gooseishreads

[gooseishreads]

rapid fire reviews

Big Fish by Daniel Wallace

⭐⭐⭐.75/5 stars

"Where do people need to go so badly they can't realize what is already here, outside the car window?"

This book was written beautifully and left me crying in the end. The portrayal of family relationships and illness was what will stick with me the most in this book. However, the past-tense storytelling was not my cup of tea and there were a few odd mentions of disability and women that were off-putting to me personally.

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

⭐⭐⭐⭐.25/5 stars

"There's meaning in overcoming pain and suffering."

This book was an incredibly emotional portrayal of that era of being a preteen and of bullying. It was very hard to put down but also very hard to read because of the content. It was quite dark and the bullying scenes were a lot for me. I had to keep reading though to see if things get better for the characters. I will definitely pick up more of this author's work!

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Authority by Jeff Vandermeer Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Disclaimer: When I read Annihilation I had a fever the whole time, and thus I barely remember it. However, I loved this book. The difference in setting was surprising to me at first but I quickly grew to love it. For the first third of the book I was happy to just exist in and experience the setting but then the build up of mystery and weird occurrences was so exciting. I nearly jumped out of my seat in public while reading some of the scenes in the last third of the book!

Spoilers below!

WHAT THE HELL?? I was not expecting the mind control hypnosis element to be so prominent here. I did not care for it as much in Annihilation but here it worked perfectly with the secret organization focus. Thinking out loud: Control is the name he began to use while he was being subject to hypnosis, and then at the very end it was Control that jumped, not John. He must have been told to do that by the Voice right? That would make sense, as he is probably a copy of Lowry. Also the theme of Authority over people, over Area X, or as asserted by Area X was so loud but so delicious to me.

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April Library Haul!

Do you think I will finish all of these by the end of April? What do you think of these books?

Big Fish - Daniel Wallace

I selected this book because I will have the chance to see the author speak soon! I also saw the movie adaptation a long time ago and I remember enjoying it.

Acceptance - Jeff Vandermeer

I love this series, and just had to grab the third book of the Southern Reach trilogy before I even finished Authority. I am anxious (in more ways than one) to finish the trilogy, but I need a book break between Authority and Acceptance.

Heaven - Mieko Kawakami

I have heard good things about this author and decided to select one of her shorter books to start off. I am excited to see if I have discovered a new author to look out for!

Review/reaction to come!

[gooseishreads]

Welcome to my book blog!

I am a new-to-Tumblr book lover that was an avid reader for most of my life but fell off for several years until the later half of 2024. Now that I am back into reading, I want to share my reactions, opinions, and progress! What would you like to see from this blog?

I am still trying to figure out my interests now that I have transitioned into reading adult literature, but here are my current preferences:

Favorite genres: fantasy, sci-fi, horror

Favorite authors: R.F. Kuang and Jeff Vandermeer

Current reading log under the cut (updated frequently)

Reading Log 2025

I am including 2024 because I read just a few books :)

2024

Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo

Hell Followed With Us - Andrew Joseph White

Annihilation - Jeff Vandermeer

2025

January

Camp Damascus - Chuck Tingle

The Poppy War - R.F. Kuang

The Dragon Republic - R..F Kuang

February

The Burning God - R.F. Kuang

Big Swiss - Jen Beagin

This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

Daisy Jones and the Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid (audiobook)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab

March

Babel - R.F. Kuang

Vicious - V.E. Schwab

Authority - Jeff Vandermeer

April

Big Fish - Daniel Wallace

Heaven - Mieko Kawakami

Vengeful - V.E. Schwab

Acceptance - Jeff Vandermeer

May

Hum - Helen Phillips

Yellowface - R.F. Kuang

June