thebooksatchel's reviews
521 reviews

SO GOOD! Perfect and horrific. These panels are gonna HAUNT me. They gave me new fears I didn't know I could ever have

A Black power couple who went Insta viral after their engagement are getting married in a month. The woman Ola is a journalist and supporter of the Me Too movement and her podcaster fiance Michael is starting a new job at a content firm. A crowdsourced document of sexual harassment allegations surfaces on the internet and Michael is on the list. This throws their relationship, wedding plans and career into muddled waters.

What I loved:
- A KILLER premise
- I loved what a page turning read this was. The first half really keeps the suspense and consequences going strong. The pace dips in the middle but it picks up soon enough.
- It's a very readable and engaging book. Also I love that novels are exploring our digital lives and how the internet is intertwined in our relationships and bias because of what we consume.
- The book explores the anonymity behind internet handles and also how the public quickly passes judgement, sometimes without verifying facts. The book shows a well rounded picture of how both men and women misuse this anonymity. It shows both sides—the trolls and also the regular person who believes the internet.
- It makes us question where do we draw the boundaries. To what extent is it morally right to reveal things on social media. What happens when intent and results do not match?.
It makes you think about labels. For eg, can a name revealed on the internet to be a sexual harasser be considered a victim of social media outrage?
- I absolutely loved how Adegoke explored Ola's situation. Does she trust her fiance or an anonymous list? There's always a grain of doubt in one's mind after such an issue blows up. How to deal with being a feminist and being accused of being a pseudo feminist? How to balance her job and personal life?
- Also how does workplace address such an allegation on the internet? I don't think many books address this issue and I am glad The List does.
- I also loved how this novel explores that an act on the internet can affect real lives, friendships, careers and mental health of not just those who are directly involved, but also people close to them.

What I didn't like:
- The characters felt underdeveloped. Sometimes the scenes read like parts which could be further developed into a TV show with more context. This was cumbersome to read. While we do get a good insight into what the lead characters face because of the allegation on the List, their overall character sketch was underdeveloped. For example I couldn't see how or why Ola-Michael were an Insta famous couple beyond what's told to us. How were they Internet relevant and not forgotten? I really wish more of this background was explored because that's one reason that there are so many eyes on this couple when the List blows up.
- The tone changes and I felt unsure where to place this book. In the beginning the novel felt like a probe into the private lives of Ola and Michael, but it quickly changes into a social commentary with weighty issues.<
- I see many new novels falling into this pit. Many themes are crammed into the read—#Metoo movement, anonymous sexual allegations, judgement passed on social media, relationships in the digital age, journalist life and scoops, rape, legal system, etc.

Comparisons:
The blurb compares The List to Such a Fun Age, Luster, and My Dark Vanessa which I don't think holds true at all. I found it more similar to Yellowface by RF Kuang in style and tone (not theme).

More than anything else, this book made me think about how easily we believe things in this digital day and age. How easy to not read/see the whole picture before a like/comment/share until the truth itself is blurred. Thoughtful passages on the digital life, the ease of access to information (which could be tweaked intentionally or unintentionally), a doppelganger situation. In this book Klein analyzes how people mixed her up with another writer and the impact of Wolf's antivax/conspiracy theories had on her own life. Naomi and other Naomi. In this case only the names are similar, but their identities were mixed up by the audience. Ultimately it made me think how easy it is for us to mix up things, facts, people in this fast paced world; and are we ready for this?

I recently read The Tattoo Murder, originally published in 1948, and I am obsessed with it. I went in expecting a cozy crime (Let me warn you, it features gory scenes compared to your usual cozy crime read) and found myself squeezed tight into a thrilling, electrifying murder mystery featuring tattooed women. Unputdownable.

SAD.
character-driven family saga for a long weekend read. the last half could've been shorter though.

