ogbergerking's reviews
50 reviews

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

4.25

i thought the separate stories connected incredibly well in the end, although it was somewhat repetitive as it went on. i also felt the dialogue was incredibly painful at times, & that the characters were rather… slow on the uptake. it was somewhat infuriating considering they supposedly knew the rules of the café & had been there for years, but then anytime someone would want to travel they were like “huh??” i also want to know more about the woman in the dress !!! who is she? would def recommend for anyone looking to get into short stories & will def be checking out the other stories. 

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

1.75

this was my first joan didion novel. i am sorry to say that this novel did not hold my attention hardly at all. i completely understood the point, & the book was well written, but i could not find myself connecting in a real or palpable way despite my own experiences with grief. i could not honestly tell you a single memory i have from reading this. sorry ms didion, but this was just. not it for me. 

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

3.5

this book… where do i begin. 

truthfully, this book is somewhere between a 3 & 4 star rating for me… so a 3.5 should suffice, though even that feels wrong. 

white teeth is dense. it’s interconnected in a way that only deep history can be. as an american, i do have to admit that there was something inherently british behind the actual storyline that i couldn’t fully connect to. 

reading this felt like i was watching euphoria for the first time. every character was connected in more ways than imagined, & the main character was nothing more than a spring board for the surrounding stories of the rest of the cast. archie jones seems so inconsequential & on the way side, that the ending (WHICH I FULLY PREDICTED) still caught me by surprise. & yet, the foreseen ending left me a bit unsatisfied despite it all, wanting to know more of how the characters progressed after everything came crashing down, rather than feeling more like a rushed 3 paragraphs. 

so much happened in this story that it was almost too much. everything was so fleshed out & so much was pumped in, yet the story had to be read in chunks & fully chewed & digested because there was too much detail that prevented the story plot from moving forward. it gave the book a bit of a disjointed timeline, feeling chaotic & leaving me stumbling through, with some parts feeling as pleasant to read as pulling teeth. 

for a debut novel, i found myself shocked at how smith tied her deeply complex yet simultaneously fully two dimensional characters together, like a patchwork quilt of old yarn scraps. or, perhaps she prefer i parallel it to that of an orthodontist forcing crowded teeth into a smooth, white symmetry, where they don’t belong and the ache of which runs to the roots. 

i would recommend, & would likely read again, just for the chance to digest it all fully & properly. 

L.A. Woman by Eve Babitz

4.25

this is my first eve babitz book. i really enjoy her style of writing, although a bit disjointed, & the clear voice she gave sophie. i will definitely be looking for more from her. 

the book itself was a quick read; light & easy to push through. the book was written in a way that reminded me of the movie babylon (2022). i saw all the glamour & magic of hollywood from an unreliable narrator’s perspective. i could understand the love for the town she grew up in, & why sophie was determined to never change. 

a nice, easy read, just to enjoy the ridiculousness of it all. 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

3.25

i had read this first back when i was entering high school, & thought it was a good time to revisit roughly a decade later. 

the bell jar is definitely of its time, & although plath was relatively progressive in her views regarding feminism, it is hard to disregard the blatant racism & underlying homophobic themes. despite her being alive & writing during the civil rights era, it is clear from this work as well as her others that she was not quite as progressive as she seemed. 

that being said, i find it important to separate the artist from the art—to a degree. i found esther self centered, egotistical, annoying, & quite frankly whiny. she often didn’t advocate for herself & just allowed bad experiences to happen, despite having a plethora of options. 

i understand why so many who struggle with mental illness flock to this; plath’s writing is lovely, & when she touches on themes regarding mental health, she expresses them in a way only she can since she experienced them herself. however, expressing them through esther left more to be desired than gained. 

i don’t think i need to read this again. if anything, it just made me more depressed, & i can do that on my own, thanks. 

Near the Bone by Christina Henry

5.0

oh my god. this book was incredible. i read it in one sitting; i couldn’t put it down. the mystery, the horror, the TERROR dragged me along as i was swept through this nightmare with mattie. it was fantastically dark, quick paced, & kept me engaged all the way to the end. 

in fact, i wish there was more! cannot recommend enough to fans of thriller novels! will definitely read again, & will definitely be looking for more from this author!!! <3 oh my god. 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

4.25

i really enjoyed this book. it was a quick read & a really interesting pov to stretch your brain.

the book is definitely a bit juvenile, but the character experienced a deep & sudden growth & lots of change. the ending was a little dissatisfying but a good read. 

would read again & would recommend. 

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

2.25

this was an interesting book. i hated the narrator. the writing was pleasant enough. it was like a car crash i couldn’t look away from. 

i cannot believe i paid spotify $13.90 for extra listening minutes for the ending & the treatment reva got. so flippant & unjust considering her unwavering loyalty. 

i almost want a refund. 

sorry to the avid 5-star fans. it just wasn’t for me. i found the narrator unrelateable & unlikeable, although i did enjoy the premise of needing to sleep for a year. reva was the best part. i found the other characters inconsequential, the whoopi goldberg obsession distracting & irrelevant, & the story repetitive. 

as someone with depression, i understand how this reads as illustrating depression, but it just felt depressing to read. 

i probably won’t read it again. 

Little Green Men by Christopher Buckley

adventurous challenging dark funny informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I found this enjoyable as a fan of the Men In Black movie series. The plot was somewhat slow to start, somewhat predictable, and the ending felt a little rushed. It was a relatively challenging read to get into, but I enjoyed it once the plot actually started after the exposition. I enjoyed the blatant political satire, and found the whole premise somewhat conceivable up until the marches. 

I would recommend to readers looking to branch out of their traditional genres and dip their toes into politics. I would maybe read again, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. 

I would also note that some of the story is a bit outdated, given that I read it in 2023, it was published in the 90’s, and reads like an 80’s film.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

2.0