alexblackreads's reviews
776 reviews
Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White
5.0
I love everything Ellen Emerson White writes, but this book might be the best thing I've ever read. I adore every second of reading it. Like it's more than seven hundred pages long and every time I read it, I'm always just so sad when it ends. It feels like it goes on forever, but in the most wonderful way where I'm enjoying every second.
I love Meg's character. Her voice is so strong and she's so smart. I love that it's not an author trying to make a character sound smart, but a character who actually is intelligent and shown through the writing. I love that her pain so visceral. I love that she feels real and relatable, for all that her struggles are nothing like mine. I love that she's allowed self reflection and growth, and that she is flawed.
I love her family and their relationships. Her parents are struggling in their marriage and it's shown through the eyes of the kids as so real. I love Meg's relationship with her siblings. I love her friends and her romantic interests.
This book feels very slice of life, but that isn't to say dramatic events don't happen. A lot happens. It's just that it doesn't feel like it has a very strong narrative force because it's largely about Meg and her personal growth.
The writing is gorgeous. I can't name any other book that can make me both laugh and cry, let alone at the same time. I'm pretty sure there was a line I loved and remembered on every page, and that's a lot of memorable lines. It's utterly masterful. I don't know anyone else who writes like this.
I genuinely can't fully express my love for this book. It's so well done and I literally can't think of anything negative to say about this. It's a masterpiece and I'm pretty sure I spend half my life trying to bully other people into reading it. So please do. It's so wonderful.
I love Meg's character. Her voice is so strong and she's so smart. I love that it's not an author trying to make a character sound smart, but a character who actually is intelligent and shown through the writing. I love that her pain so visceral. I love that she feels real and relatable, for all that her struggles are nothing like mine. I love that she's allowed self reflection and growth, and that she is flawed.
I love her family and their relationships. Her parents are struggling in their marriage and it's shown through the eyes of the kids as so real. I love Meg's relationship with her siblings. I love her friends and her romantic interests.
This book feels very slice of life, but that isn't to say dramatic events don't happen. A lot happens. It's just that it doesn't feel like it has a very strong narrative force because it's largely about Meg and her personal growth.
The writing is gorgeous. I can't name any other book that can make me both laugh and cry, let alone at the same time. I'm pretty sure there was a line I loved and remembered on every page, and that's a lot of memorable lines. It's utterly masterful. I don't know anyone else who writes like this.
I genuinely can't fully express my love for this book. It's so well done and I literally can't think of anything negative to say about this. It's a masterpiece and I'm pretty sure I spend half my life trying to bully other people into reading it. So please do. It's so wonderful.
The Effects of Light by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
2.0
I found this so unpleasant. It's been more than a month since I finished this, so pardon my brief summary, but I was mad at the time. Just everything about it. The dialogue was awful. It sounds like it's trying so hard to be "smart" and totally failing. The characters were flat. The alternating back and forth was so annoying because I didn't care at all what happened in the past and those chapters felt like such a drag.
It tries so hard to have a conversation about art and pornography and childhood innocence and completely fails in every respect. There's no subtlety. One of the earliest scenes is a literal academic lecture about these topics. It's pretty unpleasant to be lectured to as a reader.
I wouldn't recommend this one. I wish I'd written this review while it was still fresh because I would love to get into every detail that I hated, but alas most of this has disappeared from my brain.
It tries so hard to have a conversation about art and pornography and childhood innocence and completely fails in every respect. There's no subtlety. One of the earliest scenes is a literal academic lecture about these topics. It's pretty unpleasant to be lectured to as a reader.
I wouldn't recommend this one. I wish I'd written this review while it was still fresh because I would love to get into every detail that I hated, but alas most of this has disappeared from my brain.
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
3.0
This is one of those books I wanted to love, I just couldn't make myself. The characters were so intricate and well developed and real. The setting was superb. The writing lovely. I adored the structure of the story- like genuinely my favorite part the way everything worked so well together. Everything I have to say about this book is positive, except I didn't connect with it. I really struggled to care. I was bored and spent most of this book forcing myself through twenty pages at a time and constantly checking the clock.
I really don't know what my problem was. I get why people would love it and I really wanted to, but I just didn't.
I really don't know what my problem was. I get why people would love it and I really wanted to, but I just didn't.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
3.0
I'm gonna be honest, I've been dreading writing this review because I really didn't enjoy the book. Three stars might even be a bit generous and colored by my guilt. I dunno. It just wasn't very insightful or interesting? I don't feel like Kalanithi had much to say, and I don't think he said it very well. Like I feel terrible for the dude, but he came across as so pretentious. I really don't want to write a bunch of negative things about a man who wrote a book about his own untimely death, but I found him exceedingly unlikeable and dull.
I dunno. I feel bad. And I don't get everyone thinking this so meaningful.
I dunno. I feel bad. And I don't get everyone thinking this so meaningful.
We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib
4.0
I loved this memoir. She's a wonderful storyteller and has such powerful insights to share. I found her story fascinating and really enjoyed listening to it. She discusses her arranged marriage as a teenager and how trapped she felt. Her exploration of sexuality, both when she thought she was straight and her exploration of her queer identity. Her second marriage and subsequent divorce. Her travel and her rediscovery of Islam. It was lovely.
