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rcsreads's reviews
720 reviews
Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
What the Dickens? You would never treat the boy orphans this way!
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Spoilers are go so if you're going to get mad about me ruining the 180 year old story stop now!
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This is one of the easier to read Dickens books so it's a good one if you struggle with his writing but there are better choices. The plot doesn't always make the most sense, we introduce a lot of random characters for a couple of chapters and then never hear of them again and the treatment of dwarfism is offensive to say the least.
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Charles clearly had not decided how the book was ending when he started. Dick Swiveller (excellent name!) has a sudden inexplicable personality change halfway through and Nell's brother randomly goes overseas off page because he was clearly in the way of the plot. These two start off as if they're going to be bad guys and then Dickens clearly decided to just go all in with Mr Quilp, although I never understood why Mr Quilp was so mad at them after he had their house. He put a lot of unnecessary effort into being an asshole for no reason!
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The ending annoyed me, why did we put so much effort into the, totally basic and overused Dickens plot, of someone coming to provide the orphan with vast wealth and then just kill all our main characters? It's like because Nell was a girl we could just make her a little martyr. If Nell had been Oliver or David Copperfield she would have made her fortune and married Kit.
.
Anyway, it was fine but also annoying.
.
Spoilers are go so if you're going to get mad about me ruining the 180 year old story stop now!
.
This is one of the easier to read Dickens books so it's a good one if you struggle with his writing but there are better choices. The plot doesn't always make the most sense, we introduce a lot of random characters for a couple of chapters and then never hear of them again and the treatment of dwarfism is offensive to say the least.
.
Charles clearly had not decided how the book was ending when he started. Dick Swiveller (excellent name!) has a sudden inexplicable personality change halfway through and Nell's brother randomly goes overseas off page because he was clearly in the way of the plot. These two start off as if they're going to be bad guys and then Dickens clearly decided to just go all in with Mr Quilp, although I never understood why Mr Quilp was so mad at them after he had their house. He put a lot of unnecessary effort into being an asshole for no reason!
.
The ending annoyed me, why did we put so much effort into the, totally basic and overused Dickens plot, of someone coming to provide the orphan with vast wealth and then just kill all our main characters? It's like because Nell was a girl we could just make her a little martyr. If Nell had been Oliver or David Copperfield she would have made her fortune and married Kit.
.
Anyway, it was fine but also annoying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Misogyny
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Flight Risk by Cherie Priest
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
So Cairo, the dog goes missing for a week at Mount Rainer National Park and then rocks up carrying a severed human leg. Psychic hijinks ensue!
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This wasn’t as good as the first book, I think because there wasn't as much character development possible for Leda or Grady as we'd kind of dealt with all their trauma in book one. And yes, Leda and Niki's weird high school style co-dependent friendship is still super annoying!
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It is a good mystery novel though and I had fun trying to work out how, or if, the disappearances were related and how many people sleazy Professor Reddick was secretly banging! I was surprised by nearly all the reveals at the end but we won't talk about those because spoilers.
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If you enjoyed Grave Reservations it's definitely worth continuing with the series.
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This wasn’t as good as the first book, I think because there wasn't as much character development possible for Leda or Grady as we'd kind of dealt with all their trauma in book one. And yes, Leda and Niki's weird high school style co-dependent friendship is still super annoying!
.
It is a good mystery novel though and I had fun trying to work out how, or if, the disappearances were related and how many people sleazy Professor Reddick was secretly banging! I was surprised by nearly all the reveals at the end but we won't talk about those because spoilers.
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If you enjoyed Grave Reservations it's definitely worth continuing with the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Infidelity, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
1000 Coils of Fear by Olivia Wenzel
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
I really enjoyed reading this one but I'm not sure I can explain it. Here we go anyway!
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So the MC is a Black woman who lives in West Germany, the narrative isn't linear but she's a child before the fall of the Berlin Wall and then in the bits were she's a grown-up I think it's the modern day but it could easily be anytime in the 2000's. Most of the book is written in an interview style but as though she's interviewing herself in an internal monologue rather then being interviewed by someone else. There are then little short bursts of prose about her relationships or where she imagines she's a snack machine. I'm not sure I really understand the metaphor of the snack machine.
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The writing is so readable and despite such an unusual narrative structure it manages to tell a story where at the end I had this whole life laid out for me in a way I wasn't expecting. It deals with racism, mental illness, the effect on her older relatives of having been basically trapped behind a wall and unable to travel for so much of their lives and the intergenerational trauma that has caused.
.
I feel like I've done a terrible job of explaining it but I really enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it.
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Thanks to Dialogue for sending me a copy to review.
.
