Amity
This is cute but for whatever reason I couldn't concentrate on it so I'm setting it to the side for now.
Magical realism is hit or miss for me, but I felt like this one could have used more of it, honestly. The writing was lovely and there was a strong sense of place in Pastoral (even if I did keep picturing The Village) but nothing was surprising or impactful to me. I found myself missing Travis as a narrator, as I thought his power was interesting and tragic.
Considering the magical realism angle of Travis, I was hoping that Levi also had some sort of magical element to him, beyond just reading a book on hypnotism. I suppose he still could have and it's open to interpretation, as Bee does say that his words always captivate everyone, but...I don't know, that just felt sort of lackluster to me.
I also didn't much care for the ending, which felt a bit too tidy, all things considered. Still, I loved the fairy-tale atmosphere and I love a story of an isolated community, so I will give this one 3 The Villages out of 5.
Exploring a variety of issues such as racism, climate change, and living through the early days of the pandemic, this book of poetry is a difficult but beautiful read. Gorman captures the mounting frustration that came with something that should be uniting us ultimately dividing us further, as well as the power of hope and perseverance and words. I was going to quote all of my favorite lines, but that would be approximately 80% of the book, so here's a random one:
It's said that ignorance is bliss.
Ignorance is this: a vine that
sneaks up a tree, killing not by
poison, but by blocking out its
light.
If you like Snicket's signature humor - a word which here means “frequently defining things in a peculiar manner, black comedy, and oddly specific narration” - as well as meditating on life and death, this is a book for you.
I felt it meandered a bit, which is an odd complaint for such a short book, and my main issue is I'm not really sure who the intended audience is for the story itself. Kids who liked Snicket's other books may be drawn to it, but it's more introspection than plot which is normally not a selling point to kiddos, and it may seem too whimsical to some teens and adults. Still, I enjoyed it well enough and of course my favorite part was when he talked about how magical and wonderful libraries are. 3 perfectly prepared eggs out of 5.
Whimsical, lovely, and original. Made me a bit teary but to be fair, that could be said about most things. This one earned it, though! A bit sad and but ultimately hopeful.
A great Halloween read! Very atmospheric and Mari was a complex, sympathetic character. It's clear that Jackson has a great love of horror stories - a lot of classic haunted house tropes were present, lampshaded, and cleverly twisted. Combine that with the real-world horrors present in Cedarville, and you have a compelling, spooky read. The ending as a whole fell a little flat for me, but I liked that not everything was neatly resolved. 4 disturbing bedbug facts out of 5.
Very zigzag-y with a cast of unreliable and/or untrustworthy narrators and a lot of reveals that keep you guessing. I liked the novel-within-a-novel approach and all the sly meta winks and nods at the criticisms of Hawkins' brand of storytelling. I can see this being as divisive as her other works, but I liked it a lot! Also, in this house we love and support Irene 5ever.
3.5 houseboats out of 5, rounded up because I was reading it every spare chance I had and I think that counts for something!
dang this book was tailor-made for me
also someone please give Charm my number
4.5 fairy-tale tropes out of 5, rounded up because I had fun with it
I was excited to read this because Ivy is one of my favorite characters and the description mentioned a cute goth girl, but unfortunately I didn't like it as well as I'd hoped. A lot of the premise is solid, but the execution lacked substance and the characters were all pretty one-note. Still, I think it had a good aesthetic and I would certainly recommend it to teen readers looking for more Poison Ivy content. 3 spooky mansions out of 5.
Took me a little while to get into this one, but once I did, I was hooked. I can see why Chizmar and Stephen King work so well together - both capture that small-town nostalgic feel very well. Gripping, with a satisfying conclusion. I especially liked the details of how the cold case was solved, and I found the interview between Chizmar and Gallagher was realistically chilling.
Overall, I'd give this 3.5 Cemetery Dances out of 5, rounded up for the uniqueness of the metafiction narrative.
Another great volume, with a solid conclusion to the Archer's Peak arc and a tantalizing tease for what will come next. 4 men eating gummy worms in a sinister manner out of 5.
A sweet, quick read; however, I would have liked to spend a bit more time with these characters. More development of their relationship and personal arcs would have made this closer to a 5-star read and made it feel less didactic in parts. Regardless, I loved Annie and Bebe and felt the crisp, colorful art matched the overall gentle tone of the story, so it was a mostly satisfying one-sitting read for me. 3.5 60s screamo cover bands out of 5, rounded up.
Hmm, this was good but I don't feel it lived up to its predecessor. There were some cool reveals and worldbuilding, and some terrifying set pieces that really built some tension, but it fell a little flat for me. I also felt the ending fizzled out a bit. Malerman is still a fantastic writer, and I still think this is a compelling world, it just didn't work for me as much this time around. 3 blind trains out of 5.
