sneha
HOLYY SH*T THAT WAS SOME TWIST.
but, uhm, that does not cover for the painfully annoying style of prose. also, a mild spoiler but she kept saying she is in love, a love so grand it must endure. but where's the love? make me see it? build it up?
there were a few tells about the final “plot twist psyche” moment but overall this would make for a nice beach read.
I am going to use cynicism as a shield from the pain the last chapter of the book makes me feel? Yes.
The concept of the book is great, the elements are so unique and interesting. The implementation tho is a bit dodgy. I like how some characters are polished and layered but others just come off as tired stereotypes (not in an offensive way but just boring and one dimensional). The voice and personality of Mateo are so real and makes you feel all the right feels. But Rufus felt so inconsistent. The writing and tone of his character kept switching, his style dialogues did not make sense with his history and context. It feels that the book could have gone through two more rounds of brutal editing to fix some loopholes and tone issues.
Overall, a nice chill YA fiction about two boys going to die young and living their best life while on their way to the end road. It's not bad but it could have been so much better.
okay, did not see the end coming.
the style of the story was pretty cutting edge, especially given that Yukito Ayatsuji wrote this in like 1980s, it's pretty cool. there were a few tiny holes but overall an engaging murder mystery. The writing felt a bit on the nose but I'd chart that to translation. this has def inspired me to read more Japanese murder mysteries. :)
So when is the movie coming out?
This was such a warm, feel-good fuzzy book. Esp when reading more about the inception of the book. Casey McQuiston started working on this transatlantic queer romance in 2016. Despite the orange man election situation, she continued to work on this. You can see her motivation, values and intentions reflected through the characters. It's one of the best YA fiction I have read in a long time. The characters are diverse, offering inclusivity but also showing the bigotry that exists in the real world. The key villain who stays off-screen throughout the book feels a bit caricaturish but honestly, it's not about them. It's about Alex and Henry and boy do you grow to adore Henry through Alex's POV.
Overall, this book is a nice parallel universe with a woman POTUS going onto a second term, biracial hero and his adorable British prince. I thought it was like glorified fanfiction but it's not. It's amazing. :) (not that fanfics are bad but you get it)
These are just early thoughts on the book.
Rumours of spring — it's a coming of age story set in Kashmir in the 1990s. It's haunting and beautiful and heartbreaking. I felt shame and sadness while reading it. Shame because I had no idea how terrifying life in Kashmir was and maybe to date it still is. Covid feels like a baby compared to the terrors and loss these people live through every single day for years. Sadness because it isn't in past and elements of it still exist. The book was also beautiful because it shows small slices of joy and normalcy. For a debut novel, it was so well written! The narrative structure and flow were very well done. Each chapter was seamlessly able to focus on a new character or event or place and tell its complete story while sitting to the overall arc.
I keep forgetting that it takes me ~ 70 pages to get into a Jon Ronson book. Unlike his podcasts, the books take a lot more activation energy to get invested. But once I am in it, it's a fun rollercoaster. The Psychopath Test raises some interesting questions about sanity and insanity (which one do we judge people on). It highlights some obvious issues about the field of psychology and the failure of mental health institutions for the larger public. There were sections I wish he elaborated more on, as there was a lot more to discuss but overall the book was crisp and fun. Even if the starting felt very ... weird. That was the biggest reason that I didn't finish this book earlier.
this book is essentially a 20-21 Spurs team playing against a top 6 club, promising in first 20 minutes then bland and a sudden nose-dive in the second half, let's talk about this
I found this book perchance, was checking out someone's old blog. The cover page blurb “Finally, a football crime book” made me go “WEEEEEEE!” Two of my favourite things together - football AND murder yes, please!
Exposed at the Back has all your classic Scandinavian crime novel tropes - an attractive blonde female lead who will not stop chasing the truth no matter what the cost, an aloof male lead with a mysterious past with darkness he can' reveal until we're 60% through the book, a questionable frienemy character who you don't know it with or against you, a creepy middle-aged man who is defo going to be misogynistic and a child because why not.
The central pitch of “Norway's most powerful football agent is murdered” was a gripping plot. (nope, Haaland transfer and my dislike for Railo has nothing to do with my interest in the plot). The story, much like the current Tottenham Hotspur squad, had so much potential. Alas, you can see that potential go down the drain as the author tries to overfit more storyline than defenders in a Spurs game. (should I stop with this spurs parallel? therapy is expensive, complaining about spurs on goodreads is free - so deal with it, sorry)
You have the health implications of artificial turf, the corruption and exploitation of players from the African continent, doping young talent, celebrity power couple, gay players, life-ending injuries, under-the-table deals with clubs and investigative football journalism. I understand that Arild Stavrum is not a professional author but a footballer and with that perspective, this is a great first book. It was entertaining for the most part (even if the cliches made me do mini eye-rolls) but I do feel this book could have gone through a more thorough editorial process and the focus of the book could have been trimmed down to a single focus. So many diverse plotlines are started and abandoned in the next few pages much like spurs attacking strategy (okay this is the last one, I promise).
What I absolutely despised was i) treatment of the lead female whose whole presence was to be some sort of a (sexual?) motivation for the male lead. who unironically says, “okay, we will have sex once this case is solved” seriously, who does that? who finds that hot? argh!
ii) undertones of Islamophobia and homophobia - I despise when brands, storytellers or movie makers use “wokeness” and “activism” as plot device or marketing gimmicks. the absence of LGTBQ+ members in men's football is a serious issue and concern for the sports. if you plan to use this as an integral plot device, please do it in a better way that does not make it sound problematic and rely on harmful stereotypes. especially in the second half, you see a lot of problematic portrayal of minority groups (women, people of colour, lgbtq members) that seems completely unnecessary.
