2.5 ⭐️ but rounding up. There was just too much going on and too many characters for having any real development. It seemed like the central character2.5 ⭐️ but rounding up. There was just too much going on and too many characters for having any real development. It seemed like the central character should have been Maria but felt like too much fighting for control between Maria and Nino but neither of them felt like they carried the story well.
Anna Weber’s storyline was rather disappointing and could have been stronger or left out. The stuff that went down at Mercury and Art’s trial all seemed haphazard. I was hoping that Nino and Vincent’s story would be a movie, but nope.
It was starting to get tighter in the second half but the ending was so anti-climactic and disappointing and I really shouldn’t have been surprised.
However you felt about Catch-22 is probably how you’ll feel about this. Too much was going and really this should have been a duology....more
2.5 ⭐️. Toni Jensen is a fantastic writer and her stories are captivating, however as a cohesive piece, I felt “Carry” missed the mark.
I hate that I’m2.5 ⭐️. Toni Jensen is a fantastic writer and her stories are captivating, however as a cohesive piece, I felt “Carry” missed the mark.
I hate that I’m giving it this rating because she is so talented and what she has to say is invaluable and eye-opening. The memoir is billed as a collection of essays, but it didn’t read that way, nor did it feel like a full novel. It mostly felt disjointed and I didn’t love the Webster’s dictionary definitions throughout.
The last quarter of the book was the best part and I’m glad I stuck with it. I probably just struggled with the editing. I would definitely read more of Toni Jensen and I’m disappointed by my response to “Carry.” ...more
Worth the hype, and I’m very glad I read this. Though this review is short, it’s not because I didn’t love the book, but*TRIGGER WARNING AT THE BOTTOM
Worth the hype, and I’m very glad I read this. Though this review is short, it’s not because I didn’t love the book, but because I have so many thoughts, and I will not presume to articulate them well.
This was the October pick for Books and Bars.
“James” is a retelling of “Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain through the perspective of Jim James. While part I of “James” more or less follows the storyline of “Huckleberry Finn,” but by part II it branches off into its own book, taking on a darker, more sickening, more horrific, and more wrathful story.
I’ve never read any Mark Twain. I think by the time it would have been required reading for me (mid-2000s), it had stopped moving through the high school curriculum. Both before, while and after reading this book, I reviewed the synopsis for “HW” to follow where it differed, but even in the synopsis, I thought the story demeaning and “white savior-y” (but please keep in mind I have not read “HW” so this is a very narrow opinion). I thought about whether I should read “HW” but I’d like to think of Jim James through Percival Everett’s perspective: a man of agency and pride who loves his family and the written word.
This is a very fast read and probably my second favorite Books and Bars read this year (after “Horse” by Geraldine Brooks, which I feel conflicted about enjoying more).
SPOILER ALERT
Hot take: I’m not convinced that James is actually Huck’s father ...more
Caution: when you read this book, it will be for a long time but perhaps not a good time.
It might be impossible for me to give this book a fair reviewCaution: when you read this book, it will be for a long time but perhaps not a good time.
It might be impossible for me to give this book a fair review. My star rating might change later but before getting into that…
The interesting things about “Wellness”: - The non-linear narrative style, though the structure is often foreshadowed (I.e. the marriage/life bell curve, the hyperlink story) - Multiple character POVs - Deep and interesting research - Profoundly complex characters - So many layers and twists
Frustrating parts: - Very long - Several chapters that are seemingly irrelevant until you get to the end and see the whole picture come together.
Why I have a hard time giving this a fair review: - Too relatable and hit way too close to home - somehow managing to touch on every insecurity and anxiety I have at the time of this review. - Because I’m going to probably end up crying while talking about this book at the book club I attend that’s at a bar and I’m resentful for it....more
This is told through the perspectives of four teenagers living in or connected to Fairbanks, AK. The novel is broken up into I’m SO glad I read this!
This is told through the perspectives of four teenagers living in or connected to Fairbanks, AK. The novel is broken up into four parts for each season of 1970 and examines the role of family - either the one you’re born into or the one you’re brought into - and how different families coexist in an Alaskan community to support each other.
It’s rare that I wish a book could be longer so that I could spend more time with these characters (actually, I don’t if I’ve ever experienced that with a book). Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock is brilliant at describing a setting very simply but making you feel completely immersed in the setting (if you’ve read “The Samurai’s Garden” by Gail Tsukiyama, it’s a very similar experience).
This was an easy five starts for me, and I did not expect to be as teary as I was. “The Smell of Other People’s Houses” will grip you instantly. ...more
I don't understand why I like this, but I do? The format does not make sense to me. It felt like three short stories thrown together to make a book.
