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cat_rector's reviews
76 reviews
Nobody, Somebody, Anybody by Kelly McClorey
I ended up DNFing this. I love the cover and the premise was intriguing, but I'm not in the right place in my life to read this. The MC's life and actions can be viewed as bumbling or strange, or as I viewed it, a deep need for a mental health provider. This definitely falls into a category of unhinged lady MCs that everyone seems to love, and maybe it's just not my category. The MCs actions got under my skin and if art makes you feel things, this is art. But I'm not willing to sit with this one, for my own reasons.
It will suit readers who like slow-paced slice-of-life stories about odd, lonely women.
It will suit readers who like slow-paced slice-of-life stories about odd, lonely women.
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
The themes of this book were spot on for me, and the plot was not. I'm glad a lot of people are loving this book, it just wasn't for me.
The Edge Of The Woods by Ceinwen Langley
5.0
I loved this book. Emma is exactly the kind of character I've been dying to root for lately.
The author has done an amazing job of building a world that's both realistic and recognisable, but slightly just out of the ordinary. The stakes always feel high, despite most of the "action" being deeply woven in personal relationships and community dynamics. Those stakes felt so real and relatable to what I know from experience, and what I know from the stories other women have shared with me. This book, and Emma in particular, embodies so much of the hopeful changemaker I had wanted to be. There was a deep sense of purpose, but also how pieces of your life can grind that purpose out of you. It's a reminder not to settle for what is just because it is, and I think a lot of us can use that.
The author has done an amazing job of building a world that's both realistic and recognisable, but slightly just out of the ordinary. The stakes always feel high, despite most of the "action" being deeply woven in personal relationships and community dynamics. Those stakes felt so real and relatable to what I know from experience, and what I know from the stories other women have shared with me. This book, and Emma in particular, embodies so much of the hopeful changemaker I had wanted to be. There was a deep sense of purpose, but also how pieces of your life can grind that purpose out of you. It's a reminder not to settle for what is just because it is, and I think a lot of us can use that.
Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes
5.0
This was a fun, atmospheric book for fans of 90s/00s movies like Ghost Ship, Haunting of Hill House, etc.
I've seen that some reviewers don't like this book because "it doesn't add anything new" to the genre, but I'd argue that that's why I loved it. There wasn't anything ultra revolutionary, but it played on a nostalgia of mine for the horror movies I loved as a teen. I listened to the audiob0ok for this and THE ACTING omg. The narrator puts so much passion into the work, and you can hear the fear in her voice as the story plays out.
I was listening to it in chunks, then last night I just sat down and devoured the second half (about five hours) in one sitting. I had so, so much fun with this!
I've seen that some reviewers don't like this book because "it doesn't add anything new" to the genre, but I'd argue that that's why I loved it. There wasn't anything ultra revolutionary, but it played on a nostalgia of mine for the horror movies I loved as a teen. I listened to the audiob0ok for this and THE ACTING omg. The narrator puts so much passion into the work, and you can hear the fear in her voice as the story plays out.
I was listening to it in chunks, then last night I just sat down and devoured the second half (about five hours) in one sitting. I had so, so much fun with this!
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
5.0
This book is as good as everyone is making it out to be. It's such a nuanced exploration of a lot of topics, but primarily I saw in it the deep harm we do to each other in the most casual, accidental ways.
I honestly don't think I can review this well without spoiling much. The writing style is immaculate, feeling both special and simple all at the same time. Things that we might tell other authors they're not allowed to do with plot and pacing and grammar, this author uses spectacularly. The book taps into so many subtle feelings while spelling out very little, and your perspective can completely determine the way you interpret the experiences of the characters.
This book is perfect for gamers of all intensities, especially if you grew up in the 90s.
My one single issue with this book is not an issue with the book. It's a deep sadness that the big second-half event has become a common relatable experience in the country the book is set in. That makes me deeply uncomfortable, but that's no fault of the author. They are simply translating an experience onto the page.
I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.
I honestly don't think I can review this well without spoiling much. The writing style is immaculate, feeling both special and simple all at the same time. Things that we might tell other authors they're not allowed to do with plot and pacing and grammar, this author uses spectacularly. The book taps into so many subtle feelings while spelling out very little, and your perspective can completely determine the way you interpret the experiences of the characters.
This book is perfect for gamers of all intensities, especially if you grew up in the 90s.
My one single issue with this book is not an issue with the book. It's a deep sadness that the big second-half event has become a common relatable experience in the country the book is set in. That makes me deeply uncomfortable, but that's no fault of the author. They are simply translating an experience onto the page.
I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
4.0
This was a lovely little cosy read that almost hit all the marks for me, but to be fair, it's been a weird week in my life.
The highlight of the book for me was the conversations between Dex and Mosscap that touched on humanity's obsession with particular subjects. A ton of people need the messaging that this book provides, especially in the context that it delivers them. There was a fantastic opportunity to touch on a little something else as well toward the end and expand in a way that would've been productive, but that's just my opinion.
In the end, the only reason this isn't a five-star read for me is that the final message didn't hit home for me as strongly as it did for my buddy reader, and I was a bit let down by that. But that's alright, not all messages reach all readers in the same intensity. If you're looking for a book about a travelling tea monk and a robot discussing humanity, this is the book for you!
The highlight of the book for me was the conversations between Dex and Mosscap that touched on humanity's obsession with particular subjects. A ton of people need the messaging that this book provides, especially in the context that it delivers them. There was a fantastic opportunity to touch on a little something else as well toward the end and expand in a way that would've been productive, but that's just my opinion.
