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glecharles's reviews
75 reviews
Clutter: An Untidy History by Jennifer Howard
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
"We're drowning in the byproducts of a system that makes productivity a priority and encourages people to be consumers first and foremost." (pg 139)
Part memoir of a moment, part history of why so many of us have too much stuff in our homes. About 2/3rds through, "Swedish death-cleaning" unexpectedly made it a more poignant read than I was expecting, and by the end I had a new perspective on recycling, individual responsibilities, and my own possible digital hoarding problem. ๐ฌ
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Part memoir of a moment, part history of why so many of us have too much stuff in our homes. About 2/3rds through, "Swedish death-cleaning" unexpectedly made it a more poignant read than I was expecting, and by the end I had a new perspective on recycling, individual responsibilities, and my own possible digital hoarding problem. ๐ฌ
๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ
Never Deal with a Dragon by Robert N. Charrette
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm clearly under Shadowrun's spell right now and I had admittedly low expectations for this sci-fantasy tie-in from 1990, but it was surprisingly solid genre fiction that fully embraces its setting without feeling like a lazy novelization. Compelling characters, intricate plotting, and a nuanced moral code combine for a fun page-turner I made a rare exception for: taking a few daytime hours to finish reading. ๐
Witch Hat Atelier, Volume 4 by Kamome Shirahama
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Fool On the Hill by Matt Ruff
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I rarely reread books but Fool on the Hill is an old favorite; first read when I was 19 or 20, loved it, reread a couple of times in my 20s. Matt Ruff became a favorite author and I've read and enjoyed most of his subsequent novels.
I decided to reread Fool again (after enjoying Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow) and what a difference 30 years makes! I still love it and would still recommend it to aspiring writers, but it's definitely an artifact of the 80s, and definitely a first novel.
I decided to reread Fool again (after enjoying Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow) and what a difference 30 years makes! I still love it and would still recommend it to aspiring writers, but it's definitely an artifact of the 80s, and definitely a first novel.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A novel in which the three main characters are involved in game development, none of whom are white men, and that fact isnโt even a tertiary focus of the story. Itโs an excellent read, mixing a fictionalized history of video games with an emotionally engaging character study that joins Matt Ruffโs Fool on the Hill as one of my favorite character-driven novels about creativity ever, which is some of the highest praise I can offer any work of fiction. Highly recommended.