deni's reviews
42 reviews

This book wasn’t my cup of tea. It’s fine, but definitely the kind of murder mystery targeted towards the same demographic as Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, not a 23-year-old grabbing it on a whim at the library because the cover was cute and the idea of a dog show related murder mystery sounded fun to me.

The humor is focused on domestic hijinks and dogs being silly, which was kind of hit-or-miss for me. It felt less like comic relief at times and more like the murder mystery was paused so that the subplots to progress.

The sudden tonal shift when its revealed the murder victim is a predator and rapist was awkward - definitely not what I was expecting, but I haven’t read many cozy mysteries, so maybe it wouldn’t be as shocking to someone who regularly reads the genre.

It was… fine. Wouldn’t recommend it, though.

Content Warnings

Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri

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reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved Interpreter of Maladies when I read it a few years ago, so when I saw this at the library, I decided to give it a shot. This is definitely a unique novel - at least from the novels I’ve read - and is more of a slice-of-life about a woman, the town she lives in, and the slow but steady character development she goes through over the course of a year. Each chapter is almost a snapshot of her life and how she relates to the world/people around her. There’s a bit more navel-gazing from Lahiri than I found in her short stories, but overall I did really enjoy reading this book over the course of a few days on the train to and from work.

I’d recommend it if you want something slow, but short, about a woman growing older and still trying find satisfaction in her life.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read this book knowing next to nothing about it - I didn’t even read the summary on the book jacket - and I think that was the best way to experience this story. I went in with zero expectations and came out feeling like Susanna Clarke had hit me in the chest in the best possible way. I can’t remember a final line affecting me the way this one did. The journey there was also the most fun I’ve had reading in a while. If you can’t tell, I love this book. I can’t recommend it enough!

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr

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informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

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deni's reviews 42 reviews

deni's reviews
42 reviews