Becca
In May 2020, Martha Wells brought us Network Effect, the ultimate Murderbot crossover episode and the first full-length novel in the series. And I...didn't read it because I was playing Animal Crossing at the time. Like, for thousands of hours I was doing that. Which, actually, is very Murderbot-coded of me. Here Murderbot encounters new sorts of imminent danger alongside new social situations: merging friend groups, adolescence, and, oh yeah, a whole lot of trauma. Murderbot is really good at helping itself and others survive terrible things. But sometimes surviving after the acute event, in your day-to-day life, in relationships with others, is the harder part.Murderbot in babysitter mode is compelling, as the stress adult humans cause it is compounded by the simultaneous imperviousness and naïveté of teenagers. Amena and Murderbot are similar in many ways. They love and are loved by Dr. Mensah, they are petty and stubborn, and they both fling themselves at immense threats the second someone they care about is crossed. I like how Wells balances not undercutting who Murderbot is with its introspection and slowly thawing ability to concede it is deeply sensitive and caring. I like when weirdos get to stay weirdos. Last, I want to mention [a:Kevin R. Free 2119344 Kevin R. Free https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1370714677p2/2119344.jpg]'s audiobook narration. It is so good. I recently found a full cast version of Network Effect on hoopla, and I was like “I could have had different people and sound effects this whole time?!” but I immediately rejected it in favor of Kevin. The number of voices he can do distinctly is so impressive.
Many of my friends are unfortunately aware of my insufferable special interests in family vlogging, patriarchal purity culture, exploitative cults, and any combination thereof. Having been raised Mormon, I am especially fascinated by how Mormon women seem to dominate this niche of social media, from the early blogging days, to YouTube and TikTok family dynasties.
Because of who I am, I knew who the 8 Passengers family was years before headlines broke about Ruby Franke's arrest. Here, Ruby's eldest daughter Shari recounts what life was like before Jodi Hildebrant's Connexions, before YouTube cameras were rolling.
Shari paints a searing picture. Ruby strongly internalized the idea that her divine role and purpose was motherhood, above all else. She attended college to find a husband, and after she and Kevin met, quickly became engaged and left without finishing her degree, to get on with it.
This tunnel vision did not seem to leave wiggle room for her to think through whether this was something she wanted for herself, or even what her life could include alongside parenting. Perhaps belief in this inescapable mandate caused Ruby to feel disempowered, or even resentment.
Regardless, motherhood became a vehicle for unilateral authority over the home and family, where affection, food, and flexibility were withheld in favor of obedience and fear. No one's pain or tears were valid except for Ruby's, no matter how young a child was, no matter how small the infraction, no matter how basic a need was failing to be met.
Shari talks a lot about trauma and the fawn response, and how many different trusted people and institutions failed her and her siblings. During their YouTube heydays, fans viewed Shari as a goody two shoes snitch, often in contrast with her brother Chad. In this book we see how she compensated for turmoil at home by losing herself in her studies, and all the times she rebelled, whether by downloading Snapchat, kissing a boy, or trying desperately to engage with her stonewalling brother and father after Ruby had fractured the family.
It's clear Shari has put in tremendous work and exercised huge amounts of strength and courage to save her siblings from the wreckage. I am a little hung up on two things, however. First, her portrayal of Kevin. I recently struggled with this in [b:The Sound of Gravel|25332115|The Sound of Gravel|Ruth Wariner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436200674l/25332115._SY75_.jpg|45067930], too — a memoir author's sympathy towards the less abusive parent bothers me after a certain point. Shari knows Kevin better than me, obviously, but I really felt she glossed over the amount he either overlooked or actively participated in for her entire life. It was also strange how Kevin was described as both a steady protector and as someone victimized by Scary Lesbians who pulled the wool over his eyes. Of course, people contain multitudes, and men can be victims of spousal abuse, too. But I don't know, her criticism of him was diluted by this underlying belief in his core goodness. It was weird.Second, Derek. Given the (non-)response of law enforcement and government agencies, and the esoteric nature of the Mormon faith, I cannot fault Shari for turning to men in her church for support and guidance. Still, I can and do fault those men. I fault them so much dude. Derek, a despicable little cretin, for isolating, stalking, and sexually abusing a girl decades younger than him, as she walked through hell. And all the bishops and stake presidents with (presumably) zero education and credentials, whose abject failure to grasp the basics of power dynamics, consent, and rape culture led to victim blaming, false equivalences, and cover-ups. Shari viewing herself as a homewrecker when Derek belongs in jail, and he didn't even lose his Temple Recommend. I am absolutely begging people to stop looking to church leaders to hold their own accountable, let alone involve the state when actual crimes are occurring. The consequences are disastrous. I think this is a more extreme example of Shari's inherent trust in male authority figures to, on average, change and do right by her compared to women. And when they fail, they're really sorry about it and they tried. I get the need to cling to your faith when life is going comically, horrifically wrong, believe me I do. Still, as much as Shari unpacked other relationships and responses, it would have been nice to see a little more scrutiny of that aspect. Or to read that someone killed Derek with their bare hands or something. Either/or.
