waytoomanybooks's reviews
113 reviews

Blackouts by Justin Torres

challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

This is a beautifully written and sensitively told story about grief, loss, and love in the respective queer communities of the two main characters (approximately from the 1930s to the 1990s). The novel is an interesting blend of fact and fiction, and is told through blackout/erasure poetry, as well as narratives from the two leads. I found the erasure poetry and the inserted images to add positively to my reading experience.

The main characters also experience literal memory blackouts that influence the narrative, which makes it a bit tricky to follow at some points, but if you take the time to math it out, you can make a decent timeline of important dates and the characters’ ages. Sometimes it is tricky to tell what is a memory and what is a dream/hope/wish/fear/desire, which is an intentional stylistic choice, but one that I don’t personally like.

One aspect I don’t like about any book—not just this one—is when a book just ends without closure or a hint at closure. I can’t stand it when the narrative does a hard cut into acknowledgments.

Though just because this book isn’t stylistically my jam, I would still recommend reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Child abuse, Outing, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Transphobia, Ableism, Chronic illness, Dementia, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Confinement, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Homophobia

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Ableism, Kidnapping, Medical content, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Fatphobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Infidelity, Sexual assault, War, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Colonisation, Deportation, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Sexism, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Grief, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Xenophobia

Afterward (Dodo Press) by Edith Wharton

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.0

A nice, quick ghost story

The Moving Finger by Edith Wharton

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Very like Picture of Dorian Gray, but from a female perspective, which I enjoyed!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Misogyny, Grief, Death, and Sexism

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I’m glad I gave this book a second chance! While it is often difficult keeping track of whose head we’re in, I got used to the style/flow after a while. It helped me to note down in the margin who was thinking or speaking. It’s difficulty, I think, is part of its charm. It kept me on my toes, revealing just enough to keep me guessing, but in a good way. Most of the characters felt very distinct from each other, but some of the one-line characters didn’t stick out to me...but then again, they weren’t supposed to. There is so much contained within the 24 hours over which the book takes place that it would be impossible to become familiar with every single person in much the same way it would be for you or me in my day-to-day life.

Why I’m giving it a 3 out of 5 comes down to the fact that this worth a read if you have the time and brain power to dedicate to following along with it. And there are no chapter breaks. And there are a lot of trigger warnings to be wary of!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Colonisation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, War, Abandonment, Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

The Secret Sharer: An Episode from the Coast by Joseph Conrad

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a quick read, but it packed a lot of intensity and emotionality packed into it. I was on the edge of my seat by the end of it!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abandonment, Confinement, and Murder

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Knowing about Oscar Wilde's past is crucial to reading this novel. It's not just that his gayness was an open secret, but that his targets weren't just men, but also boys. As in actual teenage children. Wilde was also openly Antisemitic and misogynistic in his real life and throughout the novel. What his three main characters do, say, think, and feel very closely mirrors Wilde's own. Much like the titular Dorian, it is clear that Wilde suffered from an inflated ego, was bloated with pride, and had a conscience that weighed him down...but not enough to change, grow, or do better. Trigger warnings abound throughout this novel as we watch Dorian explore the world of vice and sin, leaving a body count in his wake.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Gore, Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Suicide, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Child death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, and Toxic friendship

Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

fast-paced

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

1.0

I have no idea what I just read. The only reason I read the whole thing is because I had to read it for school. I had no idea what was going on until I read multiple reviews, summaries, and reading guides. I couldn’t tell you a single thing a character did or what the intended lesson/moral/take-away the novel was aiming for. And what the hell was the point of putting one sentence on a page? Why was that the format for at least half of the book? This 350 page book is 150 pages at most. I'd say this book is a waste of time to read, but that'd be a lie since you can read the whole thing in less than an hour. What a stupid book.

Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau

funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

I'm taking a class that is based on (some of) the exercises in this book. It’s been fun to see which exercises my classmates choose to try, as well as reading the exercises we haven’t gotten to or won’t get to. Obviously, it gets repetitive, as is the intended nature of of the book, but it’s got its own charm to it. You can read a few at a time or jump around and still get something out of it. It’s a nice, simple how-to if you’re looking for unconventional ways to change up your writing.

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

1.0

God, this book was such a waste of my time. I only finished it because I had to read it for school. It’s god awful. It was never entirely clear what was happening, to whom, or why. Most of the dialogue and narration just repeats and repeats, which serves to clarify literally nothing. The adults fail the children at every turn, which is hugely upsetting. And while no, books don't have to have happy endings, hopeful endings, virtuous characters, or good morals, so help me, I can’t tell what lesson(s) I’m supposed to take away from the torture the characters go through at every turn. My professor told us that this is one of Faulker's more “accessible” novels, and I have to wonder how his other works can possibly be less accessible than this novel. This novel is just word salad. I wish I hadn’t been assigned this book because it’s such a slog and with no pay-off.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Confinement, Cursing, Rape, Abandonment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Vomit, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Grief, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Sexual content