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marshalls_library's reviews
196 reviews
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Snowman by Jo Nesbø
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
On The Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Inspired by the true events of the Chillicothe Six (a string of unsolved cases involving murdered women in Chillicothe Ohio), On the Savage Side follows the tale of Arcade, aka Arc, her twin sister, and other young women caught in the same cycle of drugs, abuse, prostitution, and tragedy.
This is as tragically sad as it is beautifully written. Arc already had an enormous deck stacked against her as the daughter of addicts growing up in a mostly rural and decaying small town, and her story unfolds in a brutally predictable way. The struggles that McDaniel describes here feel incredibly real and authentic, and having spent much of my childhood in and around these parts of the US, it makes me realize how many bullets I dodged. The one person I have to thank for that is my mom.
This book will make you sad and angry, but that's the point. Atc and her friends are so flawed and tragic that you can't help but feel connected to them and deeply sorry for them. One part of this book that made me think was how quickly Arc's mother and aunt seemed like the 'bad guys' and that Arc and her friends were the victims. But at what point do you turn from victim to a bad guy yourself? I was just left wondering how we form those types of attitudes and when we stop giving people the benefit of the doubt.
This was an amazing book, but emotionally taxing in ways that you might not be prepared for. So please make sure you're not in a bad head space if you pick up this book. It will demand a LOT from you, but I feel like it will be equally as generous in what it gives back.
This is as tragically sad as it is beautifully written. Arc already had an enormous deck stacked against her as the daughter of addicts growing up in a mostly rural and decaying small town, and her story unfolds in a brutally predictable way. The struggles that McDaniel describes here feel incredibly real and authentic, and having spent much of my childhood in and around these parts of the US, it makes me realize how many bullets I dodged. The one person I have to thank for that is my mom.
This book will make you sad and angry, but that's the point. Atc and her friends are so flawed and tragic that you can't help but feel connected to them and deeply sorry for them. One part of this book that made me think was how quickly Arc's mother and aunt seemed like the 'bad guys' and that Arc and her friends were the victims. But at what point do you turn from victim to a bad guy yourself? I was just left wondering how we form those types of attitudes and when we stop giving people the benefit of the doubt.
This was an amazing book, but emotionally taxing in ways that you might not be prepared for. So please make sure you're not in a bad head space if you pick up this book. It will demand a LOT from you, but I feel like it will be equally as generous in what it gives back.
How I Won A Nobel Prize by Julius Taranto
challenging
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Where do people go when they're cancelled? In How I Won a Nobel Prize by Julius Taranto, they can find refuge at the Rubin Institute Plymouth (aka RIP), an alternative educational/cultural institution, whose giant, unmistakably phallic central tower is of course colloquially referred to as "The Endowment."
RIP is where grad student Helen, the genius protegee of exiled physicist Perry Smoot, is headed to continue her work. Accompanying Helen is her partner Hew, who is absolutely aghast at the proposition, and falls in with a dangerous crowd to being RIP down.
This is a genuinely engaging story with well developed characters, but the real selling point is the satire. Taranto pulls no punches with the performative self righteous liberals or the toxic, right wing assholes he portrays in the book. If you're feeling called out or have a case of hurt feelings when reading this book, I say good. It means you're the butt of the joke and you're probably worthy of the ridicule for failing to realize that shades of grey exist in the world.
I absolutely loved this book and am very excited to see what Taranto does next!
RIP is where grad student Helen, the genius protegee of exiled physicist Perry Smoot, is headed to continue her work. Accompanying Helen is her partner Hew, who is absolutely aghast at the proposition, and falls in with a dangerous crowd to being RIP down.
This is a genuinely engaging story with well developed characters, but the real selling point is the satire. Taranto pulls no punches with the performative self righteous liberals or the toxic, right wing assholes he portrays in the book. If you're feeling called out or have a case of hurt feelings when reading this book, I say good. It means you're the butt of the joke and you're probably worthy of the ridicule for failing to realize that shades of grey exist in the world.
I absolutely loved this book and am very excited to see what Taranto does next!
Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Equal parts dry humor, amazing character development, and uncompromising in its portrayal of living with a serious medical disability, Hunchback is a sucker punch of a novella that shows the reader how unnecessarily difficult society makes life for people with disabilities.
