violetturtledove's reviews
403 reviews

Intercourse by Andrea Dworkin

informative reflective slow-paced

3.25

I thought this one was a really interesting read and probably an important work for anyone reading up on the feminist movement. Yes it's a bit extreme and militant for me (maybe when it was written more militancy was needed) but I can see how it's been misrepresented too. 

Some of the metaphors and analogies were a bit too complex for me to fully grasp, and some of the examinations of famous writings went on for so long that I lost track of the relevance. But on the whole it's written well and with passion. 

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

I'm not totally sure how to review this one as,  while it was entertaining it wasn't entirely my thing, or at least what I was in the mood for. 

It was funny and sweet and gave our book club lots to talk about; there's some interesting characters and thoughts on gender and the setting of the gay scene in 90s America came across very clearly. The issue for me was that, like a queer 'catcher in the rye' it's a coming-of-age tale where a lot of little incidents happen. The incidents might be amusing, gross or entertaining but they just happen one after the other rather than building up to anything. 

Similarly, the fantasy elements aren't ever explained or expanded beyond the initial set up, and while they and the fairytale interludes work well as metaphors about gender and identity (again, good group talking points), for me it felt like more could have been done with this part of it. 

It seems like a very personal story so I don't want to be harsh; I was touched by it and it's a great bodily-fluids-and-all look at youth, identity and sexuality, but I just felt the premise and feeling deserved a little more from the plot. 

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I feel like this one would definitely benefit from multiple readings, as when I finished it my first urge was to go back to the start and start flicking through looking for clues and foreshadowing. Ok, that was partly because the non-linear style meant that some aspects of the 'end' were scattered through the rest of the book and I couldn't quite keep track of it all. There's also several layers of reality to consider: the script of the film, the legend built up around the film, the narrators unreliable memories/mental state, and his motivation in telling his story. Some of this looks like plot holes at first read but I think it all fits together in a way - however there are no easy answers and the ending could be debated and interpreted a few different ways. On spending an hour or two flicking back through the book (call it a speed-read) I noticed more subtle links between the different layers - the world of the movie and the 'real' events - and how the intended effect of the movie on the audience was similar to how I felt as a reader of the book. Very meta. It's tense,  disorienting and bleak, and while it won't be for those who need a concrete plot, for me it had more than enough atmosphere to make up for it. 

On Writing: A Memoir by Stephen King

informative lighthearted reflective slow-paced

4.0

So this is one for either completists or fans who are also aspiring writers - writers who either dislike or have not read any King are probably better off looking elsewhere for advice. There, that's the obvious bit out of the way. 

That's not to criticise it; the memoir section is interesting and I feel there's some solid advice here, but as King points out he's not some sort of ultimate authority on the subject. He just knows what works for him. Maybe some of it works for you, maybe some doesn't but gives you a hint on how to find your own method. It's a good look behind the scenes of the creative process, but not by any means a definitive 'how to' or anything. 

There's a lot of advice on what to avoid, and again it comes down to personal taste but I found myself agreeing with a lot of it (and spotting many examples in another book).

Death by Duck by John Wilson

lighthearted medium-paced

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

0.5

Well maybe this will discourage me from buying books based on funny names or covers. There were a few amusing moments but in general it didn't seem to know what sort of story it was. The murder mystery itself only really bookends the travel/love story, and there's no real uncovering of clues, the main characters are ignorant right up to the end where everything is suddenly explained. 

I had to double check the publication date when reading this, as it's full of stereotypes and observations about Asia which probably wouldn't have surprised anyone in the 80s. It's not hateful, but there aren't really any well rounded characters. The dialogue is clunky and stuffed with exposition. 

The best bits were probably the day to day squabbles of university faculty, but I don't think it would have been enough to carry a book on its own. I believe this is one of a series, but I will not be looking up the others. 

