This book was just what I needed right now. I love the small bit at the end about disenfranchised grief, because that's what I'm going through right nThis book was just what I needed right now. I love the small bit at the end about disenfranchised grief, because that's what I'm going through right now. Luckily I realized it and picked this up to help me make it through.
I follow the author on social media, and I love how her personality spills over to gently encourage and empower me in my time of mourning. The book is short and to the point. It doesn't preach, it informs and uplifts. It's never patronizing. If you want to be an advanced bitch as you move through a time of grieving, this book is for you....more
GR just ate my review and I'm too tired to rewrite the whole thing:
This was clearly a King novel, and while it was OK, the themes and characters are rGR just ate my review and I'm too tired to rewrite the whole thing:
This was clearly a King novel, and while it was OK, the themes and characters are repeated from later works, where they get fleshed out better.
I love King, and I think he needs a good editor who's not afraid to bust his balls.
[Spoiler] This is about vampires. And even though we got plenty of character incredulity, I still found it cheesy. I mean, this novel is almost 50 years old, so the cheesiness of vampires has probably aged poorly. But I was genuinely surprised. Vampires? King? Why??...more
I haven't read Jane Eyre. Maybe if I were a fan, this would have worked for me. But this proTAGonist, ugh. I cannot handle the amount of stupid choiceI haven't read Jane Eyre. Maybe if I were a fan, this would have worked for me. But this proTAGonist, ugh. I cannot handle the amount of stupid choices she makes. I tried to come up with more to say in this review, but if I start, I won't stop. No, thank you to this book. No, thank you....more
Me, reading that the heroine has cancer: *feels seen and validated*
Me, realizing that she's going to be magic**spoiler alert** *giant, exhausted sigh*
Me, reading that the heroine has cancer: *feels seen and validated*
Me, realizing that she's going to be magically cured: *existential dread seeps in*
Me, reading the trite, short scene where IT'S A MIRACLE, SHE'S CURED: *starts channeling Rhage's dragon to eff some things up*
Yo, people, this is 2021. The magical cure is a disgusting, ableist trope. I know this is a slightly older book, so I guess, well, I dunno what. We weren't all as woke back then?
I have incurable cancer, and it's really gross to me that she went this route. You know, Mary could have gone through chemo and been OK. But no, let's perpetuate the idea that cancer absolutely HAS to be a death sentence (which is absolutely not true), give her the easy out, and skip along our merry way to the HEA.
I guess that part of my disappointment stems from how much I like J.R. Ward. I devoured the Fallen Angel series and then moved on to this one. I'm just extremely disappointed in her. It's shattering to think you have found representation in a book, only to discover that the author doesn't understand AT ALL....more
I found this on a list of scifi horror books. It was not scifi horror, but I did like it. I would describe it more like a murder mystery in space, altI found this on a list of scifi horror books. It was not scifi horror, but I did like it. I would describe it more like a murder mystery in space, although had I actually read blurbs and reviews, I might have already known that going in.
There's a lot of little things to like in here, details that build out the world. I love that kind of thing. My favorite is the movie about a serial killer grandmother who uses a chainsaw... or whatever it was, I dunno exactly, but I would watch/read that for sure....more
I saw this movie 20 years ago when it came out, and I've wanted to read the book since then--because the book usually goes deepeWell, that was a trip.
I saw this movie 20 years ago when it came out, and I've wanted to read the book since then--because the book usually goes deeper. From what I remember, they're very similar, which I think says something good about the film maker. But I'm glad I didn't read this at the impressionable age of 19; otherwise it would have probably traumatized me. Now I'm at a point in life where I can create space, but a large number of warnings over the years definitely helped prepare me. It was very gruesome.
I don't really know what to say about it because if you're considering reading this, you already know what you're going to get. The version I had contained an essay by the author written recently, and I found that very interesting. This is an autobiography, minus the murdering, or so he claims.
I love unreliable narrators, stuff that shocks me, and dark musings on the meaning (or meaninglessness) of life. I suppose I took a star off because body horror bothers me, although the older I get, the less it does. I'm sure that says something. This book wouldn't be the same without the gruesome violence and absurd pornography, and it pulls zero punches. Still, the most disturbing part is that people actually live like the more mundane parts of the novel. That, to me, is truly sickening. 19-year-old me might have found it something to aspire to, I'm not sure. One other thing I love is reexperiencing stories at different times in my life to see how I've changed, so that was also a treat.
***
Considering this is my review and I can therefore do what I want with it, I've decided to opine on the accusations that American Psycho is misogynistic--
but somehow not racist? How many times did the n-word appear in this book? I'll tell you. It was 12. I guess iT wAs A dIfFeReNt TiMe and everyone critiquing it was hyperfocused on the women's movement.
--given how the main character treats women.
Art mirrors life. If this fictional, satirical book unearths a bunch of disgusting attitudes held, paid for, and continuously perpetuated by the rich, how can the book itself be misogynistic? It is, in fact, quite feminist, in that it shows the world the abhorrent views the oligarchy lives out every day.
Why would anyone want to READ that tripe, though? one might ask. Well, I can't really answer that, except that knowledge is power. And maybe I dared myself to finally get through something so commonly described as extremely grotesque....more
I would categorize this as an intermediate book on Kabbalah. Though I have a beginner's knowledge, I struggled to understand some parts. I think perhaI would categorize this as an intermediate book on Kabbalah. Though I have a beginner's knowledge, I struggled to understand some parts. I think perhaps part of my struggle was not doing the gematria along with the book; I wasn't in a mood for adding and looking things up. It's fair enough, though, for the author to ask it of the reader, in my opinion.
The part I didn't like, though, was the constant "and it should be obvious to the reader so I won't elaborate," when it was not actually obvious to this reader. Part of it is the subject matter, since this book isn't written for the layperson in 2021. There were also parts of Genesis that the author completely skipped over because they would be too complex to explain, I think?
I mean, this isn't a bad book, I learned a lot, and the author obviously has an ocean of knowledge. But putting that knowledge into book form is a skill, and I wonder if perhaps that's what this book was lacking: an understanding of how to convey things in a concise, straightforward manner....more
Despite the reviews, I wanted to try this. I LOVED Book #1, gave it 5 stars. Someone mentioned this novel was "navel-gazing," and hey, I liked DNF 50%
Despite the reviews, I wanted to try this. I LOVED Book #1, gave it 5 stars. Someone mentioned this novel was "navel-gazing," and hey, I liked the navel-gazing part of Blindsight.
No. I don't even qualify this as navel-gazing. It's plotless. It's a bunch of people talking about the tech and the layout of the ship (which I don't get because I don't visualize 3D space well) and gossiping about each other.
I thought I was going to try to make it to the end, just because I thought I'd be patient for the plot, but no. It doesn't even continue the story from the first book. I wanted to know what happens with the aliens and Siri. Nope. Nothing. At least not until 50%, and I don't have the patience to wait anymore....more