Ichikawa and her main character Shaka each share the same condition, which is the most direct way to illustrate the point that people living with disabilities have the same wants and needs that everyone else has, despite how disabilities are often portrayed in the media, and viewed by society.
Hunchback is definitely character driven, but the plot points pack quite a punch, Ichikawa's sense of humor is a huge driving force here. Hunchback will and should make you uncomfortable, but it's an incredibly important book to read if you're looking to expand your horizons and become a more empathetic person.
Ichikawa and her main character Shaka each share the same condition, which is the most direct way to illustrate the point that people living with disabilities have the same wants and needs that everyone else has, despite how disabilities are often portrayed in the media, and viewed by society.
Hunchback is definitely character driven, but the plot points pack quite a punch, Ichikawa's sense of humor is a huge driving force here. Hunchback will and should make you uncomfortable, but it's an incredibly important book to read if you're looking to expand your horizons and become a more empathetic person.
Eurotrash by Christian Kracht
challenging
sad
slow-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
0.25
This is my first time where I feel this type of review is warranted, so please bear with me. To be clear, I am not telling people what they should or shouldn't read. I'm posting this because I feel this book crosses the line into being actively harmful towards our perceptions of autism, and I regret having spent money on this book.
Two of these instances were in reference to the main character's father, who is not otherwise portrayed as being autistic. Yet in these cases, the fact that he supposedly does not like having houseguests results in the lines "your autistic, disturbed father," or "he was completely autistic when people came over." This is clearly latching onto a negative stereotype and using the word in a perjorative manner.
The MC also references writing a novel, and wanting to "affect the air of an autistic snob." Putting aside the matter of what the hell that's supposed to mean, it's included in such an effortlessly flippant way that it immediately raises concern.
You might say there's a difference between the character and the author, and I usually give authors leeway on that subject. However, in this instance, the main character is trying to distance himself from his Nazi father. That being the case, I don't think this is the character talking. This was further reinforced because a Google search for the author yields a write up of a public lecture he gave where he reads from prepared remarks because otherwise he said he perceives himself speaking the way an "autistic infant" would.
It's clear to me that this author has no problem speaking about autistic people in a derogatory way. He presents autism as inherently negative, and as the punchline for jokes. Considering Eurotrash was originally published in 2021, you can't say "well it was a different time and you can't apply today's standards to the past." 2021 is recent enough that everyone should know better.
On that note, I am deeply disappointed that the @thebookerprizes would legitimize this type of language by longlisting Eurotrash for this year's International Booker Prize, and I'm equally disappointed with @serpentstail for giving this author a platform.
Two of these instances were in reference to the main character's father, who is not otherwise portrayed as being autistic. Yet in these cases, the fact that he supposedly does not like having houseguests results in the lines "your autistic, disturbed father," or "he was completely autistic when people came over." This is clearly latching onto a negative stereotype and using the word in a perjorative manner.
The MC also references writing a novel, and wanting to "affect the air of an autistic snob." Putting aside the matter of what the hell that's supposed to mean, it's included in such an effortlessly flippant way that it immediately raises concern.
You might say there's a difference between the character and the author, and I usually give authors leeway on that subject. However, in this instance, the main character is trying to distance himself from his Nazi father. That being the case, I don't think this is the character talking. This was further reinforced because a Google search for the author yields a write up of a public lecture he gave where he reads from prepared remarks because otherwise he said he perceives himself speaking the way an "autistic infant" would.
It's clear to me that this author has no problem speaking about autistic people in a derogatory way. He presents autism as inherently negative, and as the punchline for jokes. Considering Eurotrash was originally published in 2021, you can't say "well it was a different time and you can't apply today's standards to the past." 2021 is recent enough that everyone should know better.
On that note, I am deeply disappointed that the @thebookerprizes would legitimize this type of language by longlisting Eurotrash for this year's International Booker Prize, and I'm equally disappointed with @serpentstail for giving this author a platform.
