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bashsbooks's reviews
245 reviews
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Villette was Charlotte Brontë's final novel. I think that's evident in the groundedness of her plot (here groundedness is relative - I mean in comparison to Jane Eyre, not real life) and the dimensionality of her characters. I especially liked Paul Emmanuel - because I didn't like him at first, but I realized how Lucy fell for him by the end. This is not a burning passion from the start, and I appreciate that cool level-headedness from our heroine.
I liked a lot of things about Lucy; she is probably the most likeable (to my tastes, anyway) Brontë heroine thus far. Sure, she's got a morality stick up her ass, but I like her directness, her lack of sentimentality, and that she makes the most queer-esque comments. (Yes, I am a bisexual Lucy Snowe truther - what else was that description of Madame Beck when she was trying to figure out where Doctor John's interests were?)
Also, while the resolution to the ghost nun plot was funny, I wish it'd been left without explanation.
I liked a lot of things about Lucy; she is probably the most likeable (to my tastes, anyway) Brontë heroine thus far. Sure, she's got a morality stick up her ass, but I like her directness, her lack of sentimentality, and that she makes the most queer-esque comments. (Yes, I am a bisexual Lucy Snowe truther - what else was that description of Madame Beck when she was trying to figure out where Doctor John's interests were?)
Also, while the resolution to the ghost nun plot was funny, I wish it'd been left without explanation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Moderate: Ableism, Death, and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Colonisation
-So much Catholic-Protestant beef
The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
After reading the first trilogy, I was like, why would I want to read a book about Jean Moreau? Yes, I saw the set-up for this second trilogy at the end of The King's Men, but at that point, most of our time spent with him was when he assissted in Neil's torture at Evermore. So I was not primed to like him at all - and then combined with the fact that this trilogy is not done yet, I said I wouldn't read it at least until all of the books were out.
Enter my friend who cannot stop talking about what a blorbo Jean is.
I caved. I read The Sunshine Court. And I have to agree that I would defend Jean with my life now. Sakavic is so good at writing the kind of cultish trauma that Jean has, how he would end up complicit to a degree I don't even think he has the capacity to understand, and to show that he is also a victim, probably the most victimized by Riko. That's a level of character work that is difficult to reach.
I also love the Trojans - I have a habit of wondering what the normal people are doing in over-the-top mafia-cult tales where the whole lineup is fucked up beyond average comprehension. So to see that the Trojans have more relatable problems and are like "What the fuck?" when Jean's issues jump out was super satisfying.
What can I say about the plot? It's as convoluted as ever. I don't really care that much about it as anything other than a vehicle for the character growth and the interpersonal explorations, though, so it doesn't impact my rating.
Enter my friend who cannot stop talking about what a blorbo Jean is.
I caved. I read The Sunshine Court. And I have to agree that I would defend Jean with my life now. Sakavic is so good at writing the kind of cultish trauma that Jean has, how he would end up complicit to a degree I don't even think he has the capacity to understand, and to show that he is also a victim, probably the most victimized by Riko. That's a level of character work that is difficult to reach.
I also love the Trojans - I have a habit of wondering what the normal people are doing in over-the-top mafia-cult tales where the whole lineup is fucked up beyond average comprehension. So to see that the Trojans have more relatable problems and are like "What the fuck?" when Jean's issues jump out was super satisfying.
What can I say about the plot? It's as convoluted as ever. I don't really care that much about it as anything other than a vehicle for the character growth and the interpersonal explorations, though, so it doesn't impact my rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Torture, and Murder
Minor: Child death
-Cult-like thought patterns
-Biting as physical & sexual abuse
-Waterboarding
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
When I started my Read the World project a couple of years ago, everyone I mentioned it to had the same name on their lips for Argentina: "You've gotta read Mariana Enriquez."
Which, now that I'm finished with The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, strikes me as an ironic directive. I don't really feel like I *read* Enriquez's writing; it seems more like she read her culture's collective anxieties and remixed them, cranking the volume in scathing tones. That is to say, she's reading *us* - to filth.
