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thexwalrus's reviews
140 reviews
No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall
3.75
a little more predictable than her other books, but still good. a great cast of characters, both ones i loved, and ones i loved to hate. solid, in other words.
Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings
slow-paced
2.5
nothing happens in this book, like, plot-wise. it's toxic, insufferable people being toxic and insufferable and honestly? it was very fun to read! like a terrible reality tv show you're ashamed to say you can't stop bingeing.
the line-level writing needs a lot of work - there are some typos and grammatical errors an editor should've caught, and some sentences that are fragments that were probably left that way for a stylistic choice but they just sounded awful. there's a lot of flowery talk about love that probably accounts for 50% of the length of this book.
magnolia has patrick bateman-like habits - she describes the specific details of every item of clothing everyone is wearing. it makes total sense for her character! i just come from the trenches of mid-2000s fandom where every fic featured that and it's now something that irks me in published works. like i said, she's insufferable. but i didn't read this book to like her as a character, i read it because it was described to me as toxic people being toxic to each other and i was like "ooh, i love mess!"
it's not terrible - it's a middle of the road book that i'm not upset i read, but i probably won't read again. it was fun for what it was!
the line-level writing needs a lot of work - there are some typos and grammatical errors an editor should've caught, and some sentences that are fragments that were probably left that way for a stylistic choice but they just sounded awful. there's a lot of flowery talk about love that probably accounts for 50% of the length of this book.
magnolia has patrick bateman-like habits - she describes the specific details of every item of clothing everyone is wearing. it makes total sense for her character! i just come from the trenches of mid-2000s fandom where every fic featured that and it's now something that irks me in published works. like i said, she's insufferable. but i didn't read this book to like her as a character, i read it because it was described to me as toxic people being toxic to each other and i was like "ooh, i love mess!"
it's not terrible - it's a middle of the road book that i'm not upset i read, but i probably won't read again. it was fun for what it was!
Murder Road by Simone St. James
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
once again, simone st. james knocks it out of the fucking park.
desolate, haunted two-lane highways are a specific part of americana that i love. i mean, my favorite tv show is supernatural - of course i love the weird little roads that tell you you shouldn't be driving on them. this book takes that concept and fleshes it out through the eyes of two traumatized survivors trying to heal enough to be wildly in love with each other. this book was made in a lab specifically to appeal to me.
every single character in this book has a moment that made me adore them - even the shitty cops that i hated were wonderful characters! no one is one-dimensional, and no one is a cliche, not even april - which i was surprised by, because a character with a hard past who is so used to running all the time is a character type i'm very familiar with. i loved them all, especially rose, because i'm a sucker for a grumpy older woman who speaks her mind and cares about people in her own unique way.
it's a love story. it's a murder mystery. it's a local legend about ghosts and a reminder that some stories don't get satisfying endings. i loved this and i'm so glad i read it.
desolate, haunted two-lane highways are a specific part of americana that i love. i mean, my favorite tv show is supernatural - of course i love the weird little roads that tell you you shouldn't be driving on them. this book takes that concept and fleshes it out through the eyes of two traumatized survivors trying to heal enough to be wildly in love with each other. this book was made in a lab specifically to appeal to me.
every single character in this book has a moment that made me adore them - even the shitty cops that i hated were wonderful characters! no one is one-dimensional, and no one is a cliche, not even april - which i was surprised by, because a character with a hard past who is so used to running all the time is a character type i'm very familiar with. i loved them all, especially rose, because i'm a sucker for a grumpy older woman who speaks her mind and cares about people in her own unique way.
it's a love story. it's a murder mystery. it's a local legend about ghosts and a reminder that some stories don't get satisfying endings. i loved this and i'm so glad i read it.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
this took a while to pull me in - i think it was just a matter of picking it up at the wrong time. but once i got into it and things started clicking, i could not put it down.
crouch's line-level writing is brilliant. the staccato sentences during periods of urgency? the longer, flowing sentences when we're seeing things through an artist's perspective? the seamless transitions between the two that keep the tone of the book charging forward even in the moments we're supposed to be lingering? chef's kiss. as a writer myself i was very impressed with this level of craft.
the plot was a little strange at the start, but once we get an explanation (in incredibly digestible terms for people who have only a passing familiarity of quantum mechanics, which i think crouch deserves kudos for) it becomes so introspective and compelling. it's an investigation of identity, it's a wonderful science fiction "what if" story, it's a thriller, it's a love story about family and how lucky we are to find our people. i would not have guessed all those things could work in a narrative together, but this book proved me wrong!
it's a quick, approachable read that makes you think, with a beautiful, hopeful ending that made me smile. highly recommend.
crouch's line-level writing is brilliant. the staccato sentences during periods of urgency? the longer, flowing sentences when we're seeing things through an artist's perspective? the seamless transitions between the two that keep the tone of the book charging forward even in the moments we're supposed to be lingering? chef's kiss. as a writer myself i was very impressed with this level of craft.
