Mari
The Island of Missing Trees is as much heartwarming as it is heartrending. The story is storm of generational trauma affecting everyone as it tears through everyone's lives <spoiler> alongside the aftermath of the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus and deep mistrust festering between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. </spoiler>
Kostas and Ada are trying to move forward after a devastating loss they each handle in their own way. Their emotional turmoil almost causes them to pass each other like two ships in the night; one turns inward and the other lashes out. Kostas has seen the damage caused by families trying to impose their will on their children, so he chooses a different path, but through a misguided promise of refusing to talk about the past he's only poisoning the present.
Ada's unresolved emotions suddenly manifests as <spoiler> a panic attack in the in the middle of class. </spoiler> Everyone is stunned. Ada is embarrassed and ashamed. Kostas is confused and disheartened. Kostas's quiet sadness can't calm Ada's hurt and fiery reactiveness.
Aunt Meryem, as well as the Fig Tree, become unexpected bridges between the Old World and New World but they also become a salve. Aunt Meryem doesn't have all the answers, but her unconventional beliefs in djinns and evil spirits make both Ada and Kostas realize they can't just ignore their problems or each other.
I loved this book although it was a heavy read. Change is hard and incremental. Older generations like Aunt Meryem can't forgive and forget, but younger generations like Ada can start the work of understanding the past to heal the present and nurture the future.
The language is beautifully spare but the meaning is sweet, contemplative, and all-encompassing.
The lasting feeling is almost Stoic: Focus on what we can change instead of what we can't change.
The Internal and External create change, but it's up to us how to interpret and incorporate that change into ourselves and our lives.
Love this book.
This book has a dark, insightful sense of humor and I'm here for it! QualityLand highlights how aspects of our online lives drive our offline lines even when we don't realize it. Algorithms and ads unknowingly shape wants and desires in a way that can change personalities and real life relationships. Sound familiar?
"Machine Breakers" are QualityLand's anti-Utopia crowd who reject Universal Basic Income and investing in everyone's intellectual and physical health. Machine Breakers live in their own echo chamber and anything outside of that is suspect, discouraged, and violently destroyed.
Can algorithms be wrong? Yes. Can we easily update what those algorithms are based on? Not necessarily and that's where Peter Jobless' Sisyphean quest begins. In QualityLand vestigial, irrelevant data from years ago ends up throwing a wrench (in the form of a a little pink dolphin vibrator) in Peter's current life in the funniest and saddest ways.
Without saying much more, if you love movies like Minority Report, Idiocracy, and Don't Look Up, then QualityLand is for you.
This book is as hopeful as it is heartwrenching, but it's also a testament to the incredible human ability to persist and endure for the truth. Also, Alabama courts have elevated systemic racism to an unspeakable horror that leaves me breathless. One in ten inmates on death row are statistically innocent, yet courts tried everything in their power not to hear appeals on what should've been a mistrial. People can serve their time, but the death penalty shouldn't exist. Full stop.
The fables I wandered through were lush and beautifully written, but Zachary was an empty vessel without anything except curiosity driving him, so everything around him including pacing crumbles. Zachary didn't seem to risk anything or grow in any way, and when I actually felt closer to getting to know Zachary I was interrupted by another story about another set of (sometimes) nameless characters that signified nothing and killed pacing. For as much as this book is lauded, I was laughably underwhelmed and disappointed. That said, I actually liked the last few chapters and afterword, especially everything involving the bees. The few surprises left for the end felt contrived and left me cold, since I had no emotional ties to Zachary. Unfortunately, this book was overwritten and and should've just ended sooner.
Still enjoyable the second time around! Tabitha does have a little self-improvement arc as she stops being a spoiled beat and starts thinking about how her decisions affect other people. Colin of Ravenshaw is honor-bound and endearing the whole way through. Also, there's snow at one point! So I'm considering this a fun holiday read filled with magic, ghosts, and legends. π
This is not a light or fast read but what a beautiful, interesting journey. The swirling prose describing self-discovery, love, and loss are dense and enthralling. The defiant feminist fire lit in the first half ceded to quiet strength and acceptance and celebration of self in the second half. The imagery is as flighty as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl but the emotional bread crumbs left along the way kept me engaged. I wanted triumph for the author, I wanted a lot of things, but I didn't get them all and that's okay.
This book bravely asks what would happen if we follow a strong female lead from Lemony Snickett's Series of Unfortunate Events into Terminator but the plot suddenly Alex Macked into Kung Fury.
I almost DNF'ed this one but I just couldn't look away after page 156.
At its core this story could've been solely about female self-actualization, empowerment, and strength. Laura and Thelma are such badasses and watching them overcome so much adversity in their lives was pretty thrilling, so their relationship was one of the only things that kept me reading. Then, the story betrays all that character-building by launching into a very pulpy second half with some hysterical character reveals.
Maybe Stefan's backstory should've been introduced in pieces earlier than halfway through the book? But even then I don't think that would've made me want him gone any less. Yes, I have the gal to read a book with time-traveling Nazis and say the ending was too contrived but hear me out:
There is no conceit under the sun that could make a Nazi relatable.