How do we treat children? What are they to us? What about women? What about that awful amalgamation of the two, the teenage girl? What about those on our fringes? What about those who are dead? What about those who maybe or may not be dead? What about those who are gone, regardless of their being alive or dead? What does it even mean, to be gone, to teeter on the edge of society until you fall off?
These are fraught questions (to say the least), and Enriquez isn't here to answer them. She will, though, make you confront every disquieting, uncomfortable inch of them.
The thing that really stands out to me about Enriquez's writing is that she grabs what feels like a random detail and skips across its tangential edges into her story. While I think that looking deeper, these inductions have more connective tissue to their stories than meets the eye, I can't help but be impressed with their surface-level function; they're grounding. They flesh out a believeable shape of a world in a few sentences. It's a masterclass in scene setting.
My favorite stories: "The Well," "The Lookout," "Meat," "Kids Who Come Back," and "Back When We Talked to the Dead."
Which, now that I'm finished with The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, strikes me as an ironic directive. I don't really feel like I *read* Enriquez's writing; it seems more like she read her culture's collective anxieties and remixed them, cranking the volume in scathing tones. That is to say, she's reading *us* - to filth.
How do we treat children? What are they to us? What about women? What about that awful amalgamation of the two, the teenage girl? What about those on our fringes? What about those who are dead? What about those who maybe or may not be dead? What about those who are gone, regardless of their being alive or dead? What does it even mean, to be gone, to teeter on the edge of society until you fall off?
These are fraught questions (to say the least), and Enriquez isn't here to answer them. She will, though, make you confront every disquieting, uncomfortable inch of them.
The thing that really stands out to me about Enriquez's writing is that she grabs what feels like a random detail and skips across its tangential edges into her story. While I think that looking deeper, these inductions have more connective tissue to their stories than meets the eye, I can't help but be impressed with their surface-level function; they're grounding. They flesh out a believeable shape of a world in a few sentences. It's a masterclass in scene setting.
My favorite stories: "The Well," "The Lookout," "Meat," "Kids Who Come Back," and "Back When We Talked to the Dead."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Trafficking, and Pregnancy
The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up by Evanna Lynch
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
One thing I always ask when I read memoirs is, "Why was this written?" Usually, the answer for celebrity memoirs is "to make money". (See Lynch's Harry Potter costar, Tom Felton, for a Platonic example of The Celebrity Memoir.) But Lynch answers this question directly, over and over again: she's doing this to set the record straight. People have asked her so much about her experience with anorexia and how she "overcame it". They've misrepresented it. They've yearn for her positivity and guidance, of which she's never felt like she has to give. So she wrote The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting to set the record straight - and it explain that it is not, and has never been, as easy or simple as short news articles make it out to be. And I'll be honest, I think that's a damn good reason to write a memoir.
On top of her clear and meaningful purpose, Lynch also has a strong, engaging, and clever voice, one that is real to the point of brutality. I've never had an eating disorder, but I do have OCD and chronic depression, and the way Lynch describes negative thought patterns, control-based mental illnesses and coping mechanisms, and just how vicious and cruel it is to sit with yourself at the height of self-hatred is extraordinarily accurate. Scarily so, at times.
I can't say I agree with all of Lynch's takes - the way she feels about leather, and astrology, and JK Rowling, are all things that make me exasperated, a bit. But I do agree with the overall message of her book, about the messy complications of "recovery", of our cultural misunderstanding of it, of how our medical institutions dehumanize patients "for their own good", and how fear and control are tools that we use to lock ourselves away from life.
Also, if you like dark humor, she's fucking hilarious.
On top of her clear and meaningful purpose, Lynch also has a strong, engaging, and clever voice, one that is real to the point of brutality. I've never had an eating disorder, but I do have OCD and chronic depression, and the way Lynch describes negative thought patterns, control-based mental illnesses and coping mechanisms, and just how vicious and cruel it is to sit with yourself at the height of self-hatred is extraordinarily accurate. Scarily so, at times.
I can't say I agree with all of Lynch's takes - the way she feels about leather, and astrology, and JK Rowling, are all things that make me exasperated, a bit. But I do agree with the overall message of her book, about the messy complications of "recovery", of our cultural misunderstanding of it, of how our medical institutions dehumanize patients "for their own good", and how fear and control are tools that we use to lock ourselves away from life.