I would recommend this book to fans of [b:I'm Glad My Mom Died|59366244|I'm Glad My Mom Died|Jennette McCurdy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1649228846l/59366244.SY75.jpg|93537110], [b:Counting the Cost|167770288|Counting the Cost|Jill Duggar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1685444305l/167770288.SY75.jpg|177528454], and [b:Becoming Free Indeed|62837289|Becoming Free Indeed My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear|Jinger Duggar Vuolo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670269414l/62837289.SX50.jpg|98618596]. I hope Shari and her siblings can find privacy and peace in the coming years, and that Ruby and Jodi get nowhere near them ever again.
Have you ever wanted a coming of age magic school book but it is intensely severe and depressing and set in Russia? Have you ever been meaning to read it for years but you finally get around to it in January 2025 and the state of the world and your regular depression and your seasonal depression and of course the book itself all join forces and reading it is a really dark and strange experience? Have you ever kind of liked it anyway? Has this ever happened to you?
When Vita Nostra begins, Sasha is enjoying a beach vacation with her mom, until she notices that wherever she goes, the same man is watching and following her. After trying to elude him, they talk and he gives her a bizarre assignment. Task complete and vacation over, Sasha's life slowly starts feeling normal again. Until the man shows up again, with a new task. And then later, with an acceptance letter to a school at which he is an advisor. The book spans her first three years studying at the school, most of which is spent trying to nail down what she is even studying, let alone why.
Vita Nostra is beautifully descriptive book. The setting of Torpa is a strong point, how your adult life away from your parents and childhood can feel both comforting and desolate. Just how little and scared 18-year-olds truly are. The process of learning is also central, framed as this agonizing tug of war intertwined with the wellbeing of your loved ones, walking a tightrope between the discipline of hard work and the discipline it takes to pace yourself.
At many points Sasha reads like an unreliable narrator, because her experience of life is jagged and sporadic, a lot of shifting and morphing. She is being turned inside out, sure only of what she will lose if she fails. The book explores love as a deep fear for the wellbeing of others. Although also, maybe it's because I'm a bleeding heart, maybe it's because I know how much fear and trauma can inhibit action, but I'm just...not convinced that everyone needed to be that mean. I am just not convinced we needed to be out here killing grandmas because of failed pop quizzes. Does not seem like the superlative or primary way to motivate people, especially perpetually.
I do think (at least in the English translation), the plot got muddy. There were elements that felt repetitive and gratuitous. All this tension would build up, everything would seem so immense, and then the book would just continue. A lot of huge moments were undercut by this pattern, and it made the book feel a lot longer, but less impactful. Also, why were all these guys so wrapped up in their students' sex lives? To that I say, GROSS. Gross and disgusting and unnecessary and stop that. They seemed plenty scary and severe and omniscient without that element. Don't even get me started on Farit pimping out Lily for no reason? And that just being an open secret no one does anything about? That part was hard for me to read around.
No idea what to compare this to, but the cover is incredible, and it is a rare instance where I do not feel let down by my initial intrigue by a predictable or silly reveal. The Dyachenkos followed through, and then some. I need to read a happy book immediately or I will die.
Ogawa first published The Memory Police in Japanese thirty years ago, in 1994. It is a disturbing and beautifully written story about an unnamed narrator who lives on an island where things keep disappearing. And I do not mean a crime spree or that the air is being drugged to cloud memories. It is more surreal and ubiquitous than that.One day, the occupants wake up and all the rose petals on the island have fallen from their bushes and are washing out to sea. Soon after, everyone on the island has forgotten about roses. Nobody remembers why people grow and give roses, how they smell, even what the word means. Except for the people that do. But the Memory Police take care of them.The narrator is herself an author, and weaves her latest novel into the text until the lines become blurred, further demonstrating how slippery reality feels under an authoritarian regime that feeds on fear and learned helplessness, that targets authenticity, nostalgia, and art to break down community. Yet people keep trudging on, going to work, switching professions, marrying and having children, grocery shopping. The worse things get, the more resigned people feel. We surpass a tipping point on restrictions, and everything starts feeling arbitrary and pointless. Each next deprivation, and any resistance to it, feel ever more hollow. Because when the goal is complete control, it's a race to the bottom.It is...something to read in January 2025. Still, the characters are so tender towards each other in a brutal world. They carve out what they can with what they have (not much, and less everyday), and take calculated risks to hold onto each other and keep each other safe. It is exquisitely depressing and simultaneously muted and tense and ambiguous and I will be thinking about this book forever. Unless the Memory Police wipe it out, of course.Excellent audiobook narration by Traci Kato-Kiriyama, especially the voice of the old man. I have to read all of Ogawa and also this again 16 times. For fans of quiet dystopias (bonus points for woman author, bonus BONUS points for translated) like [b:The Wall 59468837 The Wall Marlen Haushofer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639132182l/59468837.SY75.jpg 573687], [b:I Who Have Never Known Men 60811826 I Who Have Never Known Men Jacqueline Harpman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1649947133l/60811826.SY75.jpg 14356], [b:Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind 60754889 Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind Molly McGhee https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682359454l/60754889.SY75.jpg 95796035], [b:Severance 36348525 Severance Ling Ma https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507060524l/36348525.SY75.jpg 58029884], the movie The Double (based on [b:Dostoyevsky 210190 The Double Fyodor Dostoevsky https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388265212l/210190.SY75.jpg 236056]), and in some moments even [b:The Book Thief 19063 The Book Thief Markus Zusak https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522157426l/19063.SY75.jpg 878368].
