blueberryhotel's reviews
55 reviews

Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.

i will come back to it i promise… i’m sorry eileen…. it’s just too large of a book to borrow from the library, too hulking of a hardcover to carry around in my totebag and read on the subway. had to return it. definitely will buy my own copy in the future and read it in sittings at home

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

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adventurous dark emotional funny reflective medium-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? Yes

5.0

i wanted to write a long-winded review of this book because it’s soooo good. but i’ll just say it’s brilliantly done, egan masterfully captures each character’s essence and progression despite having such a large ensemble cast of characters. a new favorite to revisit

North Woods by Daniel Mason

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adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

4.5

loved it! love how mason wove together all these narratives across time, love the deep connection to place that is present throughout each narrative; it’s so grounded in this specific Massachusetts forest that i felt like i, too, had explored it hundreds of times. love love LOVE the supernatural/paranormal aspect that i didn’t expect but that made complete sense. my only real qualm was the lack of Native perspectives — the indigenous people of the region are very very briefly mentioned. but i get the sense that certain omissions were to paint a picture of the times, and i don’t want every book to only have aspirational narrators. i think it would be really interesting to read certain chapters through a Native studies lens (or a disability studies lens).

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

whitehead is no doubt a technically skilled writer and world-builder. i enjoyed the immersion into a place and time i never experienced. growing up just south of harlem (albeit decades later than the events of the book) a lot of aspects of the setting were familiar to me or at least demonstrative of the vast, rapid changes and development new york has been through in the last 50 years. really fascinating, made me feel like maybe historical fiction is a niche i should tap into and read a little more of (especially when it’s new york based).
i know it’s par for the course with the scene whitehead was setting and the nature of the seedy criminal underbelly, but the sheer amount of characters and minor details present throughout the book made it a bit of a slog at times for me, just in having to turn back to previous parts to refresh my memory on a briefly-mentioned incident that occurred with a side character years prior. i would have preferred a narrower focus on a central cast, but i recognize it would be difficult to do so while convincingly portraying the so-called crooked world. that being said i do think there was an impressive amount of character development and rounding-out of the core cast of characters even with the cluttered ensemble cast. i might read crook manifesto just to see if there’s an elaboration on pepper’s story.

Needing to Know for Sure: A Cbt-Based Guide to Overcoming Compulsive Checking and Reassurance Seeking by Sally M. Winston, Martin N. Seif

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.75

I Love Myself When I Am Laughing... And Then Again: A Zora Neale Hurston Reader by Zora Neale Hurston

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challenging funny informative reflective slow-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

i remember reading their eyes were watching god back in high school and loving it SO much. hurston’s voice is distinctive and infectious and i really enjoyed learning more about her and reading her other works, especially her nonfiction. what a fascinating woman

Letters to a Young Writer: Some Practical and Philosophical Advice by Colum McCann

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informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced