mkw1lson's reviews
101 reviews

My Lady Jane by Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

The Sparrow Sisters by Ellen Herrick

emotional hopeful sad 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

2.5

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

"The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation."

Donna Tartt - the absolute genius that you are. Lessons need to be taught on how to write an opening sentence, opening chapter, and honestly, a debut novel like this. Wow.

I can't lie and say that I was completely engrossed the whole time I read this book - it is long and dense. The characters can be grating, particularly early on, and the long chapters can make the slower parts feel like they drag. That said, after the first 100 or so pages, I did become completely engrossed and read the rest of the book in a couple days.

How to describe this book? I'm not sure. Mysterious and dark, it's part Greek tragedy (HUBRIS - oh, the hubris...) and part descent into madness by a group of privileged and deluded university students. It's often infuriating and at times horrifying, but always deeply compelling and engaging. The characters are not likable - even Richard, who is our narrator and the "everyman" or "relatable" character of the novel, is often very unlikeable. And yet, Tartt gives each character such depth that you'll have keen and powerful moments of empathy and sympathy for people who, frankly, don't deserve it.

Or, if you're like me, for some reason you will like these characters who are deeply morally corrupt and skewed

(Henry Winters - I do mostly mean you, but also kind of all of them).

I don't think I'm selling this book very well, but I promise it is amazing. It reminds me so much of classic literature in its language and structure, but it also contains a modernity that keeps the story fresh and interesting. Much like the first line, the entire book is so beautiful. It's not the easiest read, it will make you think, but you will not be bored and the ending will resonate in your mind. 

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

funny mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

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

3.0

I am so sad that this book didn't end up working for me. I thought for sure that I would love this book and quickly become wrapped up in it. I was so confident that at some point I would fall in love with it that I preserved when I would have DNF'd another book I felt this way about.

Sadly, it never ended up working for me. I don't know why, I just could not get into it.

This rating reflects that the book is well-thought-out and plotted, it has a unique world, and the characters are well-rounded. It is also very funny and brings together a fantastic world with modern lingo in a way that feels seamless. I think this book, to me, is kind of like listening to Dolly Parton while hating country music. I know it's good, and I know she's talented, but it just doesn't work for me.

The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan Watts

hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.25

 Watts has such an interesting outlook on the world, and I think it could be good for all of us to think a little more like him. I have long been a fan of Watts's talks and writings, but I have never sat down and read a full book by him before. I really enjoyed the lay out of his argument and how he slowly brought us through his thinking to reach this conclusion about staying present.

Watts often takes a lot from eastern religions (something he has admitted to) and makes them more understandable for western audiences, and this book does a fantastic job, particularly in the explanation of what "God" is or should be thought of.

Watts wrote this book a long time ago, but the "age of anxiety" has only gotten worse, I think that this book is a must-read for anyone. 

Funny Story by Emily Henry

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

This book was a lot of fun, and it's been awhile since I've read a purely fun and light book. There weren't any big twists and turns, it is what you think it will be, but there's something lovely about a book delivering in exactly the way you anticipate it to.

I loved the love story and deeply appreciated that the characters were in their 30s and still had this beautiful love develop between them. It was satisfying and heartwarming and it actually was a funny story. 

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.5

Amy Poehler is, as always, a tour de force. She is so funny and relatable and fun, all of which shines through in this book. As I generally feel about biographies, the audiobook is amazing! She has a fun cast of people coming into the read with her (including Seth Meyers reading a chapter he wrote for her) and a live reading at the end which is a lot of fun.

There were a few slow parts, but overall, I really loved this book and had a lot of fun listening to it.

It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand by Megan Devine

informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

I have been dealing with a lot of grief recently and this felt like a book that suited my needs. It's a difficult feeling to navigate and describe, but I think Devine did an excellent job describing what it feels like to be experiencing grief and to not be hitting the markers that it seems like therapists and the world want you to.

I can't say I relate to every aspect of the book, but I relate to enough of it.

This book featured a small part that made a huge difference for me, about personifying grief, something Devine did and expressed her anger through. I won't go into details, because that is for me, but this made a huge difference for me and I will forever be grateful for that.

The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Oh man, Jean Moreau needs a hug. Several hugs. He probably doesn't want one, but, wow, does he ever need one.

First and foremost, I liked this book a lot. In many ways, I think it is the strongest of the series so far. It certainly helps that it is a later book, so most of the characters, the world, and the stakes at play are already established going into the book. I think one thing that stood out for me, and made this book a little more enjoyable than the others, were the two very different POVs in this book. So, while Jean's perspective was exactly as dark and dramatic (and soap-y) as we've come to expect from the original series (possibly more depressing than Neil's POV), we were also treated to Jeremy's POV which is a little more grounded and relatable, and he often says things that the reader might be thinking about this crazy gangster/Exy world.

Similarly, being in the USC/Trojan world means that when Jean said or did something deeply messed up, a lot of people actually said, "Hang on, what?". Cat and Laila were an absolute treat for this, but also the coaches and, of course, Jeremy. And as sad as it was what Jean was going through, that levity of characters thinking this is as messed up as the reader was SO nice. It was something I think that I would miss going back to the original series.

I loved the story, the journey that Jean is going on and the support he is getting from

his friends(!!). I also love the hints we get at the relationship between Jean and Jeremy and I am intrigued to see where that goes in the next book

.

I have one critique, and that is just how long it took to actually get to new material. The book is from two new POVs, but there is quite a lot of overlap with the last book in the original trilogy, which is from the new POVs, but it is still a bit slow/difficult to get through. Perhaps if I hadn't read the original trilogy so recently it wouldn't have bothered me, but who knows. I know some of it was necessary, but to me it felt like it went on a bit long. Still, other than that, this was a great book.

I loved the quick cameos of the Foxes we got, I loved the characters, I loved the storyline, and I loved where the book ended. I'm excited to learn there will be a second book for Jean and Jeremy and I can't wait to read it! Excited to be reading it along with the other fans of the series now!

The book deals with similar dark themes to the first three and warnings should be heeded.