typewriter's reviews
390 reviews

Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski

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3.5

Happy Place by Emily Henry

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4.0

The Weather Woman by Sally Gardner

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2.0

The beginning of this book was sweet and it was certainly unique for a regency story, but that's where the positives ended for me. The main issue I had with this story was the constant use of timeskips; much of the interesting plot (and significant early portions of the romance) happen off-page, so it's hard to get invested and the whole thing reads like a badly made soap opera. Neva is also very much a Mary Sue: she's beautiful and always saying the wrong (conveniently progressive and feminist) thing. Overall the book has a very childish delineation of good and evil. The heteronormativity of the story was also a big disappointment, and verges on queerbaiting/homophobia. I still had a good time reading this though; it's so much fun to explain the increasingly deranged plot to friends as you go.

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

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4.0

Exhalation by Ted Chiang

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challenging reflective

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

These stories were very thought-provoking and meticulously written, and I understand why they have achieved their present popularity and acclaim. My favourites were The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate and Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom. My main issue with this collection is that the writing style at times so emphasized the mundanity of the characters' lives and was so plain that I felt a bit like I was reading an essay or an article; the thought experiments presented are clearly the focus of each story, to the point where the characters feel a bit secondary and plain. Still very interesting food for thought though.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin

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adventurous

4.5

In some ways I liked this collection more than the main series; the length means Martin has to provide an at least somewhat satisfying conclusion as opposed to drawing things out for the drama and killing half of the characters in the process. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and add to the reading experience where in some books it would be accompaniment. Dunk and Egg are also both very sweet characters, and I would read more about them if I had the chance.

American Hippo by Sarah Gailey

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adventurous emotional funny

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Sarah Gailey hitting it out of the park as always with all the queer feels and also hippos and cycles of revenge. This book was everything, and I wish I could read more about these characters because I love them all so so much. (as you can see I love these stories to the point of incoherency. I'll stop now)

The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett

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challenging mysterious

3.5

As witty as expected, but the story wasn't as gripping as I remember The Maltese Falcon being. Nora Charles is an icon though.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

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emotional hopeful