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sarahxify's reviews
684 reviews
Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a really compelling and cleverly done short story collection. Most of the stories are intertwined, with one major story running through the book, about Lionel, Charles, and Sophie, three professional dancers at the same studio. Charles and Sophie are in an open relationship, and Lionel and Charles have started sleeping together.
Their story is interrupted by other stories, each of which is deeply tragic. You get dropped into different people's lives who are struggling immensely, and then move back to Lionel's story.
The standout elements of this book are the writing and characterisation. I would really a full novel about any of these characters. They are well-formed and deeply drawn, and have extremely complex and detailed relationships with everyone else in their story. The way this is written really pulls you into each story as well - it's almost a bit jarring to go to the next.
There are elements of Real Life in this, particularly the dynamics between Lionel and Charles reminded me of Wallace and (? Miller?). But truly excellent - makes me want to read another Brandon Taylor ASAP.
Their story is interrupted by other stories, each of which is deeply tragic. You get dropped into different people's lives who are struggling immensely, and then move back to Lionel's story.
The standout elements of this book are the writing and characterisation. I would really a full novel about any of these characters. They are well-formed and deeply drawn, and have extremely complex and detailed relationships with everyone else in their story. The way this is written really pulls you into each story as well - it's almost a bit jarring to go to the next.
There are elements of Real Life in this, particularly the dynamics between Lionel and Charles reminded me of Wallace and (? Miller?). But truly excellent - makes me want to read another Brandon Taylor ASAP.
Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI by Madhumita Murgia
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Murgia takes the reader through many aspects of artifical intelligence, always focusing on the human and equality side of things. Experiences of different individuals across a really wide range of counrties are discussed in a very nuanced and sensitive manner, balancing some of the benefits of AI (such as aiding diagnostic decisions in areas with very minimal medical personnel available), to some of the darker sides. Murgia described how humans in developing countries work incredibly hard to train AI algorithms and considers important aspects of exploitation and inequality, as well as discussing the issue of biased algorithms, focussing on case studies where AI has been used to identify 'likely' criminals.
This is well-written and quite accessible, keeping away from in-depth technical discussion of AI. Its focus on the human element keeps it engaging and informative - highly recommend.
This is well-written and quite accessible, keeping away from in-depth technical discussion of AI. Its focus on the human element keeps it engaging and informative - highly recommend.
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
Interesting story but it was quite boringly told imo
The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: A First Historical Assessment by Julian E. Zelizer
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Mostly high quality essays discussing various aspects of Trump's presidency. Interesting although highly depressing, as you might expecting. Particularly found his use of the media interesting.
Already starting to feel outdated since he's about to start a second term, and makes that whole thing feel far more trepidatious.
Already starting to feel outdated since he's about to start a second term, and makes that whole thing feel far more trepidatious.
Foster by Claire Keegan
emotional
medium-paced
3.5
I always wish Clare Keegan's novels were a bit longer, but really enjoy these quiet, understated stories
Death Valley by Melissa Broder
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.
Found this narrator really self absorbed and uninteresting - wasn't very compelled by it so put it down
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
Overall impressions thus far is that the writing is nice, the characters seem well-realised, and the setting is lovely - but this is just too racist for me. It's embedded into practically every scene, both implicitly and explicitly, and is just not something I want to be reading.
Kala by Colin Walsh
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a truly impressive debut. Set in a small town in Ireland, this literary thriller is about Kala, a teenage girl who disappeared twenty years ago. Her friends have reunited, and old mysteries and unanswered questions start to resurface.
Although this sounds like a rather tired and familiar plot, this book is incredibly well executed, with excellent writing and characterisation. The dialogue is convincing and manages to avoid a lot of the tropes I tend to find frustrating in these kinds of novels. The characters were a real standout here, there are a lot of them and Walsh manages to give them all a unique voice and feeling. The book feels very complex and very well-realised, although I will caveat that pure mystery/thriller readers will find the pacing of this frustrating and slow.
Although this sounds like a rather tired and familiar plot, this book is incredibly well executed, with excellent writing and characterisation. The dialogue is convincing and manages to avoid a lot of the tropes I tend to find frustrating in these kinds of novels. The characters were a real standout here, there are a lot of them and Walsh manages to give them all a unique voice and feeling. The book feels very complex and very well-realised, although I will caveat that pure mystery/thriller readers will find the pacing of this frustrating and slow.
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
tense
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
5.0