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andrewhatesham's reviews
359 reviews
So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I wish I could unread the last story in this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Cursing and Infidelity
Minor: Misogyny
The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
This wasn't much like what I expected so I was a bit disappointed, and I also felt like the pacing and plot structure could have been better, but other than those things, this book is alright.
Don't go into this thinking it's gonna be scary or very plot driven, it's more of a reflective character driven story.
Don't go into this thinking it's gonna be scary or very plot driven, it's more of a reflective character driven story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
Did not finish book. Stopped at 44%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 44%.
As much as I dislike boiling down a book as to being "boring," that's pretty much the only explanation I have for why I didn't finish this.
It had me through the first few chapters, but then it progressively got less and less interesting. The pace slowed down when I expected it to speed up, and while I wouldn't necessarily say the plot is predictable, I'll say that for me, almost nothing felt surprising. In other words: I got bored.
Lastly, this is not the fault of the book, but I was expecting this to be more of a horror story than a fantasy. This was dark, but not scary at all.
The art is really cool though!
It had me through the first few chapters, but then it progressively got less and less interesting. The pace slowed down when I expected it to speed up, and while I wouldn't necessarily say the plot is predictable, I'll say that for me, almost nothing felt surprising. In other words: I got bored.
Lastly, this is not the fault of the book, but I was expecting this to be more of a horror story than a fantasy. This was dark, but not scary at all.
The art is really cool though!
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Religious bigotry
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, and Alcohol
Hiroshima: A Novella by Laurence Yep
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Medical trauma, and War
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
The writing style is really hard to get into. It breaks the "show, don't tell" rule. Lots of info dumping. I'm just gonna watch the movie adaptation again instead of finishing the book.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I initially had low expectations of this book because it doesn't look or sound like anything I'd typically pick up, so if it weren't for the book club I'm in, I probably would have never read it. I'm glad the book proved to be much better than what I expected! I wouldn't say I loved it, but it was a nice story, easy to read, with a satisfactory ending. I can see how this was easily expanded into a series, but one book is enough for me.
The main thing I was worried about was that the story would be repetitive/redundant, and it kind of was at first but then it got better. Overall, even though it's still not exactly my kind of book, I can see why people like it and can appreciate the author's work, so I gave it 4/5 stars.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes cozy light fantasy, slice of life, and novellas! This is kind of like four stories rolled into one. Just be aware that it's a little bit repetitive at times, especially the first volume.
The main thing I was worried about was that the story would be repetitive/redundant, and it kind of was at first but then it got better. Overall, even though it's still not exactly my kind of book, I can see why people like it and can appreciate the author's work, so I gave it 4/5 stars.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes cozy light fantasy, slice of life, and novellas! This is kind of like four stories rolled into one. Just be aware that it's a little bit repetitive at times, especially the first volume.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Dementia, Grief, and Car accident
Midnight in the Dollhouse by Marjorie Filley Stover
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
A bit of a slow start and the historical fiction writing style isn't very good, but I like the premise and am interested in seeing where it goes. I will finish this eventually, now just isn't the right time as I have some good books from the library calling my name!