If Alice has zero haters, I am dead.
There are many different feminisms in this world. In general, I think the contested ideas make studies of gender and inequity more challenging and interesting. But some forms of feminism just fall flat for me. And it's always the white ladies doing it. My own people are always betraying me. Unfortunately, this book was that.
For example, the inequalities of the 1950s presume a stifling white middle class suburban setting. Never mind the “girls” helping the bored housewives cook and clean and raise kids. As long as the white women they work for are kind to them, we're all good.
Fast forward to the 21st Century narrative, and we're doing “women cannot do wrong or bad things,” feminism. Alice's redemption arc is just, she becomes a sociopath. She took Nellie and Sally's mentorship and squandered them into a bizarre biological ultimatum.
It verges on interesting gender commentary but keeps cutting itself off at the knees Examples of potential:- The validity of all women having an emergency fund, regardless of relationship status or job satisfaction or how stable and idyllic things feel now, so you can leave if your partner or job suddenly become untenable.- How it feels to be with a man far more eager to have a baby than you, when you are the one who has to grow and birth a human and then take on the immense responsibilities of motherhood. More broadly, the context surrounding any decision to have children. Accessibility of healthcare, cultural and religious mores, social support, education and career aspirations, economic and environmental prognoses.- Single older woman next door trying to free her married neighbor from societal expectations and threats to her autonomy = good. Cross-generational feminism = good.- How working in a field like publicity could negatively harm or warp your personal relationships, because professionally you need to be calculating and strategic, looking for the right spin and reaction by laying out certain information a certain way.. It lacks nuance and self-awareness but is not searing or unapologetic. Alice is unlikable but not compelling. Nellie far more so, but her storyline is muddied Why did she flirt with a teenager in front of her husband? Why did she do that as a power move? Ew and also gross.. The plot twists are either painfully predictable or nonsensical, there is no in-between. The most interesting aspect that the house is in some way sentient never materializes into anything. The ending is open-ended, but I'm not pulling for the protagonist.
Why? Because Alice is lying the entire book to everybody. But there's no strategic secrecy like Nellie's lies, Alice is just a duplicitous coward. What's more, she does not treat her partner or friends (friend, actually) or mom or colleagues or even her realtor well. She says lying feels exhausting and she feels guilty about it, but she never comes clean. She'll get caught in one lie and her loved ones are ridiculously compassionate and forgiving and she still keeps the rest hidden away. She sucks.
We're supposed to draw parallels between Nate and Richard, with Alice alluding to a new Nate she doesn't recognize. I'm calling that projection, babe. Nate is pretty long-suffering and supportive. Also it was hilarious when he got really mad but struggled to get out of his messenger bag to throw it on the ground. Now, the decision to take a job offer and list their house and move across the country without talking to her about any of those three things in advance? Absolutely horrifying. But also, it felt so much like a break from his usual character that it was hard for me to buy it. Whereas, I could absolutely buy Alice doing that to Nate, spun as some feminist victory because if Man Force Woman bad, Woman Force Man must be good. In general, Nate sticks his foot in his mouth sometimes, but it's made all the worse by Alice never telling him how she feels or anything going on in her life. This man is out of the house 16 hours a day studying to better support them after she was fired which she did not tell him about and she's at home not writing the book she says she is and smoking which he does not know she does and leaving eggshells all over the kitchen counter after making another failed jelly salad. Then, after not wanting to have a baby the entire book, in a book about how feminine power can exist separate from that (with Miriam, and Sally, and Nellie, and I guess even Bronwin), as soon as Alice finds out she is pregnant she's like This Is Me This Is It I Am Motherhood It's Undeniable.
I have to stop talking about this now or I will never stop yelling.
Renfield before Mina comes in the room:
Stoker certainly did not in and of himself earn four stars, but (this hurts to say as a public library employee) the full cast Audible exclusive rendition was very good. You were right, Meredith.
Except for when the women characters did more informal accents, which I found intensely grating and incomprehensible, I do not know why. But for the most part it felt cinematic and expressive.
Ever since [b:Regarding the Fountain|23404|Regarding the Fountain A Tale, in Letters, of Liars and Leaks|Kate Klise|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1311778035l/23404.SX50.jpg|24375], I have loved an epistolary format. There is something about that patchwork of memory and clippings forming a narrative that I find intriguing and fun.
In Dracula (spoilers from 1897 I guess), a lawyer visits a client living in Transylvania, looking to relocate to London. Imagine the lawyer's surprise when the client turns out to be a vampire who is holding him hostage. Meanwhile, his fiancée at home is starting to worry, both about him, and about her friend whose old habit of sleepwalking has resurfaced, leading her on wild adventures each night.
With time multiple doctors and good strong brave Christian men find themselves wrapped up in accepting, then vanquishing the reality of Count Dracula, with a backdrop of dust-caked castles and so-called lunatic asylums.
