kat 🍓

5:

I don't have the way with words to wax poetic about how much I loved this book. This book was twisted and gross in ways that I didn't expect, coming in from just seeing the title on a subreddit and a comment saying it was “insane”. They were right.

I've never read something like this before. I can't give this anything under five stars, because it's not that I couldn't put it down, but more like I couldn't pick up anything else while reading it; it permeated my thoughts so thoroughly, I had to put the rest of my readings on hold until I was done. And even then, it took me a whole week to finish because my neck hurt from all the head turning I had going on.

3.2:

There's no way I'm letting myself get stuck in a slump, when I've been having so much fun, and doing so well with my reading. I felt one creeping in—I didn't want to have three DNFs in a row—, so I decided to give this one a go. It seemed short and sweet.

And it was. There was no discernible plot, it's just fragmented glances into Macarena's life, from early childhood to the angst of her teenage years. I thought back to how I myself fared during those years, I went through similar experiences (curiously, the home invasion. But also, the desperate craving for the seal of approval of that one female friend, the awkwardness of middle school parties, and not fitting in. The dawning realization that your parents are just people).

It was engaging, even if I didn't feel any strong pull towards the characters. That's probably on me because I don't particularly enjoy thinking about that part of my life.

Anyway, it was fun and I think I've cleared the fog up a little. On to the next!

5:

Before anything else, I must say, Jennette's decision to narrate the book herself was brilliant. I don't know about anyone else, but to me it made the reading all the more intimate. She has a very sweet voice, and she displays her raw emotions as she speaks; she touches on quite heavy topics, so when it gets to a particularly difficult memory and her voice breaks, then your heart breaks also. And at the same time, she's downright hilarious, so when she gets to a punchline you can't help but snort at it. It was overall a very pleasant auditory experience.

Now then, with that out of the way I just want to say: ouch.

I did not expect to relate to her story as much as I did, but there were so many hard hitters that I filled my notes with quotes I'd want to bookmark. I got teary at times, not only because of the horrific things that she's had to overcome, but also because she explains things I myself have felt, so eloquently; things I've never been able to put into words, and I'm thankful to her for it.

Jennette has gone through so much, and putting aside the unfairness of it all, it fills me with joy to know that she decided to put her well-being first. Against all odds, she's worked very hard to get herself out of the dark place she'd been in for so long. She has finally reached a point where she's genuinely proud of the person she's become. I'm proud of her, too, as I'm sure anyone who's heard her story must be as well. She says she considers herself to be a work in progress. That's valid and beautiful. I think I am one, too.

I think this is my favorite memoir I've ever read.

(And that's saying a lot because On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King, has always been one of my all-time favorite books).

(As a second afterthought, I also want to mention that I, too, condone the blocking of manipulative, abusive assholes in your life. Family included. The block button is my version of crack cocaine).

3.5:

I finally got around to reading this book! It was so creepy!

From the recs I got, I was expecting a feeling of unease and full body shivers. I did not get that, for the most part, and in fact, I was ready to give this a solid three stars. But there were two instances in the book that gave me the chills. And they were so good I'm bumping it up.

The first one was the way a scene was painted. It involved a little girl and contorted expressions . I'll say no more. The second one was within the last three pages and like, there was foreshadowing, it made sense, and yet I think it was the wording, maybe? I don't know what it was, but BRO. I felt a cold zap right through my whole body, and it made it all so worth it.

It's a pretty short read and, while it was slow at times, and I expected something different, it's well worth the read if you want a quick scare.

5:

I... am not particularly certain I enjoyed this book. I liked it, yes, but I didn't really enjoy it. I'm just... overwhelmed by feelings right now.

It's just, gosh, this was so heavy. The amount of themes that are touched upon in this tiny book, I wouldn't even know where to begin. It's not black and white for even a second, portraying sides of being human that are not palatable. Sides that I often ponder over. It's like Claudia took a pin, and then pricked me all over. That's how I feel.

I want to cry, and I'm sad, and so angry. I don't want to read this again, but I think I might, someday. I thought I came for one thing (murder mystery), and ended up leaving with a hundred others (the ugly truths of life, plus your everyday dose of existential dread). It was incredible.

