whatellisreadnext's reviews
623 reviews

Dancing in the Shallows by Clare Reddaway

emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

3.0

This was a really nice story, and I did enjoy reading it, I was just left craving a little more. This is likely a me problem. It reads very contemporary, which is fine for the right audience. I am a big fan of an inheritance trope, and when Isla inherits a house on the Isle of Skye after only meeting her grandad one time, I was punching the air, I mean what a dream. I think I've just realised my biggest issue with this, we didn't get enough time with anyone to care much about them. It had the makings of a great multigenerational story, so it's a real shame. I would still really recommend it if you're looking for something short and easy to follow that is full of heart and about carving your place in the world.

The (Other) You by Joyce Carol Oates

dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

These stories really question how our lives would have been different if we'd chosen a different path. Joyce Carol Oates just has a level of skill that most authors don't have. She knows exactly what she wants to say and how she wants to say it. Which just makes the experience for the reader that much better. I just want to read her short stories forever until I die. I also loved the nods to other stories throughout and the reoccurrence of the 'purple onion' cafe, which ended up feeling like a point where alternate universes met. I really enjoyed the last story, which felt very autobiographical, Joyce is so self-aware, and I love it.

The Coiled Serpent by Camilla Grudova

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

This short story collection was everything I needed in my life and more. Full of uncanny settings and gross happenings. Camilla writes these strange narratives about seemingly mundane things that end up being more than what they appear. My favourites of the bunch are about a custard factory and a swimming baths. She is unbelievably creative, and she just writes things, and they make complete sense in my brain even though in hindsight, they are completely unmoored from reality.

She is 100% an autobuy author for me now,  and even though Children of Paradise is still my favourite of hers, this is well worth the read. If you love mundane settings and weird little sattire filled short stories, you need to grab a copy of The Coiled Serpent🐍

Blood Red by Gabriela Ponce
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.

Feels really over written and overly sexual, just not for me.

SMALL WARS IN MADRID. by ANTHONY. FERNER

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I really need to see more people yelling about these Fairlight moderns, I've read two so far, and they've both been wins. 

Small Wars in Madrid follows David as he battles with his demons after losing his entire crew at sea. He had it all until he didn't. He's come back and is struggling to deal with his feelings, creating cracks between him and his wife. He also recently found out he was adopted having been brought up Catholic, and he now finds out his birth mother is Jewish. He is struggling with his identity. He doesn't feel Jewish enough or Catholic enough. He is self-destructive and making mistakes. This story really surprised me because usually I struggle with stories based in or around warfare. It was just so human and really, really interesting. A joy to read.

The Diving Pool by Yōko Ogawa

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Yoko Ogawa just knows how to write unnervingly mundane narratives like nobody else. This book is made up of 3 novellas, which all stand on their own, but I did like each one better than the one before it, with the third story being my favourite. This was definitely because it leaned more in the weird and ambigious. I'm very sad that I only have The House Keeper and the Professor and Hotel Iris left on her backlist that have been translated, but I am very much aware that there's a lot that haven't been translated, so everyone get reading and buying her books so we get more of them 💁🏻‍♀️

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

I definitely enjoyed this one a lot more than the first book. It felt so similar to Over the Woodward Wall at first with the portal element, but it was definitely a much darker story. I'm excited to see where the rest of the books take me. The audiobooks are a joy to listen to, so I can see myself devouring the entire thing this year. 

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

I want to start this review by saying there is a lot I enjoyed here. Especially Devon's growth as a character throughout this story, she was a joy to follow and definitely my kind of person. I think my biggest gripe with this story was my inability to suspend my belief. Some books just work with my brain, but I do struggle with magical realism sometimes. I'd find myself falling into this narrative, and then something would completely take me out of it. I also wanted more from the ending. It's not often I ask for an epilogue, as I love an open ending, but with how this was written, it felt unfinished. Saying that, I had a lot of fun reading this, and I would definitely recommend this if you're a lover of stories about stories. 

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.

I think me and Silvia have grown apart

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

You have to believe me when I say I really wanted to like this one. Something just didn't marry up for me with the writing and the characters. I need to have a certain level of ambiguity in my horror books to enjoy them, but this was fairly self-explanatory from the off. I think this is why I kept putting it down and not picking it up again for weeks. The multiple perspectives and the length didn't help either, Robert's point of view was the only one we needed really; Gloria brought very little to the story. I will say there is a lot to be learned here about history, how the real monsters are humans, and how we need to learn from the past and never let anything like Reformatory schools happen again.