Paradais by Fernanda Melchor
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Paradais is the gated community that links two truly disturbed and disturbing teenagers. Franco lives there with his grandparents, is addicted to pornography, and is becoming increasingly obsessed with his neighbor, the wife of a celebrity. Polo is a high school dropout, part of the Paradais gardening crew, and an all around miserable individual. Franco's ability to fuel Polo's nascent alcoholism by stealing from his grandparents provides the context and proximity for their friendship.
Franco and Polo are vile and broken characters, and getting inside their heads is a difficult and unpleasant experience. Nevertheless, Melchor paints a vivid picture, and ramps up stakes in this novella in ways that are hard to look away from. Had this book been written by a man, it would have felt off in a really bad way, but there's something to this book that feels like Melchor has been exposed to these types of individuals. To me, it gives the book an air of authenticity.
This book hits incredibly hard on themes of violence, misogyny, inequality, and being trapped in life, simply by virtue of the situation you were born into. Put simply, if this book doesn't make you feel uncomfortable, you need to take a long hard look in the mirror.
My only critique of this book has to do with the formatting and editing choices. It has been described as a "torrent of prose" that's presented in pages-long paragraphs and very few natural breaks. That's accurate, and you can see that it's a deliberate choice that's meant to immerse you in the minds of these characters. For me, this resulted in a book that was hard to read (literally), because I needed breathing room to gather my thoughts and wasn't given many chances to do so. That issue aside, I still highly recommend this one and am excited to read more from this author.
Franco and Polo are vile and broken characters, and getting inside their heads is a difficult and unpleasant experience. Nevertheless, Melchor paints a vivid picture, and ramps up stakes in this novella in ways that are hard to look away from. Had this book been written by a man, it would have felt off in a really bad way, but there's something to this book that feels like Melchor has been exposed to these types of individuals. To me, it gives the book an air of authenticity.
This book hits incredibly hard on themes of violence, misogyny, inequality, and being trapped in life, simply by virtue of the situation you were born into. Put simply, if this book doesn't make you feel uncomfortable, you need to take a long hard look in the mirror.
My only critique of this book has to do with the formatting and editing choices. It has been described as a "torrent of prose" that's presented in pages-long paragraphs and very few natural breaks. That's accurate, and you can see that it's a deliberate choice that's meant to immerse you in the minds of these characters. For me, this resulted in a book that was hard to read (literally), because I needed breathing room to gather my thoughts and wasn't given many chances to do so. That issue aside, I still highly recommend this one and am excited to read more from this author.
Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While I love reading Murakami, I have a hard time writing about him. Given his body of work, I feel like an entire graduate-level seminar course could be devoted to him. For me, knowing deep down that I love his books is what's important, even though trying to describe why is tricky.
Dance Dance Dance is Murakami's sixth novel and picks up with the same narrator from A Wild Sheep Chase several years after the event of that book. While not a proper sequel, I think that the context of the character is important enough that you don't want to read these two books out of order.
DDD hits on themes of loss, not only in the sense of people who are no longer in the narrator's life, but also of direction in his life. He's searching to regain his footing and to make sense of how his past affects him presently.
The story is told with an eclectic cast of characters that include (among others) a psychic 13 year old girl, a famous actor, and a one-armed poet. Murakami weaves these characters into the narrator's life in a way that's not as bizarre as A Wild Sheep Chase or Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, but decidedly weirder than Norwegian Wood.
I remain blown away by Murakami's imagination and his ability to take readers on journeys that feel plausible and surreal in equal measure.
Dance Dance Dance is Murakami's sixth novel and picks up with the same narrator from A Wild Sheep Chase several years after the event of that book. While not a proper sequel, I think that the context of the character is important enough that you don't want to read these two books out of order.
DDD hits on themes of loss, not only in the sense of people who are no longer in the narrator's life, but also of direction in his life. He's searching to regain his footing and to make sense of how his past affects him presently.
The story is told with an eclectic cast of characters that include (among others) a psychic 13 year old girl, a famous actor, and a one-armed poet. Murakami weaves these characters into the narrator's life in a way that's not as bizarre as A Wild Sheep Chase or Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, but decidedly weirder than Norwegian Wood.
I remain blown away by Murakami's imagination and his ability to take readers on journeys that feel plausible and surreal in equal measure.
