Take a photo of a barcode or cover
mchester24's reviews
146 reviews
I really bounced back and forth on how to rate this book— in the depths of the philosophical droning (IMO) it felt like a 2 star, simply because these type of meta-philosophy discussions definitely aren’t my cup of tea. But then when that was flipped to practical insights on things like religion, relationship, human-technology interactions, I felt energized and inspired. I know Pirsig intended these aspects to go hand in hand— can’t have one without the other— but the slow, dragging parts were really slow and really dragged. But I’ll settle on the three stars because I do feel I got some value out of it in the end.
I’ll note also that the later written intro and afterward that reflected on the book’s success over the half century since it was written definitely helped with context. In many ways, the esteem this book comes from the moment in cultural revolution it was written, a time I am too young to have seen. So criticizing or taking for granted much of what Pirsig was sharing about things like mental health and technology feels like calling the Beatles overrated because you weren’t around to experience how they changed things.
In the end, I think I’ll be happy to keep my copy on my shelf and May even revisit some of the particularly interesting and moving passages dedicated to the motorcycle trip and the gather-son relationship (god, I feel so sorry for Chris), but I can’t see myself slogging through it all again.
I’ll note also that the later written intro and afterward that reflected on the book’s success over the half century since it was written definitely helped with context. In many ways, the esteem this book comes from the moment in cultural revolution it was written, a time I am too young to have seen. So criticizing or taking for granted much of what Pirsig was sharing about things like mental health and technology feels like calling the Beatles overrated because you weren’t around to experience how they changed things.
In the end, I think I’ll be happy to keep my copy on my shelf and May even revisit some of the particularly interesting and moving passages dedicated to the motorcycle trip and the gather-son relationship (god, I feel so sorry for Chris), but I can’t see myself slogging through it all again.
I was attracted to this book by the compelling overall concept of AI-based horror and the bookstore rec and reader reviews highlighting that the story grips you in a way that you could feel compelled to read in one sitting. I see now after finishing that this was all well delivered!
I suspect AI goes wrong horror will be a common trope moving forward, and this story was contained and driven enough you could readily see it as a Black Mirror episode. Would be a fun Halloween read for something quick but also tense, a bit gory, and surprising through it all.
Feel like the author attempted to get into some of the ethical, big picture AI questions with this story as the vehicle, but I do wish that was treated with more of a deep dive reflection— it could have served well to turn from novella into full novel with more meat on the bone. That’s what brings it down from the give star potential for me!
Third of the four Sherlock novels from Doyle, and it’s definitely my favorite yet which is why I had to elevate to five stars (is it perfect? No. But it’s clear Doyle has hit his stride with Holmes and Watson and that deserves a star bump!)
I’m thinking about why this one stands out, I found myself extra compelled by things like the fact that they’re questioning whether the case involves super natural (really highlighting the Scooby Doo nature of the case— which I mean as a high compliment!), the more gothic and morose tone that grips you and paints quite the mental images, the series of the middle that is really only through Watson’s perspectives and experiences, and the classic story elements of romance, betrayal, deception, and having it all come crashing down.
I immediately sense that this will be a fun one to re-read, and I suppose that stands alone as high praise!
Once again, this all leaves me even more excited to keep going with the Sherlock Holmes dive!
I’m thinking about why this one stands out, I found myself extra compelled by things like the fact that they’re questioning whether the case involves super natural (really highlighting the Scooby Doo nature of the case— which I mean as a high compliment!), the more gothic and morose tone that grips you and paints quite the mental images, the series of the middle that is really only through Watson’s perspectives and experiences, and the classic story elements of romance, betrayal, deception, and having it all come crashing down.
I immediately sense that this will be a fun one to re-read, and I suppose that stands alone as high praise!
Once again, this all leaves me even more excited to keep going with the Sherlock Holmes dive!
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology
Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology— short stories are terrific format for horror, and among the three dozen stories here so many stuck with me in vivid imagery well after finishing them, expert tension throughout.
Having horror be the genre for these Native-driven stories was so compelling as well. It wasn’t done intentionally, but I had recently read Braiding Sweetgrass so the contrast of the Native/scientific perspective and this with the horror-fiction side really provided a great one two punch of getting across the wisdom on Native tribes and their experts in unique, memorable, and convincing ways. I’m not indigenous and I didn’t really grow up knowing much about these cultures, but scary stories as allegories help so much with empathizing with their feelings, their treatment, the injustices, and more.
Some stories were standouts and deserved five stars (immediately coming to mind are Navajos Don’t Wear Elk Teeth, Snakes Are Born in the Dark, Behind Colin’s Eyes, the Prepper, Sundays, and Collections), while others didn’t resonate necessarily as much for me, so four stars is where I land (such is the dilemma of rating an anthology!)
Having horror be the genre for these Native-driven stories was so compelling as well. It wasn’t done intentionally, but I had recently read Braiding Sweetgrass so the contrast of the Native/scientific perspective and this with the horror-fiction side really provided a great one two punch of getting across the wisdom on Native tribes and their experts in unique, memorable, and convincing ways. I’m not indigenous and I didn’t really grow up knowing much about these cultures, but scary stories as allegories help so much with empathizing with their feelings, their treatment, the injustices, and more.