Praise to Claudia for such fluidity in her writing, too. I felt a bit as when I've read Saramago.

5:

I started reading this, fully convinced I'd picked up Fever Dream, by Samanta Schweblin. And it took me a hot minute to realize my mistake, because from the beginning, the writing was so haunting.

A prose that pulled me like a whirlwind, a story that sliced my heart into ribbons. It was heartbreaking but, ultimately, a very hopeful story. An important message to share, and I commend Carmen for her strength of character because it must have not been easy.

Apart from that, I could not put it down because she's an incredible storyteller. I'd give this 10 stars if I could.

4.7:

What an absolute banger. I'm not usually inclined to go for anthologies, but I enjoyed Our Wives Under the Sea so freaking much, I had to get my hands on whatever of Julia's work was left, and this one? Whew.

There were definitely highs and lows, and because I didn't particularly like two of the stories—namely Granite and Smack—, it wouldn't feel right for me to give the full five stars. But make no mistake, the high points were HIGH.

I absolutely ADOREDThe Great Awake, incredible premise, made my bones chill just thinking of dealing with all that, and it was my favorite out of the lot; Mantis was a fantastic opener and tone setter, made me reminisce over my own high school experience. The Collectables was really fun but UGH I felt so bad for the delivery guy, he did nothing wrong!!

There was Stop Your Women's Ears With Wax, and like, I felt that. I lived that (minus all the gory violence, I suppose). The eponymous salt slow was insane, it gave me such a feeling of claustrophobia, and that ending? Yikes (affectionate). I felt a wicked sense of satisfaction at the bite-the-creep's-hand-off bit in Formerly Feral, and I liked the stepmom so much. And Cassandra After was sorta sweet, in a macabre way.

Granite and Smack were... okay. They weren't bad, but with Granite I guess I was expecting something different, something grand like a cult or whatever, and so I didn't really vibe with the ending. Frankly, I don't think I quite got it and I didn't care for the characters. And Nicola in Smack was a spoiled rich brat. I don't have the patience for that.

I had a great time with this little collection overall, though, hence the 4.7. I fell in love with all the sapphic ladies, really felt at home with the general atmosphere, so Julia, babe, please, if you could hurry up and share a lil something else, I'll take literally anything pretty please I'll raise from my grave just for u ♡

5:

So like, I am aware this is only 32 pages and it can be difficult to rate short stories but this is for damn sure a 5. I feel like I've been liberal with them, but on this one I'm certain.

Completely bonkers, and sweet. And funny. This is the first I've read of Margaret Atwood, and I'd been looking forward it for a while, and I was not disappointed. What incredible use of the language. She painted such a clear picture in my mind, it left me hungry.

I kinda wanna go hug my mom now.

4.7:

An eerie story as October is coming to a close! I've been thinking about it all through the week. It's the second I've read this month regarding a sea creature but the difference is that this one is so beautifully written, and I actually DID care about the characters.

I could feel my submechanophobia, growing from a casual fear at the back of my mind, to an unsettling thought at the forefront, constantly. I wonder what was going through Leah's mind as it all faded.

There's something about grief and letting go that I'm pretty sure I'm just too dumb to grasp. And it's still not completely clear to me how things came to be as they were at the end, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and want to look more into Julia's work.

5:

This made me cry at the office y'all, it made me cry in front of people D:

I loved it all the way, and this coming from someone who's as obtuse as can be when it comes to maths and baseball. Even though we never even learn their names, my heart filled with tenderness for the tiny family, and I can't wait to revisit sometime.

The ending, heartbreaking as it was, is the most touching part of all. A story about companionship, friendship, time past and present. Not a romance, but a love story nonetheless.

2.7:

Now that it's been a while since I've read this, and having become more familiar with Sally's writing, my main thought is that I'd like her much better if she stuck to shorter stories. That way, it's loads easier to digest her unsavory characters.

2:

Huh. Well. That was batshit insane. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

Now I'm craving some avocados.

