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chromochaotic · 2 years

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there are 100 little things i should be doing, but instead I feel like doing a write up on the books I’ve read this year... mostly so I remember them better, but also bc it might be fun to read later

The list so far (that I remember) (not including ones in progress... like dracula and gideon lmao) (also not including fanfics but man what if):

**12/27: update! adding 4 more (RIP my nice grid)

I'm gonna try and do a positive-negative-positive sandwich with these "reviews", because apparently I'm very picky, ahahaha.

in actual reading order...

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Thoughts: Read this with a discord bookclub! Which made it a fun read, kind of throwing around our theories about possible backstories before they got revealed, the "limits" of the magic in the book, what we wanted/didn't want to happen. I actually really enjoy non-chronological stories when they're not too convoluted, haha, so that was a treat. Also enjoyed the way the author conveyed all the different settings and time periods.

(vague spoilers in this paragraph) Every once in a while I got a little miffed at how... French the entire vibe was. Like, this will sound/probably is petty, but I don't click with main characters when they're being just like, dolefully beautiful, and how all these love interests seem to be drawn just to Addie's Unique Mega Gorgeous Face and her vague manic pixie air of mystery. I liked her as a character much more in moments like her interactions with Luc, which focused more on her defiance and cleverness. In a way that I swear is related, I remember being a little exasperated at the underlying feeling that romantic love was like the end-all-be-all of existence itself. I get that that's like the whole point, this being an epic romantic story, and romantic in the way that like wistful poems about the French countryside and Moulin Rouge are capital R Romantic. I also don't love Moulin Rouge, though. So it's probably a me problem, haha.

Still, the storytelling was very rich! I liked how lush the emotional moments felt... I also got a kick out of the characters around Henry, like, his friends and family were a mix of quirky and heartfelt that made something about his story get to me a little more than it would have otherwise. Ohhh, and I loved the little visual art "records" printed throughout the book! It always added to the story for me, seeing how they tied in and captured certain feelings. WOO

The House in the Cerulean Sea

Good things! The story is immediately fun and whimsical—this was another read with the discord bookclub, and during our first chat we were all having a really good time talking about the world and the characters that get introduced. The setting is just ridiculously charming.

(spoilers) I know the book is touted for being like, feel-good and lighthearted, and I usually super-enjoy stories like that. It's just that, I feel like it didn't 100% commit to being Cozy Fun Queer Romance when it dipped into having fantasy racism. It might have been one thing if it was just like one or two narrow-minded characters, but the book doesn't really let you forget that systemic fantasy racism is built into their society... This is ofc 100% subjective, I get how a story like this where everything gets wrapped up with a little bit of "oh, phooey on those bigots! cheerio!" could be exactly what we need to read now and then. It just didn't quite strike the balance for the time and mindset I read it in. Also probably didn't help that bc of the bookclub's schedule, there was a looooooong pause in reading in the middle, though!

But again, tons of charming moments, the characters and especially the kids are delightful. My sweet blob son Chauncey sparks infinite joy.

Myths to Live By

So this was an odd one. Backstory: I was one of those people who read The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and sort of had my world rocked by it, like, went quickly from a cynical atheist to being like "oh shit religion might be good, actually." I had a vague sense while reading that book that like, yeah, sure, the things he was saying were tinged with some sexism and euro-centric vibes etc... But I was still pretty pleased to pick up this Myths to Live By book in a thrift store for like a buck.

Halfway through the book, I'm bopping around on tumblr and finally stumble upon The Discourse (tbh it's not that bad I'm just being dramatic) about Campbell. Like, the way I summed it up to friends was that apparently he's regarded in the academic field of comparative religion the way Freud is in psychology—a big name, probably sparked a lot of people's interest in the subject, but the ideas he spreads are super out of date/inaccurate/oversimplified, especially when it comes to non-western culture. So...

