Megan

Wow, what a wildly inappropriate way to end a book about a serial killer who raped and murdered women: a spotlight of “dumb women” who write to Ramirez that the author can't help but define by how they look (one looks like Jessica Rabbit, one is overweight but “somehow” still attractive, and on and on). He even goes as far as to imply that a woman who wrote to Carlo saying she was a psych student interested in studying Ramirez was obviously obsessed with him and wanted to bone him like all the others. I understand being confused and maybe even grossed out by women who are sexually attracted to convicted serial rapists and killers, but to essentially end a book about one such notorious serial killer with “omg look at allllll these stupid women, here are their names and what they look like, the dumb bitches” is, as I said, wildly inappropriate. Oh and then to talk about how that killer is living it up in prison with all the ladies fawning over him and enjoying all his porn... You couldn't end a book about a rapist serial killer in a worse way.

As for the rest of the book, it's okay. I don't think I meshed well with Carlo's writing style or voice. He did that thing that I hate in true crime books, which is referring to the infamous killer whose name is on the cover only by pronouns. I mean, we know who the killer is, why the forced attempt at adding mystery? I don't think I would have finished this book if I didn't switch to the audio. The trial portion, which I normally find very interesting, was too detailed and included quite a few things that added nothing to the overall narrative.

I think the only sequel I was more disappointed with was The Cursed Child, and that's not even a sequel OR a book OR written by the author. So what sequel is really at the top of the list here?

At one point I could have sworn I was actually reading early 2000's YA, complete with a combat training montage.

I usually only tolerate romance in books, but I would die for Mal and Molly. I missed the old art style in this volume, but I really love the guest artists and how they captured the minds of each individual character. I found the slower pace to be more enjoyable than I would've thought, and it shows how well developed all the girls are. I feel like I know each character and what to expect from them, yet they can still be surprising in realistic ways. I can't get over how much I love every character and how they help and support each other. Every one of the girls is easily relatable in some way and candidly connects to experiences we've all gone through.

Rereading this as an adult definitely reinforced the love I had for it in middle school. It's always dangerous revisiting childhood favorites, but this was a fantastic experience.

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This was assigned reading for my 7th grade Language Arts class, and I remember liking it so much I breezed through the 3-week reading schedule and finished the first weekend. Hoping to reread soon!

I finally re-read this as an adult, and wow I completely forgot everything that happened in the second half. It was fun to experience it again like it was new. There are a few moments that reinforce rigid gender stereotypes that I could obviously do without, but otherwise it's an extremely charming story. I started reading the physical book but borrowed the audiobook from my library to make some progress while running around town. Boy was that the best decision ever. The audiobook is absolutely fantastic. The narrator really brings the characters to life and makes you feel like they are real people talking. I also found myself completely dying at the posh accents. I listened to The Royal Breakfast chapter twice cause it was that well narrated. There is so much whimsy and imagination on every page. Somehow the giants speak wildly nonsensically, making up words as they go, yet it's so easy to follow along. Not to mention the BFG exclaiming “Oh, Ruler of Straight Lines!” when meeting Queen of England had me in stitches. Overall, I highly recommend this book for both kids and adults.

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Another childhood favorite that I remember fondly but definitely need to reread.

Taylor Jenkins Reid writes very realistic characters and engaging stories, and you will find yourself swept up in the lives of the characters and interested in their journeys. Each POV has a very distinct voice too.

The two things I think Reid needs to improve on are the predictability of her stories (it's not hard to guess every single thing that will happen) and the way she basically points and says, “Look, here's the moral of the story. This is what you should think about this thing.” She doesn't really allow the reader to infer or form their own opinions.

All in all, I'll probably always waver between 3 and 4 stars. I really liked some parts, liked some others, and straight up rolled my eyes a few times. I think the fantastic bisexual representation is what really makes this book worth it.

Any true crime buff will tell you that you must read this book, but no one ever says why, at least in my experience. It's on every list as a true crime classic, and it definitely deserves that spot. Bugliosi goes into extreme detail of the Manson murders, the investigation, the formation and dynamics of the Manson family (which I find to be a fascinating study of human behavior), and the trials. There is basically no answerable question left unanswered. Bugliosi even provides an in-depth “Cast of Characters” and timeline at the start of the book, so you may refer to it at any time to help remember who anyone is or where you are in time, even if it's been a while since you last put down the book. The length can be daunting and is the biggest criticism I have, if you can call it that.

