Chris

I am not generally a fan of books that are primarily the introduction to a story rather than the story itself, but I think that’s my own bias so I try not to hold it against Unsouled.

It’s a quick, fun read and I enjoyed how often the main character had to get out of trouble using his wits instead of any sort of “chosen one” latent magic. The magic system is somewhat confusing but what else is new. Ultimately the most valuable aspect of the book is that I want to read the next one, which is a huge accomplishment!

It seems unfair to give a kids book a lower rating from an adult perspective, but I was surprisingly disappointed in this reread long after I loved the series as a kid. The third book was always my favorite but I definitely thought they had a little more life in them.

This is a fine short story but nothing really happens and there isn’t a satisfying conclusion. It definitely feels like an introduction to the series than a good standalone, but it could just be that my memory has drifted further from reality than I realized.

Truly a delightful introduction to the world of fungi. It’s hard to resist Sheldrake’s passion as he discusses all the moldy, mushroomy, fungi things in the world and how important they are not only to plants but to ourselves.

“Composers make pieces of music. These were decomposers, who unmake pieces of life. Nothing could happen without them.”

A genuinely fantastic journey that reminded me of a modern High Fidelity, following a guy post-breakup as he attempts to figure out where it all went wrong. Funny and warm, examining male relationships and our relationships with ourselves. Delightful!

I found book 3 of this series a bit disappointing. Balle brings insights into so much of the psychology of a repeated day. The seasons, the sounds, etc. it’s fascinating. But even still this book felt a bit meandering, a bit indulgent in how long it took to get anywhere. I wonder if it could have just been packaged with the previous or next books. And I wonder if she has a plan for it all.

But, I still enjoy reading and exploring the mind of Tara Selter and her endless November 18th.

I’m not sure how to rate this. I know a lot of people loved it. The writing is great and the main character is an interesting character. Her various casual remarks about the world shine a light on the absurdity of many aspects of modern culture. Her rented room, her job, and her discomfort with certain expressions all highlight some of the troubling aspects of life these days.

But I don’t think she had much of an arc? Spoilers for the ending:

<spoiler>I find the ambiguous ending to be kind of annoying. The author wrote herself into a corner where I can’t see how either ending really works. If the plane crashes… Linda was somehow right about the universe and the plane choosing her and the whole journey of the book is kind of for nothing. But if the plane doesn’t crash… where does she go from there? So the ambiguous ending is the best choice for the author but I don’t think it allows Linda to find a conclusion. I don’t know. I’m not sold on it. </spoiler>

Regardless, it’s an interesting and well-written look at an eccentric woman trying to navigate life!

Really great examination of the stuff that matters besides “talent” and how our emphasis on talent is the wrong approach. And it’s great to read about these lessons and how essential grit is to success, especially as a parent seeking to raise grit-minded children.

One criticism I might have is that not all children or people have the same opportunities to learn or discover grit. The kid who can’t do extracurriculars because they’re working to support their family or because they don’t have reliable transportation isn’t necessarily less gritty. Although I think the economic angle is outside the scope of the book anyway.

My only other criticism is Duckworth interviewing a lot of shitty people to teach us about grit. Bill Gates and Jamie Diamond might be gritty, but they certainly aren’t people I want to look up to. It’s an unnecessary and unfortunate distraction from the good work Duckworth has done in studying grit.

A slow but thoughtful examination of the mundane aspects of life. Baker is both funny and “real” when he talks through the awkwardness of bathroom etiquette or our ordinary interactions with the world that we never acknowledge but are so common to us all. A examination of day to day life and delighting in small wonders.

I think this book was good but not great. Telling the story through chat logs made it zip by, but I think it also led to some shallow characterizations. Some of the plot felt a bit half-baked and some of the characters feel more like caricatures than people. I would have liked to have seen more depth to the story.

A delightful cozy read! It’s the story of an Orc who decides to open a coffee shop. That’s it!

I think it could have benefited either from a bit more world building, or a little more contrast of how this orc fits in (or doesn’t) in this new setting. I think there could have been more depth there. But it was easy and enjoyable!

Eh, it’s fine. The characters feel pretty wooden and the plot thus far is pretty basic, but it has some solid and interesting space battles and sometimes it’s hard to find a decent space battle!

