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remlezar's reviews
511 reviews
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Exquisitely good. Honest, moving, tender, and highly engaging.
A book about loss, grief, and the transformative power of introspection and human connection. One of the best books I've read in years.
A book about loss, grief, and the transformative power of introspection and human connection. One of the best books I've read in years.
The Spirit by Thomas Page
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Picked this up expecting some silly pulpy garbage to enjoy while camping in the PNW. It wasn't mind blowingly good, but it did exceed my (low) expectations. There are some well thought out characters in here, an interesting, well structured plot, and some shockingly solid prose throughout. If anything, I kind of wished it was a little trashier and leaned harder into the grotesque. But that's not really a problem with the book, just me not getting exactly what I was hoping out of it.
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
4.0
Celebrity memoirs aren't my usual thing, but I've heard excellent things about this one since it came out, so I finally picked it up. Glad I did.
It's well written, comes across as genuine, vulnerable, and candid in ways I think are admirable and heartbreaking. And, while I was never a child star on a popular Nickelodeon show, and my parents were never abusive, I found a lot here that was shockingly relatable.
Great book about lots of terrible things.
It's well written, comes across as genuine, vulnerable, and candid in ways I think are admirable and heartbreaking. And, while I was never a child star on a popular Nickelodeon show, and my parents were never abusive, I found a lot here that was shockingly relatable.
Great book about lots of terrible things.
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm usually not big on short story collections (although I'd argue that this book skirts the line between a novel and a collection of short stories), but this was masterful. A fully realized collection of interesting and flawed characters.
The "Good-bye, My Love" chapter was a particular standout for me.
The "Good-bye, My Love" chapter was a particular standout for me.
Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan
funny
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Mostly snippets from interviews, which the author does a great job of weaving together with brief interjections of context and narrative.
If you're obsessed with Fury Road, you'll enjoy the anecdotes and insights into the behind-the-scenes mayhem. If you've seed Fury Road but didn't love it, this book help you appreciate it more. If you don't care about Fury Road at all, you'll likely mostly be lost or bored.
If you're obsessed with Fury Road, you'll enjoy the anecdotes and insights into the behind-the-scenes mayhem. If you've seed Fury Road but didn't love it, this book help you appreciate it more. If you don't care about Fury Road at all, you'll likely mostly be lost or bored.
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Read both because of how long it had been on my TBR list, and because I was in the mood for some Jon Krakauer but have exhausted his bibliography. I'm happy to report that Larson's style is a similar combination of compulsively readable, well researched, and organized.
Previously, my knowledge of the famous fair was comprised of bits and pieces of trivia and factoids casually absorbed from pop culture. So most of what I read here was new information for me, each detail feeling more absurd and borderline unbelievable from the last. And on top of it all, throw a doctor serial killer into the mix? And an assassination of a widely beloved mayor?
It almost goes without saying that we're living in wild times in the 2020's. But reading this helped keep things a bit in perspective, shit was also crazy in the 1890's.
Previously, my knowledge of the famous fair was comprised of bits and pieces of trivia and factoids casually absorbed from pop culture. So most of what I read here was new information for me, each detail feeling more absurd and borderline unbelievable from the last. And on top of it all, throw a doctor serial killer into the mix? And an assassination of a widely beloved mayor?
It almost goes without saying that we're living in wild times in the 2020's. But reading this helped keep things a bit in perspective, shit was also crazy in the 1890's.
Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
An intriguing setup, but very YA in execution. Very simple writing that I should have breezed through, but nothing really hooked me so I just sort of lazily poked at it 20-30 pages at a time until I was done with it. Wasn't so boring or bad that I ever considered abandoning it, but ultimately didn't really do much for me either.
Didn't think it needed all the different POV chapters, and the surprise was fairly expected.
Didn't think it needed all the different POV chapters, and the surprise was fairly expected.
South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Pretty forgettable compared to other Murakami novels I love, and embraces some of his worst tendencies as a writer at a higher rate than usual.
BUT, Murakami writes in this hypnotic, meditative, dreamy way that I just have yet to successfully find with any regularity from anyone else. So even at his most forgettable, I still have a good time.
South of the Border, West of the Sun has a dash of strange quirky mystery t0 keep you interested, and more than enough of that Murakami flavor I can't get enough of. Plus, it doesn't overstay its welcome.
BUT, Murakami writes in this hypnotic, meditative, dreamy way that I just have yet to successfully find with any regularity from anyone else. So even at his most forgettable, I still have a good time.
South of the Border, West of the Sun has a dash of strange quirky mystery t0 keep you interested, and more than enough of that Murakami flavor I can't get enough of. Plus, it doesn't overstay its welcome.
The Hunter by Tana French
dark
mysterious
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? No
5.0
Enjoyed the first Cal Hooper book a lot, loved the second one even more.
I appreciate how both books are 100% genre pieces, but the beats are so different from your average murder/mysteries, you kind of forget you're reading a genre thing until a murder happens or Cal has to investigate something.
Trey is a great character and I appreciate that she's even more front and center here.
I do wonder where French could take these book next - I think there's a lot of relationship stuff that could keep developing, but Trey's family drama seems like a well that has to be pretty dried up at this point. So maybe Cal's annoying neighbor gets murdered or something? Whatever it ends up being (assuming she writes another one), I'll be here for it.
I appreciate how both books are 100% genre pieces, but the beats are so different from your average murder/mysteries, you kind of forget you're reading a genre thing until a murder happens or Cal has to investigate something.
Trey is a great character and I appreciate that she's even more front and center here.
I do wonder where French could take these book next - I think there's a lot of relationship stuff that could keep developing, but Trey's family drama seems like a well that has to be pretty dried up at this point. So maybe Cal's annoying neighbor gets murdered or something? Whatever it ends up being (assuming she writes another one), I'll be here for it.
The Likeness by Tana French
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
After reading some other Tana French books and loving them (including the first in this series), I was excited to give this one a go.
It took me longer to fall into than the others by her I've read, and I ended up picking it up and putting it down quite a few times. I think I mostly just missed the main character from In the Woods. But when I finally hit the 60% (ish) point, things started really moving, and it stuck the landing well.
Not sure when I'll read #3, but I probably will!
It took me longer to fall into than the others by her I've read, and I ended up picking it up and putting it down quite a few times. I think I mostly just missed the main character from In the Woods. But when I finally hit the 60% (ish) point, things started really moving, and it stuck the landing well.
Not sure when I'll read #3, but I probably will!