Also, if you like dark humor, she's fucking hilarious.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Vomit, and Pandemic/Epidemic
We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival by Natalie West, Tina Horn
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
A must-read by anyone who supports the #MeToo movement, We Too collects the stories of a group often cast aside or maligned by mainstream feminism - sex workers of all types, across race, gender, sexuality, class, and ability. In these essays, they tackle the issues that feed into the assaults of sex workers - social stigmas, the tensions between sex workers and the US government, the complicated happenings within their workplaces, their relationships with families both found and birth, and their fights for survival and healing. Several of these essays were absolutely revolutionary to me - from discussions of sex work during the pandemic to the uneasy concept many of us have of what constitutes sexual assault. My favorites were: "Your Mother Is a Whore: On Sex Work and Motherhood" by Jessie Sage, "How to Not Be an Asshole When Your Sex Worker Partner Is Assaulted at Work" by Maggie McMuffin, "Undercover Agents" by Norma Jean Almodovar, "The New Orleans Police Raid That Launched a Dancer Resistance" by Melissa Gira Grant, "What Media Coverage of James Deen's Assaults Means for Sex Workers," by Cyd Nova, "Are You Safe?" by Reese Piper, "When She Says Woman, She Does Not Mean Me," by Lorelei Lee, "Going from Homeless Trans Youth to Holistic Caregiver" by Ceyenne Doroshow with Zackary Drucker, and "We All Deserve to Heal" by Yin Q.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Stalking, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Excrement, Vomit, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
-Whorephobia
Corpse Party: Blood Covered, Vol. 2 by Makoto Kedouin
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Admitting my biases right away - I've loved Corpse Party since I watched PewDiePie play the PSP version when I was a young teen. I've played the game myself multiple times since then. And I'm slowly but surely reading through all the manga.
So, yeah, I loved this. There are things about Corpse Party that always make me cringe, but that's not manga exclusive (and honestly, the manga improves on some of the issues - thank god for less teen panty shots).
Yoshiki and Ayumi are my favorite characters, so I was pleased to see more of them in this chapter. Love the expansion on Yoshiki's unrequited feelings for Ayumi. (Although I don't love Ayumi's character design... I feel like she's too cutified.)
The deviations from the video game's story beats has made sense so far (and they've been fairly minor).
So, yeah, I loved this. There are things about Corpse Party that always make me cringe, but that's not manga exclusive (and honestly, the manga improves on some of the issues - thank god for less teen panty shots).
Yoshiki and Ayumi are my favorite characters, so I was pleased to see more of them in this chapter. Love the expansion on Yoshiki's unrequited feelings for Ayumi. (Although I don't love Ayumi's character design... I feel like she's too cutified.)
The deviations from the video game's story beats has made sense so far (and they've been fairly minor).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide, Excrement, and Grief
Minor: Torture
60 Songs That Explain the '90s by Rob Harvilla
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
60 Songs That Explain the 90s is a funny and engaging tour through the top (and I mean this in the "best" sense but also the "notorious" sense) songs of the 90s. Harvilla paints the decade in lyricism and melodies, breaking down the backstories, questioning whether those matter, questioning our collective impressions of various songs and artists, and constantly reminding us that it's probably not that deep. My favorite part of this book has to be Harvilla's expertise in describing music - his metaphors are a rare and entertaining gift.
I want to say I knew about half the songs mentioned, and whether I was familiar with them or not, I was never bored. (The reason it took me so long to read this is because I frequently stopped to listen to various songs he was talking about.)
Also, he has a great voice for audiobook reading.
I want to say I knew about half the songs mentioned, and whether I was familiar with them or not, I was never bored. (The reason it took me so long to read this is because I frequently stopped to listen to various songs he was talking about.)
