erika_winters's reviews
14 reviews

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (10th Anniversary Edition): A Novel by Robin Sloan

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

3.0

This book was very fast-paced and had an air of mystery to it. I read it in three sittings, and although the secret to immortality interested me, the ending was lackluster and the characters left much to be desired. I never understood why Clay felt compelled enough to go out of his way for his employer; there’s nothing particularly interesting or intriguing about Ajax Penumbra other than the mysterious collection of volumes at the back of the 24-hour bookstore that he runs. I also felt detached from the narrative whenever there was a bunch of tech jargon thrown into the prose; it felt jumbled and way over my head. When we find out what the true meaning of Manutius’s text is, it just made me feel bad for all the scholars who spent their entire life’s work on something super simple; going on a wild goose chase for 500 years to come up with
the power of friendship being the key to immortality.
As my friend stated in the book club meeting we read this book for: the meaning seems very Saturday-morning-cartoon-special instead of a big time reveal at the end of a 288 page novel. The characters overall were pretty average and bland for me; Clay’s name in and of itself being the most bland white man name I’ve ever come across in recent memory. And if Neel said the word “boobs” one more time I was going to scream. All-in-all, I’m not sure why there is immense hype around this book, but to each their own. The only reason why I’m rating this a 3/5⭐️ is due to its readability, and also the questions Sloan most likely asked himself before/during the writing process: what kind of meaning do we want our lives to have/do our lives have any meaning without anything physically produced to ensure a legacy? and, how can we discover ourselves outside of the work that we do? These are lingering questions that the book poses that I constantly grapple with too. I think all of us have thought about these questions in our day-to-day in some way, and although Sloan is onto something here by starting this dialogue with the reader, I don’t believe he succeeded in translating it onto the page and sending these points home. 
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I knew this short book would be super impactful. I saved a few passages because of how powerful James Baldwin writes of racial justice and equality in the United States; a country divided within itself. Baldwin wishes to see love thrive above all the hatred that has culminated over the years. His vision is of love between all races, and criticizes movements of division on both sides of what has been dictated in this nation as “white vs black.” His critique of his own escape through Christianity was very poignant as well; thinking of the history of indoctrination and assimilation white colonists have imposed on Africans and Black Americans throughout the years. The division of “righteousness” instilled through religion and other means to break down people by race instead of the human characteristics that binds us together shows how we will continue adding fuel to this fire that Baldwin warns us against. This is absolutely essential reading for everyone no matter what time period we are living in, but especially in these divisive times we are living in at the current moment. 
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

This book took me a very long time to read because of how densely packed it is. Anne Rice created a very unique concept of what a vampire is in this book, and for that I will commend her. However, the idea of Louis questioning his existence and the meaning of being a vampire (am I an entity of evil created in Satan’s image?) grows old for the reader trying to navigate a point in the text. There were times when Rice’s ability to write beautiful passages was on full display, especially when detailing Paris and the Théâtre des Vampires. Another aspect I enjoyed was the implicit gay love affairs that Louis has throughout the book; the one with Lestat being extremely toxic and doomed, whereas the second with Armand being one of curiosity about one’s vampiric life that is also unfortunately doomed. Parts that could’ve been left out was the overt racism at the beginning of the book (Louis is a slave owner on a plantation in New Orleans), and the unsettling adjectives used to describe Claudia who is a young child turned vampire (“sensual” being one I remember here, which is cringy). Some parts read very pedophilic at times because of the interactions between Louis and Claudia, as well as just words to describe actions between the two. Overall, I expected more from this, and was disappointed to find that the end of the book leads into a second book so I just sat frustrated for a minute after closing it since I spent 15 weeks reading it. Sigh.
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My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

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dark emotional sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

This book was definitely everything the blurbs on the front and back covers said it was; The Exorcist meets Heathers for sure! It brought us into the 80’s and showed us teen life during the decade of big hair and pop music. The time period itself acted as a character; living throughout the text as the characters sing to the likes of Madonna and Phil Collins, which Hendrix cleverly includes as each chapter’s title. The roller rink, the bright makeup, the patterns; all of this added to the texture of the time period and made it easy to visualize the atmosphere of a 1980’s horror film. I loved the friendship that Abby and Gretchen have; the inside jokes, the fake lyrics they come up with, the times spent together almost every day of the week that end in nightly phone calls. This is the kind of friendship all of us want and crave. Their bond eventually weakens when Gretchen gets possessed by a demon, which is truly such a disheartening thing to happen. It really broke my heart to see how Abby tries to save her friend and has to come to terms with her new reality while Gretchen suffers to find herself in the midst of demonic possession. It’s sad, slightly scary, grotesque, vile, and bloody, so stay cautious of that while reading, but overall, it was a great read! My only hang up in the book is that it didn’t start to take off and become engrossing until around page 100 (for me). I understand the foundation Hendrix wanted to lay down, and respect that, but the action builds up to that point (page 100) and then keeps getting more interesting from there! The ending made me sob as I read the last few pages under lamp light before heading to bed to start a new week, so I thank Hendrix for the beautiful and relentless female friendship he wrote into this book; it was truly special to see that kind of bond go through so much and make it out on the other side of things.
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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.5

