a lot of rambling that made scene run longer than they should. Some jokes landed - and when they did they were pretty funny, but some jokes didn’t and when they didn’t they felt like they were trying too hard to be funny. 

Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death by Amita Murray
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.

Reading this just gave me a bad time. It was stressful, and it just didn’t make sense to get invested in it when the main character herself wasn’t invested in it. 

A Killing In Costumes by Zac Bissonnette

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

I liked this book until the last fee chapters. The closing chapters were so ridiculous, so rushed (in a very messy way), and so cheesy it completely ruined every good plot and character build up before it. The set up of the reveal and even just the way the characters reacted and talked were so unbelievable and ridiculous it was a pain to read. It’s like the author just gave up by the last few chapters. Also, the unreasonable venom towards Eydie was very offputting. Cindy calling her a harlot and a tramp was so cruel and out of nowhere. Smells like misogyny, if you ask me. 

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I did not expect to love this book, but here I am, crying and deeply moved. I love this book - I love the conversation it’s trying to have, I love its voice, I love its structure. What started as petty satisfaction to just see Ansel get what he deserved turned into a deep reflection of the people that actually mattered - Lavender. Hazel. Saffy. Jenny. Izzy. Angela. Lila. Blue.

The Socialite's Guide to Murder by S.K. Golden

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0