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woodiefrog's reviews
117 reviews
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Cozy Fantasy is not my thing, potentially. But also, I had to skip from chapter 3 to the ending chapter because boi does it get tiring all the awkward references. Is this what author of his generation think of as what Gen Z are like? đ€Šđ»
Jeannette Illidgeâs reading saves a lot of the writing for me, but the gilded glee of a characterization is still gilded. And frankly I am getting tired of female protagonist written as gay or bi and behaves like a dog in heat for no reason (actually the reason is probably the same with any guy writing les fantasy, plus your publisher gets a LGBTQ check đ) Swearing=cool & quirky Murdering as butt of joke=morally ambiguous & independent AHHH come on Absolutely a mess of worldbuilding and a very tired troupe for someone growing up having read so many Chinese webnovels; portal fantasy and its gazillions of subgenres are so overdone but okay I guess itâs just catching on here.
Jeannette Illidgeâs reading saves a lot of the writing for me, but the gilded glee of a characterization is still gilded. And frankly I am getting tired of female protagonist written as gay or bi and behaves like a dog in heat for no reason (actually the reason is probably the same with any guy writing les fantasy, plus your publisher gets a LGBTQ check đ) Swearing=cool & quirky Murdering as butt of joke=morally ambiguous & independent AHHH come on Absolutely a mess of worldbuilding and a very tired troupe for someone growing up having read so many Chinese webnovels; portal fantasy and its gazillions of subgenres are so overdone but okay I guess itâs just catching on here.
More Than This by Patrick Ness
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
âWtf did I just readâ is my first reaction to having slogged through this 800-page book. For a rather simple fantastically-weird-random-events-that-happen-to-character kinda book, I think itâs probably 500 pages too long.
Gotta be honest, I was a bit angry at myself for the sore attempt at finishing the book instead of dropping it after the first part of the book, where the premiseâs thrill still carried a tinge of excitement to read on, despite the alarmingly lengthening pace to a nothingness unfolding in front of me. Itâs like those flings, keep it at one night and move on with the hazy, pretty images before the reality of getting to know itâs not what you expected at all sour the memories.
Gotta be honest, I was a bit angry at myself for the sore attempt at finishing the book instead of dropping it after the first part of the book, where the premiseâs thrill still carried a tinge of excitement to read on, despite the alarmingly lengthening pace to a nothingness unfolding in front of me. Itâs like those flings, keep it at one night and move on with the hazy, pretty images before the reality of getting to know itâs not what you expected at all sour the memories.
Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make and Keep Friends as an Adult by Marisa G. Franco
funny
informative
reflective
relaxing
4.5
Very pertinent advice for forming and maintaining friendships in a mature way. Also did not miss to consider how people of color do have to navigate the world differently when interacting with privileged groups (âstep back when uncomfortable events occur and assess, whether the relationship benefits you more or harm you more, if wanting to maintain relationship, aim to initiate open communication despite it often being unfair on POC always have to take initiatives).
xo Orpheus: Fifty New Myths by Kate Bernheimer
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
3.75
Maybe even a 3.8 or 3.9. Kate Bernheimerâs last collection of stories My mother she killed me, my father he ate Me was better edited, with more thoughtfully explored mythic archetypes and introspective spin on the original.
I will say Heidi Julavitsâ Dark Resort (which is a spin on Orpheus and Eurydice) was composed very intentionally and I felt very inspired by the idea of âtranslatingâ Dogme principles into writing.
The Hungers of an Old Language by Brian Aldiss, which has a peculiar dreamlike quality, is still haunting me after three days. Thatâs a success and my compliments to the storyteller.
I will say Heidi Julavitsâ Dark Resort (which is a spin on Orpheus and Eurydice) was composed very intentionally and I felt very inspired by the idea of âtranslatingâ Dogme principles into writing.
The Hungers of an Old Language by Brian Aldiss, which has a peculiar dreamlike quality, is still haunting me after three days. Thatâs a success and my compliments to the storyteller.