TL;DR the book starts very strong, feels promising but over the course gets bored of itself, repetitive and slightly annoying. You could give it a shot once but I am very much in the market for more football murder mystery books with far more focused plot and better writing. As a debut novel from someone who played professionally for their national team - good stuff!
The title of the book is a major giveaway to the identity of the killer and I think that's super cool. If you're into football but also want to read a footy-ish book, I'd recommend this.
PS. If someone has a copy of Steve Bruce's book Striker! Please share <3
to: my reddit secret santa, you are the best because this book is <3
Do you know what I really love? Heung-Min Son, yes but also well written contemporary Indian authors. As someone who reads a lot of non-Indian nonfiction, I often feel guilty for not consuming more domestic pieces of literature. This is a reminder that my common excuse of “most mainstream Indian literature feels trash” is BS.
Em and the big Hoom somehow made it to my TBR list but I didn't seriously pursue it. Not until a softcover copy of the book mysteriously turned up at my doorstep, quite literally. On a whim, I once picked it up during my lunch break and the next thing I know I am 40 pages in and don't want to stop.
There isn't much of a “twisty” story-telling in this book. It feels more like a diary entry jig-saw puzzle spread over a few decades. Its appeal is being able to be humorous and witty while being heartbreaking sad and bleak. The book's pacing is very persuasive - much like real-life, all the highs come with annoying pit-in-you-stomach anticipation of the lows. The madness and sorrow in this book is written with such grace. Endearing and eccentric characters make you want to read more. Also, the main hero - city of Bombay - just shinesss in this book. I don't know much about the city but I felt what Maahim would be like. The revisit to Goan culture in flashbacks was also brilliant.
Much like the edges of the book, the writing is vivid and colourful - a bizarre adventure into two strangers and their love and life. All the while not knowing anyone's name. Stranger, crazy book finished it in two sittings.
What an emotional rollercoaster, I can't even write a review for this property. Just read it, you won't regret it.
Jerry Pinto, I wonder how much you suffered to create this masterpiece. Wow.
Shoutout to my Reddit secret Santa for sending me this wonderful book, I am ded - thanks.
if you ever thought your ex was a psychopath, well, this will make you feel less of that
DNF - 60% completion
One advice I find myself giving to people who want to get back into reading is - give up a book the moment it stops being fun or valuable to you. I decided to take that advice up for myself.
Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think the life, fears and struggles of Liz Kendall is not of value. But after reading 60% of the book, I found it to be a bit repetitive and decided to stop. Here's my review of the portion I read.
I don't really care for Ted Bundy or the hollywoodisation of his crimes. He is an absolutely shitty human being who committed “extremely wicked, shockingly evil and vile” acts on unsuspecting women. He does not deserve any celebration and definitely should not enjoy “pop cult” status.
But out of boredom, I did find myself watching the Ted Bundy docu-series on Netflix and found myself curious about how the women in Bundy's life felt. What were their emotions, struggles and experiences. I randomly found The Phantom Prince and started reading it on kindle on my phone.
It was a revelation to read how ridiculously “normal” Ted was in his everyday life and relationships. How he fits into the mould of a “perfect man and boyfriend”. It is remarkable how many times Elizabeth reached out to the authorities because she had a gut feeling of something not being right and how many times it was ignored. I can't fathom how she managed to be functional (slightly alcoholic) life after getting to know the extent of fuckery Ted Bundy spread. Reading about victims of such crimes and individuals close to them reminds us to not fall into the trap of “sensationalizing” these criminals. Brings a lot of empathy and kindness to the surviving victims of these crimes. (Also, reminds creeps to not label criminals “hottie” on Twitter, sigh)
okay, I didn't quite see the end coming for this one
writing these reviews is like shouting in space. but I don't mind. this is just an elaborate journal entry for stuff I have read. these flash reviews help me think about what I have just read and go beyond superficial engagement, or at least that's the hope. this one is mostly me ranting about the way Christie writes her female characters. might have some spoilers, kinda.
I bought this book because the cover looked pretty. I reallyyyy liked the blue, the font and a little yellow at the bottom. So I bought it. Thankfully, the story wasn't too bad either and I had a good time reading it. Another breeze (pre?)murder mystery ft. our fav Belgian fella who is painfully not modest. Sometimes I wonder how Poirot's characters even work out because he often caricaturises himself. Is that suppose to add to his mystic and mad genius aura?
Another burning question is, why does Christie have a general anti-woman stance? Someone let me know, am I reading too much into this? Because so far every book I have read has a massive “women are evil manipulative creatures” vibe to it. And a “good woman” is often a dull, Christian, docile lady who isn't “fun” or “attractive”. Is it a common theme for all her books?
I know a lot of judgements on women are from the men in the book and those dialogues are a product of the time it is set in but must Christie fit all her female characters in pre-decided blocks? Was the common recurring theme of female killers new in her time? Did she want to prove “it's 1920s dammit, women can also kill!”. Why couldn't she have more female characters who are smart, shrewd but also not bitchy gold-diggers?
This approach is a bit annoying for me but I am hoping to find some explanation for this trope. Perhaps the target audience for her books (white upper-class women in the war?) liked to see women kill and that was badass for them? I don't know. I just don't enjoy every thinking, empowered women to be painted as an evil vamp about to get you in every single story.