As someone who typically doesn't care for memiors or similar types of writing, I found this to be extremely compelling and something I often didn't want to put down. I wouldn't consider the writing to be exceptional or anything, but it conveys his emotions and frustrations so well. I felt transported back to high school and 1999. At times I felt Brooks was describing my own experiences with bullies, adults, and religion.

I lived about an hour outside of Littleton and was in school during the Columbine massacre, and it has taken me a long time to decide to revisit these stories. I think this was a good place to start.

This is most definitely a history book. It's extensively researched. You need to pay attention while you read it, not just because it's important but because you will become lost in names and in time. Pamela Newkirk unapologetically exposes what actually happened during Ota Benga's life, the lies that were told by the people around him, and how such horrors could happen to a human being not so long ago. She tells a full and complete story and attempts to right some wrongs of the past by giving Ota Benga a voice. Newkirk's research is so thorough, drawing on strong primary resources to provide support for the author's timeline and interpretations. It's particularly interesting how Newkirk found so many instances of people blatantly changing their story to fit whatever narrative they needed at the time. If you decide to pick up this book, just know that it does NOT only follow Ota Benga's life. It is about everything in the world he lived in, both in Africa and the US, and the people who played a part in his life. It addresses important moments in history that shaped the systemic racism of the world today.

The only thing that could have improved this book was a more chronological flow. At times it was a little difficult to remember where we are in Ota Benga's life, especially if it's been a day or two since last reading the book.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is the perfect example of a dual perspective novel that doesn't really work for me. I probably would have liked it more without the grandparents storyline. I think the choice to use mixed media was a good one and was executed well. On the other hand, the use of that picture in fiction feels Extremely Wrong and Incredibly Tone Deaf.

The introduction to the new world and cast of characters is done incredibly well. The characters are distinct, and the relationships develop in a very natural way over a realistic amount of time. The emotions feel very real. The pacing is perfect, and the overall intrigue remains present throughout the entire book. I figured out the character “twist” right away, which is to be expected since I'm considerably older than the target audience. However, I was so engrossed in Morrigan's emotional journey that the big reveal took me completely by surprise! That's how you know a middle grade book is well done. It accomplishes everything it sets out to do and much more.

This is absolutely a book I will be revisiting and a series I will continue. I wish Morrigan Crow had been around when I was a kid.

Dealing with Dragons was fun but predictable for an adult. I think I would have given it 5 stars when I was a kid, as Cimorene was the heroine I wanted and needed in the early 90s. I was that “tomboy” who wanted to see a princess who acted like me!

I listened to the audiobook but would recommend reading it instead. I'll give that a try when I pick up the second book in the series.

Absolute tear-jerker, must read for any age.

This book is super problematic in a lot of ways, but I can't help but feel nostalgic while reading it. I don't recommend picking it up now, but if you read it before you noticed the bad, you'll probably still be able to enjoy it now. It's definitely a product of the late 90s/early 2000s humor unfortunately.

Everything about this books suggests that I should hate it. Magical realism? Yup, hate that. Contemporary? Ew, why would I read about people who could be my neighbors unless it's true crime? Yet somehow The Crane Wife found its way onto my list of favorite books of the year. I connected with Amanda on a molecular level (despite having vastly differing opinions). Surprisingly I also really loved the variety of writing styles used and feel they affected the tone in an appropriate and noticeable way. In the end, did I get it? I don't know, but I loved it.

Red, White & Royal Blue is just too darn cute. It really is. It's sweet and emotional, and I really enjoyed all of it. It's a bit long and a bit cliche, but the story itself is wholesome and heartwarming. Also, I'm pretty sure there was a subtle Firefly reference near the end, which is A+ in my book.

I can't say I love Reid's work. I find it predictable and too on-the-nose, but this was a sad-yet-sweet-but-also-sort-of-not-because-no-one-likes-infidelity novella. The title tells you the end, but the journey is good. As with all of Reid's books, I think the writing style works well.

I hadn't heard of this case before picking up this book.

It was definitely intriguing right off the bat, and I wanted to know all the details. The author doesn't do a bad job narrating the audiobook either, thankfully. A lot of authors are not skilled narrators, but she did a good job. The beginning was the strongest part for me. There was a definite sense of stress and anxiety that was portrayed quite well.

Personally, I'm not majorly interested in the NYC elite and celebrities in general, so I found all the references to the famous people a bit tiring after a while. I could've done without 20 references to Annie Leibovitz. I think the middle dragged a lot, especially while Rachel was trying to get reimbursed. It led to too much repetition for my liking. It could've been trimmed down quite a bit and still stayed true to the events. Think movie montage. That's all that was needed.

