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rachel_from_avid_bookshop's reviews
928 reviews
We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Is a cat the answer to everyone's problems? Co-worker irritating you? Not feeling appreciated at home? Having trouble sleeping? Syou Ishida's We'll Prescribe You a Cat is a delightful book that will prove that, yes, a cat can solve most anything, but never in the way you anticipate.
Entitlement by Rumaan Alam
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rumaan Alam's Entitlement is the story of one woman's desire to make a difference, save the world, be good, feel like she's worth it, and also, yet very much also, be financially comfortable. Alam always addresses race and privilege in his books but in the most subtle and sophisticated ways. I read the last half of Entitlement covering my eyes, barely able to witness choices Brooke makes while working for an octogenarian billionaire trying to give away his fortune before his death. This is a compelling story that doesn't tie up neatly at the end.
All Fours by Miranda July
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
It is a chance encounter, a mere locking of the eyes, that causes the protagonist, a slightly-famous artist, to hire a decorator and set up a mini-residency in a motel in Sierra Madre less than an hour away from her husband and child in L.A. Instead of driving to NYC and back, the three weeks are spent creating a womb-like sanctuary modeled after Le Bristol in Paris and not having sex with a married man. What one might see as a mid-life crisis becomes her touchstone. If life is such an inevitable struggle, why not seek what you desire, no matter the consequence? Miranda July’s All Fours asks the questions we don’t even allow ourselves to think on the edges of our dreams. Is the need to truly be seen by others incongruous with being partnered? Can we redefine the social ecosystems of a marriage? Why doesn’t anyone talk about the hormonal shifts of menopause? The artist’s pilgrimage in All Fours splits open the traditional yearning to create, makes the mundane lustful, and might rewire your brain.
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The main character in Holly Gramazio's book The Husbands wakes up one day to find a husband coming down the steps of her attic but she's not married. Lauren is pretty sure she wasn't married when she went to bed the night before, slightly tipsy from her friend's hen party, but she finds herself very much married to a stranger the next morning. The Husbandsexplores the bizarre and confusing world where a magic attic causes husbands to turn into different husbands anytime Lauren convinces them to go to the attic to fetch something. This funny & bizarre book has Lauren cycling through men hoping to find the perfect one while examining the nuances of being married. As her life slightly changes each time a different husband descends from the attic (different paint colors, missing things), this is a wild ride.
The Coin by Yasmin Zaher
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The protagonist in Yasmin Zaher's The Coin is a Palestinian woman living in New York City who, even with financial privilege, is haunted by her lack of country, distance from family, and intense need to feel exactly the right type of belonging and connectedness. This book makes statements about class, morals, and those who are underprivileged in ways that are at times funny and definitely bizarre.
Smothermoss by Alisa Alering
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A lyrically beautiful Southern Gothic story set in the Appalachian mountains, Smothermoss is an edge-of-your-seat yet gorgeous read. Two very different sisters exist in communion with the flora and fauna where the mountain plays a pivotal role. Both Sheila and Angie are trying to figure out their place in the world as kids in the 1980s. When a double murder in their small community put everyone on high alert, Angie is certain she can catch the killer. Smothermoss reads like a fairy tale with thrilling moments that could lead to devastation. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
The Anthropologists by Ayşegül Savaş
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
In The Anthropologists Ayşegül Savas gives us a portrait of a marriage and a life built by two who feel the pull of their home country even as they view apartments and imagine the commitment of owning a home. This slow reflective book was divided into perfect sections that I found mesmerizing.
Our Long Marvelous Dying by Anna DeForest
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Author Anna DeForest's work as a palliative care doctor qualifies her as well-positioned to write a literary fiction piece regarding one new doctor's experience practicing during the pandemic. Our Long Marvelous Dying shares human struggles those in healthcare encounter with the backdrop of a floundering marriage and dying houseplants. Our narrator finds exquisite beauty in the layers that are shed as we die and pushes back against the traditional way to care for those at the end of their life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Animal death