Edit: I can't stop thinking about this story, and it's not a good thing. I really liked it at first, but then it was going so slow I got impatient and almost dropped it, until finally it all wrapped up in a complete mess that left me... underwhelmed. My biggest disappointment was with Estelle, though. She really did THAT. Bruh.

So yeah, 2 stars it is!

4.5:

Not gonna lie, I teared up while reading Po'Boy's first intervention.

The way each voice is so distinct and recognizable. To let each character tell their side of the story, and have it all coming together at the end. And it was all so bittersweet. The small details, and the subtleties. Gosh, it was brilliant. Chef's kiss

3:

This was such a fun read. I'll admit I didn't want Carrie and David to end up together, but man I also didn't want David to take Janet back, so I would have preferred the latter if it could have avoided the former. Maybe I'm immature. But l never said I wasn't. And Janet is such a bitch-like name anyways.

And then there's Ken. Oh I despised the fucker, what a slimeball. Corny-ass cliché of a midlife crisis. The nerve, the audacity, the self-dick-suckingness. I wish the story was longer just so miss Taylor could go on about how miserable his little life absolutely turned out to be.

Lastly, I kind of loved the fact that Maggie is David's baby? I thought it could happen since they'd already implied Mr. Dr. Man was infertile, and I squealed when Carrie said “right before you gave me my baby”. Poetic justice. My sister looked at me weird.

I want to imagine that David reaches out to them, and they become like those friends that just happen to have a child together. It happens! I think it would be sweet. (But I'm sure that's just me being schmaltzy).

Edit: well... I had this at 4 stars originally, but thinking back, the story wasn't all that memorable at all. The format was amusing, though!

2:

I have a bad cold and I'm certain this book gave me it. It's so gritty, I feel all grimy and sticky even though I just took a shower. I thought, “nothing can possibly be worse than that one part in Eileen, where she explains in detail how she poops.” I was WRONG.

The book was... interesting. I felt for both McGlue and Johnson at times, but I just can't get over the whole swishy potty bucket affair, and that thing with the head... nasty.

But it was entertaining. I saw what was coming from the very beginning, but I wasn't able to tell how it'd happen. It was fine. I'm not sure how I feel about the bazillion times the ‘f' slur was used, but in the end I can sorta see why that was.

I'm giving it 2.7 because it was so gross and I will never read it again. But hey, gay pirates.

Edit: you know what, I changed my mind about the last part. I'm leaving it at 2.7, but not even gay pirates can make up for this whole mess. Smdh Ottessa what goes on up there???

Edit 2: actually, yeah, I'm docking that 0.7. I just can't convince myself that I liked the story, plus I found out that the “f” slur wasn't even actually used as a slur at the time this book is set in! The fuck??

I'm starting to think that maybe Ottessa is just... not for me? Gosh, hope not. I have a copy of My Year of Rest and Relaxation that I haven't gotten around to reading yet...

5:

I am floored. Started reading Station Eleven back in June, but dropped it because I hit a reading slump. And frankly speaking, I was doubtful: this was a recommendation, but it was made by someone who's judgement has failed me before, so I came to the book expecting, well, not much.

I stand corrected. This was so beautiful. I've read my fair share of stories where they flip through time and switch up storytellers, and as it is, I always end up rushing through one of the narrators's side of the story, just so I can get to the one I enjoy best. This book. THIS book, though. There are so many storylines, and I was enraptured by every single one. There is a certain harmony to all of them, and the way they connect to one another, and it's just wonderful.

I was sad and angry, anxious and hopeful, the whole shebang. What a whirlwind of emotion, and I'm just supposed to go on after this?

3.5:

Picked this up based on recommendations, but also because I reaaally dig the cover art, it's so pretty!

Now, this book touches upon relevant topics, such as masculinity, police brutality, the immigrant experience, grief, heritage, race, and many more. It's very slow paced, but quite short, so it's a fast read.

Despite being beautifully written, and very touching, in the end it didn't hit quite as hard as I expected it to, but I feel like that's on me. Still, there were moments that shook me, such as the knife incident with Francis, and that part where they go to Trinidad, and sleep next to each other on the floor.