I do wish there'd been a little bit more. It was very short and I feel like there were points where I was missing important information and context. That can sometimes be a problem in memoirs because people don't necessarily want to share everything, but I did struggle with that a lot more than normal here.
Overall, it was wonderful and I'd highly recommend. Definitely one of my favorites of the month.
I do wish there'd been a little bit more. It was very short and I feel like there were points where I was missing important information and context. That can sometimes be a problem in memoirs because people don't necessarily want to share everything, but I did struggle with that a lot more than normal here.
Overall, it was wonderful and I'd highly recommend. Definitely one of my favorites of the month.
The Walls by Hollie Overton
3.0
I adored Baby Doll, so I thought I'd give Hollie Overton's next book a try, but this wasn't really for me. I struggle a lot with thrillers about domestic violence where it's treated as a battle of wits. Like the main character doesn't love her abusive husband, she's just a prisoner and considers him a sadistic sociopath. It's just not my thing, so this book had an uphill struggle to begin with.
The first half was so hard for me. I was bored and I didn't care and I honestly started questioning if I liked Baby Doll at all. But I will admit, the second half got a lot better. I was invested and wanted to follow the story. In the end, it wound up being on the verge of four stars because of how much better it got.
I feel like it brought up a lot of interesting questions about justice and abuse and guilt, but never really explored them. I would have liked to see a lot more depth because I could have loved a book like that. What we got felt a little lacking and way too obvious.
It was a fun ride and I would recommend it, but I think it came up a bit short. Not amazing, but I did enjoy it.
The first half was so hard for me. I was bored and I didn't care and I honestly started questioning if I liked Baby Doll at all. But I will admit, the second half got a lot better. I was invested and wanted to follow the story. In the end, it wound up being on the verge of four stars because of how much better it got.
I feel like it brought up a lot of interesting questions about justice and abuse and guilt, but never really explored them. I would have liked to see a lot more depth because I could have loved a book like that. What we got felt a little lacking and way too obvious.
It was a fun ride and I would recommend it, but I think it came up a bit short. Not amazing, but I did enjoy it.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
3.0
The odd thing about this book is that even though it's about western literature during the Chinese cultural revolution, it's almost devoid of any political commentary. It felt like that needed to be the backbone of this story to give it any meaning. Like my main takeaway here was some weird commentary on women? Am I totally mistaken, or was that the point? It left a sour taste in my mouth.
Beyond that, the characters were underdeveloped and the story itself was pretty nonexistent. The setting seemed to matter not at all, and it didn't feel very realistic, but that might be my ignorance talking. Dai actually spent several years being reeducated in the 70s, so he would be the expert here. I'm not sure how many creative liberties he took or if this story is pretty close to some of his experiences.
For all that this story is about the little seamstress, she is objectified from start to finish and has no agency. I kept waiting for their to be some kind of subversion, but there never was. I found it pretty unpleasant.
I don't know. This wasn't absolutely terrible, but it did nothing for me. My specific thoughts are all pretty negative, but it was fine I guess. I wouldn't really recommend it. It is translated, so perhaps it's better in the original French.
Beyond that, the characters were underdeveloped and the story itself was pretty nonexistent. The setting seemed to matter not at all, and it didn't feel very realistic, but that might be my ignorance talking. Dai actually spent several years being reeducated in the 70s, so he would be the expert here. I'm not sure how many creative liberties he took or if this story is pretty close to some of his experiences.
For all that this story is about the little seamstress, she is objectified from start to finish and has no agency. I kept waiting for their to be some kind of subversion, but there never was. I found it pretty unpleasant.
I don't know. This wasn't absolutely terrible, but it did nothing for me. My specific thoughts are all pretty negative, but it was fine I guess. I wouldn't really recommend it. It is translated, so perhaps it's better in the original French.
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
4.0
This was a really lovely memoir/collection of essays about Johnson's life and childhood. Some of them were heartbreaking, insightful, and wonderful, others funny and sweet. I really enjoyed their writing style and the collection of stories they chose to share. I think they did a really wonderful job capturing the characters of their family members, especially their grandmother 'Nanny.' It made the book all the more touching. I also really enjoyed seeing their personal growth as they went from child to young adult and came to terms with who they are and what that means in our world.
In terms of dislikes, there was one chapter basically all about their frat which dragged. Most of the book was lovely, but that one chapter was kind of soul sucking. They just kept going on and on describing all the intricacies of frat life and defending (?) hazing. They also deadnamed their trans cousin which was super unnecessary. And there were a few pretty graphic sex scenes which I think only bothered me because I was listening to the audiobook. (That one is a less of a negative for the book and just personal preference. I get pretty uncomfy and usually skim graphic sex stuff.)
I highly recommend this, especially for a teen audience, as it is geared toward teens. I think it's a book I could have used at that age, but I'm glad I read it now.
