dr_dr_olshakes's reviews
101 reviews

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

Finished in one day, mostly because I was engaged in a marathon crafting session. Very solid book to modge podge to!

I liked the pace for rhe most part, though the middle dragged a bit. I also really enjoyed the twist! I probably should have seen it coming but, well, I was deep in the craft zone and was just along for the ride. I don't know if it's actually a 4 Stat book, but it sure was a good ride. 

Audition by Ryū Murakami

dark slow-paced

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

2.5

Bored in a way that is frankly shocking. I know it's supposed to more of a "horror lurking just beneath the surface" but it didn't work for me. Unfortunately, not to be that person, but I was really rooting for a "good for her" ending. There was never really a reckoning or revelation for Aoyama. In fact he literally says at the end that he doesn't know what this was about. I found him a frustrating protagonist and I was highly anticipating his end. Overall, boring and unsatisfactory. 

Dracula by Bram Stoker

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.75

Reread this in anticipation of the new Nosferatu film coming out. It is, as always, a terrific read, though a little slow. My heart breaks for some many of these characters, in particular Lucy's story and death. I also got teary-eyed about Quincy. I too love Madam Mina. These characters have so much heart, and you learn to care about them all so much. They each have a surprising complexity that keeps the momentum going through some of the more boring stretches. 

All the usual caveats hold true. It's racist, it's sexist, it's xenophobic, etc. But, it's a darn good yarn.

The Laughing Corpse: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel by Laurell K. Hamilton

dark funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.5

I'm still not really sure why I want to keep reading these, but I do. I do like how surprisingly gory they are, and honestly the lack of romance goes a long way with me. Luckily, the nice buffer between Libby rentals will keep me from over indulging and getting sick of them right away. I'll keep borrowing them until I'm over it. 

The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I chose this book on a whim because it was immediately ready to borrow on Libby. I absolutely LOVED it. The prose really wraps you up and holds you tight as you read about tragedy and grief and violence. This book is a stunning (wedding cake) mixture of We Have Always Lived in the Castle/The Winchester House/Pride and Prejudice/The Virgin Suicides/The Haunting of Hill House. It's the perfect atmospheric Gothic novel.

That all said, I was disappointed that the "curse" really seemed to just be "men bad" and not the consequences of war profiteering and genocide. I feel like the metaphors it was laying out (the sisters choosing gun and oil magnates) really spoke to legacies of violence in a way that got undermined by the "saving grace" of lesbianism. And don't get me wrong- I loved how queer this book was! The ending was also a bit of a screeching halt after so much tension.

I'm going to carry this book, and the Chapel sisters, in my mind and heart for a while. Truly masterful, with few qualms.

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.25

I struggled with this one, and not because of the harrowing subject matter. I wanted to follow the author down their exploration of motherhood, judgement, oppression, and systemic racism. However, the absolute cartoonish evil of the School required such a suspension of disbelief that it was almost comical at times. I suppose it was meant to be satirical, but this book is so far from a black comedy in every other aspect that it makes the extreme antics of the School laughable. I honestly almost DNFed when the group leads/scientists started slapping the dolls in the face. Or when the scientists all went around and said they don't even have children. Or when the changing of the blue liquid was so invasive and the scientists ignored it. Or when the book abandons nuance and it turns out all the fathers are treated so much better. Like I said, cartoonishly evil, especially for an extremely serious book.

I also want to call attention to how this book handles race. In some aspects, great! It's so rare to read a book that doesn't exist on the black/white dichotomy and acknowledges that POC groups can also stereotype and be prejudiced against other POC groups. It's approach to whiteness and Asian-American dynamics was well done. But...the author's own stereotyping was incredibly off-putting. Are we really, actually, really going to have a Black mom with six kids by six different fathers?? Are we really going to have aggressive and confrontational black women?? Are all the Latina mothers really going to care if their dolls speak Spanish? Are we really going to have the main defining trait of the Latina moms just be their language?? Honestly a bit shocking that the six kid thing was allowed to go to print.

On a more personal critique, that I acknowledge was almost certainly intentional, I didn't like Frida and especially Frida's inability to acknowledge that abandonment is abuse, pinching is physical abuse, and that her treatment of Susannah was in fact horrible and misdirected and harmful to her child. Truly, truly did not like that. I'm not saying that getting sent to CPS Supermax Prison is the correct answer, but I'm glad someone called in a wellness check for Harriet because Frida's treatment of her seemed like it was on a quick downward spiral. Good lord. 

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

dark lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

I can't believe I'm gonna read the second one. This one wasn't even good. I didn't even really like it. 

Compels me though. 

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

3.5

I think I would have enjoyed this more if not for the way that narration and blocked got bogged down by classic YA introspection about self actualization. Or if it hadn't been in first person.

I liked the twist on Rose already having been to Camp Damascus, and how Tingle didn't make Christian faith a total evil entity (I say this as an atheist). But, again, the constant self reflection just got to me. Pages and pages of inner self met by a few pages of action/progression.

Ultimately, this was a net positive reading experience, but also what's sure to be a forgettable one. 

The Tommyknockers by Stephen King

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

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

3.75

It's FUN! Sue me!

Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.0

Wow! I did not expect to love this as much as I did!! Some of the introspection got a bit repetitive, and I wouldn't say Jay is the most compelling character. But his trial was nail-biting and his psychological journey interesting.

Kraus did an incredible job of fully placing me in the whale. The descriptions were so clear and evocative that I could easily picture Jay's situation and feel his desperation. There was equal parts beauty and horror, like there should be in any good ocean story.

Additionally, Kraus really nailed the "man vs nature" survival genre. It's usually a pretty straightforward genre and while this book didn't really bring anything new to it, it really demonstrated the strength of the genre with panache. Overall, an exhilarating read!