bethsreading's reviews
71 reviews

dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I really like Armfield’s writing style. I particularly like how the gothic elements of the stories are ever present in the background, creeping closer as each story progresses. They are unsettling and creative and pull you in. My main critique of them is that quite a few of the main characters felt a bit interchangeable. As they are short stories, the characters wont have as much depth as they do in a novel and Armfield does a great job of building these characters in a short number of pages; I was just left feeling like some of the outlooks and personalities of the main characters blurred together a little. It is a good collection though and I would recommend to people who liked The Dangers of Smoking in Bed.

Content Warnings

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Go to review page

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Following Lily’s realisation of her own queerness was both a hopeful yet heartbreaking journey. As a Chinese American in the 1950s, we see how intensely Lily’s queerness shifts her world from everything she is expected to be, to everything she is told not to be. Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a story of self discovery, queer love, and the complexity of family bonds.

Malindo Lo does such a fantastic job of depicting how liberating accepting one’s queerness can be, but also being realistic about what is at stake for Lily. It was heartbreaking to read Lily’s love for her family and culture, while also knowing that if she wants to live as herself, she will most likely be cut off from everything she knows and cares for.

The romance was beautiful and well developed. I also loved how both girls had big dreams that they were willing to fight for.

The one thing that I think wasn’t perfect was the flashbacks to her parent’s/Aunt’s pasts. I liked the extra layer of understanding they they offered but I felt them to be a little underdeveloped overall.

This is a fantastic and beautiful story of queer love and self acceptance that I wholeheartedly recommend.

Content Warnings

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Go to review page

dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I sadly was disappointed by this book. I enjoyed the first half, Murata has a really interesting writing style and did a great job of capturing a unique woman and her outlook on society. I would not say it is a stretch to describe the main character as autistic and I think she was presented with a lot of depth and empathy. Murata broaches big topics such a societal pressure, asexuality, and otherness well in such a short number of pages. My main issue with this book appears in the second half when the character of Shiraha appears. He is so utterly unbearable to listen to, spouting opinions that would feel very at home in an incel manifesto. While the novel does not paint him in a good light, it also tries too hard to sympathise with him in my opinion. We feel sympathy towards the main character because she does not fit societal expectations and experiences the harsh consequences of this. However, I felt it tried to do the same for Shiraha, and it is incredibly difficult to feel sympathy for anyone who views women as objects to be leeched off of. I wasn’t sure how to feel after finishing the book and I find myself in the same situation a couple of days later, but I know it did not sit well with me. There was enough goodness that I would read more from Murata, but sadly this one in particular was not for me.

Content Warnings

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

Go to review page

challenging emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Our Wives Under the Sea is a fantastic story of love, loss, and the deep, deep sea. It begins as a quietly gothic mystery, before building to its gently devastating end. It offers sharp glimpses of an intensely loving relationship, beautifully describing moments of true connection that each land with a heartbreaking blow. There is a creepiness to it that does not overpower the story, but adds a rough texture that works perfectly It does not need many pages to make a unique impact. It is better to go in to this story not knowing much in my opinion. So if you want a softly disturbing queer love story, jump in head first.

(I did dock a star because there was blatant biphobia/perpetuating of bisexual stereotypes which was genuinely upsetting to read from a queer author and pretty clearly reflects the personal beliefs of the author which is very disappointing)

Content Warnings

The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight

Go to review page

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

While I did enjoy this book, I felt all the way through that I wanted more. The book is definitely more of a biography about John Barker than about premonitions themselves. Also the book itself felt disjointed and seemed to veer on tangents that while interesting, took away focus from the main topic. I found it all fascinating (though some biography parts went on a little long for my tastes) and I enjoyed the philosophy and psychology elements that questioned the boundaries of thought and time. However, I was sadly left wanting. I wanted more about the premonitions themselves, more examples of them, more about their historical and social significance. Worth a read, but I would go in with different expectations than the blurb offers you.

Content Warnings