Some stories were standouts and deserved five stars (immediately coming to mind are Navajos Don’t Wear Elk Teeth, Snakes Are Born in the Dark, Behind Colin’s Eyes, the Prepper, Sundays, and Collections), while others didn’t resonate necessarily as much for me, so four stars is where I land (such is the dilemma of rating an anthology!)
I consider myself a very amateur observer and lover of nature, less knowledgeable than those like Amy Tan but with just as much glee for the various wild neighbors you can find. So this book had been on my list and I was excited to finally get to it.
The reading experience definitely had some positives and negatives. Tan’s drawings were terrific, the humor she wove in was very warm and welcome, and I loved that even when tired I could quickly read one or two entries then give in to heavy eyelids. But at the same time the serialized nature of just reading a journal left we wishing this was all structured in a way that had more of a narrative thread. That’s obviously not how a real journal works so it’s not super fair, but at times it led to me counting the pages before I was done rather than wholly enjoying the read so that’s where I knocked off some stars.
What I’ll remember of this book definitely includes the wonder (and jealousy) Tan’s backyard birding setup gave me, the fascination as the birds remained the star while subtle life backdrops changed (COVID, wildfires, personal loss, etc), and the relatable way Tan bounced between scientific observation and tepid anthropomorphism (ultimately and confidently declaring that her staunch respect for the circle of life doesn’t mean she can’t feel for the struggle/death of any individual creature— a great passage that spoke to this scientifically minded vegan!)
The reading experience definitely had some positives and negatives. Tan’s drawings were terrific, the humor she wove in was very warm and welcome, and I loved that even when tired I could quickly read one or two entries then give in to heavy eyelids. But at the same time the serialized nature of just reading a journal left we wishing this was all structured in a way that had more of a narrative thread. That’s obviously not how a real journal works so it’s not super fair, but at times it led to me counting the pages before I was done rather than wholly enjoying the read so that’s where I knocked off some stars.
What I’ll remember of this book definitely includes the wonder (and jealousy) Tan’s backyard birding setup gave me, the fascination as the birds remained the star while subtle life backdrops changed (COVID, wildfires, personal loss, etc), and the relatable way Tan bounced between scientific observation and tepid anthropomorphism (ultimately and confidently declaring that her staunch respect for the circle of life doesn’t mean she can’t feel for the struggle/death of any individual creature— a great passage that spoke to this scientifically minded vegan!)
Another very fun, readable Sherlock novel. All my notes from the study in scarlet apply here but I liked it even better (probably because Doyle tampered back the length and depth of the background flashback).
Reading this book, you can really see how and why Holmes became a mainstay of film and tv— the setting transports you so vividly through place and time, the characters so dynamic and cartoon-y (in the best way), and you can just hear the tone and delivery of the dialogue.
Thoroughly enjoying my Sherlock foray and excited to keep it going.
Reading this book, you can really see how and why Holmes became a mainstay of film and tv— the setting transports you so vividly through place and time, the characters so dynamic and cartoon-y (in the best way), and you can just hear the tone and delivery of the dialogue.
Thoroughly enjoying my Sherlock foray and excited to keep it going.
I won an advanced, signed copy of this book from Tombolo Books in St Pete, FL (my favorite bookstore), which was a cool surprise. Admittedly, the synopsis read as a book outside of my normal style, but free is free, getting out of your confort zone is fun, and it sounded like a privilege to get to read it early so I dove in!
Reading it completely confirmed it simply is t a type of book I’d normally pick up, so that was where the lukewarm rating comes from. But still plenty of positives!
- incredibly readable such that I got through it in a few days without ever feeling like it was a slog
- loved that it was set in Orlando, where I live, and the specificity and voice of that setting really drove home that the author really is a local too
- the descriptions of pursuing a passion— in career, fulfillment, and relationships— felt raw and real throughout
- the bizarre aspects never felt like too much that it took me out, but rather they were charming and served a purpose
A coming of age story that took twists and turns and didn’t act like everything was pretty and nice— so in the end I felt like it was a worthwhile read and departure for me!
Reading it completely confirmed it simply is t a type of book I’d normally pick up, so that was where the lukewarm rating comes from. But still plenty of positives!
- incredibly readable such that I got through it in a few days without ever feeling like it was a slog
- loved that it was set in Orlando, where I live, and the specificity and voice of that setting really drove home that the author really is a local too
- the descriptions of pursuing a passion— in career, fulfillment, and relationships— felt raw and real throughout
- the bizarre aspects never felt like too much that it took me out, but rather they were charming and served a purpose
A coming of age story that took twists and turns and didn’t act like everything was pretty and nice— so in the end I felt like it was a worthwhile read and departure for me!
I was really excited when I saw the penguin classics “four novels of Sherlock Homes,” having never read and Sherlock story or really watched any popular media of the most frequently portrayed fictional character in history
Reading the forward ahead of the books had me a bit apprehensive about how I’d like the study in scarlet, given the scholar who wrote the forward described it as a somewhat weaker one in the canon. But if that’s the case it only makes me more excited to go down this pathway with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle because I found the story and writing style so engaging, fun, and satisfying.
