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happiestwhenreading's reviews
1332 reviews
Sociopath: a Memoir by Patric Gagne
3.5
While this was a fascinating look into a sociopath's mind, I also found it disturbing and scary. Gagne has funneled her illness into good by getting her doctorate in a desparate attempt to understand herself, but she also pushed so many legal and personal boundaries. From stalking people to entertaining thoughts of violence, I wondered often how she felt it was ok to skirt these gray areas. Her openness and vulnerability about her diagnosis was equal parts interesting and disturbing - almost like she wore it like a badge of honor. I'm not saying she should hide who she is, but she seemed to use it as shock value and she often lead with it when meeting new people which I found odd.
While I didn't feel overwhelmingly compelled by her story, it was interesting to learn about sociopathy and watch her turn her situation into a success story.
While I didn't feel overwhelmingly compelled by her story, it was interesting to learn about sociopathy and watch her turn her situation into a success story.
Real Americans by Rachel Khong
5.0
Let's start with the two things that didn't work for me: the science was super over my head and I just kind of read through it, feeling like I got the main gist of what the purpose was. I don't love science so much, but also couldn't help thinking how this would be a great fiction/nonfiction pairing with The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson! Next, there were a lot of coincendences that nicely moved the story along - maybe too conveniently, but I chose to ignore it and appreciate it for how it did move the story along. In the end, neither of these things bothered me - but if there were any critiques, these would be them for me.
Mostly though, I just loved the book. I'm a sucker for a good generational drama, a complex story that has layers and nuance, and stories where there's a whole lot going on behind the scenes. There were times where I really wished Mei would have been more open and honest about things with her daughter, Lily, and I think a lot of trouble could have been avoided, but as a granddaughter of an immigrant myself, I know firsthand how important it can be to just move foward instead of dwelling on the atrocities of the past. My grandma hated talking about the things she'd seen and lived through - she just continued to march forward, much like Mei's character did too.
This is a story that will stick with me. I really, really liked it. And besides those two complaints (minor grievences for me), this is absolutely a top contender for my favorite books of the year!
Mostly though, I just loved the book. I'm a sucker for a good generational drama, a complex story that has layers and nuance, and stories where there's a whole lot going on behind the scenes. There were times where I really wished Mei would have been more open and honest about things with her daughter, Lily, and I think a lot of trouble could have been avoided, but as a granddaughter of an immigrant myself, I know firsthand how important it can be to just move foward instead of dwelling on the atrocities of the past. My grandma hated talking about the things she'd seen and lived through - she just continued to march forward, much like Mei's character did too.
This is a story that will stick with me. I really, really liked it. And besides those two complaints (minor grievences for me), this is absolutely a top contender for my favorite books of the year!
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
4.0
Life is crazy and chaotic and I'm struggling to find anything that sticks for me right now. I decided to give this one a try because I have really enjoyed Rebecca Serle's books in the past.
I'm happy to say this one landed for me! I really enjoyed getting lost in the story. It kept me entertained (which is really hard to do right now); I kept wanting to fly through things so I could return back to the pages.
I feel like Serle writes relationships so well. I find myself rooting for the characters, and while there are some qualities that feel the same between all of her books, the details are fresh and welcome new ideas to ponder.
I also love how Serle wrote about California in this book. I lived in the Bay Area during college, and visited my brother a lot who lived in LA. I feel like CA gets a bad rap sometimes, but Serle painted a picture of this state that made me realize I kinda miss it! After reading One Italian Summer, I wanted to book a vacation asap, and I feel like I could use a vacation to CA after finishing this one! Serle writes a sense of place so well; sometimes, the cities become characters themselves in her books.
Serle has become an autobuy author for me - I can count on her to deliver a story with substance, but one that doesn't require a lot of work and attention on my end. Simply just a story to sink into...which is absolutely perfect sometimes!
I'm happy to say this one landed for me! I really enjoyed getting lost in the story. It kept me entertained (which is really hard to do right now); I kept wanting to fly through things so I could return back to the pages.
I feel like Serle writes relationships so well. I find myself rooting for the characters, and while there are some qualities that feel the same between all of her books, the details are fresh and welcome new ideas to ponder.