I’ve never read a book about brujx before or ghosts, so this was a wildly adventurous and engaging story! Yadriel, Maritza, and Julian were the best group of teens to follow in this story as we witness their coming of age in a cemetery and being a part of a huge Latinx family who have magic given to them by their goddess, Lady Death. I thought this story was fresh and new, while also being relatable and heartbreaking. There are so many layers of grief in this story from Yadriel and Julian going through personal losses, while also exploring the idea of Julian dying at such a young age. Aiden Thomas does a great job at constructing the magic system in their book, while also tackling social issues in our own world, such as racism, classicism, and transphobia. The cast of characters were overall lovable and came from all walks of life, and I loved how the setting became its own character; the cemetery in East LA  literally brimming with energy from the spirits that inhabit it, to the general areas in SoCal that make it palpable; like the ocean community of Malibu seen later in the book. Overall, this book is meaningful to those who are queer and have fought to have their identities be seen and heard, and a love letter to the Latinx community with its lush culture and heritage.
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Time to Shine by Rachel Reid

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-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? Yes

5.0

What a fun hockey romance! This is the first book I’ve ever read in the hockey romance sub-genre, and this is truly everything I’ve always wanted to read regarding my two loves: queer romance and hockey! I think that Rachel Reid blends the lives of hockey players both on and off the ice so well that it didn’t feel like either parts of the plot were being neglected. What I mean by this is that I’ve been scared to pick up a hockey romance because I thought it would leave out the hockey aspect to have the romance shine through, but this was the perfect blend of both! I honestly didn’t think I would like Casey, but I realized how much of a loving person he really is and not just an eccentric himbo. Landon was the character I related to the most because he has a fear of intimacy and is battling with a lot of self-esteem issues, and who doesn’t relate to that in some way? Both men help one another see their full potential and that they can be loved for who they are, and if that’s not the best concept for a romance then I don’t know what else could be better! Reid knows puck and she also knows how to write about gay love, and I have to commend her wholeheartedly by thanking her from the tallest building for writing this beautiful story! 
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The Dragon's Bride by Katee Robert

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adventurous 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? Yes

3.0

This was definitely better than Hunt on Dark Waters (a book by Robert I read earlier this year). It was straightforward and to the point. The characters were given just the right amount of development to keep it interesting, but this book is definitely classic Robert where she simply tells you everything the character is feeling instead of showing that. In that way it’s reflective, but leaves a lot to be desired 
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A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

I think this is the first time I’ve ever read a historical romance (as far as my memory is concerned), and I loved reading a story centered around a transgender woman named Viola (love the Twelfth Night reference here). Alexis Hall skillfully crafted this book where being trans was not a main source of conflict, but something celebrated and loved. I appreciated all the characters close to Viola, like her sister-in-law Louise, for example, care for Viola and never question her identity. The romance between Viola and Gracewood is beautiful and so well-written; the friends to lovers motif really created a layer of understanding and affection between the two as they grappled with their identities, PTSD, and for Gracewood, a disability that he has to come to come to terms with in a society that he feels will judge him. Viola is not the only character coming to terms with her gendered society; Gracewood is too in all of his personal struggles with drug and alcohol addiction from PTSD from Waterloo, and the harsh upbringing with a callous father who taught him a suffocating model of masculinity that he feels stuffed into. Overall, it is through each other that they find their strengths and discuss their weaknesses, which made this an effective romance, in my opinion! AND all the queer representation really made my heart happy; so, come for the regency romance, stay for the queer joy!
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Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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

2.75

First off, I want to start out by saying that I didn’t hate this book; I just didn’t love it as much I hoped I would. Sophie and Howl remain the same from book to movie as far as their flaws are concerned, and I liked how Studio Ghibli interpreted the text into something of their own. It’s been years since I’ve seen the movie, so it didn’t shape my thoughts around the reading experience, but it was in this reading experience that I found difficulty in liking the book in it’s entirety. Wynne Jones would lose me at times, and I would have to reread certain passages many times over to comprehend what the meaning is. Sometimes this was because of the book’s use of British vernacular (not usually a huge issue for me) or by simply mentioning something that was told to the reader in passing on page 39, for example. I appreciate an author circling back to make sense of what was previously stated, but this can be confusing to remember, and takes away from the text as a whole. Some symbols, like the skull, were obviously going to come up again since they were mentioned so often, but this is when Wynne Jones excelled and made me go, “Aha! That’s where ____ connects into the plot!” Overall, the magic was fun, the characters made me laugh because of their many flaws and quirks, but ultimately was not my favorite fantasy novel of all time.
The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

I was recommended this book via Instagram by a bookseller I follow, and oh boy was she right that I would love it! It’s a fast-paced pirate book with Latinx characters; something I’ve never read before, but have only seen movies and shows revolving around, especially Our Flag Means Death (OFMD), which is why this recommendation came my way. The history of pirates in the Caribbean mixed with fantasy of magical abilities that Mar (main character) has was both educational, tragic, and enlightening. The only reason why this book didn’t get 5 stars was because it took me some time to get through, but that isn’t a fault of the book since I was listening to this on Libro.fm and it’s hard for me to follow fictional books on audio. The reason why I chose this on audio though is because Vico Ortiz narrates it, and that was one of the most enjoyable experiences since I love their portrayal of Jim on OFMD so very much. The different voices they chose to use throughout the book made it easy to follow which character was speaking, and also created layers in the narrative. Overall, I do think most people would find this book interesting if you love queer pirates finding their way in life and coming to terms with who they are (specifically Mar in the context of their magical abilities). 
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