Idk, it was still an interesting read, and probably a good exercise for me in trying to think a little more abstractly. And he still somehow makes me appreciate the significance of rituals and how make-believe stuff can actually hold societies together... I dog-eared a handful of pages (mostly in the first half before my online digging made me kind of disenchanted ahaha), and the last one is on this page putting forward the idea that as humans, "we are a natural product of this earth... If we are intelligent beings, it must be that we are the fruits of an intelligent earth" and this stuff that of course isn't new, but still comforting, like not thinking of man as separate from nature but a distilled-and-connected bit of a big, amazing, living universe.

House of Leaves

Weird!!! Weird book!!!!! Very novel!!!!! Which I liked! okay it's getting a little late which is probably not the best time to type this out, but overall I had a good time with this book. The weird formatting and framing of the story as a movie within an academic analysis within a story and presented as the very book you're holding—nice! The little puzzles to figure out along the way that add extra meaning that you can dig into if you so choose—nice! And ooo the horror, the horror of the house was very fun for me, as someone who enjoys more psychological kinds of horror.

There were parts of the book that were... trying, to read. But I think they were sort of meant to be that way? I don't know, some of Johnny's parts of narration were just so disgusting and off-putting I had to skim/skip them, but I feel like somewhere on a forum someone is arguing that that's a perfectly valid way to read the book. I was also pretty bummed out by like... which characters don't make it out of the story. That's a way I'm not suited for horror stories, but, like these two felt especially personal. Ahhh, well.

But yeah! Very funky, and I absolutely vibe with the final message that the book lands on. I'm also blown away, like everyone else is, by how much research and super-detailed knowledge went into this book to make its sticky spiderweb of complexity really land.

Klaus: The Art of the Movie

heeheeheeheehee okay this was just a fun thing I also picked up at the thrift store, but I love a good art book and the movie is gorgeous all on its own. The way they animated it is super unique—it's 2D made to look 3D, and the art book goes into some good detail about how they accomplished that thanks to new animation tech and stuff. I've always kind of thought 2D animation is more appealing than 3D animation, and this is going off on a tangent, but I will say the book and the commentary in it made me feel Valid.

I don't think there are any downsides to this book?? Unless like, idk, I guess some of the full-page spreads are a little pixelated in print, lmao. and i feel like i have to, as a jew, say it should probably skeeve me out a little more how a story about The Big Christian Holiday is constantly portrayed as "universal". But also it's! gorgeous!! look at this

The book did a great job helping me understand/appreciate how every place and character was designed to be Distinct but also flexible—like, a lot of the locations had to go from Scary to Charming while still looking like the same place, and it was cool seeing the tricks they used to do it.

The Fruitful City

I just finished this tonight! Kind of an odd one, I picked it up at this anarchist bookstore that made me feel like a big poser on a trip to Philly. I feel like I don't have as much to say about it since it's nonfiction, haha. But, yeah, it helped me understand the ins and outs of what growing fruit in the middle of a city looks like. I feel like it makes everything seem a little more possible, like, the author wants people to be less afraid to go out into the world and harvest in a hands on way.

It was a little dry at times for me, but I think my attention span has really suffered since.......... a while ago, haha.

Overall, it was a nice thing to read. There were some really lovely descriptions of people interacting with their communities via shared resources, and small, interesting bits of immigrant history. I have zero cooking skills whatsoever, but it made me think that like, maybe, mayyyyybe, I might attempt to make a jam or something next year.

OKAY i should sleep, this was fun, maybe I'll update it when I finish my next book, who knows! more!!

Gideon the Ninth

Positives: what hasn't already been said! I guess, first off, I love the cast of characters & the whole setting. Like, even though the world of TLT was pretty unusual, the characters feel so grounded and vibrant—they jump off the page through dialogue and things Gideon observes (or fails to observe) about them, and I either love to love them or love to hate 'em, there's no middle sliders! And I loved exploring Canaan House along with the story! The book wouldn't be the same without the haunting presence of its backdrop, this sense of decaying grandeur and old tragedies described so beautifully, all around.

