oceanwriter's reviews
705 reviews

Okay I got reinvested again AHH. 

My interest waned a tiny bit here but I’m also still getting used to the whole 100+ volume concept. 

I’ve heard a lot of people say that this book is slow to start so I ended up opting for the audiobook even though I purchased it through BOTM. I don’t know if it made much difference aside from not having page numbers to follow along with. I found the concept interesting, but it lost me when things started getting spicy. Definitely wasn’t the content I was anticipating for this type of book, but glad I finished it because there was one passage in particular toward the end that was so beautiful. 

The cover of this book has been jumping out at me since it was published and I’ve heard a number of different people reviewing it and speaking about it, but for some reason, I wasn’t super interested in picking it up (the idea of a narrating octopus, perhaps?) until a friend of mine gave a glowing recommendation. 

 

Tova doesn’t have much in her life after the deaths of her husband and son. Her son’s mysterious and sudden death particularly weighs on her. Her job cleaning the Sowell Bay Aquarium is more or less what keeps her going, much to her friends’ chagrin as they wish to see her retire. 

 

Tova forges an unlikely friendship with the aquarium’s octopus, Marcellus. Tova realizes something exceptional about this sea creature (apart from his escape artist capabilities). In turn, Marcellus tries to communicate to her the answers she’s desperately been looking for surrounding her son’s death. 

 

This book was so heartwarming and I liked seeing an older protagonist in a realistic light rather than an over-the-top 70-year-old trying to act like a 30-year-old. Though the story is mainly centered on Tova, we also see bits of narration from Marcellus and a man named Cameron, whom Tova meets as the story progresses. 

 

Honestly, I think without the addition of Cameron’s POV this would have been a full five starts for me. He had good character growth but was insufferable in the beginning and I didn’t find myself caring what happened to him. He did grow on me though, but I don’t think he necessarily had to be a main voice in the story. The heart of the story is Tova and Marcellus for sure. 

I saw this book on display at the library and it caught my eye. I’ve been a super casual pinball player and haven’t touched a machine for years outside of digital games. I figured this would be a nostalgic read. I had no idea I’d end up learning so much about the history and mechanics of the game. 

 

Did you know that there was a time when pinball was outlawed? I never would have guessed. It took a champion courtroom pinball game to prove that pinball is a game of skill and not one of luck and chance. From 1976 onward, the evolution of pinball boomed along with the technological advancements of the next thirty years making it the game that can still be found and enjoyed today. 

 

The illustrations are bold and educational, often showing the physical elements of gameplay and the machinery of the machines throughout the century. This is accompanied by a detailed history of the game dating back to King Louis XIV. 

 

While pinball isn’t the staple of American culture as it once had been, there is still a cult following and what sounds like a bit of a revival in certain places around the country. Personally, I know of a nearby pub that has an upper level filled with pinball machines. Since reading this book, I’ve been itching to go play! 

This book was initially recommended to me by a friend because of the historical and academic tone, but I’d put it off being intimidated by the faerie storyline. When it ended up being selected for a group read, I decided not to put it off any longer. Definitely different for me, but a nice different! 

 

Faerie expert Professor Emily Wilde makes a research trip to the northern village of Hrafnsvik to study the local faerie folklore and continue work on her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Things are going all right until her colleague (and rival) Wendle Bambleby shows up without an invitation. Emily feels threatened and increasingly annoyed by Wendell’s presence, and yet, she also has to admit that she finds a certain comfort in having her only friend around. 

 

Her research continues and makes strides, but she also finds herself trying to figure out the mystery that is Wendall Bambleby. She has had suspicions about her past, and this trip may finally bring things to light. 

 

This book screams to be read with a hot drink on a snowy day. It’s so cozy and, in the beginning anyway, low stakes. The story picks up quite a bit after the halfway point. Admittedly, this is where I grew lost having been more interested in the theoretical portions in the beginning. I also didn’t care about the romantic plot, but I can take or leave it. Overall, I enjoyed it though I felt like it took me a long time to get through it. I think this is the first fantasy book I’ve annotated so I consider that a win. I plan on reading the next book soon! 

This book wasn't on my radar until it was selected for a group buddy read. I went into it fairly blindly and I think not having any expectations helped me to fully enjoy it. 

The narrator of the story (who remains unnamed) grows up in a prison with thirty-nine other women. It is assumed by them all that her confinement with them is the result of some kind of roundup mistake. 'The child' has no memory of her life before the bunker and isn't even certain she is human as she is so different from the older women who have memories of a world she was never a part of. 

The first section of the book has a much different feel to it than the second two, causing the entire tone of the book to shift. It took me a bit to adjust, and I can't say I enjoyed the remainder as much as the beginning, although I still found myself vigorously annotating almost every page. Pacing suffers the greatest loss here and becomes erratic as far as the passing of time is concerned. 

Though under 200 pages, there is a lot to take in on every page. The author presents questions and musings on what it means to be human against the backdrop of what could be a post-apocalyptic world or another planet. Most of the details remain vague, never disclosing when and where the story might be set. We are left in the dark with the prisoners.

On one hand, I feel like I would have been more connected to the characters if I'd been able to know more about them, but the impact of the book would have been lost if everything was tied up neatly. The narrator's feeling of disconnect from her companions mirrors the disconnect I felt as a reader and I found that to be brilliant. 

I found this to be a unique reading experience. It took me a long time to get through despite how relatively short the book is. There was a lot to take in and the lack of cohesion in several areas made this a thoughtful read. I didn't love some parts of it, but as a whole, this was an impactful experience. 

I really wish I was someone who liked The Princess Bride (movie, and now book) but I am not. It's too fast-paced and chaotic and just not my thing. 

This arc isn't doing it for me as much as the others but of course I've got to see it through.

I definitely wasn't expecting this to happen.