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criminolly's reviews
2309 reviews
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
2.0
It feels a bit uncharitable to dislike Matt Haig, he seems very well intentioned and I have no doubt that his books and social media posts help a lot of people.
I really quite intensely disliked this book though. It’s a magical realist mash up of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘Sliding Doors’ with heavy doses of pop philosophy and self help BS mixed in. It’s never as good as any of its influences and ends up feeling shallow and trite. The main problem is that Haig just lays it all on so thickly that there’s no subtlety or charm to the book at all.
On the plus side, it’s quite short. Oh, and Zoe Ball likes it.
I really quite intensely disliked this book though. It’s a magical realist mash up of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘Sliding Doors’ with heavy doses of pop philosophy and self help BS mixed in. It’s never as good as any of its influences and ends up feeling shallow and trite. The main problem is that Haig just lays it all on so thickly that there’s no subtlety or charm to the book at all.
On the plus side, it’s quite short. Oh, and Zoe Ball likes it.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4.0
This was a thoroughly entertaining rags to riches tale of the life of a movie star. It’s full of glamour, romance and delicious melodrama and reminded me of the kind of sensual blockbuster Harold Robbins used to churn out, and especially of Jacqueline Susann’s ‘Valley of the Dolls’. Despite that, it feels quite modern, with a political sensibility that’s bang up to date.
It’s told in flashback as the eponymous heroine, now in her 70s, recounts her life story to a young journalist. That structure allows it to be quite reflective and thoughtful and whilst it is a bit heavy handed at times it works very well.
I liked it very much.
It’s told in flashback as the eponymous heroine, now in her 70s, recounts her life story to a young journalist. That structure allows it to be quite reflective and thoughtful and whilst it is a bit heavy handed at times it works very well.
I liked it very much.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
4.0
This is a book that is nearly great but somehow manages not to be. It's the story of the abusive relationship between a teenage student and her teacher, a relationship that lasts into her twenties and which she refuses to condemn. It's quite unflinching in its portrayal of abuse, the psychological damage it causes its victims and the fact that they can fail to see it for what it is. The most effective and disturbing parts of the book are those where the central character welcomes her abusers attention. For all that, it lacked something for me. It's not as punchy as it could be, and parts of it drag a little. Still well worth a read if you can stomach the subject matter.
Dread: 22 Tales of Terror by Kevin Bachar
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Dread is an enjoyable volume of horror stories, all of them short (some very short) and punchy. There's decent variety here (ghosts, cryptids, killer animals, to name but a few) and a really impressive building tension in each story. I kept on going to put it down and then finding myself reading just one more story. A great one to have on your phone or erreader for coffee break reads, just don't blame me if you don't get back to work on time.
I Watched Them Eat Me Alive: Killer Creatures in Men's Adventure Magazines by
5.0
Video review: https://youtu.be/D0nFMboNQHc