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ginger_curmudgeon's reviews
370 reviews
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
medium-paced
4.75
At first I really liked Sam and Sadie. I liked how they came together and reconnected, how they worked together, how they complimented each other. Then I get frustrated by them. I found them both disappointing, making stupid choices. Eventually I realized they’re just terribly flawed people who struggle to communicate successfully. I can certainly relate. I like how Zevin leaves them at the end though.
There’s something fairly major that happens late in the book that I was initially put off by. It felt too cliche. But, now that I’ve had time to think about it, I think it’s a necessary part of the story of Sam and Sadie. I think it could have happened in different ways, if Zevin had chosen a different path, but I think the final arcs of the story needed the catalyst. It would have been much more difficult to wrap the story. If you’ve read it, you’ll know the event I’m referring to.
I really liked Zevin’s writing style. I didn’t expect literary fiction going in so it was a pleasant surprise for me. There isn’t as much technical video game talk as I expected, which I was glad for.
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
I’ve been looking forward to this book since its released was announced. Rebecca Makkai wrote one of my all-time favorite books, “The Great Believers”, so I also had trepidation about this one. What if it was a let down? What if I didn’t like her other books?
Well, I loved it! It started kind of slow for me, but I’m OK with that. The groundwork had to be laid. It didn’t take long for me to be hooked though either.
I appreciate how Makkai set up the narrative flow. Bodie tells us the story, but she’s really telling the story to one of the other characters who we only see through Bodie and others telling of experiences with him. He’s the one main character we don’t hear from and don’t actually see. I feel like this technique serves a dual purpose, it drives the narrative for the reader, but also mirrors Bodie being a podcast host, even though this is her life and not her podcast.
I won’t spoil anything, but there are things late in the book that are revealed or that happen that I didn’t see coming. I thought they’d go a different way. Not that I gasped in shock, but I predicted wrong. I wouldn’t change them though. I’m satisfied with the choices she made for her characters.
I also appreciate that the book ends in a sort of non-cliche manner. There’s no pretty package wrapped with a bow. Not to say that everything is left unfinished, but it’s not the hastily done ending so many authors give us.
I think part of what makes me like Bodie so much is that she’s not perfect and she doesn’t pretend to be. She has issues and knows it. She even knows when the issue is her own doing.
A big part of this story is about looking at your past through a new lens. That’s really what these characters are dealing with, except for the young students who don’t have that awareness yet. I found myself wondering, at different points in the story, about my past and how I might view things in a different light now if I really stop to reflect.
I also appreciate how Makkai treated COVID in this story. Bodie is thankful for the anonymity of wearing a mask in public. At one point she’s at a party and thinks about her presence there and the fact that she walked in wearing a mask that she took off to be able to eat and drink. She thinks about it in more of a self-conscious “am I making people uncomfortable” way, which was only a small part of everything else going on in that scene for her.
I think it’s finally time for me to read Makkai’s other books, maybe “The Borrower” should be first.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
3.75
Yes, I read Fourth Wing, but only because a few of us started a sort of mini bookclub and Kaylee chose this book.
While I did enjoy it, I found several parts of the story to be predictable. I agree with others who have said it reads like a young adult novel with sex that is more graphic. But, that doesn’t bother me. I sometimes read young adult novels.
Tairn is my favorite character. He’s curmudgeonly and sassy. Of course he’s my favorite.
One of my favorite things about how this is written is how chapter breaks don’t equate to the end of a scene or arc. What’s happening at the end of one chapter might continue into the next. A lot of authors treat that break as an end or as a time to change tact. I appreciate that not being the case here.
I’m looking forward to discovering more of the history in the next books. I’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t happen.
Bunny by Mona Awad
dark
emotional
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
This story is messed up. At times it works and at other times it doesn’t work. There are points in the story where you’re not sure if things are really happening or not, but that’s what Awad seems to want is for the reader to feel uncertain on what’s real versus what isn’t.
At about four chapters in, I hated all of the characters. I worried that it wouldn’t change and that I’d hate the book. But, I started to relate to Samantha. Obviously my experiences differ, but Samantha is always an outsider, feeling like she’s always on the outside looking in and, ultimately, just wanting someone to love her and to care. She so badly craves somewhere to fit in and belong that she starts creating scenarios where she does and creating people who will fill that need. At the same time, she creates her own vengeance. Who doesn’t occasionally fantasize about exacting revenge? I’m still not sure if I like Samantha, but I left her feeling more like I can relate and understand than when I started off.
The novel starts to lose me in some of the chapters with rambling descriptions. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to overly descriptive language, but in a more rambling, excessive nature it’s frustrating. The caveat being that Samantha is an unreliable narrator and this over-descriptive narration reflects her obsession and her instability.
The whole story reads as an early Chuck Palahniuk version of Mean Girls.
PS, I wanted Samantha to swing the axe. I understand why she didn’t, but I wanted her to do it.
The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle
3.75
There’s a lot that I like about this book, but also things I don’t like.
I enjoy the overall story. I like the idea of the museum and the story of how Jess discovered it only to have it become her life. I also enjoy her developing bond with Alex. I can’t stand Guy; he even reminds me of one or two people I know. I like Luce. She seems like she’d be fun, but also like a good friend.