Do
I don't understand why I like this, but I do? The format does not make sense to me. It felt like three short stories thrown together to make a book.
Do you know what a vignette is?” “No.” “It’s a story that’s too small to be called a story, so you call it a vignette. By pretending you’ve made it small on purpose, you avoid the shame that accompanies culpability.
However, the writing was absolutely delightful, with great dialog peppered with plenty of repartee. There are time jumps that span decades, and with each jump, you definitely feel transported into those eras. It's all mostly told through Bob's perspective except for a couple of times you're in the point of view of some side characters, but it would be so brief, so infrequent, and at such inconsequential moments that it seems unintentional.
Life is kind of just happening around Bob, and as the reader, you're stuck in that spot as well (you don't even get to hear about the books he's reading). Every time you want to learn more about what happened in a situation or what's going on between different characters, the section ends, and you jump in time again. Linus sums up my feelings about Bob when he says:
"What's the German word for pity, scorn, and awe happening all at the same time?"
He's kind of like Bill Nighy's character in the film "Living" or Klara in "Klara and the Sun." (I really should get around to reading "Never Let Me Go.")
After looking up some of Patrick deWitt's other works (which sound awesome and I'm adding to my library list), I'm wondering if he didn't really have a direction in mind with this book after so many heavy hitters. In continuing June's quote from earlier, this feels in line with the rest of the book.
Do you know what culpability is?”...“It’s the bill coming due. This work is not our strongest. It is not bad work, but it doesn’t have the power of our past labors. That power, which was once effortless, and which we wielded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, is now dimming, and there isn’t any vitamin or medicine I can find to remedy the lack.
Despite all this, I still enjoyed "The Librarianist!" Yes, I was rooting for Bob and I wanted him to have a fulfilling life by my standards, but to him, his life was fulfilling, and who am I to say otherwise? I loved the writing and plan to read more from deWitt's body of work.
“Someday, Bob, when you’re an aged specimen like me, and you find yourself suddenly enamored of folding the laundry or edging your lawn, remember your long-gone friend Leslie More telling you to accept whatever happiness passes your way, and in whatever form...Because it’s a fool who argues with happiness, while the wiser man accepts it as it comes, if it comes at all.”
I want to emphasize that three stars does not mean I think this book was bad or lacking. It reflect how I felt when reading it, which was stressed andI want to emphasize that three stars does not mean I think this book was bad or lacking. It reflect how I felt when reading it, which was stressed and uncomfortable having to think about some, to me, scary things to consider.
First off, I love that it was told through multiple points of view. I grew to adore (most of) the characters seeing their journeys during what was mostly just a year. There were also some absolutely beautiful love stories that made my heart swell and then smash in a million pieces. I think I gasped out loud (though I shouldn’t have been surprised) when I found out who Gertrude’s fiancé was.
Though this book was on the shorter side, I had to take several breaks to disentangle myself from their world. I kept imagining what I would do in their shoes and couldn’t stop asking people how they would feel in those situations.
The idea that we are all connected was a little schmaltzy but with how depressed I felt reading the book, I kind of needed that relief so I good with it. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to find out where the strings came from and why they were true but I’m guessing that was the point: that we can’t just expect to find answers or hidden meaning to our lives, and that we can only be responsible for what we do with the time we have.
The ending did feel a little rushed and I was hoping to get more out of it but overall it was a satisfying end. However, the final twist - though the subject was discussed throughout at that point - made me think about the lives that wouldn’t exist if not for what we know or didn’t know about our futures.
Though I gave it three, I know I’ll be thinking about this for a while.
Oh, and I could not stop thinking about Schrödinger’s cat the entire time. ...more
**spoiler alert** So many thoughts. I would probably give this book 3.5 if I could, mostly because I struggle with true crime (or fictional true crime**spoiler alert** So many thoughts. I would probably give this book 3.5 if I could, mostly because I struggle with true crime (or fictional true crime, in this case) and because I felt so physically tense when reading it.
This whole book, I was reminded of my therapist asking, “so what’s the dialectic here?”
- He’s a good guy AND he’s a murderer - He’s a a predator AND he’s didn’t murder her - She’s helping prove a man’s innocence AND she’s influencing a case and making things worse in ways - It was fucked up of her to attack that woman online and accuse of exaggerating AND she believes women - You were a victim AND you victimize - She shouldn’t have talked about the case AND it was good she did - Granby is great AND it protects itself - You may not think you’re racist AND you do racist shit
I’m sure there’s more but those initially come to mind.
It was so relatable in its descriptions about how teenagers thought and further instilled that teenagers, as developed as they appear, are not done cooking but that’s only obvious in retrospect.
I’m sure I’ll be thinking about this book for a while. ...more
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