The pacing is...weird. It feels intentionally slow-moving at some times, but towards the end it becomes really repetitive and non-eventful, only for everything to happen in a rush. Leading up to this, we stay with the two characters for whom the least is going on, so we're kind of in the dark about what's actually going on. Maybe this is a choice to build suspense, but for me it kind of had the opposite effect.
Things I found funny, but I don't think they were supposed to be: - Descriptions of the Count going out in his “lizard fashion” scaling the walls with his toes.- How much of the text is spent with people talking about how much they love the other people who are fighting Dracula with them. As soon as they meet another guy they're like, “He's the bravest most wise and devoted genius hero who I worship and he's also hot and strong and I would gladly fall on my sword for him and we will remain friends forever and I will take care of his wife who I also love and so too do all of our other friends we did in fact just meet twenty minutes ago at the train station but we love each other all the same because we are dear and sweet and poor and God's will be done.”- All the men urging Mina to stay behind because this is men's work (not even that doing this made her extremely easy for the Count to prey on, although like, yeah obviously), only to immediately almost be tricked into freeing Dracula's known devotee from an insane asylum because he convincingly said “I am better now.”- When Van Helsing said a very confusing sentence, and I said out loud to an empty room, “What??” and he followed it up with, “Sorry, that was a really confusing sentence.”- When Morris left the room mid planning session without talking to anyone to try and shoot the problem with a gun. How American of him.
If you do read this, I recommend the Audible version. But you must only get it for free and then cancel your free trial immediately, and then use Libby and hoopla for everything else. For the stakes are greater than life or death.
Move over, Tuttle Twins, this is the kid lit about work we so desperately need. This book compiles interviews with people who have unique jobs, all over the world. They talk about the skills their work involves, what drew them to it or inspires them, its challenges and meaning.
Featured are real people who transport giraffes in trucks full of trees for them to snack on, Irish beeswax candle makers, a couple who runs an antique toy store in the Bronx. Indigenous tour guides, Dutch flower farmers, Indian muralists, a Korean designer who loves knitting furniture out of rope. People who drive ferries, repair instruments, increase accessibility, take good care of alpacas. A woman who got so sick of having poor experiences with car repair that she became a mechanic herself, and is helping other women do the same.
The book ends with the author and illustrator each describing their own jobs, and includes a guide for interviewing people yourself, a glossary, and open-ended prompts throughout the book.
In a chaotic world full of overnight Amazon deliveries and generative AI “art,” this book is a refreshing depiction of slow living, small business, sustainability, and finding pursuits that allow us to live our values. Also, and perhaps most importantly, I must try a bagel with ricotta and fresh figs in honor of Joe Bagel himself.
An aptly named book!
Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend stars Dan, a 29-year-old man on vacation with his girlfriend Mara. While they are enjoying the beach at a new resort on a small island, the sun explodes. This really throws a wrench in things.
Now, I love a ridiculous piece of media. And this book combines a lot of my favorite things: megachurch and/or MLM satire (Righteous Gemstones), disaster striking and every “leader” being woefully inept (Avenue 5), humor with a backdrop of troubling current events (Derry Girls), the list goes on. And still, I really did not care for it.
One issue I had was the language and references Wassmer uses. Edgelord quips abound. The snarky social commentary and bad jokes are more of a time capsule than timeless; I think it will quickly go from feeling current to cringey.
The book is also way too long for the story it tells. It's pushing 400 pages, and I was tired halfway through. I compromised with myself by upping the playback speed. It could have been a novella, honestly. For it to be even 300 pages, a lot more would need to happen. Or we'd need a different main character. Ideally both.
Third smaller gripe: Why does the Space Telescope Science Institute care more about recreating the Stanford Prison Experiment than actually studying exoplanets? Or any other part of space? Obviously just make the company a front the name is laughably terrible.
I have two big gripes: one I have seen in other books, and one specific to this one.
First, white men writing women and romantic relationships so poorly that it overshadows a cool speculative fiction premise. You might think that is sexist and racist of me. But I am not seeking out author photos or searching names before I read books. I have a life to live, I am never caught up on laundry. I can tell because the writing is ass in the same exact way every time. And every time I feel like, “It sure does feel like a white man wrote this,” I am RIGHT. It reeks of it. I have seen this with [b:Reincarnation Blues|33571217|Reincarnation Blues|Michael Poore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500555996l/33571217.SY75.jpg|54372404], [b:The Humans|16130537|The Humans|Matt Haig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353739654l/16130537.SY75.jpg|21955852], [b:Dark Matter|27833670|Dark Matter|Blake Crouch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1472119680l/27833670.SY75.jpg|43161998], and it is always a bummer.
Every time, the male protagonist is a fairly flat character, almost a self-insert (this time the male protagonist is actually urged to become an author elle oh elle dude). The only consistent morals or motivations he has are to Protect His Woman No Matter What. But then the woman has even less dimension than he does. And, often we are viewing the woman love interest through the man's eyes. So then it's hard to square his primal drive to kill every threat to her with his bare hands, with the fact that he does not even seem to view her as human. In the end, everything feels hollow.
Here, Dan never seems to view Mara as his equal. She's either way too good for him or a child with a “flair for dramatics,” as he reiterates throughout the book. Cool.