I also love how Serle wrote about California in this book. I lived in the Bay Area during college, and visited my brother a lot who lived in LA. I feel like CA gets a bad rap sometimes, but Serle painted a picture of this state that made me realize I kinda miss it! After reading One Italian Summer, I wanted to book a vacation asap, and I feel like I could use a vacation to CA after finishing this one! Serle writes a sense of place so well; sometimes, the cities become characters themselves in her books.
Serle has become an autobuy author for me - I can count on her to deliver a story with substance, but one that doesn't require a lot of work and attention on my end. Simply just a story to sink into...which is absolutely perfect sometimes!
Here After by Amy Lin
3.5
While running a marathon, Lin's husband suddenly passed away. While the autopsy indicated it was nearly instantaneous, Lin's world was also changed in a split second. She fell into a deep depression where she struggled every single day just to want to be alive. There are so many lessons in grief you can never know until that is the reality you are faced with. It's long and hard and different for everyone. In addition to her grief, she also had a medical emergency of her own that had her living with her parents and having to go through numerous appointments and procedures.
Lin's gives us vignettes into her grief process - of her love story with her husband, how she managed her days after the loss of her husband, and how she continues to honor and love her husband. It's raw and vulnerable, but also heartwarming and hopeful. She really tells all and lets us into her world.
There is a lot of white space on the page, so this is a very quick read. I loved the vignette style, but also wanted more depth. Most of the book lacked an emotional connection for me...and as I stated earlier this year, this problem really may just lay with me. I think I've burned myself out on the grief micro-genre as I've been fully immersed in it for the past 11 years after I lost my mom to cancer. So much of what I read has already been said, so please read other reviews before taking my word for it!
Lin's gives us vignettes into her grief process - of her love story with her husband, how she managed her days after the loss of her husband, and how she continues to honor and love her husband. It's raw and vulnerable, but also heartwarming and hopeful. She really tells all and lets us into her world.
There is a lot of white space on the page, so this is a very quick read. I loved the vignette style, but also wanted more depth. Most of the book lacked an emotional connection for me...and as I stated earlier this year, this problem really may just lay with me. I think I've burned myself out on the grief micro-genre as I've been fully immersed in it for the past 11 years after I lost my mom to cancer. So much of what I read has already been said, so please read other reviews before taking my word for it!
James by Percival Everett
4.0
I have never read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, so I was a little hesitant to pick this one up. I felt a lot more confident after reading Sara's (@novelreads) substack with things to pay attention to and it was a tremedous resource (thank you, Sara!). Having said that, who knows if I would have gotten more out of the book with that background or not, but this review is definitely not coming from that place!
I liked this book. I felt like hearing from James' perspective really switched the narrative and I think it's something we will - and should - see more of in the future. Retellings are a great opportunity for this! As a white person, I was not uncomfortable with the truths presented...in fact, I think they're necessary and I hope to see more of it in the future. I easily sunk into Everett's writing and I enjoyed myself while reading it.
But, having said all of that, it still left me wanting more. The beginning was very slow and it wasn't until the middle that the story really started picking up for me. I also felt like a lot of the plot was convenient (mostly plot points were presented and resolved way too easily) and I would have liked Everett to work a little more for my praise.
I would absolutely recommend this book, but I wasn't as blown away as most people seem to have been.
I liked this book. I felt like hearing from James' perspective really switched the narrative and I think it's something we will - and should - see more of in the future. Retellings are a great opportunity for this! As a white person, I was not uncomfortable with the truths presented...in fact, I think they're necessary and I hope to see more of it in the future. I easily sunk into Everett's writing and I enjoyed myself while reading it.
But, having said all of that, it still left me wanting more. The beginning was very slow and it wasn't until the middle that the story really started picking up for me. I also felt like a lot of the plot was convenient (mostly plot points were presented and resolved way too easily) and I would have liked Everett to work a little more for my praise.
I would absolutely recommend this book, but I wasn't as blown away as most people seem to have been.
Leaving by Roxana Robinson
3.0
The first half of this book made me think this was going to be a 4-5 star read for me, but as I got further and further into it, my enjoyment definitely waned.
First, it's going to be difficult to talk about much of my thoughts without giving away major plot points, so I apologize for basically giving aa bad review without a lot of back up...
Second, I don't need likeable characters to enjoy a book, but these characters irked me in so many different ways. There literally wasn't one character that I even semi-liked. I found the entire cast annoying, frustrating, and/or underdeveloped.