the plot was a little strange at the start, but once we get an explanation (in incredibly digestible terms for people who have only a passing familiarity of quantum mechanics, which i think crouch deserves kudos for) it becomes so introspective and compelling. it's an investigation of identity, it's a wonderful science fiction "what if" story, it's a thriller, it's a love story about family and how lucky we are to find our people. i would not have guessed all those things could work in a narrative together, but this book proved me wrong!
it's a quick, approachable read that makes you think, with a beautiful, hopeful ending that made me smile. highly recommend.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
3.25
i loved the end of this book, but i don't know how i feel about the rest of it and i don't know why. i loved a lot of the characters. i loved the prose itself. but i never really felt compelled by the story? overall, it was "meh" until the greater theme of "fate can be changed" truly started coming into play.
maybe my issue was the historical setting - i don't know a lot about the spanish inquisition, and i never took spanish bc i was (as far as i'm aware) incapable of making the appropriate sounds to pronounce the words. as a result, i found myself constantly needing to reread parts because my brain got hung up on pronouncing a name in a few ways that seemed correct, and wondering if the word i had read actually meant what i had assumed it meant via context clues. i also kept forgetting "don" was a title and not a name, so for a while i was assuming all these important dudes were named don. (that was 100% on my own dingus brain, definitely not a fault of the book itself.)
this is wonderfully written and it's got a great final arc and wonderful characters, all things i've come to expect from leigh bardugo, but the setting made it a miss for me - at least for now. i think i may do some research on the spanish inquisition and the era this was set in so i can get a better overall picture before rereading it and seeing if that changes my rating. this book is going to be a five star read for a LOT of people! but for now, those people aren't me.
maybe my issue was the historical setting - i don't know a lot about the spanish inquisition, and i never took spanish bc i was (as far as i'm aware) incapable of making the appropriate sounds to pronounce the words. as a result, i found myself constantly needing to reread parts because my brain got hung up on pronouncing a name in a few ways that seemed correct, and wondering if the word i had read actually meant what i had assumed it meant via context clues. i also kept forgetting "don" was a title and not a name, so for a while i was assuming all these important dudes were named don. (that was 100% on my own dingus brain, definitely not a fault of the book itself.)
this is wonderfully written and it's got a great final arc and wonderful characters, all things i've come to expect from leigh bardugo, but the setting made it a miss for me - at least for now. i think i may do some research on the spanish inquisition and the era this was set in so i can get a better overall picture before rereading it and seeing if that changes my rating. this book is going to be a five star read for a LOT of people! but for now, those people aren't me.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
i think this might've beat book lovers for my favorite emily henry book yet.
unlike book lovers, i relate way more to the love interest than the protagonist - i'm a miles, constantly people-pleasing and doing my best to make sure everyone i meet likes me. however, i have a fraught relationship with a mostly-absent father, so daphne's entire journey with her dad resonated deeply with me. it honestly made it hard to read at points, because the aching wanting for connection with a man who so clearly has other things on his priority list hurts, especially at a time when i'm forced to coexist with my father in real life. (unfortunate timing of reading this on my part, honestly.)
daphne and miles and the whole crew of lovely weirdos in waning bay all feel so real and vivid. i would love to live in this tiny town, to visit the library, to get cheese from edna, the cheesemonger. ashleigh seems like a lot of person, but in the best way. julia is a ridiculous and wonderful ball of light and energy. i love them all so much. this is truly one of the best ensembles in a book i've read since i read six of crows.
this feels like a peak mid-2000s rom-com given a fresh coat of paint and turned into a fantastic book. i loved it.
unlike book lovers, i relate way more to the love interest than the protagonist - i'm a miles, constantly people-pleasing and doing my best to make sure everyone i meet likes me. however, i have a fraught relationship with a mostly-absent father, so daphne's entire journey with her dad resonated deeply with me. it honestly made it hard to read at points, because the aching wanting for connection with a man who so clearly has other things on his priority list hurts, especially at a time when i'm forced to coexist with my father in real life. (unfortunate timing of reading this on my part, honestly.)
daphne and miles and the whole crew of lovely weirdos in waning bay all feel so real and vivid. i would love to live in this tiny town, to visit the library, to get cheese from edna, the cheesemonger. ashleigh seems like a lot of person, but in the best way. julia is a ridiculous and wonderful ball of light and energy. i love them all so much. this is truly one of the best ensembles in a book i've read since i read six of crows.
this feels like a peak mid-2000s rom-com given a fresh coat of paint and turned into a fantastic book. i loved it.
Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season by Stewart O'Nan, Stephen King
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
if you are not a baseball fan, and more specifically a red sox fan, i do not think you'll enjoy this book. it's technical. o'nan's sections can get bogged down in play-by-plays. it's a book about a season of baseball that no one in new england will ever forget.
every winter, my seasonal depression kicks my ass and i'm miserable through march - until one day i feel a shift out of nowhere, and i check twitter, and yes, it's truck day, it's almost time to report to fort meyers for spring training. the return of baseball kicks my seasonal depression to the curb; baseball means springtime, means warm, lazy nights watching the boys play in the greatest ballpark in the nation. as a red sox fan since birth, there is magic in the pages of this book; this book is that feeling incarnate, and it remains one of my favorites even after all these years.
i was wearing sox shirts when i was 3 months old - my grandmother was a diehard sox fan, and since she was my primary babysitter, that meant i was a diehard sox fan, too. even as a child, i knew that the sox winning it all was unlikely, that the yankees were the evil empire, that if we won over the yankees that was enough for me to be thrilled with bc it was rare to get more than that from them. i was 10 in 2004, so i didn't remember a lot of the details of that season - but i do remember having total strangers who weren't even red sox fans cheering them on in the world series, in airports while my mom and i traveled back from a disney vacation. and i remember the way my mom woke me up the next morning to say "we did it. we won the world series." and how my elementary school let us watch the victory parade instead of doing classwork, because it was history happening in front of us!
this book is a wonderful time capsule to remind yourself of that 2004 season, especially because so much of what happened in the postseason changed opinions of people that were maligned in the regular season - francona's terrible decisions when it came to pitchers, lowe's lackluster performance as a starter, cabrera's difficult start making the garciaparra trade hurt even more. when it mattered most, they all kicked ass, but it doesn't change the fact that during the regular season they weren't anyone's favorites. (let's not mention martinez' struggles against the yankees, which was more on the bats and less on pedro because where was the run support?)
it was also wild to be reminded of youk's incredible performance as a rookie, knowing that in a little bit, he'd be on the team full-time and a world series champion in his own right. stephen king was right - he would go on to be a star for us.
the end almost feels scripted, and i can't get over that. a reverse sweep of the yankees? sweeping the cards in their own park? it's too good to be true, and yet it is true, and we reversed the curse. if this was fiction, i'd say it was almost too predictable. but it was real life.
i love the red sox. i love baseball. i love this book, because 20 years ago i got to be here for the most important and historic sports history moment i'll ever live through (and being in new england, i've lived through a lot) and when my memory gets spotty, i'll have this to go back to to bring back the smile and the thrill of it all.
every winter, my seasonal depression kicks my ass and i'm miserable through march - until one day i feel a shift out of nowhere, and i check twitter, and yes, it's truck day, it's almost time to report to fort meyers for spring training. the return of baseball kicks my seasonal depression to the curb; baseball means springtime, means warm, lazy nights watching the boys play in the greatest ballpark in the nation. as a red sox fan since birth, there is magic in the pages of this book; this book is that feeling incarnate, and it remains one of my favorites even after all these years.
i was wearing sox shirts when i was 3 months old - my grandmother was a diehard sox fan, and since she was my primary babysitter, that meant i was a diehard sox fan, too. even as a child, i knew that the sox winning it all was unlikely, that the yankees were the evil empire, that if we won over the yankees that was enough for me to be thrilled with bc it was rare to get more than that from them. i was 10 in 2004, so i didn't remember a lot of the details of that season - but i do remember having total strangers who weren't even red sox fans cheering them on in the world series, in airports while my mom and i traveled back from a disney vacation. and i remember the way my mom woke me up the next morning to say "we did it. we won the world series." and how my elementary school let us watch the victory parade instead of doing classwork, because it was history happening in front of us!
this book is a wonderful time capsule to remind yourself of that 2004 season, especially because so much of what happened in the postseason changed opinions of people that were maligned in the regular season - francona's terrible decisions when it came to pitchers, lowe's lackluster performance as a starter, cabrera's difficult start making the garciaparra trade hurt even more. when it mattered most, they all kicked ass, but it doesn't change the fact that during the regular season they weren't anyone's favorites. (let's not mention martinez' struggles against the yankees, which was more on the bats and less on pedro because where was the run support?)
it was also wild to be reminded of youk's incredible performance as a rookie, knowing that in a little bit, he'd be on the team full-time and a world series champion in his own right. stephen king was right - he would go on to be a star for us.
the end almost feels scripted, and i can't get over that. a reverse sweep of the yankees? sweeping the cards in their own park? it's too good to be true, and yet it is true, and we reversed the curse. if this was fiction, i'd say it was almost too predictable. but it was real life.
i love the red sox. i love baseball. i love this book, because 20 years ago i got to be here for the most important and historic sports history moment i'll ever live through (and being in new england, i've lived through a lot) and when my memory gets spotty, i'll have this to go back to to bring back the smile and the thrill of it all.
The Butterfly's Burden by Mahmoud Darwish
i'm going to reread this in the future when i'm less stressed and on edge, and do so more carefully and closely. and then i will finally rate it.