In terms of dislikes, there was one chapter basically all about their frat which dragged. Most of the book was lovely, but that one chapter was kind of soul sucking. They just kept going on and on describing all the intricacies of frat life and defending (?) hazing. They also deadnamed their trans cousin which was super unnecessary. And there were a few pretty graphic sex scenes which I think only bothered me because I was listening to the audiobook. (That one is a less of a negative for the book and just personal preference. I get pretty uncomfy and usually skim graphic sex stuff.)
I highly recommend this, especially for a teen audience, as it is geared toward teens. I think it's a book I could have used at that age, but I'm glad I read it now.
Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke
4.0
I found this super interesting. Completely enthralled by all the characters and their stories. I loved following these women, I loved the history of air travel and women's rights, I loved the discussion on the Vietnam war. I was just fascinated from start to finish.
My main critique was that the structure was a little messy and at points I found it hard to follow. We jump between a few different stewardesses and their stories, which take place at different times. I wasn't always certain where we were in relation to the rest of the book. Listening to the audiobook definitely made that worse, so perhaps it's less bothersome in physical form.
The author also tried to discuss racism a little, but it was so brief and minimal that it felt like an afterthought. Like she wrote this whole book and only realized after the fact that she ought to maybe add a chapter on that. It wasn't particularly well handled, especially relative to the rest of the book.
But overall this was really great. I highly recommend if this is a topic that might be interesting to you.
My main critique was that the structure was a little messy and at points I found it hard to follow. We jump between a few different stewardesses and their stories, which take place at different times. I wasn't always certain where we were in relation to the rest of the book. Listening to the audiobook definitely made that worse, so perhaps it's less bothersome in physical form.
The author also tried to discuss racism a little, but it was so brief and minimal that it felt like an afterthought. Like she wrote this whole book and only realized after the fact that she ought to maybe add a chapter on that. It wasn't particularly well handled, especially relative to the rest of the book.
But overall this was really great. I highly recommend if this is a topic that might be interesting to you.
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
2.0
I usually try not to be judgmental about books other people like, but I'm genuinely so shocked this has an average rating of more than four stars on goodreads. It is such an interesting premise, but it's executed so horribly. The characters were all completely one dimensional, the writing was flat, I hate the structure of switching back to the past after the big theft of the violin occurs. At one point towards the beginning, I was so confused just by the basics of what was happening that I had to flip to the back to read the the synopsis.
It was also really repetitive. Not only is Slocumb constantly spoon feeding the reader the morals of the story, but there are whole scenes that I'm pretty sure took place twice, just slightly rephrased.
I'm all for suspension of disbelief in books, especially mysteries, but this was way too over the top for me. The main character's ten million dollar violin gets stolen because he carries it around with him all the time unlocked. And it's always on his person, except sometimes he leaves it in the other room while he showers and sometimes he drinks too much and can't remember exactly that he kept it with him. He also makes a stupid deal with his family to pay them obscene amounts of money (that he doesn't have) to make them leave him alone, which seemed to make no sense. And while the police/insurance agent are investigating the theft, he tries to constantly help by pointing out very obvious things- like for example, he has a rival in the big competition he's in. The insurance investigator apparently had no idea about that, even though it's big news. Like google the main character and it's the first result big news.
Also I'm a white person so take this critique with a total grain of salt, but at one point Ray, the 17 year old Black main character, asks his grandmother if she's ever experienced racism. The grandmother who was born in the (I think) 40s in the American south. Like???? I have no idea how we were supposed to believe he got to near adulthood with no concept of racism in the US.
I really disliked this, which was unfortunate considering how high my expectations were. But apparently it's quite well liked so maybe I'm just confused. I really don't understand. Usually when I feel this way about a book, it gets pretty middling reviews. I'm kind of baffled because the only positive thing I have to say about this book is that the premise sounded great and I wanted to like it a lot.
It was also really repetitive. Not only is Slocumb constantly spoon feeding the reader the morals of the story, but there are whole scenes that I'm pretty sure took place twice, just slightly rephrased.
I'm all for suspension of disbelief in books, especially mysteries, but this was way too over the top for me. The main character's ten million dollar violin gets stolen because he carries it around with him all the time unlocked. And it's always on his person, except sometimes he leaves it in the other room while he showers and sometimes he drinks too much and can't remember exactly that he kept it with him. He also makes a stupid deal with his family to pay them obscene amounts of money (that he doesn't have) to make them leave him alone, which seemed to make no sense. And while the police/insurance agent are investigating the theft, he tries to constantly help by pointing out very obvious things- like for example, he has a rival in the big competition he's in. The insurance investigator apparently had no idea about that, even though it's big news. Like google the main character and it's the first result big news.
Also I'm a white person so take this critique with a total grain of salt, but at one point Ray, the 17 year old Black main character, asks his grandmother if she's ever experienced racism. The grandmother who was born in the (I think) 40s in the American south. Like???? I have no idea how we were supposed to believe he got to near adulthood with no concept of racism in the US.
I really disliked this, which was unfortunate considering how high my expectations were. But apparently it's quite well liked so maybe I'm just confused. I really don't understand. Usually when I feel this way about a book, it gets pretty middling reviews. I'm kind of baffled because the only positive thing I have to say about this book is that the premise sounded great and I wanted to like it a lot.