aimlib's reviews
45 reviews

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A very tricky book because it changes depending on your mental health. 

If you are depressed or feel like you merely exist in this world that continues to revolve, which I’m pretty sure happens to all of often, this can be the light at the end of the dark tunnel. 

There’s no therapy like comforting words, just feelings that relate to how you feel. The words just flow and you’d think ‘I feel seen’, ‘that’s exactly what I feel like’. 

It’s less about the actions of the MC and more about how she feels. 

But if you are content with life currently, happy, calm, peaceful, life has meaning, aka you are having a good time, this book is insufferable, boring, irritating, no plot, feels long and all the characters selfish. 

I was both.

I started this when I was in my floating in space moments and the words resonated so much with me, and a few days later and 50% in, I found my light, because I felt as if I was the MC doing all that sleeping and abusing drugs. I could feel that state between staying awake and sleeping, where everything blurs, and I was tired, physically tired that I decided to wake up and breathe the fresh air.

And then I started the second half, now in my happy place, and the same things continued, but this time I was irritated, and the MC was insufferable and very judgmental. I also found two words once the MC says that ticked me off and almost made me dnf (autism and the r word associated with it).

I ignored it, finally finished the book, and I liked it, the ending was good, and the last chapter was the stark difference between two troubled characters who decided to approach their problems in two different ways. 

While we really can’t hibernate for a year, especially in this economy, this book is an alternative for that. We live a year through the words of the author. 

And the MC is definitely privileged and entitled, the book is proof that even the rich, especially the rich, can have everything and still not be happy. 

I know people like the MC, and I also know people like Reva, the friend, who live their lives in an illusion trying to fit a societal standard and class. 

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

🤎 The general consensus about A Little Life is that it’s sad, tragic, makes you cry buckets, but, I saw life portrayed as it is, I saw characters that pushed through, stuck to each other despite it all, I saw success but also failures, I saw love and friendships, lost and found.

When I told people I was reading it everyone was quick to ask if I’m crying or if my mental health was good and if I was taking breaks. I get it can have an adverse effect on some, but in Jude I saw someone real, I saw a fellow human, but it also made me feel better on how I approach my struggles when compared to Jude. 

The plot got worse, then better and worse and better, and just like life, had its ups and downs. And despite it all, it was a life lived. I mean when I closed the book I genuinely smiled. Like I looked into a life of a loved one.

There is controversy that the trauma is not possible in real life, or that the author went too much with the trauma, but I didn’t like it for the content, I liked it for the essence of the book, the characters, the friendships and love, the impact a childhood trauma can have for the rest of the life, overcoming it, living with it.

The chapter ‘The Happy Years’ portrayed living with a loved one who is like the main character Jude, and the emotions, inner monologues and all were spot on. And ‘Dear Comrade’ is the perfect depiction of grief. 

Life is not always rainbows and sunshine, for some it’s hard, f*cked up and every living moment is hell inside their minds and they still manage to live. 

While I agree the plot could have toned down with the trauma, a few instead of all, I don’t think A Little Life is overhyped, it just reached the wrong audience mostly. 

Not a lot of people agree with me that it’s a beautifully written book (minus the trauma), but the ones who do, have given me great insight into their minds that has lead to some amazing discussions.

For me, this is a book I will re read and analyze sentence by sentence because there is so much info that’s left ambiguous, multiple layers to peel back. 

OVERALL RATING: 6/5

In Every Dark Corner by Duncan Ralston

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Dead Men Walking: a story by Duncan Ralston

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

How to Kill a Celebrity: a Novella by Duncan Ralston

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

Bus Driver Man by Duncan Ralston

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

The Laws of the Skies by Grégoire Courtois

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

🐗 12 6-year olds, their teacher and 2 mothers chaperoning them on a camping trip, what could go wrong when one of them is a murderer? Is there hope for anyone in this party? 

This book was only 160 pages and it was like a fever dream. This was on a disturbing books list and I was very excited at the idea but it was not as great as hyped up. It was a quick read.

The overall plot and towards the end the idea and metaphors were good, but the book kept switching POVs mid sentence, it would go from third person to second, it will be talking about the mother but couple sentences later the daughter, so it’s not a light read because if you lose your focus you lose the plot. 

The writing reminded me of Stephen King, but a more rushed version considering the size. 

And the actions made by the kids made sense considering they were kids, but their monologues were very adult like for six year olds, which is why some scenes didn’t make sense. 

The opening has you hooked, but instead of creating further anticipation until the turn of events, it gets started on the horror and gore right away. 

There are 5 chapters and while the 3rd chapter felt long and slow paced, the pace picked back up in the last chapter, with a very vivid description involving a certain wild boar.  

This was a good read and quick read, but the horror and gore were meh.

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

4.0

Every sentence is a spoiler and this was one of my fastest reads again with the tables turning so fast midway through the plot.

Published in January of 2019, this was all over Instagram with everyone recommending this, so when I got a copy, I dived right in, was not disappointed. It's a very light but gripping read.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca

4.0

“It’s not that I felt empty. I think all of us feel empty most of the time and we merely pretend to fill the vacuum with laughter, crying, apologies - anything human”

Witch Child by Celia Rees

4.0