Again, this was very beautifully written, and maybe I'll give it another go, when I'm in a different state of mind.

Oh and also, FUCK the police.

5:

Although I'm not quite sure this is in fact my favorite out of the very few books I've read this year, it was the one that accompanied me through the hardest period of my life this year, it brought my mind to less grief-stricken places, and helped me tackle my months-long reading slump; for that I'm very thankful.

As for the story itself, oh man. At this point it's been months, and I'm still not 100% sure about how I feel regarding the baby's storyline outcome! I loved that it got me thinking; I've seen reviews and some feel that Celeste was spoon-feeding a certain stance, but to me it did not feel that way.

I did have my suspicions regarding Elena from the very beginning, though, because to me she seemed very white-savioury. And I was right, what a raging bitch. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's self righteous hypocrites. I was full of schadenfreude, dying to see her reaction to the pregnancy issue, but oh well.

I wish she'd fleshed out some of the characters a bit more. Especially the Richardson children, or at the very least she could elaborate on Chip some more. With such a ridiculous name there had to be SOMETHING to him, for Pearl to like him that much. I also wasn't crazy about the ending, I wish Izzy hadn't been left all on her own, my girl did not deserve that. In my heart I know she and Pearl and Mia reunited, and became a family.

Overall I'm happy I read this! Celeste's writing is enrapturing, I can't wait to read her other stories!

4:

Back in 2021, I picked up this book for the first time. Due to events that are later explained in the story, Eleanor has many oddities to herself. I didn't get very far that time: pretty early on she started to refer to her mother as “mommy”, and I was completely put off. Immediately after, I hit a reading slump that lasted almost a full year.

When I got back into my groove again this year, I decided to bite the bullet and give it another go, and boy was 2021 me stupid.

I think deep down I felt I related too much to Eleanor, and that put me off. I haven't gone through a traumatic event as gruesome as the one she did, but I've experienced life through similar lenses, and at the time I finally read the book, I was at a point where it helped to read a story that showed that sometimes, things for people like us can turn out okay.

Eleanor was endearing, and it was a joy to see her coming out of her shell. I liked her friends with Raymond and his mom, and with the elderly gentleman and his family (I forget his name, but it was all very sweet).

I did hope, though, that the whole extreme makeover thingy had been more of a sidenote, or an afterthought, instead of being basically what brings people to seeing her in a different light.

Overall, it was a very cozy read!

3.5:

This should be called “Codependence: The Novel.”

So there's Marianne and Connell, right? Imagine the most pretentious, white British college kids you could imagine. That's our leads! Not very enticing to be quite honest, but it's a very fast read because Sally's prose flows so well.

I didn't particularly like the main characters, and the background ones weren't all that remarkable, I remember at least one boyfriend, one girlfriend, an awkward dinner in Italy, and what I'm sure was an asshat who killed himself.

That sounds harsh, but frankly, I read this in one sitting because it felt like listening to gossip about the rich kids at school, and I'm a sucker for mundane stories like that. It was a game of will-they-won't-they that I wasn't too invested in, but it was entertaining so I'd still give it a go. Plus the cover is cute.

4:

I got wrapped up in Nao's story and maybe my heart broke a little. It was sad and sorrowful, but uplifting all the same.

I did find myself rushing through Ruth's story at times just so I could continue reading Naoko's side, but still found it very enjoyable and maybe I'll read it again later on, so I can pay attention properly. Overall I loved the book, so I'll try and read some more of Ruth's writing.

By far, the creepiest story I've ever read.

DNF at 23%: I don't think I'm gonna finish this. I might in the future, but I was expecting something different from what I've gotten so far. I enjoy an unlikable narrator, but this woman is just annoying, and the story jumps from one place to the other and for me, it's hard to follow.

DNF at 7%: Tried my best to soldier on and get to 10% of the story before shelving as DNF, because I wanted to be the kind of person that gives stories a fair chance. I'm quitting at the 7% mark instead of at 3% like I originally wanted to. Moral of the story is, not all books deserve a chance!!! I should've listened to myself.

Shame, the cover is insanely pretty.

DNF at 11%: She did WHAT to her nursing cat???