Also, is it imposter syndrome if you are an imposter? Dan is always having crises about measuring up and success and masculinity. I was excited to explore that more. These issues are real and I think they can be particularly tricky for men to navigate because of societal roles and pressures about showing emotion or vulnerability, being able to provide for your family, etc.
But also, Dan...just sucks. He thinks he is better than his job because he was labeled a gifted kid? He thinks he is better than Building C? He constantly, consciously pushes down his emotions. He is mean. He is a coward. He shows zero initiative, charisma, or authority, yet everyone looks to him. He's like “I have no skills,” and I'm like, yeah, it is a problem. Mara keeps saying he is a good writer, but we have no indication of that. Is he meant to be writing this very book? Is it that much of a self-insert? Either way, woof.
I will say, the narrator of the audiobook was so great. Stephen R. Thorne did a great job, specifically with Pete and Charles. Very entertaining performance, and this was not his fault.
It's hard to write a critical review for a memoir stuffed with trauma, because how can I object to someone's personal recollections, especially of horrible things? Unfortunately, though, this one lost me at some point along the way.In The Sound of Gravel, Ruth Wariner recounts growing up in a polygamist offshoot of the mainstream Mormon church. Her family spends a lot of time in Mexico, fearing the end of the United States. Her father was a central figure in their faith, but was killed in a plot by her uncle. After his death, her mom becomes the second wife of a disgusting man named Lane. Ruth describes the precarity and violence she and her siblings endured. Lack of adequate food, housing, healthcare, education, attention. Financial insecurity (paired with either heavy reliance on public assistance or directives by church leaders urging followers to deprive themselves of needed support from the state) is a common aspect of cultish branches of white Christianity encouraging tons of kids. Not to mention the parentification, especially of older daughters.Ruth witnesses and is subjected to all sorts of abuse, and struggles to find support when she works up the courage to tell others the danger she is in. It is a book about how survivors of sexual abuse are somehow both not believed about and blamed for what happened to them. It is a book about how our society gets more up in arms about accusers ruining a man's life than the lives a man ruined with his actions.It is a book about how mothers and wives can be complicit in familial abuse, and how many are simultaneously abused and abusive in their own right. Frankly, I think Ruth goes a little easy on Kathy. Kathy's life was tragically cut short, but she sure did a lot of harm to her kids in that short time. I did have a little epiphany while reading this. If a woman believes in the principle of polygamy, as Ruth's mom did, the number one attribute she will look for in a partner is a man who wants more than one spouse. She can't take a second wife herself, let alone a second husband, so whether she herself can live out the practice hinges on this. This means a good man is not someone who is kind or attentive. A good man is not even someone who provides materially for his family, ensuring their comfort and security despite being often absent because he has other families to take care of. No, a good man is a man with more than one wife. That's it, that's what allows everyone to obtain celestial glory. Instead of seeing how polygamy itself is creating jealousy and scarcity, wives say to themselves (and their children, in Ruth's case), “It is not ever going to be bad enough for me to leave, because he is a polygamist.” Her salvation is dependent on him continuing to do the thing which makes her life complicated and difficult. The root of the issue is also what redeems him in her eyes.Kathy's convictions about polygamy lead her to stay with Lane no matter the horrors he puts her and their children through, no matter how many times he fails to support or provide for their family. It certainly does not help that educational and professional pursuits are deemed irrelevant to girls and women, who are then made to crank out as many kids as is biologically possible. That certainly does not make leaving less intimidating.It's almost like a faith where women are collected like playing cards by deadbeat, violent, adulterers creates and maintains a culture of horrible men? Could that be right? Also why in the world would Matt take a second wife??? I hate that he did that.Maybe a weird gripe, but I do feel like the Prologue was almost misleading? It's an artistic choice I get it I get it. But we spent so long on some phases of life and skipped over others by decades. Ruth also presents herself as so even-keeled and discerning no matter her age or the situation. It feels a little unrealistic and flat. Also I have a lot of thoughts about its commentary on disability and institutionalization but I am too tired to make them coherent. So I'm just documenting that sometimes I think things.If you like darker memoirs about cults, awful parents, or both (like [b:Educated 35133922 Educated Tara Westover https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506026635l/35133922.SY75.jpg 53814228], [b:Breaking Free 34217597 Breaking Free Rachel Jeffs https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498607251l/34217597.SY75.jpg 55268473], or [b:The Glass Castle 7445 The Glass Castle Jeannette Walls https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523542886l/7445.SY75.jpg 2944133]), you'll probably like this — hopefully more than I did!
No one makes listless ennui compelling like Weike Wang.
Rental House follows Keru and Nate, an interracial couple whose vacation getaways are continually marked by weird tension and cultural divides with their in-laws. Their lives are intertwined, yet everyone feels misunderstood by everyone else.
Both people in the relationship struggle with what exactly their role is — when to defend themselves or their partner, and when to let things slide. And also just like, the background pressure to have an enjoyable relaxing time off as an adult with adult responsibilities and complex family dynamics.
Low stakes pleasantries seem to drag on forever. Sometimes they spark jealousy, and other times they feel insufferable. Remarks made in passing cause things to suddenly escalate. Hot-button issues keep resurfacing over the years, especially the decision of whether to have children, and American politics and race relations.