Cozy with all typical ingredients for a cozy crime read perfect for the autumn months.
Read with The Satchel Book Club on Instagram/ Aug 2023
Expect:
masked man
mysterious vibe
atmospheric mood and weather
intelligent investigator
slow and cozy pace

- This is a very read-able story. I had got to the half point mark so quickly, in the blink of an eye
- Where are the vampires?? This was disappointing. You would expect a book with vampires in the title to be more vampire-y or at least HAVE more vampire related stuff. I was at 60% of the book, enjoying it, but also CONSTANTLY thinking now where are those vampires?
- The vampire mood is more melancholic than scary. The kind of horror that instills a sad, fearful discomfort in you. I enjoyed this but if you are expecting more at-your-face horror because of the title, then this isn’t for you.
- The title and blurb feels misleading and do not convey the book. The Vampires of El Norte is more of a forbidden romance than a vampire story
- Historical setting, Mexican American war
- Parallels between the supernatural creatures and real-life nationalism and oppression
- It is atmospheric but not in the deeply gothic sort. Sometimes the romance and introspection/thoughts overpower the atmosphere. But the atmosphere created is certainly very enjoyable and cinematic (This would make a great period drama for TV). It is mysterious, soft horror, the kind that makes your skin crawl. I loved the cinematic feel and I could most certainly hear a background music.

Read it for a forbidden romance story which has evil vibes sweeping the land in the background

This is a tricky one because it really depends on YOU whether this book will work for you. 
- It is funny with dark humor and astute observations about situations, things that people say, casual sympathies, etc
- BUT this gets repetitive. It is nearly the same theme throughout, so maybe after a point you might not laugh as loud as you laughed the first one.
- It is wickedly funny about divorce, the way we hurt others, the way our significant other hurts us
- BUT at some point you are going to feel the other emotions associated with these incidents (pain? anger? sadness? grief?) and you might think what the hell is the protagonist doing? Is she completely fleshed out? Is this denial mode or something else? Address the elephant in the room.
- Also sometimes you wonder is this humor? or are you hurting? or is this humor from pain? It is a confusing spot to be in as a reader.
- protagonist on self destructive mode. (I don't mind such characters, so it was alright for me). If such characters bother you, then this book won't work for you.
- Also I feel this book will speak differently to you depending on where you are in life (millenilal? boomer? gen z? married? divorced? committed? single? after a recent break up? Or basically how much of other people and their lives you've had experience with). There were parts I felt a younger me would have laughed at, but the present me just gave an exasperated sigh. There were parts I thought 'ugh, we learn the hard way' but I know at some other point in life I would have simply read past it.

About comparisons to other books. I like Ghosts by Alderton more for the humor on dating life. While Really Good, Actually covers themes similar to Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason, the latter is more deeply fleshed and emotional and made me cry bucketfuls. I would say, do not looks for comp titles, but simply read Really Good, Actually if the blurb excites you.

Overall funny, breezy, wicked but repetitive.

A cozy read about FOOD and memories.
A detective duo (father and daughter) specialize in customized dishes. They try to replicate the exact taste of the dishes that a person might've enjoyed at some point in their life. For this, they go hunting for clues in the person's past, clues in the life of the person/restaurant/grocery store that helped put together the dish. For example : a wife's udon dish, a first love's beef stew, an ex-husband's pork chop. Lots of food descriptions. So this would be a nice read with cozy homebound vlogs on Youtube.

<i>Thanks to Pan Macmillan for the ARC. All opinions are my own</i>

Short stories about Ethiopian immigrants in the US that examine identity and belonging.
These stories explore people trying to find a 'home' and have a safe space for themselves. The Suitcase is about a woman who has lived between two cultures, visiting Addis Ababa for the first time.
Mekonnen aka Mack aka Huey Freakin Newton shows the importance Americans place on the color of one's skin and how the diaspora struggle to fit in. I enjoyed the titular story A down home meal for these difficult times the most. Here, food becomes a love language and through food immigrants try to settle in their home.