In the end, the only reason this isn't a five-star read for me is that the final message didn't hit home for me as strongly as it did for my buddy reader, and I was a bit let down by that. But that's alright, not all messages reach all readers in the same intensity. If you're looking for a book about a travelling tea monk and a robot discussing humanity, this is the book for you!
Epilogues for Lost Gods by Cat Rector
5.0
A five star rating from the author to anger the crowd.
No but really, this book is a huge piece of my soul, and when it's finished, I'll review it properly. For now, look forward to the end of a story that's all about grief and healing. About moving on and finding a place for yourself in the realms.
It'll be as dark and grey and tear-jerking as the last, and you can find the latest list of Trigger Warnings here (https://www.catrector.com/post/trigger-warnings-eflg). If you want to keep up with the latest updates, sign up for the newsletter at CatRector.com
No but really, this book is a huge piece of my soul, and when it's finished, I'll review it properly. For now, look forward to the end of a story that's all about grief and healing. About moving on and finding a place for yourself in the realms.
It'll be as dark and grey and tear-jerking as the last, and you can find the latest list of Trigger Warnings here (https://www.catrector.com/post/trigger-warnings-eflg). If you want to keep up with the latest updates, sign up for the newsletter at CatRector.com
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
5.0
Ducks hit me in the throat in ways I didn't anticipate, and a few that I did.
The first few pages are dedicated to setting up the cultural impact that living in Cape Breton has. Having grown up a few hours drive away and having been the exported child of a Newfoundland family, I can see the similarities in my own life. Line after line tore open old wounds.
"Cape Breton used to export fish, coal, and steel; but in 2005, its main export is people. It's not a unique story in Atlantic Canada. Nor is it a new one. Every Cape Breton family has had its share of empty chairs around the table, for a hundred years. ... I need to tell you this—there is no knowing Cape Breton without knowing how deeply ingrained two diametrically opposed experiences are: A deep love for home, and the knowledge of how frequently we have to leave it to find work somewhere else."
I have never seen any page of any book represent that pain so deeply. And this is only the first 20 pages.
Ducks is 430 graphic novel pages about leaving home to make money in the Alberta Oil sands. Alberta knows the people who do this to be a wild, dangerous bunch. We know them to be our brothers and cousins and uncles. And this book is the truth in between, the combination of two worlds that lives in minus 40 in the camp in the middle of nowhere.
This books explores what it was like for the author to try and find her way out of debt by trading years of her life and parts of her soul for a chance at a future. It digs deeply into what it's like to be one woman to fifty men in the middle of nowhere, and yes, that is a trigger warning. It is a sad, harrowing tale, and it is a piece of my heritage that I may never see on page again.
And then there's Becky.
Kate's sister Becky is in this book. She plays a supporting role, and at one point, they discuss how Becky will soon go on to Halifax, where she'll take an Advanced Diploma in Public Relations. The book ends not long before I met her in that class at Waterfront Campus, looking over the harbour.
We weren't close. Our little groups of friends didn't cross paths that often. But she was the first person that told me I was doing too much, that I was doing more than most people could handle. And I carry that with me now more than ever. It was good to see her again in the pages of this book. It enrages me that it's the only place we'll ever see her again.
This review may not help you. None of this may be relatable to you. But rating it five stars isn't enough. This book heard something in me that I can't explain to anyone else.
The first few pages are dedicated to setting up the cultural impact that living in Cape Breton has. Having grown up a few hours drive away and having been the exported child of a Newfoundland family, I can see the similarities in my own life. Line after line tore open old wounds.
"Cape Breton used to export fish, coal, and steel; but in 2005, its main export is people. It's not a unique story in Atlantic Canada. Nor is it a new one. Every Cape Breton family has had its share of empty chairs around the table, for a hundred years. ... I need to tell you this—there is no knowing Cape Breton without knowing how deeply ingrained two diametrically opposed experiences are: A deep love for home, and the knowledge of how frequently we have to leave it to find work somewhere else."
I have never seen any page of any book represent that pain so deeply. And this is only the first 20 pages.
Ducks is 430 graphic novel pages about leaving home to make money in the Alberta Oil sands. Alberta knows the people who do this to be a wild, dangerous bunch. We know them to be our brothers and cousins and uncles. And this book is the truth in between, the combination of two worlds that lives in minus 40 in the camp in the middle of nowhere.
This books explores what it was like for the author to try and find her way out of debt by trading years of her life and parts of her soul for a chance at a future. It digs deeply into what it's like to be one woman to fifty men in the middle of nowhere, and yes, that is a trigger warning. It is a sad, harrowing tale, and it is a piece of my heritage that I may never see on page again.
And then there's Becky.
Kate's sister Becky is in this book. She plays a supporting role, and at one point, they discuss how Becky will soon go on to Halifax, where she'll take an Advanced Diploma in Public Relations. The book ends not long before I met her in that class at Waterfront Campus, looking over the harbour.
We weren't close. Our little groups of friends didn't cross paths that often. But she was the first person that told me I was doing too much, that I was doing more than most people could handle. And I carry that with me now more than ever. It was good to see her again in the pages of this book. It enrages me that it's the only place we'll ever see her again.
This review may not help you. None of this may be relatable to you. But rating it five stars isn't enough. This book heard something in me that I can't explain to anyone else.