Also, he has a great voice for audiobook reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Medical content, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism
Alive at the End of the World by Saeed Jones
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
I like Alive At The End Of The World... but it underwhelmed me. Jones is a talented poet, to be sure, and there were many poems in this collection that sparkled and shined ("If You Had An Off Buttom, I'd Name You Off", "Saeed, How Dare You Make Your Mother Into A Prelude", "Black Ice", "Sorry as in Pathetic", "Against Progeny", and "A Difficult Love Song for Luther Vandross", to name my favorites), but I feel like Jones doesn't trust his audience enough. He overexplains, overshares, and keeps a tight grip on your hand through the whole collection. It's understandable given the subject matter, and especially the possibility of misunderstanding something as intimate as these poems (and frankly, I feel like the Saeed, or the Other One series in this book hits on this). But it does hold the work back, unfortunately.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Hate crime and Homophobia
Minor: Mass/school shootings
The King's Men by Nora Sakavic
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Reading The King's Men feels like tripping on the top step and falling all the way down. Like, when you stand up at the bottom, you're bruised everywhere and you feel kind of embarassed but secretly you're also proud of yourself for not dying?
My spouse said that it sounds like a sports anime, and I couldn't agree more. It's over-the-top and unrealistic with some things, but the important shit? The trauma, the processing, the coping, the healing... those parts are so real. Raw and jagged and, as I said before, nauseating. I felt like all of the character growth was hard-fought and well-earned, and by reflection of that, of course they had to win against the Ravens. I feel like Sakavic's style of writing about serious shit is so viseral, she crawls inside whatever festering wounds she creates and rips them from the inside out, and her descriptions are a direct result of that. I mean, the dashboard lighter bits? I could smell skin burning in the air around me.
I highly recommend this series, but Jesus Christ, watch yourself.
My spouse said that it sounds like a sports anime, and I couldn't agree more. It's over-the-top and unrealistic with some things, but the important shit? The trauma, the processing, the coping, the healing... those parts are so real. Raw and jagged and, as I said before, nauseating. I felt like all of the character growth was hard-fought and well-earned, and by reflection of that, of course they had to win against the Ravens. I feel like Sakavic's style of writing about serious shit is so viseral, she crawls inside whatever festering wounds she creates and rips them from the inside out, and her descriptions are a direct result of that. I mean, the dashboard lighter bits? I could smell skin burning in the air around me.
I highly recommend this series, but Jesus Christ, watch yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Murder
The Raven King by Nora Sakavic
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Raven King made me want to vomit (complimentary).
I cannot emphasize enough how fucked up this book is, nor how much that is a point in its favor. The characters are incredible; they're fuck-ups, they're unlikeable, they're out here doing some genuinely unpleasant things... and yet you're still rooting for them because their actions are understandable and believeable. Andrew in particular is such A Guy to me... it's been a long time since I've encountered such a mess of a character, a true, honest-to-God, not sanitized *mess*. Call me Neil because I would do anything for him.
The plot is predictable, but not in a bad way. The set-up and pay-off are satisfying.
The premise is insane, too, but it clicks really well, somehow. I remember my friends pitching it - they're a sports team for a fake sport. The mafia is involved. It's 2008. They're gay. Like how is this all going to come together? But it does. It really does.
Speaking of them being gay, Sakavic is really, really good at the slow burn, enemies-to-lovers. I enjoyed how she folded that in to this one. Pairs well with the slow burn found family.
I'm terrified of the next book. Can't wait to read it, though.
I cannot emphasize enough how fucked up this book is, nor how much that is a point in its favor. The characters are incredible; they're fuck-ups, they're unlikeable, they're out here doing some genuinely unpleasant things... and yet you're still rooting for them because their actions are understandable and believeable. Andrew in particular is such A Guy to me... it's been a long time since I've encountered such a mess of a character, a true, honest-to-God, not sanitized *mess*. Call me Neil because I would do anything for him.
The plot is predictable, but not in a bad way. The set-up and pay-off are satisfying.
The premise is insane, too, but it clicks really well, somehow. I remember my friends pitching it - they're a sports team for a fake sport. The mafia is involved. It's 2008. They're gay. Like how is this all going to come together? But it does. It really does.
Speaking of them being gay, Sakavic is really, really good at the slow burn, enemies-to-lovers. I enjoyed how she folded that in to this one. Pairs well with the slow burn found family.
I'm terrified of the next book. Can't wait to read it, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment
Minor: Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury