laedyred's reviews
280 reviews

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I was recommended this book after I had only seen the movie, and I am astounded how different they are. The movie is sh*t compared to this novel. In the height of the zombie-story craze, media was engrossed in the gore and action of the zombies themselves; human interdynamics came second. Not the case in this book. It's refreshing to read a title where zombies are the background characters.

Writing this in 2024, Brooks essentially called out the societal problems that occurred during the COVID pandemic. The foresight he had speaks to a solid observation and prediction of (a lot of) cultural behaviors. It's weirdly comforting to see that what happened may not have been an anomoly. 

Some chapters dragged or felt semi-disconnected to the overarching flow of the book, but I forgive this considering the riveting ones. Brooks created an array of distinct characters complex enough to drive a novel where their development is not the focus. I highly recommend this book.
Badass Ways to End Anxiety & Stop Panic Attacks!: A counterintuitive approach to recover and regain control of your life by Geert Verschaeve

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informative fast-paced

0.25

This book was a gift. The entire book is filler. He talks about his audio course, website, promotes himself at every opportunity. He asks you to leave a review on Amazon to help him "spread the word". Some of the (very basic) techniques are valid, but he sites them with links to pop science articles and has no qualifications to present these as his own. I could have done this "research" on my own. I cannot explain how much I dislike this. Total waste of time even to skim through it. 
The Odyssey by Homer

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Here I put aside the historical and literary value of the text and speak only of my enjoyment. The introduction is potentially the most intriguing part of this translation. Wilson spends what at first seems like too many pages on foundations of understanding the text and theories of Homer, but without her context I would have missed minute details stemming from the archaic Greek. Her translation is, as she describes, as literal as it can be considering not only the text itself but the emotions evoked by it. I appreciate her candidness when she says she believes in using contemporary language in translating so as to remind us how far the ancient text actually is from our era. Although the storytelling of the epic is maybe not for me, Wilson makes it palatable for non-scholars.
Sensitive: The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World by Andre Sólo, Jenn Granneman

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informative fast-paced

3.0

For a self help book, this is pretty average. I appreciate the focus on such a misunderstood trait, but neither author has any credentials as an expert; they are both just self-identified sensitive people. If there were more citations and less "psychologists say...", I'd be more inclined to accept the advice. A lot of the book reads like a blog post. They promote their own website multiple times, there's "testimonials" from users, too much text is length-filler. It bothered me that they highlighted examples of historical figures' accomplishments to inspire sensitivity, yet they acknowledge that they cannot be sure the person actually was sensitive. Seeing such high reviews of this book, I expected a lot more. 

On the positive side, if you're looking for some inspiring words instead of actual research, maybe this would help. While the advice is superficial it could help someone see themselves differently if they experience the trait. 
The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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challenging medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I give half a star for the significance of the text, being a classic piece with feministic value focusing on mental health. It's older and shorter, obviously not a novel, so it's tough to rate against books. The last few pages of the book are impactful, you see her mind turn on itself, you see the collapse directly supported by ill treatment based on her womanhood. 
Normal People by Sally Rooney

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It's not often you find a novel that can truly capture such a complex relationship between two people. One where there is no clear cut line of what they should be doing or where they should be going. Normal People's themes of dominance, true connection, and intimacy present what on the surface seems to encapsulate a love story, but in fact could even be taken as a warning. This is not a satisfying story. No one saves another, maybe nothing works out in the events past the ending. But it resonated with me because it mirrors experiences and feelings that are hard to talk about, hard to describe to others. This text is perhaps one of the best vehicles to do this.

Connell is objectively not a nice person. He knowingly manipulates Marianne, subjecting her to his various fuck-ups, making her believe she is the problem, every time. Seen from Marianne's eyes, the reader wants them to be together, to make each other happy. We see Marianne's troubles with worthlessness and self respect and keep negotiating with Connell to treat her better, yet it never comes. Even then, the scenes in which she feels safe even for a second all happen under his watch. This title is ripe for discussion; it's one I will be thinking about for a while.

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I would love this as a series. A touching love story with beautiful imagery. 
Bunny by Mona Awad

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is a book I feel positively toward even though I did not necessarily enjoy the story itself. Awad's writing is uniquely descriptive and she certainly knows how to write unlikeable characters. I was disappointed in the switch to pick-me behavior in part three. Some interpretations of the ending are I unfulfilling, they feel cheap. How much of the plot actually occurs is up for debate; it is a perfect English class example of an unreliable narrator. My criticism comes from what I feel is a weak message. There are the usual dark academia themes of classissm (financial and social), narcissism, and academic superiority joined with codependence and obsession. 

But I don't feel like Bunny says anything particularly new; I saw it taking heavy inspiration from The Secret History. The absolute absurdity is what carries the novel, lending itself well to a book club discussion. The book is trying to be cerebral but comes off as pretentious, confusing just to be confusing. I'd be interested to know what value other readers gathered. 
Happy Place by Emily Henry

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emotional funny inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I found this book to be right in the middle of Henry's others in terms of quality and enjoyment. Characters are fleshed out, given real personalities outside of the love/lust dynamic. I liked that both of the ideas of "don't follow a man" and "do it if it makes you happy" are proposed and challenged. Who really is in control if you want to make the choice to follow someone else? I appreciate the inclusion of consent and respect in most of the characters' interactions. However, I have two grievances. One: Why is the trope of "man who sleeps with everything and thinks of women as objects but stops doing it for one woman" supposed to be sexy? I wouldn't have wanted anything to do with Wyn. Two: He blames Harriet for pushing him away as if he doesn't treat her disgracefully, leading her to have this "realization" that she was the problem the whole time. Not okey. What could have been a 5/5 for me was distinctly lowered. 
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The definition of "no plot, just vibes." The biggest strength of this book is the language. Morgenstern has a knack for absorbing the reader into her circus. Characters are not well developed in the slightest, love  between them is unjustified and surface, but I don't hold that against it given the story itself is not the point. Merely a vehicle to engage with the magic. The beginning drags a bit until you begin to accept that basically nothing is going to happen. The actually story could be condensed to 80 pages. That said, I recommend this for an escapist fantasy.