Delightful. Perhaps my favorite Discworld book so far. Funny and sweet and human. Rincewind is at his most Rincewind here and it’s a pleasure that he gets as much center stage time as he does.

A fascinating and insightful examination of the civil rights movement. Ricks shows how each event of the time was a battle whose success or failure depended on strategy, planning, discipline, and vision. Those who already have a rich understanding of the time period might not gain as much, but for me it felt like a gateway to the inspiring leaders who rose to lead the movement.

A book that is decidedly not for me, not written for me or directed at me so it feels unfair for me to judge it at all, honestly, but I did enjoy the weirdness and the way the story involved so much of a woman following her desires at every turn, paying no heed to how deranged or disregulating it might be.

I thought of that quote “most men lead lives of quiet desperation” and I think that applies here. It is the story of a woman who has decided to stop leading a life of quiet desperation. Whether or not that is a healthy choice is sort of left up to us.

I think this book was not what I expected, even though the focus is right there in the title. It is an examination of snail habits and physiology, and the author’s observations of a snail nearby, but I think ultimately what I wanted was more of the epilogue, or how snails allow us to connect with and better understand ourselves and the world around us. It would have helped me better appreciate the subject matter.

A delightful read! A fun murder mystery contained in a very strange and fascinating world. Bennett does a fantastic job of building out that world while slowly working us through the plots and machinations that make up his mystery. I can’t wait to read more about Kol’s journey in the civil service!

I like this series thus far, but I also find some of the writing a bit frustrating. Some of the situations in this book feel contrived to be cool rather than make sense. The book feels about a hundred pages too long, with each character spending a surprising amount of time doing non-plot stuff.

I like the story but just as with the first book, some aspects of the world are a bit confusing or not fully fleshed out so end up unsatisfying.

Even with all that I’d still likely recommend the books for a mostly fun fantasy story about a guy who feels a little too good at everything and that’s ok.

Vivid and atmospheric and moody and hopeful and also dark. McConaghy brings nature as one of the essential characters of the book and you feel wrapped up in it and swallowed by it.

It felt like the mystery of the book’s plot was somewhat forced into the nature and island backdrop, but in this it works because there was so much interesting backdrop to share.

Beautifully written and a very unique premise. At times, it can feel a little preachy, but a really surprising look at how we perceive things vs how they are, and the weight we give to the past.

Carl and crew continues to ratchet up the tension and mystery and it’s very fun to read a series that reflects on a lot of deep themes while also being silly and fun.

Ehhhhh this book is sort of a fever dream, very self-indulgent, but hey, at least it holds onto the idea that writers should keep writing, I guess. Not for me, but maybe for a young Evil Dead fan. I don’t know. I think there are books that delve deeper and more thoughtfully into the nature of art and artist. This one didn’t do it for me.

As someone living a very safe, “normal” cishet life in the suburbs, at times I found it difficult to find meaningful instruction on how to create connection in my own community, but of course that’s also the point of the book, that community doesn’t need to look how we think it should.

Through it all, Birdsong reiterates the hopefulness and determination of doing the work, and it is uplifting and encouraging to read about all of the unique and purposeful ways people are forming community. And it means I can too!

Carl and Donut at it again! The tone of the series is pretty consistent so if you don’t like the first one, I doubt you’re enjoying book five. However, I do think this was a step up in terms of stakes and emotional depth.

A gentle confrontation of all of western liberalism, a condemnation of the ways we speak about horrific things “over there”. Those who dismiss the book as “could have been a New Yorker article”, as one criticism I read put it, are exactly the lawn-sign liberals that El Akkad is exhausted by. Real, meaningful resistance against the at best amoral world today takes a sacrifice that many, including myself, find so hard to muster. It is measured in the smallest acts building together. This book is a powerful reminder of how distant and removed we get to be from any of the consequences of the maw of the western world.

I did not like this book. I don’t know if the original writer or the translator is responsible but the writing often felt stiff and plain. I did not enjoy the journey of the main character. There was no depth. There was no interesting examination of the consequences of their choices. It felt like a tepid Tuesdays with Morrie.