The Meister of Decimen City by Brenna Raney
⊠I wanted to like it. The premise sounded so promising. The pacing was solid enough. But the writing is⊠sorry I donât have anything better to offer than âboring.â đ Generic stuff thatâd probably work better as a short series of comics.
Kink: Stories by R.O. Kwon, Garth Greenwell
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
4.0
A fine collection of stories exploring people and their various desires :D Love that it is consciously not heterocentric; and really itâs the stories that are from/by/for âsexual deviantsâ that really resonated with me, also the better written ones.
Roxane Gay, Garth Greenwell, Kim Fu, Carmen Maria Machado (dazzling period story!) and Zeyn Joukhadar astound as always. I also enjoyed Trust by Larissa Pham and Impact Play by Peter Mountford. The rest, not to say âbad writing,â did not land very well with me and fell flat (or otherwise to the non sequitur lit fic side).
Roxane Gay, Garth Greenwell, Kim Fu, Carmen Maria Machado (dazzling period story!) and Zeyn Joukhadar astound as always. I also enjoyed Trust by Larissa Pham and Impact Play by Peter Mountford. The rest, not to say âbad writing,â did not land very well with me and fell flat (or otherwise to the non sequitur lit fic side).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Sexual harassment
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Sad-girl core like Sally Rooneyâs books, but with even less to say about whatâs behind the desperation whole generation(s; always there are some, but particularly in the west after 2nd wave of feminist movement) of white women gravitate towards.
Is it âraw and honestâ? We who did not live the lives nor knew what went behind the keyboard tapping or even diary keeping, who are we to judge? Personally I am perpetually fascinated by my drive to understand the seeking of degradation and erotified romance/sexually suffering, the history both personal and social that caused it. At once I am also slightly unmoored by the seemingly rise of popularity (or perhaps, undiminished? Thereâs Girl, Interrupted long ago after all) of this type of fiction, straddling along the literary and genre in terms of audience, with main characters in their early 20s always white and women and in desperate need of therapy but instead the fiction leads us to see them âtransformâ through romance, upswing or down to hell.
I think someone on Goodreads mentioned pejoratively Fleabag in starting this âtrend.â While I understand the sentiment, I think Fleabag is an examination of this genre, this âaesthetic.â Fleabag does no more seek her suffering than hoping against memories and her past (which is still very much alive in her necessities to be around her family). A lot of central conflicts within the characters arises and revolves around Fleabagâs relationship with women, rather than with men. But as this book demonstrates, âat a glanceâ is all it matters to a great deal of audience at times. Not all experience warrants any meaningful explanation or links to the larger experience beyond oneâs own victimhood.
Is it âraw and honestâ? We who did not live the lives nor knew what went behind the keyboard tapping or even diary keeping, who are we to judge? Personally I am perpetually fascinated by my drive to understand the seeking of degradation and erotified romance/sexually suffering, the history both personal and social that caused it. At once I am also slightly unmoored by the seemingly rise of popularity (or perhaps, undiminished? Thereâs Girl, Interrupted long ago after all) of this type of fiction, straddling along the literary and genre in terms of audience, with main characters in their early 20s always white and women and in desperate need of therapy but instead the fiction leads us to see them âtransformâ through romance, upswing or down to hell.
I think someone on Goodreads mentioned pejoratively Fleabag in starting this âtrend.â While I understand the sentiment, I think Fleabag is an examination of this genre, this âaesthetic.â Fleabag does no more seek her suffering than hoping against memories and her past (which is still very much alive in her necessities to be around her family). A lot of central conflicts within the characters arises and revolves around Fleabagâs relationship with women, rather than with men. But as this book demonstrates, âat a glanceâ is all it matters to a great deal of audience at times. Not all experience warrants any meaningful explanation or links to the larger experience beyond oneâs own victimhood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming and Eating disorder