I think Keru is a fascinating character. How Nate's background affords him the privilege and flexibility to live his values in a way she feels would be letting her parents down, even as they adore him for doing so. The impulsive bursts of rage amid her perfectly manicured corporate life. The hints at past incidents and how passive aggressive white people are startled and scared of her in these moments, but even more scared to acknowledge it directly. This pattern of behavior and the book's cover seem to foreshadow a grand reveal, but in the end Keru's burst of energy is simply shaking herself out of the stupor her family has been wading through like molasses for the whole book. Also, real ones suspect Keru was pregnant in Part One. I'm real ones.
It's not the searing social commentary of Parasite or even [b:Good Talk|36700347|Good Talk A Memoir in Conversations|Mira Jacob|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534098775l/36700347.SX50.jpg|56227420], and some may find the story and characters tedious, but I gobbled this up overnight and quite liked it. I think, in part, because the audiobook narration is so good.
Jen Zhao voices different accents, ages, and genders all convincingly. It's also the inflection. Listening to someone else read dialogue can be hit-or-miss, because it doesn't always match up with how I would interpret tone if reading the print book. The delivery in this audiobook feels correct and brings life to the text.
For fans of [b:Chemistry|31684925|Chemistry|Weike Wang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479350390l/31684925.SY75.jpg|52358042] by the same author, as well as [b:We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724|We Have Always Lived in the Castle|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1704229774l/89724.SX50.jpg|847007], [b:Small Things Like These|58662236|Small Things Like These|Claire Keegan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1734631773l/58662236.SX50.jpg|86476810], [b:Little Fires Everywhere|34273236|Little Fires Everywhere|Celeste Ng|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522684533l/34273236.SY75.jpg|94930152], [b:Such a Fun Age|43923951|Such a Fun Age|Kiley Reid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557181911l/43923951.SY75.jpg|63995465], and [b:Severance|36348525|Severance|Ling Ma|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507060524l/36348525.SY75.jpg|58029884].
Me furiously writing this review in a Google Doc:You ever read a nonfiction book so good that not only do you give it five stars, but you also remove ratings for multiple novels which poorly featured its subject? Looking at you, [a:Angie Kim 18035146 Angie Kim https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1679593689p2/18035146.jpg].We're Not Broken is penned by Eric Garcia, a journalist currently at The Washington Post, with a lengthy CV. Garcia covers the history of autism, primarily in the United States: past and present Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria, shifting cultural attitudes about disability and neurodiversity, controversial practices and organizations (ABA, Autism Speaks), and more.He describes the inherent limitations of the business case for diversity (do not get me started), and how diverse hiring efforts fizzle out after recruitment, when retention is the real test. I learned a lot about sheltered workshops, many of which pay disabled people below federal minimum wage, which is already nowhere near a livable wage (do not get me started). Someone smarter than me should write a book about this and prison labor and undocumented labor.Garcia also discusses language, pointing out a myriad of issues with labels like “high functioning,” “low functioning,” and “special needs.” He explores the strong focus on finding a cause of and/or cure for autism, citing specific ads and PSAs drawing parallels between autism and cancer, or autism and criminals holding our children hostage. He looks at how the suffering and opinions of an autistic persons' family often take precedence over asking the person with the diagnosis how they feel and what they need. Garcia zeroes in on this while also researching how broader stereotypes about gender, race, age, and class factor into the ability to obtain a diagnosis in the first place.Especially for its length, the book is a wealth of knowledge. It is nuanced but not dense, and it flows together well. Garcia himself is autistic. Like Angela Chen's [b:Ace 52128695 Ace What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex Angela Chen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580804471l/52128695.SX50_SY75.jpg 73599792] (and works by [a:Devon Price 15184474 Devon Price https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1601572773p2/15184474.jpg]), personal anecdotes and experiences of the author are included, but they are surrounded by quotes from scientific studies and interviews with dozens of experts. I really like this approach. Instead of “objective” scholarship from a sterile distance, the author has skin in the game.I also loved that Garcia narrated the audiobook himself. I liked his cadence, introspection, and especially the way he says acronyms so I can actually hear and remember the letters. Still, it would be nice to own a hard copy. There are some great quotes and an index at the back.I have got to read [b:NeuroTribes 22514020 NeuroTribes The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity Steve Silberman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421707890l/22514020.SY75.jpg 41957894]. And also [b:Sincerely, Your Autistic Child 54615849 Sincerely, Your Autistic Child Sharon daVanport https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1605573791l/54615849.SY75.jpg 49605219]. And also [b:All the Weight of Our Dreams 29360622 All the Weight of Our Dreams On Living Racialized Autism Lydia X.Z. Brown https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500318509l/29360622.SY75.jpg 49605278]. And also
This feels like a modern classic. Also, every character is gay.
Monstrilio begins seconds after parents Magos and Joseph realize their son Santiago is dead. This loss rocks them, and they cope in different ways. Their relationship waxes and wanes, with each abandoning the other in turn.
Still, their lives remain intertwined. Largely because Magos has salvaged a piece of Santiago and turned it into a little destructive demon. And I know what you're thinking, oh it's a powerful metaphor for the grief she is perpetually saddled with. And yes, sure, but also it very much is a sentient real being that others can see and interact with. And it is a him. And she names the him Monstrilio.
