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My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby
Not to sound dramatic but I feel betrayed. Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears managed to be gripping and gritty reads that managed to pack an emotional punch. The only nice thing I can say about My Darkest Prayer is that it attests to Cosby having grown as an author. My Darkest Prayer reads like a…
1st pov, 2 STARS, Adult, amateur detective, America, Black & Black heritage authors, Contemporary, CRIME, funeral homes, grit lit, male authors, men who are sleazy, men who do not seem to know how to write women, MURDER, My Darkest Prayer, MYSTERY, Noir, published in 2019, read in 2023, S.A. Cosby, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, Southern America, THRILLER, violence -
Greenland: A Novel by David Santos Donaldson
Greenland is characterized by a mordant, erudite satire that I have come to associate with authors such as Zadie Smith, Deborah Levy, and Edward St. Aubyn. David Santos Donaldson’s insight into academia & creative burnout brought to mind the work of Weike Wang, Elaine Hsieh Chou, David Hoon Kim, and Jo Hamya. Similarly to these…
1910s, 1st pov, 20th century, academia, Adult, ALIENATION, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, belonging, Black & Black heritage authors, bombastic style, books about books, books about writers, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, David Santos Donaldson, egypt, existentialism, experimental, feverish, gay, greenland, Greenland: A Novel, hallucinations, history, identity, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, loneliness, male authors, masculinity, men who do not seem to know how to write women, navel gazing, NEW YORK, obsession, paranoia, philosophical, psychological, published in 2022, queer, RACE, read in 2022, satire, sex, SEXUALITY, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, story within a story, stylised prose, travel, unreliable narrators, weird -
The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
yawn The Decagon House Murders is a pale imitation of the novel it is trying to pay homage to. While by no means a terrible read, I found it to be boring and ultimately deeply underwhelming. As the self-proclaimed whodunnit enthusiast that I am, I was looking forward to reading this, especially as it promised…
1980s, 2 STARS, 20th century, 3rd pov, Adult, amateur detective, CRIME, golden age detective fiction, ISLAND, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, male authors, men who do not seem to know how to write women, MURDER, murder mystery, MYSTERY, published in 1987, read in 2022, revenge, SUSPENSE, The Decagon House Murders, THRILLER, whodunnit, Yukito Ayatsuji -
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
It would be safe to say that I do have a bit of an uneasy relationship with Murakami’s work. I read and was not blown away by it. Over the last couple of months, I have picked up several of his short story collections but never felt compelled to finish them. The main reason why…
1990s, 1st pov, Adult, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Dreams, existentialism, f/f, feverish, first love, Greece, hallucinations, Haruki Murakami, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, LESBIAN, lgbtq+, male authors, men who do not seem to know how to write women, missing persons, missing women, My reviews, obsession, philosophical, published in 1999, read in 2022, reading, ROMANCE, sapphic, sex, SEXUALITY, Sputnik Sweetheart, story within a story, surreal, teachers, TRANSLATED FICTION, travel, unrequited love -
At the End of the Matinee by Keiichirō Hirano
Although At the End of the Matinee shares stylistic and thematic similarities with Keiichirō Hirano’s A Man, it makes for a far less intriguing read. At the End of the Matinee lacks the psychological edge that made A Man into such a compelling read. The story and characters of At the End of the Matinee…
2 STARS, 2000s, 2010s, 3rd pov, Adult, affairs, AT THE END OF THE MATINEE, Contemporary, drama, FRANCE, iraq, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, jealousy, journalism, Keiichirō Hirano, LITERARY FICTION, male authors, MELODRAMA, men who do not seem to know how to write women, music, musicians, published in 2016, read in 2021, ROMANCE, spain, star-crossed lovers, war related ptsd -
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
Having heard a lot about the genius of Murakami over the years I was excepting something a bit more out of After Dark, a novel which, at the risk of incurring the wrath of Murakami aficionados, failed to captivate me. Credit where credit’s due, Murakami certainly knows how to create and maintain a certain…
2000s, 3 STARS, Adult, After Dark, books that take place in one day, Contemporary, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), Dreams, feverish, Haruki Murakami, incest-y, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, male authors, men who do not seem to know how to write women, musicians, navel gazing, prostitution, published in 2004, read in 2021, SISTERS, style over character, stylised prose, surreal, TRANSLATED FICTION -
Crime And Punishment: A Novel in Six Parts with Epilogue by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot is a favourite of mine so I was expecting Crime And Punishment be right up my street…aaaaand I hated it. Many consider Crime And Punishment to be one of the most influential books of all time…and I have to wonder…how? The Idiot, although certainly flawed, tells a far more cohesive and compelling…
1860s, 19TH CENTURY, 2 STARS, 3rd pov, big books, cat and mouse, class, CLASSICS, CRIME, Crime and Punishment, drama, endless monologues, existentialism, feverish, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, HISTORICAL FICTION, illness, madness, male authors, MELODRAMA, men who do not seem to know how to write women, morality, MURDER, murder investigation, murderers, philosophical, Poverty, prostitution, psychological, published in 1866, ramblings, read in 2020, RUSSIA, russian author, russian classics, Saint Petersburg, Siberia, TRANSLATED FICTION -
Version Control by Dexter Palmer
Version Control is going to be tough to review as I have never felt so conflicted about a book. There were some scenes in Part I that were pure genius. But once I delved into Part II I was forced to reevaluate my first impressions of this book.Imagine walking into some art gallery and coming…
2 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, affairs, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, big books, Black & Black heritage authors, Dexter Palmer, existentialism, family, labs, male authors, MARRIAGE, men who do not seem to know how to write women, mothers & sons, near future/alternate reality, new jersey, parallel universes, philosophical, published in 2016, RACE, read in 2020, SCI-FI, science, scientists & co, social issues, SPECULATIVE FICTION, time travel, Version Control, what ifs -
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas — book reviews
While I understand historical context and I am quite able to appreciate classics without wanting them to reflect ‘modern’ sensibilities, I have 0 patience for books that glorify rapists. SPOILERS BELOW I don’t mind reading books about terrible people. I read Nabokov’s infamous Lolita and Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. I enjoy books by Agatha…
1 STAR, 17th century, adventure, Alexandre Dumas, big books, BOOK REVIEWS, books i hate, CLASSICS, drama, duels, FRANCE, FRENCH, French author, friendships, heroes, HISTORICAL FICTION, horrible friends, male authors, MELODRAMA, men who do not seem to know how to write women, musketeers, political intrigue, problematic, published in 1844, rape, read in 2020, sexual assault/abuse/rape, story within a story, The Three Musketeers, TRANSLATED FICTION -
The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón — book review
From the blatant sexism pouring through each page to its bloated plot, The Labyrinth of the Spirits offers an inadequate conclusion to what I considered to be an entertaining series. If anything this disastrous farewell has made me reevaluate the whole Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. I vaguely remember finding the female representation in these…
1950s, 2 STARS, 20th century, 3rd pov, Adult, Barcelona, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, books about books, books about writers, books i hate, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, confusing for the sake of being confusing, DETECTIVE, drama, GOTHIC, HISTORICAL FICTION, Madrid, MAGICAL REALISM, male authors, MELODRAMA, men who do not seem to know how to write women, modern gothic, MYSTERY, published in 2016, rape, read in 2020, sensation fiction, sexual assault/abuse/rape, spain, spanish author, story within a story, The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, The Labyrinth of the Spirits, TRANSLATED FICTION
luce [is reading] 