With this being the first introduction of the Holmes and Watson characters, it felt like a great prelude to the series to come, and I think what I’m really learning is how much I enjoy the 19th century English writing that has at least a touch of gothic
The only part keeping me from five stars was the middle part being a flashback of the crime characters felt jolting and too long (as the forward warned!), but as soon as we found ourselves back in London I couldn’t put it down!
Definitely confident I’ll be going on many more adventures with Holmes and Watson. What a fun, overdue discovery!
Reading the forward ahead of the books had me a bit apprehensive about how I’d like the study in scarlet, given the scholar who wrote the forward described it as a somewhat weaker one in the canon. But if that’s the case it only makes me more excited to go down this pathway with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle because I found the story and writing style so engaging, fun, and satisfying.
With this being the first introduction of the Holmes and Watson characters, it felt like a great prelude to the series to come, and I think what I’m really learning is how much I enjoy the 19th century English writing that has at least a touch of gothic
The only part keeping me from five stars was the middle part being a flashback of the crime characters felt jolting and too long (as the forward warned!), but as soon as we found ourselves back in London I couldn’t put it down!
Definitely confident I’ll be going on many more adventures with Holmes and Watson. What a fun, overdue discovery!
I really enjoyed this story and as I sit here writing this after completing its giving me one of those book hangovers— I want more and I want details, but definitely the beauty comes from not having that.
I saw another review highlighting that for such a weird premise you don’t get weird enough, but I think that’s what I really love. Bob the Blob gives us a surreal and unexplained aspect of the story, but the universe is just the real world. The author, the main character Vi, they walk us through so many raw, real human experiences is incredibly relatable prose: depression, rejection, self doubt, self hate, obsession, poisonous nostalgia, sub-zero self esteem, trying to fight back against all of that with family/acquaintances/life trying with mixed success. But those relatable experiences get externalized thanks to the surreal presence of Bob the Blob.
The sense of identity, particular racial identity and those pressures and expectations, get touched upon as well by circumstance of Vi being half Taiwanese and most of her surroundings being white washed— and i wish I could have heard more deeply about that especially per the interesting contrast of Bob becoming white.
I raced through this book as it was very readable and kept me eager to pick it up each time. Hoping to see more from this author in the future!
I saw another review highlighting that for such a weird premise you don’t get weird enough, but I think that’s what I really love. Bob the Blob gives us a surreal and unexplained aspect of the story, but the universe is just the real world. The author, the main character Vi, they walk us through so many raw, real human experiences is incredibly relatable prose: depression, rejection, self doubt, self hate, obsession, poisonous nostalgia, sub-zero self esteem, trying to fight back against all of that with family/acquaintances/life trying with mixed success. But those relatable experiences get externalized thanks to the surreal presence of Bob the Blob.
The sense of identity, particular racial identity and those pressures and expectations, get touched upon as well by circumstance of Vi being half Taiwanese and most of her surroundings being white washed— and i wish I could have heard more deeply about that especially per the interesting contrast of Bob becoming white.
I raced through this book as it was very readable and kept me eager to pick it up each time. Hoping to see more from this author in the future!
Had bought this book a year ago to finally dive into what the Gaiman hype was about, and was eager for this to be the first of many I added to my list. Well between then and now all the allegations came out against him which were disappointing to say the least— but I figured I already paid for it so I’m still going to read it!
That’s all to say I was preparing to do the gymnastics of separating art from artists to justify any addition works of his I was to read, but I found myself less gravitationally pulled in than I expected.
Numerous times during reading I found myself asking ‘what in the world did I just read??’ Sometimes that was a compliment in the form of awe, sometimes..not. I definitely found myself leaning more towards the positive aspect of that as the last 20-30% played out, but the first majority had too many dragged out, confusing, and disjointed versions of it for me to find myself as consistently engrossed as I hoped. In the 10th anniversary preface Gaiman wrote for the version I have, he noted this text added back in some of the parts his editor had described as meandering in the original cuts. I think that’s a good word to describe the parts that challenged me— too meandering. Some of the fat could be readily trimmed that might have led me to rate this higher.
But in the meantime, I’ll give it 3 stars and not feel like I’m missing out too much if I don’t dive into more of Gaiman’s work.
That’s all to say I was preparing to do the gymnastics of separating art from artists to justify any addition works of his I was to read, but I found myself less gravitationally pulled in than I expected.
Numerous times during reading I found myself asking ‘what in the world did I just read??’ Sometimes that was a compliment in the form of awe, sometimes..not. I definitely found myself leaning more towards the positive aspect of that as the last 20-30% played out, but the first majority had too many dragged out, confusing, and disjointed versions of it for me to find myself as consistently engrossed as I hoped. In the 10th anniversary preface Gaiman wrote for the version I have, he noted this text added back in some of the parts his editor had described as meandering in the original cuts. I think that’s a good word to describe the parts that challenged me— too meandering. Some of the fat could be readily trimmed that might have led me to rate this higher.
But in the meantime, I’ll give it 3 stars and not feel like I’m missing out too much if I don’t dive into more of Gaiman’s work.