Scan barcode
youreawizardjerry's reviews
110 reviews
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Engrossing.
A family that can mirror many of ours "post"-colonialism. These lives touched me in extremely familiar ways, yet preserved a distinct quality while exploring their ethnic plights and experiences that read as uniquely moving and eye-opening. A complexity was captured here that I cannot praise enough. Beautiful, immersive, and heartbreaking. Shoutout to my Grandmother, my Sunja, my matriarch, who is the bedrock of all of us come after. I will have to recommend this to her <3
A family that can mirror many of ours "post"-colonialism. These lives touched me in extremely familiar ways, yet preserved a distinct quality while exploring their ethnic plights and experiences that read as uniquely moving and eye-opening. A complexity was captured here that I cannot praise enough. Beautiful, immersive, and heartbreaking. Shoutout to my Grandmother, my Sunja, my matriarch, who is the bedrock of all of us come after. I will have to recommend this to her <3
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
zZZZZZZ not 4 me atm, the writing is on the bland side maybe ill try the audio version in the future
The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
emotional
funny
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
The first half was far stronger than the second (got a tad too cliche at times), but it was a great pleasure all the same. How thankful I am for my queer elders and this story for allowing me to sit more intentionally with them in my thoughts-- while I was reading and certainly moving forward. What a bittersweet transcendant experience. And oh so funny. Truly funny. Thank you, John Boyne.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
powerful concept. About halfway through it seemed to lose much of the initial strength in the prose that the beginning had and never regained it.
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
some of these chapters were amongst the most poignant and satisfying short stories ive ever read. genuinely it was such a pleasure to get so immersed in this world. bro did kinda ruin it though by giving us chapter after chapter after chapter (after chapter!) of the fledgling dude™ yearning for the complex woman "but they're different characters this time cause they have ~different names~ and live in a ~different city~ !!!" ... it got tiring by the end and truthfully added a one-dimensionality in the last third of the book that really undermined the beauty of the first two. the repeated themes we're introduced to are especially powerful with the understanding that they are reoccuring for such a large swathe of time and space and to so many lives, so i need to see that reflected in the lives they affect. we are 8+ billion people and the book (though about many characters) can really be boiled down to being about one generic guy and in a couple chapters a generic girl* when the same tropes are genderswapped (there are a few exceptions tbf). I just dont think you can do a story about "the connective threads that tie us all together in the universe" justice with such a bland roster of characters. I'm going to stick with an overall 4 for now because i really loved the prose but the last few chapters dip it to a 3.75.
* primeval immortal god with all knowledge of civilization and humanity and her personality is just lady who likes stars? couldn't give her more depth but you could tell me she fucked every famous western mind? weird way to make what i assume was meant to be a nod to the behind every man is a great woman saying but was just strange considering how soon we learn this about her and then absolutely nothing else.
*
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Babel by R.F. Kuang
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Ambitious. The good parts I adored, but somewhere amidst all the ambition and intertwining genres and concepts Kuang got lost in the sauce. Tried to be so much that it diluted a lot of the initial punch and heart by the end. I appreciate holding to the constraints of the time, but it left me unfortunately feeling less inspired, and more deflated. In many ways I understand that direction, in others I genuinely don’t think I’d recommend it to other bipoc. Also I really don’t appreciate storytellers killing off the darkest guy first and also #2 kuang have the boys kiss already how dare you lead me on like this