I think I only have a few nitpicks... One would be, as fun as "show, don't tell" was in this book—honestly, I way prefer how this book introduced its history and magic system and everything compared to the one I'm reading rn, which just kind of dumped exposition at me—it was a little overwhelming at the start! I honestly thought I'd accidentally bought the 2nd book in the series when I saw so much odd jargon and strange, offhand details in the first few paragraphs. I was also a little thrown by how suddenly it felt like some of the character dynamics changed, but that might have been a symptom of me binge-reading and then having to take breaks bc of life now and then haha.

So, yes, overall, really enjoyed it! I think the book was very hyped-up for me and it mostly lived up to expectations... More than anything, love Gideon!! Love this beautiful herbo who, by virtue of being a gold-hearted meme-ing brick house, flexes her way into all sorts of secrets and everyone's hearts. (also love Cam and Pal, would die for them. also magnus. maybe ianthe, for sure corona. yep.)

Dracula

lmao guess who did Dracula Daily... This review might be more of that whole experience, which was pretty fun! I definitely fell behind for a while, but I had a chance to catch up, and at that point things were getting wet and wild. I think what I enjoyed most of all was, as some post somewhere on this site points out, the story is pretty touching when you view it as a community of people trying to look out for each other vs. the parasite of self-interest.

Again, like everyone pointed out, there's all the dated things about the book... The asylum-related parts were no fun, and god the way working class people and roma are portrayed vs. the honorable, constantly-bribing-people main cast is just, nah!

But still, for a book this old, it had its surprises! I loved some of the more romantic descriptions of little seaside villages and eerie mountain roads... And the high stakes (haha) of the story were really uniquely explored—reading it along with The Internet helped me get way more destroyed by Jonathan's promise to follow wherever Mina goes, even if it damns him. And the line about Mina's mark at the very end, as the sun rose? No spoilers but I got teary.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

I listened to this as an audiobook, since I'd never read it and I've seen posts about a new show coming out. The series has always seemed interesting! And it was a fun listen, very whimsical, plus I have a soft spot for summer camp settings.

I felt a little old to be getting into it now, haha—I kept wanting more nuance in certain characters and themes, which isn't a fault of the book considering the intended audience!

Overall, I think the writing did a great job capturing a relatable, exciting story for young teens, plus it's very cool how the author worked to make diversity a sticking point both when he first wrote it and, from what I hear, to this day. There's a lot of joy packed into this adventure, and I'll probably get around to listening to the rest of the series next year.

Harrow the Ninth

First off, I just finished this one, and... I liked it more than book 1! I enjoyed them both, but this one feels like the storytelling kicked into overdrive. Once again, the characters leapt off the page—the number of times I wheezed over lines from Ianthe or John, or got gut-punched by [redacted] and [redacted] and [super redacted]. More than anything, I feel like the mystery(/ies?) unfolding in this story were more engaging than before, where instead of just clinging to the story without a chance of prediction, the reader has more of a chance to puzzle things out along the way (and then still be surprised).

The rollercoaster ending was a page-turner, but there was one point that I think really toed the line of being just plain convoluted, haha. I also remember reading things and thinking "I know if I reread this series one day, this line would probably make me lose my mind, but right now it's just absolute nonsense." Which... I just felt like documenting! I don't know if it's a bad thing, like, I get that part of the fun is squeezing as many clues out of the context as you can, but there certainly is a lot of context-squeezing going on.

Anyway, this was definitely one of my favorite reads of the year! The way the writing plays around with framing—the PAYOFF!!! The payoff of the 2nd person voice!!!!! There's one scene, you'll know what I'm talking about, where the perspective does something and suddenly all these lenses shift into focus and I went wild. I need to draw something for it. My god. I can't rehash all the great things about the series, I guess, but I love it! It's so much fun! There's a stussy! There's a makeout with god! what more can you want!

#hi my name is chromo #uh #book review #?#also a fun fact with HoL is that #it was very specifically mentioned in a fanfic i was reading at the same time #which felt a little spooky but mostly very funny #now with an update!

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