You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

sicksadlit's reviews
503 reviews

The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell

Go to review page

informative reflective medium-paced

2.5

The irony of having a whole chapter on over-confidence when this entire book is the perfect example of someone who does not realise they are not hitting the notes they think they’re hitting.

I was expecting more from this. More in-depth, unbiased analysis but instead, as another reviewer put it, it’s more like a random collection of personal essays with a veeeeerrry tenuous link between them to the overarching topic. 

Honestly, it was a bit weird and I’m not even sure what the point of the book was or what the key takeaway was meant to be?

Disappointing because I absolutely loved Cultish. Maybe the author just felt too much pressure to release another hit in the wake of the success of the first book but this one definitely could have used a bit more time and attention before going to market.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Professions by Amanda Chong

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

Thunderhead by Miranda Darling

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Sociopath by Patric Gagne

Go to review page

dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

Go to review page

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Well, I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like The Vaster Wilds.

Lauren Groff is kinda like Cormac McCarthy meets Ottessa Moshfegh in the best kind of way.

The novel tells the story of an unnamed girl who escapes the small settlement she was brought to as the servant of her mistress. She takes off into the wild, running and running and running until she can't run anymore. Running from the starvation that has claimed the lives of so many of the residents. Running from the cruelty of the minister. Running from the grief of having lost the only other human she truly loved and cared for.

With nothing but the stolen clothes on her back, looted boots on her feet and her mistress's precious leather gloves to protect her hands from the bitter cold, she runs and runs.

This book is strangely compelling. I could not put it down, despite the relatively small cast of characters and change in scenes.

What made this story so engaging is Groff's incredible ability to develop a scene and draw you into the picture. I wanted to know how the girl survived, what she'd eat next, where she'd end up the next day.

And in the end, despite the horrors of the real world around us, I felt strangely peaceful in understanding that nature will always reclaim her space and what has been will come again.

We will return to nature as we came.

A bit existential, yes, but I was surprised to find that this is exactly what I needed at this time in my life.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Set in the conservative early 1960s, Elizabeth Zott is a chemist working in the lab at Hastings Research Institute. Sexism and prejudice is a daily occurrence for Zott, but when she falls in love with a fellow Chemist - Calvin Evans - all the subsequent noise and scandal of their relationship fades into the background as they focus solely on one another. But when a tragic accident befalls the pair, Elizabeth is forced to take a new direction, one that steers her away from the career she so greatly loves, but that serves her family best. 
 
Right from the very first sentence, I was hooked on Elizabeth Zott’s story. 
 
The tenacity and confidence of Zott is inspiring and uplifting, and is extremely relevant even today in 2024 (sadly). 
 
A lot of the horrible treatment that Zott is subjected to is difficult to read, and yet, much of it is still very prevalent in our current society, if not more carefully cloaked to appear as something else. 
 
Elizabeth’s view on life as black and white, right or wrong is surprisingly refreshing, and a good reminder that if you want to pursue a certain path in life, there really isn’t any excuse that can stop you. If you want to do something, there is a way and an answer for everything. 
 
The characters in Lessons in Chemistry are extraordinary and so incredibly likeable. There are a lot of personalities in the story and yet, Bonnie Garmus cuts no corners. Every character is skilfully developed and refined to bring so much depth and tension to the story. 
 
I cannot believe that Garmus herself does not have a background in chemistry because Elizabeth Zott was so believable as an expert chemist! 
 
I loved this book and immediately want to reread. I’m so excited to see Bonnie Garmus speak this week at the Auckland Writers Festival! 
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Daphne Vincent cannot wait to leave Waning Bay in Michigan after being jilted just weeks before her wedding for her fiancé’s perfect and beautiful best friend. She’s stuck in town however, until the charity Read-a-Thon she’s been organising for the local Children’s Library she works at takes place in 108 days. Homeless (the shitty ex kicked HER out), Daphne moves in with the only person she knows who is looking for a roomie - the (ex) boyfriend of her fiancé’s best friend, Miles Nowak. Daphne and Miles barely speak as they come to terms with truly the most hideous break-up in literary history, until they both receive invitations to Peter (Daphne’s ex) and Petra’s (Miles’s ex) wedding in a few short months. The pair hatch a plan to disrupt their wedding by RSVPing as a couple, and fake-dating until the event in the hopes of making their respective exes jealous. 
 
Well…. This is her BEST YETTTTT. 
 
Emily Henry and I have a bit of a tumultuous relationship. There’s a 50/50 chance I’ll either love or hate the book. E.g. Hated Beach Read, Loved People We Meet on Vacation. Loved Book Lovers, HATTTEEEED Happy Place (honestly what even WAS that?!). 
 
Well, I am extremely happy to report that I LOVED Funny Story and in fact, this is my favourite of her works so far. 
 
Maybe it’s because there are so many things I can relate to in this story (I was engaged to be married but called off my wedding the week the invites were due to go out and just two weeks later MY best friend decided to shack up with my shitty ex ((they’re married now lol wtf))), but I was totally hooked and engaged with Daphne’s storyline the whole way through. 
 
I know the feeling of sorting through wedding shit that is now surplus to requirements, figuring out who you are as an individual post-controlling-ex breakup, making new friends that aren’t your exes friends, and losing friends and family in the breakup process. But I also know what it’s like to have an absent dad, and much of what Daphne described was extreeemmmeeelly relatable. 
 
I also like that Emily Henry writes characters that are in their 30s since so much of romance is centred around young people. It’s nice to read about imperfect 30-somethings who are still tryna figure their shit out you know? Coz same. 
 
Miles Nowak was also my favourite male lead of Henry’s, I liked his quirks, his “odd jobs”, that he didn’t have some huge high-flying corporate career and had his own mummy issues to work through. He felt like one of the most developed male leads Henry has created. 
 
The setting of Waning Bay Michigan was dreamy too. Makes me wanna book a one way ticket honestly. 
 
Funny Story really IS a funny story, and at its heart ultimately it’s a story about learning to trust those that love you, and understanding that no one is perfect and it’s ok if your friends/family/partner occasionally screws up. It doesn’t mean they’re terrible, they’re just human. 
 
ALSO, I feel like this whole book is a sign to talk to someone you think would be a cool new friend. Coz it’s hard to make new friends in your 30s you guys!!!!! 
 
Anyways, five stars, loved it heaps, made a cute moodboard about it on Instagram <3