The writing is very simple, feeling very much like a magazine article (which makes sense). Very straightforward and choppy sometimes. It's not terrible but may have been more grating had I read it physically instead of listening to it. I definitely noticed it even while listening.

Your enjoyment of this book will majorly hinge on if you connect with the author. I was pretty neutral, but if you find yourself actively disliking her at any point you should just bail and read something else. If you are neutral or like her, this will be a quick and easy read/listen that you can speed through in an afternoon.

Man I really wanted this to be more stars, but unfortunately it has a few too many repetitive and slightly forced jokes to make it fully enjoyable. It was very informative and interesting, making me angry a fair few times (as expected). I laughed out loud a few times too, so it'll probably just depend on your humor.

Orc Grove (a book that is gory, gruesome, or gritty) read for the Quest for the Bookie Grail in The Book Junkie Trials 2019. Magi for the win!

This totally fit the prompt, but I don't think I'll ever be on board with a true crime book that actually considers the idea that a serial killer was influenced to kill by the moon.

Okay fine, here it is. My previous “review” is at the bottom.

My major problem with Seanan McGuire's writing, specifically her long books, is how repetitive they are (examples/screenshots below). She repeats phrases/words or even says the same sentence in slightly different ways. She repeatedly brings up the same character trait over and over again. Not in a subtle way either, not in a way that demonstrates the trait and shows it in action but in a blatant telling that it's that character's trait. It results in her smacking the reader over the head repeatedly with what she wants us to know instead of being more nuanced and allowing us to engage with the information and infer the importance of different actions and thoughts.

For example, if we know a character has a thing for donuts, and the character eats a donut or mentions donuts or walks by donuts, every single time Seanan McGuire will also write “Ashley loves donuts, it's their favorite food, they'll choose it over any other option if they have the ability” like it's not already super obvious. And then if they eat any other food we get an explanation that even though they prefer donuts they also have to eat other food to survive so that's why they're eating other food and not a donut. Like no shit.

Middlegame is very Roger=Words, Dodger=Math, but there are less heavy-handed ways to show the reader those things. You can have a character perform an action or think a thought that makes sense based on what we know about them (perhaps Dodger calculating something super complex during a party, measuring ingredients for baking by sight, kicking ass at billiards... Or Roger mentioning or quoting dense literature/famous authors, solving or spouting interesting word puzzles, or using complex words/phrases - as it stands, he talks like an idiot most of the time) and leave it at that. Because the reader can understand that their actions support what was told to us, that Roger=Words and Dodger=Math. But any time something like that happens, McGuire also writes “Dodger understands numbers, Roger knows words” (yeah, we already know). It just makes me want to rip my hair out. It's like she wants to make sure no one misses the connection she's making or support she's providing for the character trait, which leaves the reader with a feeling of being hit over the head with the information. And as my friend said, it feels like the Rodger =words and Dodger=math was so superficial in how they equal those things.

Moving on, the alchemy was surface level, mostly consisting of the hand of glory, and seemed to rely on the reader having previous knowledge from other books. There wasn't even a satisfying explanation for the Improbable Road and Impossible City. Seriously, what are those things, what's the point, and how did they come to be? Oooooh, alchemy. Got it. But, how? What does that look like???

The villians were nonexistent and cartoonish. They never felt threatening and were defeated with very little effort. And they made incredibly stupid decisions. Why did Leigh think killing Dodger's parents would make her give up and surrender? You hold them hostage, not kill them! Killing them provides absolutely no motivation to surrender. I literally laughed out loud at that part.

And just, the end, what even was that? I don't understand why Roger and Dodger were like, “Let's wait.” Ummm what?

I have always loved the concepts Seanan McGuire comes up with, and that's why I continue to read her books. But honestly, I think I'm done with her full novels.

And now, I offer you a couple of examples of the repetition that annoys me so much



Why? Seriously, why write this sentence more than once?



0:00 PST means midnight! Have some faith in your reader to READ!

A variation of “knows/doesn't know/doesn't understand the words” is used about 50 times (not kidding, go ahead and count).

I really don't want to write this review because I'm still annoyed. Go check out this review instead: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2775699939?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=3

Mostly light-hearted with a few touching moments. Worth a listen.

Biggest criticism is that some of the stories didn't translate well to audio, mostly because you needed to see the gestures the person was making.

Duplibook Thrifters Book Club pick for the month of June.

