lifepluspreston's reviews
736 reviews

Five Survive by Holly Jackson--This book begins with, among other things, a diagram mapping the interior of an RV. The proverbial and literal ride is thrilling, keeping the reader guessing from page to page. This book does a really good job of presenting a group under stress, albeit in increasingly ridiculous circumstances. Thumbs up.

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker--I made the mistake of thinking that I am the target audience for this book. I am not. The book is about intentional gatherings of all types and the art of hosting them. However, it's much more written for the conference and corporate off-site host than the board game night host. Considerations of space, openings and closing, and generous authority are fun, but perhaps literally above my pay grade. Despite this, I think there's wisdom to be gained for anyone who might read it. Thumbs up.

The Art of Language Invention by David Peterson--Language invention is wild. This book dives extremely deep into constructed languages. I've never thought so much about glottal sounds and the alveolar sounds that make up the ways we communicate. The material is thorough, and if you want a primer on everything to consider in making your own language, this is the book for you. Thumbs up.

The Plot by Jean Hanff-Korelitz--This begins as a book about the writing process and evolves into a carefully crafted thriller. The book is fun and inviting throughout while the twist is foreshadowed enough that I'm already looking forward to the sequel in a few weeks. Thumbs up.

Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay--I decided to give the author another shot after he came highly recommended by a friend. This book is way more of what I was looking for. After a man's presumptively dead wife reappears six years after her disappearance, he finds himself questioning a lot of things. This time, the reveals feel more earned (even if still a bit contrived), and the pacing was significantly better. Thumbs up.

Find You First by Linwood Barclay--This book is fun but somewhat disjointed. It tries to manufacture a mystery from a tech CEO, a pedophile, and some mercenaries, but fails to build enough connective tissue in the process. Storylines running in parallel that comes together at the end don't work well here, and as a general matter, I never got invested enough in the narrative. Sideways thumb.

The Watchers by A.M. Shine--Good snow day read. This book is basically a dark folk tale about creatures and places beyond human comprehension. The story successfully conveys loneliness and isolation, but perhaps deeper is a metaphor for being observed but not seen. Good book. Thumbs up.

Undivided by Hahrie Han--I am pretty torn with how I feel about this. The book wants to be inspiring, relating anecdotes about an anti racist church program. But it's largely unsuccessful. The author proposes that a state that voted for universal preschool but also voted for Trump is a contradiction that can only be explained by a megachurch's antiracism program. This proposition is never fully explored, and indeed, the intriguing alternate question exists--if an antiracism program was so successful as to change voting patterns where people supported universal preschool, why didn't it change them to vote against Trump? Since I think fundamentally there's issues with the author's assumptions here, I can't respect the book as much. Thumbs down.

The Practice, The Horizon, and The Chain by Sofia Samatar--Lyrical and smooth, this book can be read in one sitting but packs a punch. In some ways, it's unmoored from time and place, in others, it's inextricably chained to our ideas about ourselves and the future. I thought this was delightful. Thumbs up.

Reboot by Justin Taylor--Surreal and hilarious, this book dives deep (sometimes too deep) into fan culture in service of this story about a cult favorite show that might be getting a reboot. The story is extremely online, sometimes in ways that are uncomfortably close to home.  The ride is a blast, and the book is more insightful than I would have expected. Thumbs up.