This is a disturbing, beautiful book about how we move on from emotional wreckage. It is a story about family, home, and change.
It speaks to how grief cannot be civilized or tamed. No matter how long it remains our companion, it will always retain its wild edge and ability to suddenly hurt us. The rawness of grief may and even probably will dull over time, but nothing will map exactly over the hole grief leaves, or stop the sadness from seeping out around the edges.
It is also a book about maladaptive coping. Being in the throes of grief and fully accepting a loss are not one and the same. Sometimes pain is harder to let go of than to live with. When, decades later, we are still letting our grief consume us, sometimes we forget the value of the life still here.
If you want a morally gray book about every kind of love and/or like some grotesque little guys in your books, pick up Monstrilio. It's not a fun or entertaining beach read (especially if you're squeamish and prudish like me), but it is very good. The cover is magic and it would be a wonderful class reading. Move over, Catcher in the Rye.
3.5 stars, rounded down. This book was so fun, perfect for fans of Knives Out and/or Glass Onion. But also, a good depiction of emotional abuse? It has a little substance to it, which I need in a romance. And I liked that it faded to black because I am a prude.
Also I learned that romance audiobooks are way better when there are male narrators in the mix, and more broadly, a larger and more varied cast than a single narrator. Sometimes someone trying to mimic a character of a different gender can take you out of the story a bit.
Ethan is a great love interest in that he simultaneously embodies and eschews traditional masculinity. His former profession explains a lot of physical capability, but even then he was trying to find wiggle room within his dad's harsh expectations to take bullets instead of firing them. And the industry in which he ultimately ends up has everything to do with his mother.
Also what is hotter than a man who reiterates 500 times a day how right you are and gives you all the credit? King of consent, takes women's headaches seriously, provides snacks, good with kids, listens and remembers details, knows to wear those certain kind of glasses and roll his sleeves up, disdain for other men, it's all coming up rosy.
Now, if he was not hot and the feelings were not reciprocated it would be a lot less charming but this is a fictional book and also men should love women more than women love men. Unsure what I mean by that but I'm sticking to it. It's like Hal and Lois from Malcolm in the Middle.
What prevented me from rating this higher are that it was probably 50 pages too long, due to two main factors: 1) repetitive phrasing and 2) epilogues.
1) Sometimes I think the repetition is more obvious when you're listening to the audiobook. Here are some things that were said a million times:
• Maggie is like “I'm spending Christmas with my nemesis. But somehow, in the back of my mind, it feels so right.”
• Maggie should be afraid but she isn't because she feels safe with Ethan.
• Ethan, in the middle of a crisis, is like “Wow actually nothing matters except Maggie” bro we know
• Ethan is not joking even though he's usually joking. This time he is not joking even a little bit.
• Ethan says, “Maggie,” and nothing else.
• Ethan says, “It's okay.”
2) WHY do romances do the weird epilogues?!?? Leave some ambiguity and let me fill in the gaps or be content with not following these characters through the rest of their lives. If you read this book (and I do recommend it), I would stop at Chapter 66. Maybe a chapter or two earlier, depending on how you like your endings. Don't bother with the Locked Room or Epilogue bits, they are boring and trite.
Anyway, as mentioned I would pick this up if you like Knives Out, Glass Onion, [b:My Roommate Is a Vampire|60041932|My Roommate Is a Vampire (My Vampires, #1)|Jenna Levine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1665612756l/60041932.SY75.jpg|94663345], [b:You Deserve Each Other|50027029|You Deserve Each Other|Sarah Hogle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578144336l/50027029.SX50.jpg|68651245], or [b:The Flatshare|41393171|The Flatshare|Beth O'Leary|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627750351l/41393171.SY75.jpg|58189559].
An adorable book about a hardworking grandma who toils in the months leading up to Christmas to make and sell homemade tamales. She uses the money earned to buy Christmas gifts for her kids, and their kids, and their kids. She also gives those struggling during the holiday season tamales for free, as well as other lots of other goodies.
Major themes include thoughtful foresight and preparation, labors of love, and sharing wealth with others, whether by treating loved ones to gifts or by helping to carry neighbors and others in our community through times of scarcity. It pays homage to the author's real grandmother, who one year made an inconceivable 12,000 tamales.
In all, Briseño and Sánchez have crafted a sweet holiday picture book about honoring culture heritage, family traditions, and principles of generosity and mutual aid.
A book for kids young enough to still believe in Santa, but old enough to be skeptical about the logistics.
The illustrations are excellent, because of course they are, because it's Jon Klassen. The laundry page, the letter with the matching stamp, the faucet, the crestfallen flame face, it's all great stuff.
A fascinating look at how blue collar work and support staff are often how big ideas materialize into anything.
Conjuring up grand plans in our minds is a piece of the puzzle, and often requires a lot of technical skill, but we need people who work with their hands. This is how blueprints and storyboards become a real bridge people and cars can safely use, or a real book people can buy or checkout at the library.
Hands-on laborers deserve credit for their titular role and impact. These professions should never be looked down on, and in fact should be recognized a whole lot more. The author being from Detroit could not make more sense.
