bandysbooks's reviews
180 reviews

How do you accurately rate a book of such importance? The Rape of Nanking is a moment in WW2 that has long been covered up, but should be taught and remembered. Upon Japanese invasion, the population of Nanking was treated to unimaginable horrors, wounds of which have lasted for generations.

I rated this book 5 stars because it presented the info in a way that was understandable. The author includes ample evidence for each claim and adequately paints a picture of China under Japanese rule. It’s important history and the author documents it well.

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Ugh. I really, really wanted to love this. I was excited that someone who has actually hiked this particular peak was writing a mystery/thriller taking place on it.

What I got…I just…Let me start with the main character because she’s sort of a mess. So a team is being assembled to climb a death zone peak. Typically, you want people who are adequately experienced and self-sufficient (Yes, wildly rich but inexperienced people buy their way into teams sometimes, but that isn’t the case here). The main character, Cecily, is admittedly unexperienced. In fact, her only challenging hike ended in the death of another hiker and she’s still clearly traumatized by it. Yet somehow she’s still invited along to hike a peak that’s significantly more challenging and technical than anything she’s done previously.  I could maybe look past some of this if she were a quick learner or relatively competent, but inexperienced. Nope. They’re literally trying to teach her how to complete maneuvers as they are climbing a potentially fatal mountain and she is constantly frozen by fear and self-doubt.

Then we get into the organization of the climbing team. It is in disarray for the entirety of the story. The leader of the expedition is barely with them. There are all sorts of issues that crop up that aren’t thoroughly evaluated or challenged. No one is aware of where people are. Emergency response is lackluster. It’s just messy. 

And finally, experienced hikers start dying in ways that are questionable at the very least…but everyone just seems content to let it go. Maybe the high altitude is slowing everyone’s brains down? Again, they all have to be purposefully oblivious or else the plot wouldn’t progress.

I think that last line sort of sums all of the issues up for me. You have to ignore sooo many gaping holes in logic for this book to work. I can accept a few unrealistic details here and there, but when you anchor a book in reality then ask readers to keep jumping past plot hole after plot hole, it unfortunately just makes it a no-go for me.

I will try to end this with some positives. The description of the mountain was absolutely lovely. I could really envision the setting well. 

I also really loved the portrayal of the Sherpas and how the author made sure to discuss the ethics of mass hiking expeditions and the impact on the Sherpa community. They are the backbone of high altitude climbing in the Himalayas and I’m glad she showed them proper respect.  

And I also loved that she tackled the issue of sexism in climbing/hiking/trekking. There are so many amazing female climbers and many of them face challenges simply due to their gender. It wasn’t a main theme, but it does get touched upon a couple of times.

I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest romance reader, but I’m trying to mix it in occasionally. I work as a chef and the fact that this book is so focused on food was a big draw I convincing me to give it a try!

I’m not sure where exactly to start this particular review because this book was quite a bit different than I imagined. I expected a fluffy queer romance, but the romance was a very small part of the actual plot. The majority of the book is focused on Amy’s semi-closetedness and her struggles with being authentic to herself and to the larger queer community. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was expecting.

As for the romance, it felt a bit generic. I mean there were parts of it that were cute, but we never learn much about Charley, the love interest. Also, so many of their interactions are awkward that you start to wonder where the chemistry is. Eventually, it does have that sweet ending though. Also, kind of annoyed that the very few sex scenes included were brief and fade to black. I don’t want smut necessarily, but it felt a little YA in terms of sex.

I will say there was also quite a disconnect in the timeline versus the dialogue. This book is supposed to be set in 2013 before gay marriage was legalized in the USA…but a lot of the dialogue reads as very now. For example, all of the characters introduce themselves with pronouns which I’m all for…but I don’t remember anyone doing that prior to a year or two ago. In fact, I still barely here it today. 

That being said, I did find myself laughing at several points throughout the book. There were some generally funny points.