Third, I didn't even really love the author's writing style. I felt like it was symplistic, but more importantly, she barely scratched the surface emotionally which was disappointing considering the heaviness of the themes of the book and the fact that this is literary fiction. I literally didn't care one bit about any of their characters' issues and I mainly place that blame on the author.
Last, there was quite a few instances of repetition and lapses in time. Robinson would switch to a new character's pov and repeat the story from the new perspective. I would have benefitted more from a simple statement of how much time had passed. I don't know if I'm making my point here or not, but it annoyed me and took me out of the story several times.
For all the hype this one is getting on #bookstagram, I was definitely hoping for more!
First, it's going to be difficult to talk about much of my thoughts without giving away major plot points, so I apologize for basically giving aa bad review without a lot of back up...
Second, I don't need likeable characters to enjoy a book, but these characters irked me in so many different ways. There literally wasn't one character that I even semi-liked. I found the entire cast annoying, frustrating, and/or underdeveloped.
Third, I didn't even really love the author's writing style. I felt like it was symplistic, but more importantly, she barely scratched the surface emotionally which was disappointing considering the heaviness of the themes of the book and the fact that this is literary fiction. I literally didn't care one bit about any of their characters' issues and I mainly place that blame on the author.
Last, there was quite a few instances of repetition and lapses in time. Robinson would switch to a new character's pov and repeat the story from the new perspective. I would have benefitted more from a simple statement of how much time had passed. I don't know if I'm making my point here or not, but it annoyed me and took me out of the story several times.
For all the hype this one is getting on #bookstagram, I was definitely hoping for more!
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
4.0
I was late to the Divine Rivals/Ruthless Vows party, so I didn’t have to wait to find out what happened with that crazy cliffhanger at the end of Divine Rivals!
Maybe the tension of not knowing if Roman and Iris were ok would have made the reveal better. Maybe some time would have helped me forget how committed I felt to Divine Rivals. I’m not sure what would have made Ruthless Vows better, but it wasn’t as strong of a story for me as Divine Rivals was.
First, let me say that Rebecca Ross can write! She’s a new-to-me author, but I really fell into her stories and found them to be compelling. What didn’t work for me in RV had nothing to do with her talent, but more the choices she made.
I absolutely fell head over heels for Roman and Iris in DR, but they were separated way too much for my liking in RV. We spent the first book building up to them being married, only for them to be totally away from each other in RV. Because they were my favorite part of the first book, I definitely wanted more and was super disappointed that’s not the direction Ross chose.
Also, the world building in this one was so boring to me. That’s generally why I steer clear of fantasies and was pleasantly surprised with the lack of it in DR, so I felt like I was getting hit over the head with it in this one. I know that’s a me problem because that’s the genre, but it’s just not my style.
Overall, I’m not sad I bought into the DR/RV hype at all. It was a great escape and I enjoyed myself, but while DR was a grand slam, RV was just a base hit.
Maybe the tension of not knowing if Roman and Iris were ok would have made the reveal better. Maybe some time would have helped me forget how committed I felt to Divine Rivals. I’m not sure what would have made Ruthless Vows better, but it wasn’t as strong of a story for me as Divine Rivals was.
First, let me say that Rebecca Ross can write! She’s a new-to-me author, but I really fell into her stories and found them to be compelling. What didn’t work for me in RV had nothing to do with her talent, but more the choices she made.
I absolutely fell head over heels for Roman and Iris in DR, but they were separated way too much for my liking in RV. We spent the first book building up to them being married, only for them to be totally away from each other in RV. Because they were my favorite part of the first book, I definitely wanted more and was super disappointed that’s not the direction Ross chose.
Also, the world building in this one was so boring to me. That’s generally why I steer clear of fantasies and was pleasantly surprised with the lack of it in DR, so I felt like I was getting hit over the head with it in this one. I know that’s a me problem because that’s the genre, but it’s just not my style.
Overall, I’m not sad I bought into the DR/RV hype at all. It was a great escape and I enjoyed myself, but while DR was a grand slam, RV was just a base hit.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
5.0
THE HYPE IS REAL...I loved this one!
I was instantly invested in the enemies-to-lovers connection between Winnow and Kitt.
No one is more surprised than me!