The twist is pretty obvious, and you have to suspend your disbelief to buy into the whole “this is a plot that cannot fail” thing, but all of the ruminations on writing and being a writer (the moral code, the publishing world, etc.) were great and it was compelling enough to tear through in a few days. 3.5 people saying “anyone can be a writer” out of 5, rounded up for being a fun time.
I am contractually obligated to give any book with an awesome librarian character at least 4 stars. Miss Shelley is a queen and I want to see The Goth Kittens in concert ASAP.
Casey McQuiston does it again! This book has everything. Casual queerness! The most perfect love interest of all time! True love! Light sci-fi elements that are sort of hand-waved away because who cares, there's kissing! Discussions of the hairy horror Wolverine frog!
All in all, another slam dunk. 4 strawberry milkshake pop-tarts out of 5.
This book offers a look into the heavily manufactured world of boy bands through the lens of Saturday, a rising pop sensation that consists of four members. There's Angel, who is made out to be the sweet boy next door to his fans but is actually a party-boy sadclown; Jon, the unofficial leader, and son of Saturday's manager, who is uncomfortable with his sexyboy image; Ruben, raised on Broadway and hiding a show-stopping singing voice in catchy choruses, while also resenting the fact that he can't publicly come out; and quiet Zach, Ruben's best friend who somehow got roped into being the token bad boy when all he wants to do is write songs.
Saturday deals with all of this during their rise to fame as they embark on their first European tour. Zach and Ruben's relationship grows closer than ever, though not without some bumps along the way. Will the band - and their relationship - survive the increasingly high demands from management?
I thought this book was pretty sweet and had enough of an edge to keep me engrossed. I sometimes felt the POVs between Zach and Ruben were a little hard to distinguish. Still, I found it a fun - and occasionally dark - look at fame and the various hoops one has to jump through to achieve it. The cute relationship and incredibly supportive group of friends made it all the more enjoyable. A 3.5 rounded up. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!
I really don't understand why this book (or The Martian, for that matter) appeals to me so much, because it's literally just a bunch of “and then I did a science” but I was here for it. I didn't understand what was happening about 70% of the time, because my brain is not science-smart, but it was exciting!
I think that, even though Weir isn't the strongest writer in terms of structure and character development, his passion is what makes his stories work. Though this really did read more like a screenplay, and I wasn't surprised to see it's already been optioned for a movie, but again: all weaknesses aside, I had a good time.
ALSO: Rocky is forever best boy and I love him. Happy happy happy!
Anyway, 3.5 sciences out of 5, rounded up because of what I mentioned in my spoiler.
This was very charming! Jost has a fun voice - not too self-deprecating, but certainly not overly-confident. I also laughed out loud a couple of times, which is very rare when I read! Less rare is making me cry while reading (or watching TV, or movies, or literally just existing) but his chapter about his mom is lovely and did make me tear up.
All in all, a good audiobook experience. 4 punchable faces out of 5.
Former pageant-queen Gertie Wilde moved her family to Long Island for a fresh start and thought she had found that on idyllic Maple Street. Her family may not fit in perfectly (her husband is a former rockstar and has been to rehab; her kids are Brooklyn tough and socially awkward), but things are looking up when she befriends Rhea, the Queen Bee of the block. However, after a misunderstanding, Rhea drops Gertie from her life and the rest of the neighborhood follows suit. And when Rhea's daughter falls victim to an unfortunate sinkhole accident, Rhea will stop at nothing to lay blame on the entire Wilde family.
This novel about the everyday horrors of suburbia and how rumors can quickly spiral out of control is tense and compulsively readable. The flawed, complex characters who make up the main cast are not always sympathetic, and their actions are often uncomfortable to read. Still, the framing narrative of interviews and news articles that refer to the “Maple Street Murders” will surely keep readers hooked until the dramatic conclusion; it certainly had me intrigued enough to keep the pages turning even when I was cringing at what I was reading. Not everything worked for me: the “Next Sunday, A.D.” of the plot setting felt unnecessary, and if I never see the word “bitumen” again it will be too soon, but the rest of it was strong enough for me to ignore those issues. 3.5 sinkholes out of 5, bumped up because the Rat Pack exploring the sinkhole for Shelly's body was so creepy and so, so good .
This was quite the ride...I didn't love it, as all the “twists” were predictable (if they were even meant to be twists is up for debate tbh) but I liked Abigail well enough as a character and wanted her to overcome everything that was thrown at her. Overall a quick, entertaining read...probably closer to a 3.5, but rounding down because of some nitpicky things that bothered me as a reader.