I also love how much food and food description was a part of this book! The cakes and pastries sounded genuinely amazing and a couple recipes were included at the end of the book! I’m looking forward to trying them.

And I did love the diversity of representation in this book even if it wasn’t quite as diverse as it could’ve been. I know that’s confusing. Let me explain. The author did a great job with LGBTQIA diversity as ther are characters of varying sexualities and genders throughout this book. That said, it wasn’t very racially or ethnically diverse. I suppose we can attribute some of that to the story being set in Oklahoma…but it’s a weak excuse. After making such an effort to be inclusive, I wish she’d gone just a bit further.

Was this the best queer romance I’ve ever read? No. Is it an entertaining enough, light read? Yes. I think it would be good for a day by the pool or beach.

Going into this book, I had never actually read a cozy mystery before, but I was super excited to give it a try! I was especially excited because this book looked to have awesome Filipino representation and imo, that is a voice that has heavily been missing in mainstream literature.

Let me start by saying the food description was probably the strongest part of this book! I was sooo hungry after every chapter. Not only were there traditional foods like adobo, kare kare, sinigang, and more, but there were unique twists on dishes too like calamansi ginger icebox pies and ube crinkle cookies. I wrote down at least twenty dishes to cook at home because this book had me so inspired.

I also loved the characters in this book! Every single person was so vivid and relatable and I loved the incorporation of Tagalog words into the dialogue. Some of the titas in this book reminded me so much of the titas and lolas I grew up with in my neighborhood. Really great characterization.

Where this book lost some points for me was in the plot. Since it was a cozy mystery, I wasn't expecting anything crazy intense or deep, but the overall concept for the murder and investigation was just a bit convoluted, I suppose. I still enjoyed it, but I did have to actively stop myself from questioning parts of the book and just let myself enjoy it.

All in all, this was a fun read and the food description alone is enough reason to read this! Pick it up if you want something light and enjoyable.

I may be a bit biased because I work as a chef professionally, but I absolutely adored this book. Stanley came across so likeable and I left this book feeling like I had a good understanding of who he is. I really related to his love of food and I appreciated his inclusion of food based memories and family recipes. This is, in my opinion, what a good memoir should be. 

I am a huge fan of psychological thrillers and I’ve been seeing so much hype surrounding this book, so I finally decided to check it out. A Flicker In the Dark follows a main character who’s father is a convicted serial killer locked up in Angola State Prison. Years after his conviction, it seems a copy cat is on the loose and may be targeting the MC. 

The plot of this story was fairly solid. I enjoyed the story and felt engaged throughout even though I found the ending quite predictable. I was able to guess what was happening about halfway through the story. That said, I still felt interested in how things would resolve.

The main character was well done. She’s pretty obviously traumatized by being the daughter of a serial killer and I think that her reactions to the new murders seems realistic for the most part. 

All in all, I found this an enjoyable enough thriller. Not the best I’ve ever read, but solid enough to recommend to other readers.

Together We Burn features a young female character who is the heir to her mother’s flamenco legacy and her father’s dragon fighting legacy. When tragedy strikes, she must face the dragons she’s feared to save her inheritance. In order to learn how, she solicits the help of a retired, disenchanted dragon fighter to train her. 

I really wanted to love this book, but it ended up just being okay for me. I had issues with the characterization, the setting, the plot twists, and the pacing. 

First of all, the setting. The country in the story is called Hispalia and is pretty much Spain. I don’t really understand the point of making up a country if it’s literally going to be a country that already exists. I kept waiting to see what would differentiate it from Spain and it’s never really made clear…aside from dragons existing. 

Second, it’s incredibly hard to relate to or feel sympathy for the main character. Her father is a famous dragon fighter and initially that isn’t so bothersome…but then they talk about how the dragons are treated and it makes it hard to feel any sympathy for anything bad that happens. Additionally, the MC comes across quite entitled. Clearly, she comes from a rich family and I can see how that would make her out of touch…but at times she comes across as spoiled and inconsiderate. 