If destiny is immutable, then stick to your guns.
This book is so beautifully written. The temporal espionage quietly simmers underneath the back and forth between Red and Blue. As the book progresses, Red and Blue's familiarity with each other subtly evolves through every letter as even their names change Blue to Indigo and so on. The unraveling of time lines, duty, and what's right and what's wrong are gentle and menacing at the same time. I'm reading this one again right now!
2nd Read: Still exceptional. I had a slightly different interpretation of Red and Blue this time around but am still delighted.
Jazz hands!
Ryland and <spoiler>Rocky</spoiler> are a dynamic duo for the ages. Every fist bump, every "amaze" made me giggle. The moment Ryland woke up on the Hail Mary felt like a nod to the <spoiler>1968 Planet of the Apes</spoiler>βthe disorientation, fear, and realizations hitting all at once that made my skin prickle.
The scientific breakdowns were thankfully limited and used sparingly to drive the story forward. Ryland's wry, sardonic tone definitely helped keep me engaged too. Honestly, I cared more about Ryland and <spoiler>Rocky</spoiler> than Earth for most of the book. Honorable mention for that badass Eva Stratt, who basically lit a match, threw it over her shoulder, and walked away from an explosion in slow motion in an unexpected courtroom scene.
Oh and the ending! The moment Ryland walked through that door I knew and <spoiler>my heart expanded three sizes this day</spoiler>. The final chapter felt 100% earned.
Andy Weir writes the most engaging characters in sci-fi period.
Three-fourths of a book is a long time to wander endless hallways and avoid creepers in dark corners without any concrete answers or direction. I felt resigned to be a disengaged voyeur as Piranesi made his rounds every chapter. There's a vague build-up in tension the few times The Other mentions 16, but that tension eases for an uncomfortably long stretches time. Piranesi's aimlessness made me stir-crazy for something more to happen. I came to this book because of its comparisons to Circe by Madeline Miller but that's an unfair comparison. Piranesi is its own bottomless can of wormsβatmospheric, moody, mysteriousβeverything is in shadow and an exploration. I may read this one again to pick up on key clues in early chapters, but I didn't love this book as I expected.
Nostalgia made me read this book again after years and I really wish I hadn't. I was too busy cringing at Tristan's constant fraud-obsessed betrayals and infantilization of Arian to remember why I ever enjoyed this book in the first place.
Arian also loses her independence, fire, and agency over a man who verbally abuses her at every turn and feels like he needs to βhave any hope of shaming her into complianceβ. Yet, she keeps going back. I don't remember Tristan ever apologizing for anything either. For a man who is obsessed with magic and the impossible, he spends little to no time meaningfully engaging with Arian about her story or doing any research.
Also, just because Copperfield is indigenous doesn't necessarily mean he needs to crack stereotypical racist jokes. This book is an uncomfortable read at best.
Zinnia and Charm have my heart. What an incredibly fun and breezy read! There's a fun smattering of subtle cinephile, book and board game references that thankfully lightened the darker undertone of Zinnia's situation--she's a realistic, nerdy heroine with fire and Charm is right there with some pizzazz. I only wish this novella was a full novel.
βI'm not a monster,β Evelyn said.
Then am I the monster? Because I admit I laughed a few times in shock and dismay while devouring this bookβit's a beautifully written, twisted delight. I don't like to watch Black Mirror, yet this book would fit snuggly in within the Black Mirror-verse. Since the story is from Evelyn's point of view, I had the best time trying understand her decision-making process and mapping out her morality while keeping a suspicious eye on Nathan and Martine. This book was a great read from beginning to end. The characters felt well-developed and broke my heart at times. I'm favoriting this one, for sure.
Coming in high off The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I expected to feel my whole heart go out to some of these characters and their struggles. But no, I finished this book in stunned silence. Even though I love everything from Heroes to Runaways to The Outsiders to X-Men to Legion, somehow this one just sadly wasn't for me.
Contains spoilers
Like Lord Oberon and Lady Titania; he lets her have her wins as long as it amuses him, and she will let him have his wins when it suits her. This entire book had such an overall great pace, and the interspersed flashbacks and nested flash-forwards kept me on my toes. Addie's present and past were seemingly happening at the same time as she slipped back into mostly forgotten memories and was inevitably yanked forward into the present. Addie just lived long enough to see herself become the villain in the best of ways and I am so here for it! I live for stories that don't mind playing with anti-heroes or heroes who live in a gray area just beyond morality. If Addie returns, I'll be happy to see her brand of mischief and merrymaking again.
Interesting idea, beautiful writing, and interesting characters in the beginning.
Then, the main storyline and peripheral characters just lagged in comparison to the world building. I felt detatched from most characters except for Nancy and Jack. Towards the end the writing unexpectedly turns mechanical and procedural. The murder mystery lacked tension and its resolution was was anticlamactic at best. Nancy's resolution didn't feel emotional or earned.
Enjoyable read but I expected to rave about it with the way people talk about this book.
