Jimmy Brewster

I wanted to read The Convenience Store by the Sea because it sounded like a cozy novel.

I really enjoyed how wholesome and fun this novel was. It's almost a series of short stories because the perspective shifts between different characters each chapter. Each character finds their way into Tenderness, the convenience store with a charming manager who has his own fan club. I appreciate the way the novel celebrates food and community building.

If you are a fan of wholesome cozy stories, you should read The Convenience Store by the Sea.

Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold is the omnibus collection of two books, Shards of Honor and Barrayar, the first and the seventh books in the Vorkosigan series. I had not read anything from Lois McMaster Bujold but I have heard good things about her novels. I wanted to read Barrayar, however, it was easier to find the omnibus.

Firstly, there should be trigger warnings for rape, sexual violence, and birthing trauma. None of the scenes are very graphic, however, the topics do come up multiple times.

I enjoyed the mix of fantasy and space opera. At times, the novel could easily be considered a fantasy novel. Long sections of the story pass without much or any mention of space or sci-fi technology. In fact, there is very little space, especially in the second portion Barrayar.

The entire story focuses on Cordelia Naismith and Aral Vorkosigan. First on a mostly unexplored wilderness planet, then on Barrayar, an older imperial planet with birthright nobility, emperors, and councilmen. Barrayar has all the tropes of a fantasy or historical fiction including patriarchy, schemes, betrayals, and tests of loyalty.

It is implied that there is a larger multi-planetary universe beyond the narrow scope of these characters, but it never gets explored very deeply. I was left wondering about the history of Earth at the point of this story, how Barrayar and the other planets came to be colonized, and more of the interplanetary politics. Perhaps some of this is explored in the other books in this huge series.

Overall, the first part of the omnibus, Shards of Honor, was the less interesting portion of the book. I would give the second portion, Barrayar, a higher rating on it's own.

If you enjoy authors like Isaac Asimov or Ursula Le Guin you will probably enjoy this. If you are a fantasy reader who wants to add a dash of science fiction and technology to your reading list, you will probably enjoy this.

I wanted to read Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence because I have been trying to incorporate more classic literature into my life and this one sounded interesting.

The novel explores themes of women's sexual fulfilment as well as class dynamics. At the time of its writing, it was considered pornographic and scandalous. There are many descriptions of sex and genitalia, though they are not very graphic or scandalous, in my opinion. The sex scenes mostly consist of using the words penis, fuck, and finishing. While these scenes are prominent, the novel is really about a woman who is exploring what she wants out of sex and, more importantly, life.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I like that the author did not shy away from women's sexuality or the concept of divorce. I also liked the discussions of class, socialism, and bolshevism. I think anyone who enjoys classic literature or women's fiction will enjoy this novel.

This book can be found for free on Project Gutenberg.

I wanted to read Tower by Bae Myung-hoon because I have been making an effort to read more international science fiction writers.

Tower is basically a compilation of related short stories. The stories all take place in Beanstalk Tower, a tower so large that is has become a sovereign nation. While each story stands alone, there are references to previous stories as you progress through the book.

The stories all contain very obvious political commentary. In this case, there are a lot of references to living in a divided region with a large DMZ between neighboring nations. There are also elements of labor organizing, power structures, political unrest, and war. While addressing these heavy concepts, the author maintains a fair dose of humor throughout.

The stories are interesting and I enjoy Bae Myung-hoon's writing style. Most of the characters are forgettable, with several having simple, almost placeholder-like names.

Overall, I recommend Tower and I think that fans of Ursula Le Guin will especially enjoy this novel.

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata is about fitting into society, and the struggles that accompany living with childhood trauma and other mental health issues.

I wanted to read this book because I previously enjoyed The Convenience Store Woman by the same author. I am sure that everyone who enjoyed TCSW will not enjoy Earthlings. Earthlings is like the dark, twisted, horrific cousin of The Convenience Store Woman.

I liked this book a lot because of the elements of darkness and the absurdity of the characters. I also found the questions about society and the pressure to fit in to be relatable.

If you enjoy authors like Chuck Palahniuk you will probably like this book.