I enjoy the chapters where Jess is cleaning out her Mother’s house. I would have liked a bit more here, not a lot, but maybe something more.
I’m not sure I like Gayle’s writing style. It’s inconsistent. At times there’s a rush to things, particularly the last few chapters. Other times, the writing is detail heavy. When Jess is searching for a new flat, there’s too much description given of places she’s looking at. Considering the point of the book where this takes place, it feels like an odd choice on Gayle’s part.
I’m conflicted about how much happens in the book. There’s a lot that happens involving several of the more central characters and it all happens in the span of several of the later chapters, but then the final several chapters feel rushed. I hate to say it, but either something less needed to happen, or more chapters were needed.
It’s not a bad book and I’d still read another of his books, but the writing gets in the way of the story a bit here.
The Cloisters by Katy Hays
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have mixed feelings about “The Cloisters”. I feel like it doesn’t live up to its potential. It could have been a tarot version of Da Vinci Code, but it missed the mark.
I’m not a fan of how Hays uses description. There’s so much description of Rachel’s family’s lake house. In contrast there are scenes between Rachel and Ann where the description is a lot more sparse.
Also, what happened to Ann’s mother?!? She just fades into the background.
Maybe this is a spoiler, but there’s really one slightly redeemable character in this story, but that’s changed in the final scenes. I can somewhat understand Hays making the choice to have that character do what they do, but it feels like an out of character move to me, even with the background layered into it. The background is presented as being accidental, but the present action is a choice made to look like an accident.
In the end I think I cared more about the Cloisters and the tarot cards than any of the people.
The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Kaylee suggested we read this book because the description on the back referred to one of the characters as a curmudgeon, and well, hi . . .
Honestly, though, all of these main characters sort of represent some part of me. Not sure that’s a good thing . . .
There are some things Lucy Gilmore did with this story that I really enjoy. Instead of having every chapter be from the perspective of a different character, each character has a section of the book. It changes the dynamic of multiple narrators.
Each character’s section ends with a sort of cliffhanger, and resolution comes through, for the most part, through the telling of a different character (if at all).
There is a bit of a cheesy, cliche finish to the book, but it doesn’t really take away from how much I enjoyed the story overall. And, in the end, there’s a pretty good lesson (or two) to take away from this one.
Real Sugar is Hard to Find by Sim Kern
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
After reading “Depart, Depart!” and now this short story collection, Sim Kern an auto-buy author for me. These stories are so well written. The stories all take place in the future, most of them with some sort of dystopian quality.
The title story starts the collection giving a glimpse into a future where it’s not safe to be outside and small things we take for granted are now luxuries or are now black market goods. The story sets the tone for what to expect in the rest of the book.
At their core, all of the characters in these stories are attempting to navigate life in a new version of our world, are trying to better the world, and are trying to live their day-to-day lives.
Each of the stories involves the environment in some way, whether it’s a domed future, a future on another planet, or an attempt to reverse the destruction caused by humans.
I like the way Kern writes characters. There’s a lot of diversity across the cast of characters in these stories. They are all flawed, but their flaws give them strength and keep them grounded in their humanity.
I can’t decide on a favorite story. After each story I read, I would think “maybe this is my favorite”. They’re all my favorite. One of the aspects of the book I like the most is the use of “The Lost Roads” as the final story. It’s about history, connection, and rectifying mistakes. It also ends the book on a hopeful note.
Depart, Depart! by Sim Kern
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I discovered Sim Kern through their TikTok about the Trans Rights Readathon. I’ve been hooked on their content since. One video in particular offered suggestions of novellas and shorter books to read for the Readathon. Of course, I’ve bought almost all of them (working on the last couple).
When they described “Depart, Depart!”, I was immediately intrigued, and reading the book did not disappoint! I love it!
The story focuses on Noah, who is transgender and Jewish, and his experiences in a shelter during a hurricane in Texas.
First, I love how Kern’s writing really made it easy to immerse myself in the story. I never felt lost or confused, but instead I couldn’t put the book down.
There’s a decent amount of Jewish culture and belief brought into the story. I admit that I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to Judaism, but I was fascinated by it and want to know more. It was haunting and beautiful at the same time.
The intersection of being Jewish and queer is present throughout the book and it’s done very well.
The ending doesn’t wrap up in a neat bow, but you do get closure and hope. I appreciate the way the story ended.
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This is short, but so good! Without giving too much away, this takes place in a dystopian United States where three states (Utah, Maine and a third) remain as they are, but are now considered insurrectionist territories. The remainder of the country is divided into territories and controlled by the government.
It’s a very different, very controlled, very conservative world. Any media you consume is approved by the government. Being LGBTQIA+ is illegal. The story follows the librarians whose job it is to distribute approved media and who occasionally deliver other packages.
There might not be many pages to the story, but there’s a lot included and it’s done very well. There’s more said between the lines than you might expect, but that just shows Gailey’s skill as a writer.
It’s eerie how this story no longer feels impossible or too far away. As much as I want to know how the county in the novel reached the point that it’s at, I honestly wouldn’t change anything about this book.