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wetherspoonsgf's reviews
59 reviews
She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark
3.5
when it's good it's good, but some of the stories just feel like a long idea rather than a plot or a character. she should write much more sci fi.
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
No, I refuse to make a joke about lesbians getting wet in Julia Armfield books. Grow up.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The sort of 5 star read that makes me wonder if my other 5 stars are truly 5 stars. Incredible, incredible book.
Le Guin writes with such texture and attention that not only do you totally follow every gesture she makes but you see how every sci-fi author since has been trying to gesture as effortlessly stylishly as her. Genly is perhaps the single most understandable flawed narrator in fiction, and Estraven slowly reveals himself as a character who stands alone simply through narrative voice.
I think criticisms of the book's gender politics as outdated or essentialist do a disservice to the project of creating Genly Ai the Envoy/Researcher. I think the book approaches its most underratedly interesting moments when thinking about nation states: no other story has made me bristle so much about the latent hate-ability of "equality of opportunity" style politics. I think for a book written in 1969 it manages to avoid the worst of Cold War allegory.
Incredible. Love it. Long live Ursula K Le Guin.
Le Guin writes with such texture and attention that not only do you totally follow every gesture she makes but you see how every sci-fi author since has been trying to gesture as effortlessly stylishly as her. Genly is perhaps the single most understandable flawed narrator in fiction, and Estraven slowly reveals himself as a character who stands alone simply through narrative voice.
I think criticisms of the book's gender politics as outdated or essentialist do a disservice to the project of creating Genly Ai the Envoy/Researcher. I think the book approaches its most underratedly interesting moments when thinking about nation states: no other story has made me bristle so much about the latent hate-ability of "equality of opportunity" style politics. I think for a book written in 1969 it manages to avoid the worst of Cold War allegory.
Incredible. Love it. Long live Ursula K Le Guin.
Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones by Torrey Peters
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Good enough that when the famous t4t passage sneaks up on you, you almost don't notice it. Never feels didactic but is always saying something interesting. Good sci-fi :)
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
Possibly over harsh because I wanted this book to be so much better.
Overly twee, very proud of itself for Thinking About Climate Change without saying almost anything. For a book with a nonbinary main character it seemed not to have worked out how to get around the linguistic challenge of 'they' being unclear in some sentences beyond repeating Dex's name 8 times per page.
I saw this referred to as solarpunk but it lacks any of the punk, even any grit at all. I'm all for character studies but this felt like it wanted to be plot-based but simply forgot plot. Bafflingly paced, in the end. Also as a personal gripe, no narrator should ever say "brainspace," it immediately makes the rest of the book feel like a text post about late-diagnosed adhd.
Again, I wanted this book to be really good, and I like moments of it where Chambers shows rather than tells, but it let me down.
Overly twee, very proud of itself for Thinking About Climate Change without saying almost anything. For a book with a nonbinary main character it seemed not to have worked out how to get around the linguistic challenge of 'they' being unclear in some sentences beyond repeating Dex's name 8 times per page.
I saw this referred to as solarpunk but it lacks any of the punk, even any grit at all. I'm all for character studies but this felt like it wanted to be plot-based but simply forgot plot. Bafflingly paced, in the end. Also as a personal gripe, no narrator should ever say "brainspace," it immediately makes the rest of the book feel like a text post about late-diagnosed adhd.
Again, I wanted this book to be really good, and I like moments of it where Chambers shows rather than tells, but it let me down.
Sexuality Beyond Consent: Risk, Race, Traumatophilia by Avgi Saketopoulou
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
She's right, theory IS like kink.
Hatred of Sex by Tim Dean, Oliver Davis
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
They never quite have the courage of their convictions to really go after #MeToo. This is probably good, but they could've at least had a go. Also, for a book called Hatred of Sex, they really don't talk about sex at all.
The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft
fast-paced
3.5
It's almost hilarious how racist this genre is at its core. Oh no! Good New England people are being transformed and now they're like Pacific Islanders! Grow up, Lovecraft.
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wish he didn't quote his own Guardian long read in this, but otherwise it's so good.