I like how the author included a page about clean energy, to show that trade work is not synonymous with regressive policies. I also like how it got meta at the end, paying homage to tradespeople in the publishing and book industries. The repetition and rhyming kept my attention, too (although if I am being REALLY persnickety, I did not love “someone has to build the dream” phrasing) It's like baby's first [b:Bullshit Jobs|34466958|Bullshit Jobs A Theory|David Graeber|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523865380l/34466958.SY75.jpg|55587029].
A really silly yet sweet novel that begins with a very elderly substitute teacher dying in a Texas high school's faculty lounge.
Soon after, the school principal is dismayed to learn the late teacher's dying wish was to have his ashes spread on school grounds. He talks himself into honoring this request, only to be caught in the act by a horrified PTA mom, who promptly turns it into a PR nightmare.
The principal, teachers, and other staff must navigate the school year following AshGate under intense scrutiny by district administrators and helicopter parents bemoaning critical race theory, though they cannot define the term.
Each chapter follows a different worker at Baldwin High. Brand new teachers, veteran teachers, guidance counselors, vice principals, school nurses, custodians. Sometimes they struggle to “stay in their lane,” other times they answer to parents who question their judgment, expertise, and motivations while they attempt to carry out the most basic aspects of their job.
Staff surprise themselves and one another, in good and bad ways. Many are dedicated to their craft but struggling to make it through each day. Some are holding out for retirement, others are desperate to quit. They may be too hard on themselves or too easy on others.
They are made to take the unserious so seriously. Nothing turns into something. Other times, they turn something into nothing, quietly resolving major issues. The characters are flawed and human.
There were a few weird commentary Things about sexual harassment and addiction that I wish had been handled a little differently, and it did become a little saccharine for me at some points, but overall I found this to be a funny and touching portrayal of how ridiculous serving the public and working with kids feels day-to-day. It did also make me yell in panicked surprise multiple times, always a plus.
For fans of sitcoms like Abbott Elementary, English Teacher, or Superstore.
Gregory struggles to eat normal goat food, like old rubber boots, cardboard, or shirts, buttons and all.
After a trip to the doctor with concerns about his lack of appetite, Gregory's parents change tactics, but it works a little too well. They resolve this by making him sick on purpose, which works a treat in the end.
Lots of little twists and turns, but overall I hardly loved it. This was my first time reading it, but I can see it feeling nostalgic for others!
SOMEONE GIVE THIS MAN A 500-PIECE FARM PUZZLE ALREADY.
Pretty devastating! No one pairs sadness, hope, and resilience quite like the Irish.
Bill Furlong has come a long way in life. He is surrounded by stability and family in ways far different to his upbringing. Then one day while delivering coal to a convent just before Christmas, he stumbles into a secret. Really, the dark underbelly of an open secret, the sort that perpetually swirls in small town rumors but that is difficult to pin down or do anything about because of who holds power.
Furlong finds himself torn. He doesn't wish to jeopardize all he has by rocking the boat. At the same time, what he's witnessed needles him because of where he came from. The many church services surrounding a Christ-centered celebration complicate this moral tug-of-war. The kind of dissonance felt when the people we look to for spiritual guidance, instead cause us faith crises with their conduct.
I have a very low threshold for adult male protagonist ennui (and that's feminism), but Claire Keegan is a beautiful writer. Despite the short page count, the pacing feels slow as Furlong mulls over his options and memories. It ends at the perfect moment, resolute but open-ended. The audiobook is exquisitely done.
Keegan has captured the ambivalence of the winter holiday season so well. The colorful joy of giving and gathering, but also how traditions start to feel like chores you are falling behind on as the season marches on, animals struggling to find comfort in the cold dark terrain, the heavy sadness about loved ones who are not there anymore or how previous Christmases compare.
I want to read a lot more Keegan, but probably not for a second while I recover from this one.
A quiet, translated Estonian story about an old couple that integrates a retired classroom anatomy skeleton into their lives, providing themselves companionship as they work the land, entertain grandkids, and navigate old age together.
It is sweet but not without heartache. It tackles the inevitability of mortality with a tinge of hope, showing how passing down memories helps both our loved ones and culture live on.
For the weird kids who find themselves in stories like [b:The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale|60539545|The Skull A Tyrolean Folktale|Jon Klassen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1671459705l/60539545.SX50.jpg|95411730], [b:Oscar Seeks a Friend|43572576|Oscar Seeks a Friend|Paweł Pawlak|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563406743l/43572576.SX50.jpg|56511276] (translated from Polish), [b:Bog Myrtle|205063378|Bog Myrtle|Sid Sharp|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1712234568l/205063378.SX50.jpg|211055705], [b:Through the Woods|18659623|Through the Woods|Emily Carroll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414845473l/18659623.SX50.jpg|26477611], [b:A House Called Awful End|330053|A House Called Awful End (Eddie Dickens Trilogy, #1)|Philip Ardagh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328867483l/330053.SX50.jpg|526468], and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
It also reminded me a bit of the Dutch characters [b:Jip en Janneke|1484848|Jip en Janneke (Jip en Janneke, #1-5)|Annie M.G. Schmidt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1253453723l/1484848.SX50.jpg|1476009]. Maybe even [b:We Are Okay|28243032|We Are Okay|Nina LaCour|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1471899036l/28243032.SY75.jpg|48277368]?