This is Amiko, Do You Copy? by Natsuko Imamura
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This Is Amiko, Do You Copy? is a difficult book for me to describe, which I suppose is fitting because I think ideas about communication and how we perceive each other are big components of the narrative.
Amiko is a free spirited girl with an older brother, and a baby sibling on the way. She's clearly a happy child in her own way, but it's her interactions with family and her school mates that cause friction. Amiko doesn't fit the mold of what constitutes "normal" behavior, and it's clear that she will always be an outsider.
This is a short book, but it packs a lot of depth and character development. It's hard to talk about some of the things that cause the friction I mentioned above without divulging parts of the books that the reader really should encounter on their own. This book reminded me a lot of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata in the way that people who don't fit into societal expectations can never really escape those pressures.
I'm amazed at how quickly Imamura pulls you in, and by the end of this novella (which is a combination of endearing, heartwarming, and a little sad), all I want is for Amiko to grow up and keep being happy in her own way 😭
Amiko is a free spirited girl with an older brother, and a baby sibling on the way. She's clearly a happy child in her own way, but it's her interactions with family and her school mates that cause friction. Amiko doesn't fit the mold of what constitutes "normal" behavior, and it's clear that she will always be an outsider.
This is a short book, but it packs a lot of depth and character development. It's hard to talk about some of the things that cause the friction I mentioned above without divulging parts of the books that the reader really should encounter on their own. This book reminded me a lot of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata in the way that people who don't fit into societal expectations can never really escape those pressures.
I'm amazed at how quickly Imamura pulls you in, and by the end of this novella (which is a combination of endearing, heartwarming, and a little sad), all I want is for Amiko to grow up and keep being happy in her own way 😭
The Lamb by Lucy Rose
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
When it comes to what I need from horror these days, The Lamb by @lucyrosecreates is giving me all the green flags. If you've been even remotely aware of my reading journey, you'll know that (with a few exceptions), I've grown pretty bored with mainstream horror. To the extent that I'm drawn to the genre these days at all, it's because so many women are producing such amazing work.
The Lamb feels timeless in a wonderfully disorienting way as it tells the tale of 11 year old Margot and her mother Ruth, who lure unsuspecting and lost travelers into their home where they are killed, cooked, and consumed. It very much feels like time has frozen for Margot and her mother, even as the rest of the world keeps spinning.
When a woman named Eden arrives at the house, rather than falling victim to mother and daughter, she becomes a member of the family. It's here that the real unraveling begins as we realize what a monster Ruth actually is. If you're looking for books with complicated mother-daughter relationships, look no further.
As Ruth and Eden's relationship solidifies, Rose begins the masterful setup for the end of the book. I often worry about the endings with books like this, but Rose absolutely nailed it. From start to finish, The Lamb is beautifully written, incredibly dark, and painfully sad. If Rose were intimately involved in the process, it could also be one of the best horror movies ever made.
I said this yesterday and I'll say it again: The Lamb not only lives up to the hype, it EXCEEDS the hype. It is mind boggling that this is a first novel, and I absolutely can't wait to see what Lucy Rose does next.
The Lamb feels timeless in a wonderfully disorienting way as it tells the tale of 11 year old Margot and her mother Ruth, who lure unsuspecting and lost travelers into their home where they are killed, cooked, and consumed. It very much feels like time has frozen for Margot and her mother, even as the rest of the world keeps spinning.
When a woman named Eden arrives at the house, rather than falling victim to mother and daughter, she becomes a member of the family. It's here that the real unraveling begins as we realize what a monster Ruth actually is. If you're looking for books with complicated mother-daughter relationships, look no further.
As Ruth and Eden's relationship solidifies, Rose begins the masterful setup for the end of the book. I often worry about the endings with books like this, but Rose absolutely nailed it. From start to finish, The Lamb is beautifully written, incredibly dark, and painfully sad. If Rose were intimately involved in the process, it could also be one of the best horror movies ever made.
I said this yesterday and I'll say it again: The Lamb not only lives up to the hype, it EXCEEDS the hype. It is mind boggling that this is a first novel, and I absolutely can't wait to see what Lucy Rose does next.