Regan Hill
Rotting gods… This is a great fantasy novel about a young man who’s lost everything, and whose penchant for honor is often at odds with the things he must do to survive. I love the pacing and the characters we meet along the way.
What I did not love is the way EVERYTHING needs to be explained. A subtle character action? The main character has to interpret it for you. The presence of something that implies the existence of another thing? The main character needs to interpret it for you. Please, let me enjoy the benefits of being an attentive reader! They could probably have cut out 50 pages of fat and made it a more satisfying read.
I planned on taking a few months break before picking up the second book, but the last 100 pages really crank up the heat and expand the story into all new territories. I think I’ll have “The Strength of the Few” in my hand by the end of this month.
A unique and challenging novel. I enjoyed reading and analyzing its content, but I left the novel feeling emotionally unfulfilled, as a passion for Geryon and others never came to manifest. I felt the modern rendition of the story was made so abstract that it fell short of what I assumed was allegorical intention. My grandma would describe this book as “uppity.”
An important book about the role of violent resistance broadly and within the climate change movement. I found the optimistic outlook both unexpected and necessary. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who is made to feel hopeless by the oppressive state of the world. This book will only become more timely and urgent in the decade to come, unfortunately.
This book is like having a front row seat to watch someone's unpleasant fever dream. At times funny, at times agonizing—a loud reminder of how grateful I should be to have not turned into a giant insect (yet). I don't feel any different for having read this, but I enjoyed the experience nonetheless.
This is my first time reading Hemingway and I love a sulking bastard, so I wanted badly to love this book. Unfortunately, the only thing The Old Man and The Sea ever made me feel was the desire to take a nap. Maybe it is a failure of sophistication or imagination on my part, but I would not pick this book up again.
An incredibly human book. A reminder that though we are products of environments which imprint on our behaviors and perceptions heavily, all people share common innate desires—for purpose, for togetherness, and for love. I adore books that only one person could ever write. Suki Kim is the only person who could have written this story. She brings a voice and perspective that is unadulterated.
The relationships she builds with her students and the psychosocial map that declares itself chapter by chapter is akin to watching a puzzle form. It is a heart-wrenching picture, but the longer we stare, the more we begin to see ourselves in its image.
The story is accented well by brief history lessons on North and South Korea, and the profound cultural impacts the divide has had over the last 80 years on families of both sides. There is thoughtful commentary on the way each nation has transformed culturally since the Korean War—the inevitable consequences of two opposing super powers sinking their claws into each.
We are left holding in our hands both fear and hope for the future. Our uncertainty of what tomorrow brings for North Korea's sons and daughters parallels the author's uncertainty with each lesson plan. Each encounter with the minders. Each field trip off campus. She shared the intimate details of her farewells and they became our heartache to bear as well.
A timely allegory: The magical fantasy version of a young Kamala voter learning that neoliberal Democrats and evangelical Republicans are all the same at their core—wolves in sheep's wool, justifying any opportunity to perpetuate an abusive imperialist system. Our young protagonist experiences each stage of grief on this journey of self-actualization and is ultimately better off for it.
Despite the silly (albeit accurate) review, this really is an incredible book that I highly recommend.
Articulate, passionate, honest—Coates is everything we expect him to be in this book. Written as a lesson to his students, The Message takes us on a journey which demonstrates the power of our voice, the personal value of self-discovery, and the devastating criticality of seeking truth where it's hardest to find. If you haven't already, I highly recommend enrolling in this class by partaking in Coates' 232 page adventure.
Project Hail Mary may be one of the most impressive fiction books I've ever read. The attention to detail and the scientific consistency with which it's written would've required years of research and consultation. The story is emotionally compelling and I found the ending quite satisfying.
That being said, you have to love science to love this book. The attention to detail, as respectable as it is, can grow quite monotonous to the reader. Beefy scientific tangents often pulled me out of the immersive visual and emotional journey I had found myself encapsulated in, and that was at times frustrating.
A beautifully written and expertly crafted story, I was hooked from the very beginning. M.L. Rio's mastery of Shakespearean literature pays dividends and her characters are fantastically developed in a way that makes you care sincerely for each one of them. Though some parts bore a melodramatic weight that I struggled to lift, the relationship one builds with Oliver keeps the reader wholly engaged. My main critique would be poor development of Oliver's family and his relationship with them, which serves as a sort of hinge for the door to the broader story flying open. All 4 of his family members are characters who rang a bit hollow.
A welcome change of pace from some of the longer novels I've been reading, Small Things Like These is an intimate story exploring moral distress, societal expectations, the appreciation of privilege, and the power a brave individual has to alter the trajectory of another's life. I wish only that the characters whose sole goal was simply to survive the status quo had been humanized more, because despite their lack of courage, there are very real reasons that each of us are inclined to turn down opportunities to do what's right for what's easy.
An incredibly unique story that only R.F. Kuang could tell. It is timely and it is provocative. My love for this book—for its character development, for its ideals, for its ruthlessness—was limited only by its desire to end. The final part of the book feels accelerated, like the page count was getting high and an urge to wrap things up lingered as temptation. Some magic was lost that gets recaptured in the final pages as we slow back down again. Up until the last 150 pages, I never considered I'd give this less than 5 stars.
Logical leaps and a lack of emotional, social, and plot detail in the final section dampened what was an otherwise riveting and one-of-a-kind storytelling experience.
A very interesting read for modern day medical students and residents. I was surprised (and also not surprised at all) by how many systemic things in medicine are the same today as they were 50 years ago. Better than the ratings on here suggest, as most reviewers are fans of Crichton's fiction who were too lazy to read what the book was about before picking it up.
This book was incredible. Jennette's voice radiates off the page. She has a story only she can tell and she executes flawlessly.