So the MC is a Black woman who lives in West Germany, the narrative isn't linear but she's a child before the fall of the Berlin Wall and then in the bits were she's a grown-up I think it's the modern day but it could easily be anytime in the 2000's. Most of the book is written in an interview style but as though she's interviewing herself in an internal monologue rather then being interviewed by someone else. There are then little short bursts of prose about her relationships or where she imagines she's a snack machine. I'm not sure I really understand the metaphor of the snack machine.
.
The writing is so readable and despite such an unusual narrative structure it manages to tell a story where at the end I had this whole life laid out for me in a way I wasn't expecting. It deals with racism, mental illness, the effect on her older relatives of having been basically trapped behind a wall and unable to travel for so much of their lives and the intergenerational trauma that has caused.
.
I feel like I've done a terrible job of explaining it but I really enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it.
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Thanks to Dialogue for sending me a copy to review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Colonisation, and War
Summer of the Dragons by E.J. Clarke
adventurous
emotional
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Alice Austen Lived Here by Alex Gino
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Sam and their best friend TJ are a pair of adorable, non-binary, 13 year olds. One's fat, ones Latinx. Sam lives in an apartment building and spends a lot of time with the world's cutest queer couple and their baby who live downstairs and they walk the dog for an aging lesbian on the ground floor.
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They're set a history assignment to choose a historical figure, associated with Staten Island, who deseres a statue. The couple downstairs suggest Alice Austen (who, if you don't know, is a photographer from the turn of the last century who was openly gay). We then follow the kids as they research and get super excited about cool photography showing people in bustles being gay and learning that old people can be queer too. The book teaches us a lot of queer history. Obviously about Alice and The Darned Club, but also about Stonewall and the anti-crossdressing laws and Audre Lorde. It's all covered in a really approachable way and because we're learning with Sam and TJ it's always age appropriate.
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There is lots of positive representation of the queer community, particularly non-binary peoples, and also of fat bodies and the Latinx community. The kids have great blood families and they also learn about chosen family and add some wonderful characters to theirs.
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Sam's arc has some great character development and learning that I think children and teenagers would really relate to. They deal really well with problematic teachers and how to confront their bias in a way that won't get you detention. It would also be a great book for helping cis kids, and grown-ups, understand why pronouns and representation in things like statues around us are so important.
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This is definitely another library book I'll be checking out again to read with Fox and Tabitha. If you're over 8 I thoroughly recommend this one.
.
They're set a history assignment to choose a historical figure, associated with Staten Island, who deseres a statue. The couple downstairs suggest Alice Austen (who, if you don't know, is a photographer from the turn of the last century who was openly gay). We then follow the kids as they research and get super excited about cool photography showing people in bustles being gay and learning that old people can be queer too. The book teaches us a lot of queer history. Obviously about Alice and The Darned Club, but also about Stonewall and the anti-crossdressing laws and Audre Lorde. It's all covered in a really approachable way and because we're learning with Sam and TJ it's always age appropriate.
.
There is lots of positive representation of the queer community, particularly non-binary peoples, and also of fat bodies and the Latinx community. The kids have great blood families and they also learn about chosen family and add some wonderful characters to theirs.
.
Sam's arc has some great character development and learning that I think children and teenagers would really relate to. They deal really well with problematic teachers and how to confront their bias in a way that won't get you detention. It would also be a great book for helping cis kids, and grown-ups, understand why pronouns and representation in things like statues around us are so important.
.
This is definitely another library book I'll be checking out again to read with Fox and Tabitha. If you're over 8 I thoroughly recommend this one.
Ghost Stories and Other Horrid Tales by Charles W. Stewart
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
I finally finished The Folio Society Book of the World's Most Boring Ghost Stories!
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I don't know who Charles W. Stewart is but he seriously likes a cathedral and he's got terrible taste in short stories. There are several authors in here, including M.R. James, who I know can write and have terrified me in the past. Unfortunately Mr Stewart has carefully chosen their worst tales. Also, as the illustrator you would think he might have chosen the stories based on things to draw, but he really hasn't. Evil haunted tomb? No, here's a picture of a lady reading a letter. Terrifying, flaming demon corpse? No, here's a dude looking at the back of a chair!
.
So dull!
.
I don't know who Charles W. Stewart is but he seriously likes a cathedral and he's got terrible taste in short stories. There are several authors in here, including M.R. James, who I know can write and have terrified me in the past. Unfortunately Mr Stewart has carefully chosen their worst tales. Also, as the illustrator you would think he might have chosen the stories based on things to draw, but he really hasn't. Evil haunted tomb? No, here's a picture of a lady reading a letter. Terrifying, flaming demon corpse? No, here's a dude looking at the back of a chair!
.
So dull!