There was a lot of hesitation heading into this one - YA, fantasy, and romance...I was certainly nervous, but after seeing this book everywhere, I decided to give it a shot.
Most important, there was substance behind the romance. The fantasy is a little more background than I expected, but also just enough that it didn't get lost in the details. I enjoyed Ross' writing and I thought the magical connection between Winnow and Kitt was clever and well-done.
Last, THAT ENDING! I am diving into Ruthless Vows asap because I cannot wait a second longer to find out how this story wraps up!
I was instantly invested in the enemies-to-lovers connection between Winnow and Kitt.
No one is more surprised than me!
There was a lot of hesitation heading into this one - YA, fantasy, and romance...I was certainly nervous, but after seeing this book everywhere, I decided to give it a shot.
Most important, there was substance behind the romance. The fantasy is a little more background than I expected, but also just enough that it didn't get lost in the details. I enjoyed Ross' writing and I thought the magical connection between Winnow and Kitt was clever and well-done.
Last, THAT ENDING! I am diving into Ruthless Vows asap because I cannot wait a second longer to find out how this story wraps up!
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
4.5
Adina is a alien born to a human mother. From the very beginning, she knows there's something different about her, but once she's "activated" when she's six-years-old, she begins to observe the humans around her and sends those observations back to her homeland.
The beauty of this story is in these observations, where Adina relays mundane moments we humans take for granted and makes them beautiful. I rotated between the audio and digital versions of this book - and while I don't think you can go wrong with either format - I loved being able to read, reread, meditate on, and highlight so many passages.
With themes of identity and belonging, Adina brings a softness to the human experience that I think gets pushed to the wayside through the demands of everyday life. I really appreciated getting to slow down and remember what a gift this experience of life truly is!
The beauty of this story is in these observations, where Adina relays mundane moments we humans take for granted and makes them beautiful. I rotated between the audio and digital versions of this book - and while I don't think you can go wrong with either format - I loved being able to read, reread, meditate on, and highlight so many passages.
With themes of identity and belonging, Adina brings a softness to the human experience that I think gets pushed to the wayside through the demands of everyday life. I really appreciated getting to slow down and remember what a gift this experience of life truly is!
Victim by Andrew Boryga
4.0
I mentioned recently that I am probably done reading satirical novels for awhile, but I also knew that I wanted to read Victim before I followed through with that statement. When I heard that it does for journalism what Yellowface did to publishing, I wasn't going to miss out!
Despite all the buzzwords we currently associate with "victims" - raised by a single-mom, minority, lower income home/neighborhood, gang-activity, drugs, murdered father - Javier has never felt like an underdog. But when it comes time to start applying for colleges, a well-meaning professor encourages him to embellish the hard truths of his life to increase his liklihood of acceptance.
It works, and once Javi gets a taste of avenues opening up for him, he is hooked. As he navigates his personal relationships, college experience, and eventually his career, he gets sucked deeper and deeper into the cycle. So far into it, that it eventually becomes difficult to dicipher the truth from fiction.
Watching Javi's descent is hard, and he increasinly becomes a very unlikeable character, but through the use of satire, Boryga challenges his readers to examine thier own thoughts regarding diversity, social acceptance, and our personal hypocrisies. Boryga not only puts Javi in the glaring spotlight, but his readers as well.
I do believe this would make a great book club because I definitely feel like I have a lot to discuss after finishing!
Despite all the buzzwords we currently associate with "victims" - raised by a single-mom, minority, lower income home/neighborhood, gang-activity, drugs, murdered father - Javier has never felt like an underdog. But when it comes time to start applying for colleges, a well-meaning professor encourages him to embellish the hard truths of his life to increase his liklihood of acceptance.
It works, and once Javi gets a taste of avenues opening up for him, he is hooked. As he navigates his personal relationships, college experience, and eventually his career, he gets sucked deeper and deeper into the cycle. So far into it, that it eventually becomes difficult to dicipher the truth from fiction.
Watching Javi's descent is hard, and he increasinly becomes a very unlikeable character, but through the use of satire, Boryga challenges his readers to examine thier own thoughts regarding diversity, social acceptance, and our personal hypocrisies. Boryga not only puts Javi in the glaring spotlight, but his readers as well.
I do believe this would make a great book club because I definitely feel like I have a lot to discuss after finishing!