Darkly: Black History and America's Gothic Soul by Leila Taylor

informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

This was a really interesting read, although I found it difficult to follow the train of thought at times, on the whole I liked how topics were connected in ways I'd never considered before. It's a series of essays on a common theme rather than the build up of a single argument or lesson, but they still feel part of a clear whole. 

It's a subject I've not seen written about before, and I'd definitely be interested to read more by this author. 

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

adventurous emotional funny tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I had a brilliant time reading this one, it felt like point horror for adults. It's cheesy and nostalgic, sweet but also very disturbing. It's darkly funny, full of horror tropes but also has some original twists and unique set pieces.

There's a certain flavour of gaslighting specific to teenage/ high school fiction (or maybe it's not so different, but I remember seeing it in books a lot when I was a teen). It's just so easy for someone who's still legally a child, lacking authority, confidence and experience, to be disregarded, to not be believed, to have their words twisted or not be allowed a voice at all. This book has plenty of that but I didn't find it too distressing to read (maybe I'm old and jaded now) and the frustration and urgency kept the tension in the story really well. With each development I immediately wanted to know what happened next.

If I was going to quibble over anything, the opening and closing segments from 'modern' times don't quite match up, and a lot of the supernatural stuff isn't really explained, it's just taken for granted that you know that these things happen in a possession story/movie. But honestly it was too entertaining for those things to bother me much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting

The Collected Stories by William Trevor

reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

4.0

Ok it took me a while to get through this one,  not really surprising considering the number of stories and they're all pretty relaxed reads. What's impressive is the number of characters, each with distinct personal histories but all perfectly ordinary. There's no huge, dramatic events here, but the stories are all clearly about something (I've struggled in the past with slice-of-life tales that don't have a distinct point or end other than 'this happened on this day' and 'this is where I decided to stop writing').

There are recurrent themes - being Irish, being poor, being being awkward at dinner parties, being unfaithful or tricked, being bored or dissatisfied. And for a male writer, writing in the 1960s/70s, there are a lot of stories written sympathetically from a female perspective (although they may not seem particularly progressive today).

I probably wouldn't choose to read these again all in one go, but it's one I'll hang on to and will occasionally dip into to read a story at random. 

The Lore of Scotland: A Guide to Scottish Legends, from the Mermaid of Galloway to the Great Warrior Fingal by Sophia Kingshill, Jennifer Westwood

informative lighthearted slow-paced

4.0

I've been dipping into this one for months now, it's not the sort of thing I can just read pages and pages of in one go, but it is very thorough and would be great for future reference if I'm looking up something specific. There are maps for each area, with a nicely illustrated key (or legend!) showing the different types of stories. 

As well as the stories themselves you get a good idea of the nature of folklore: how the tales are passed down and change through the centuries, and how they have come to us today through the work of folklorists and antiquaries.

Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

3.5

I'm in two minds about this one because on one hand I enjoyed reading it and it kept me wanting to read on (and isn't that the important thing?) But there were also lots of bits that I found a bit silly and I can see how they would be off-putting to some readers. 

There's a bit of a mess of horror tropes - mysterious bells, spooky reflections, spiders - things that would be jump-scares in a horror film, so in a way it's like a cheesy horror film in book form. And as I'm a huge wuss when it comes to films, I did feel quite spooked, especially in the first half of the book. After that it got a bit less scary and focused more on solving the mystery.

The protagonist is also a bit of a horror movie type, easily spooked one moment and then shockingly brave the next (I think there's a thing where you're reading/ watching horror and because you know it's a horror you can't believe they don't just run at the first opportunity- of course in real life you probably would try to rationalise it more as Margot does here).

It was a lot more original than it seemed to be at first (there's some bits that sort of subvert some horror tropes, even if they're also very convenient for covering any plot hole), and while some of the final chapters made me groan, the ending was quite satisfying. It's at least one where everything is wrapped up neatly.

If you need to take your horror seriously this won't be for you, but it might suit you if you like a bit of silliness with your spookiness.