Third, I was able to figure out who the bad guy was pretty early on. I also figured out what would happen when the MC faced a dragon. It just felt like a pretty predictable plot. Add to it pacing issues and it gets kind of difficult to stay engaged at points.

All in all, I think the idea was good, but the execution was a miss. There were definitely moments of engagement that I wish the author would have built upon more. A quick enough read if you want something fairly light about dragons. 

The Guncle is a bittersweet story about a man named Patrick who is thrust headfirst into caring for his niece and nephew after tragedy strikes their family. Due to his own personal experience with tragedy, he seems to be just the right person to help the children through their experience. There’s only one problem. He doesn’t know how to care for children long term.

Patrick, or GUP (Gay Uncle Pat) as the kids call him, is initially a bit out of his depths, but quickly starts to figure out how to be a good fill-in parent. The relationship he builds with them is so sweet and at times sassy. I loved reading his interactions with his niece and nephew. There were moments that were light, like when he teaches them about brunch and moments that are heavier, when he is helping them through their grief. Either way, genuine love comes through.

I also appreciated that there was depth in Patrick’s story. While he’s a relatively famous actor and well-off, he has experienced some hard things that affect where he’s at in life. I love that as he helps the kids heal, he starts to recognize things within himself as well.

My only real critique is just that at points I wish the story had gone just a tiny bit deeper. But I think the goal was for this to be more of a feel-good story, which it definitely was. 

All in all, if you want a sweet, easy read about family learning to love and accept each other, this is the book for you. 

I was a bit torn about reading this book. I’m not the biggest romance reader, but I do love historical fiction…particularly when it’s set in Edinburgh (one of my real life favorite cities). I decided to go in with an open mind and give it a solid try.

I was mostly pleased with this story and particularly enjoyed the bits about medical practice in Scotland. I recognized bits about the development of “ether” as this also features prominently in The Way of All Flesh which I’ve read prior. I will say that some plot points struck me as a bit similar to that story as they both feature the poor of Edinburgh being murdered in horrific ways and with possible links to medical practice.

That said, I loved the main character in Anatomy. She is spunky, resilient, clever, and determined. She finds loopholes for everything that could potentially stand in her way. I appreciated that although she does have an innate talent for medicine, she also literally grows up studying it and continues to be studious throughout her career. Her talent helps, but she earns her reputation through hard work.

The romance was fine. I felt it was fairly realistic and not overly sweet. Both characters seem authentic for their ages, class, and the situation.

The only major downside in this book for me is when it deterred from reality. The magical reveal made what was an engaging plot seem silly and cheapened the ending. I wish it had been edited out honestly.

All in all, a good read most of the way with an ending that just didn't quite get me there. 

RWARB is one of my favorite books so far this year, so when I saw that Casey McQuiston was coming out with another book, I was beyond excited. I couldn’t even wait to get a physical copy and just scooped it up on audiobook. Maybe allowing myself this much excitement and hype was the problem. 

Unfortunately, One Last Stop fell flat for me. The main character and her potential romance are both interesting enough characters and the overall plot concept is cool. My main issues are that the pacing dragged significantly in places and I feel like certain parts were entirely unnecessary to the plot.

Additionally, there was a bit of cringe factor sprinkled into this book. There’s a part where a Lesbian character from the 80s is essentially told that LGBTQA people do not face discrimination or intolerance anymore. I wish that it were true, but it came across as an overly simplistic and untrue answer. Also, there is sort of a weird white savior dynamic going on. I don’t necessarily think that was intentional, but parts of the story do really highlight that.

I will say that I love this author’s attempt to write very diverse characters. Most of the cast is LGBTQA+ and quite a few characters are POC. I applaud that, however, I do wish that more was done to develop them and include them more comprehensively in the actual plot. Most of them show up as very brief character mentions without much actual development. 

All in all, I feel like this was an ambitious concept, one that I really wanted to love. Unfortunately, the execution just wasn’t there. I’ll still try Casey McQuiston’s future books, but this has definitely tempered my expectations.