![luce [is reading]](https://wishfullyreading.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/9429655-1.jpeg){kind=small}
-
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
Compared to My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Eileen just ain’t it. “I was like Joan of Arc, or Hamlet, but born into the wrong life—the life of a nobody, a waif, invisible. There’s no better way to say it: I was not myself back then. I was someone else. I was Eileen.” Vile, vulgar,…
1960s, 1st pov, 20th century, 3 STARS, abuse, addiction, Adult, ALIENATION, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, dark, dark humor, eileen, endless monologues, ennui, fathers & daughters, favourite authors, female authors, grotesque, HISTORICAL FICTION, introspective, kidnapping, LITERARY FICTION, Massachusetts, MURDER, navel gazing, obsession, Ottessa Moshfegh, prison, queer undercurrents, re-reads, toxic relationships, unreliable narrators, WINTER, winter reads, work culture -
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
“Maybe it’s good, I said, to stop sometimes and reflect upon the things that have happened, maybe thinking about sadness can actually end up making you happy.” Cold Enough for Snow is a slight novella narrated and characterized by a crisp prose. Despite the introspective nature of this work (there are no dialogues and the…
1st pov, 3 STARS, Adult, ART/CREATIVITY, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR, Cold Enough for Snow, cold tone, Contemporary, female authors, hong kong, introspective, japan, Jessica Au, LITERARY FICTION, MEMORY, mothers & daughters, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, published in 2022, read in 2021, restrained prose, style over character, travel, unnamed characters, unnamed narrator, WINTER, winter reads -
A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier — book review
“One thing was for sure: This Christmas was going to be anything but boring.” A Castle in the Clouds is the book equivalent of cotton candy. Fluffy, sickly sweet, and somewhat insubstantial. Nevertheless, with its Clue meets Scooby Doo story this latest novel by Kerstin Gier makes for an entertaining, if silly, read. A Castle…
1st pov, 3.25 stars, A Castle in the Clouds, adventure, Christmas reads, Contemporary, drama, female authors, German, german author, hotel, HUMOR, Kerstin Gier, missing jewels, mountains, MYSTERY, mystery puzzle, PUBLISHED IN 2017, read in 2020, ROMANCE, Switzerland, TRANSLATED FICTION, uplifting reads, WINTER, winter reads, YOUNG ADULT -
Winterhouse by Ben Guterson — book review
“She was good at all sorts of puzzles—word searches, hangman, acrostics, cryptograms, any puzzle with words.” Although I am not part of Winterhouse’s target audience, I do enjoy reading the occasional book aimed towards younger readers as they can be quite uplifting and entertaining reads. In fact, I picked Winterhouse up hoping for a light…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, adventure, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Ben Guterson, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Chloe Bristol, FANTASY, friendships, ghosts/spirits, holidays, hotel, illustrated books, male authors, MYSTERY, mystery puzzle, orphans, published in 2018, read in 2020, WINTER, winter reads, Winterhouse -
ONCE UPON A RIVER: BOOK REVIEW
“ Dreams and stories merge with lived experience, the dead and the living brush against each other in their comings and goings, the past and the present touch and overlap. Unexpected things can happen. Did the solstice have anything to do with the strange events at the Swan? You will have to judge for yourself.…
19TH CENTURY, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, Adult, British author, Diane Setterfield, drama, england, FAIRY TALES, family, FANTASY, female authors, FOLKLORE, GOTHIC, HISTORICAL FICTION, LITERARY FICTION, MAGIC, MAGICAL REALISM, MYSTERY, Once Upon a River, published in 2019, READ IN 2019, story within a story, Storytelling, The Thirteenth Tale, winter reads -
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
“All this time, Dad had taught Leni how dangerous the outside world was. The truth was that the biggest danger of all was in her own home.” A strong beginning leads the way into an increasingly exasperating storyline.I’m not going to deny that Hannah is a talented writer, because she is. However, her story and…
1970s, 2 STARS, abuse, Adult, ALASKA, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, coming of age, drama, FAMILY SAGA, female authors, growing up, HISTORICAL FICTION, KRISTIN HANNAH, MELODRAMA, PUBLISHDED IN 2018, read in 2018, ROMANCE, survival, THE GREAT ALONE, toxic relationships, trauma, why the hype, winter reads -
The Girl in The Tower by Katherine Arden
A very underwhelming follow up to the both magical and interesting The Bear and the Nightingale. The Girl in the Tower shares little with its predecessor. Yes, Arden’s writing style in undoubtedly gorgeous, made up by pretty phrases and vibrant descriptions. But, it didn’t make up for a slow story, one that involves a silly…
-
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
“They dare not follow, thought Vasya. They fear the forest after dark. And then, darkly: They are wise.” The Bear and The Nightingale is an enchanting tale imbued with Russian folklore and traditions. Arden has crafted a story that abounds with fantastical creatures and mystical prophecies that will entice the reader from the very first…
14th century, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, DEMONS, FAIRY TALES, female authors, FOLKLORE, HISTORICAL FICTION, KATHERINE ARDEN, MAGIC, MAGICAL REALISM, myths, read in 2017, Religion, RUSSIA, series that went downhill, THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE, winter reads, Winternight Trilogy, WITCHES, YOUNG ADULT -
Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell
“This is how sudden things happened that haunted forever.” Equal parts poetic and stark, Winter’s Bone is a short and compelling read. It follows sixteen-year old Ree Dolly who, after her father skips his bail, risks losing her home. “Fading light buttered the ridges until shadows licked them clean and they were lost to nightfall.”…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, addiction, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Contemporary, CRIME, DANIEL WOODRELL, grit lit, LITERARY FICTION, male authors, missing fathers, missing persons, missouri, Noir, Ozarks, Poverty, read in 2017, rural setting, small town crime, Southern America, survival, winter reads, WINTER’S BONE
luce [is reading] 