It's a light, quick read that's simply meant to entertain and make you feel like you're in the Old West. It's accomplishes that and nothing else.

Everything happens “all of a sudden” (no joke, in 188 pages a variation of that is used 48 times), the characters are pretty flat, and the pacing is ALL over the place. It's full of cliché Western sayings, which I think is the main point of these books. It has some pretty ridiculous sentences such as, “... in the changing of days the seemingly changeless hills do also change” (pg 145). I couldn't help but laugh.

It was okay enough for what it was.

Finally! A Seanan McGuire book that I actually connected with and truly enjoyed! I have found her longer fiction to be too repetitive (e.g. Feed constantly referencing blood tests, Coke, and poking things with sticks), despite having intriguing characters and very interesting settings and plots. Every Heart a Doorway did not have that issue at all, and I found the concept to be as unique as all the others. I'm very happy I gave her another shot and will definitely continue on with this series.

Pros:

- Effortlessly diverse: There are bisexual, lesbian, gay, and asexual characters without those labels defining them. The discussions of these were handled so delicately as well. The main character is mixed race which contributes to her life experiences, again, without becoming her only identity. Depression and social anxiety are alluded to very authentically. I know I'm missing more forms of rep in this book, which is incredible to say because I'm usually hard pressed to find even one of these in some books. It was extremely well done, probably one of the best books in this regard. If this were all the book was being rated on, it would absolutely be 5 stars.

- The teenage characters felt very true to life, with the uncertainty of the future, the extreme waves of emotions, the way everything feels so hopeless at times and you feel like an imposter. These characters are trying to find themselves while trying to understand their friends as well.

- Most of the characters are very well developed, with their own motivations and desires that make sense. They were real people, even when they did asshole or selfish things.

- The dialogue was natural and realistic which I feel like is rare in YA.

- Excellent portrayal of academic pressure.

- Frances was able to reevaluate her assumptions of who Raine was and recognized that she was wrong about Raine, finally seeing her as the loyal, trustworthy, and selfless person she is. Loved this so much.

- The depiction of fandoms and internet culture was absolutely spot on. The invasion of privacy “YouTube famous” folks go through, the fan art/shipping/story theories that is constantly discussed and shared, and disgusting comments from internet trolls felt incredibly realistic. Kinda wish it had been explored more though.

- If I was allowed only one word to describe this book, it would 100% be “RELATABLE” (yes, in all caps).

- The authentic Englishness was fantastic. Reminded me of my family and our hometown in England!

Cons:

- Writing style: It was too casual and inconsistent for me. Sometimes it felt like I was supposed to be in Frances's head and other times it was like she was telling me her life story. I'm not one for random run-on sentences either unless the whole book is written in a stream-of-consciousness style. I also felt a disconnect with the more emotional parts of the story because of this.

- Carol Last is a fairly cartoonish antagonist. With how well developed the other characters were, I felt let down by her. She seemed a bit ridiculously villainous, specifically with her Scooby-Doo-esque “not so fast you mangy kids” arrival at Aled's uni. And the dog death... It was unnecessary and the same result could have been accomplished differently (she could have let it run away or dropped it off at a shelter, or the major issue could have been his room and destroying deeply sentimental items).

- Pacing: I think there could have been a little bit more trimming in the first half of the book in particular. More time could have been spent developing the main conflict and resolution. The end was very abrupt.

- The transcript excerpts of Universe City were throwaways for me. This is absolutely a personal preference, as some people will love the fiction-within-fiction aspect. I don't like when I have to reread a book for something to actually make sense.

Random thoughts:

- I loved the platonic male-female friendship, but I wish I hadn't known about it going in. I think I would've cheered more when I read the chapter in which Frances straight up tells the reader they weren't going to get together. As it was, I was like, “Yeah I know.”

- I usually don't care for Contemporary fiction. I find it boring reading about people who could be my neighbors. I find I get that feeling of escapism better from other genres in fantastical worlds or settings. However, I enjoyed this quite a bit.

- I have an issue with how people nowadays, which truthfully Alice Oseman captured perfectly, ending their declarative statements with goddamn question marks (ex: “i have a jumper from the same website?? i'm literally wearing it right now?”). This isn't a critique of Oseman, I just hate it. To those of you who do this, please stop. I'm begging you.

- I feel like I'm too old for this book to really impact me. I've already done the whole “omg what is my future?!” thing, made my mistakes, and learned from them. As many people have said, it would've been better to read it in high school.



[Edited my review after the Papercut Book Club live discussion cause everyone made excellent points that made me think!]