Book Review, Catch Up: Part 8

The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura

This book made it to my very small “re-read shelf” before I had even finished it. The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura is a Japanese noir crime fiction, following along with a “career” pickpocket in Tokyo as he finds himself in a dangerous predicament brought on by his own lifestyle choices. Told from a 1st person pov we get a fuller picture of our main character. This book is a deeply poignant, profound, captivating read. Ultimately rated 4 stars.

Confessions by Kanae Minato

Wow oh wow! I want to give everything away, every single bit of the story, I want to draw a map from start to finish here because it was just that good. I won’t though, this review is safe from spoilers. This book is a story of revenge but it is also a story of grief. The build up to the final revelation a string of jaw dropping moments. My only grievance being that much of the book read like a translated work, which to be fair it is, however translated doesn’t have to mean the essence of the story getting lost. That’s on me for not being a polyglot though lol, Confessions by Kanae Minato is a solid 4 stars for me.

Nineteen Claws And A Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica

I purchased & read this book after having read Tender is the Flesh, also by this author. This book is a collection of short stories, each one stranger than the last. I haven’t read many short collection books, each “chapter” in the same book being a different story is a bit of an adjustment for me, I found my mind trying to connect each story. Regardless, this book was quite the interesting read none the less, the stories are dark, dystopian and deeply twisted. Rated 4 stars.

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

I wanted to love this book, & I did like the story, it was a powerful read, however it was also a tedious read. The writing style just wasn’t for me, I felt like I kept getting lost in time, losing the plot, forgetting what had just happened in the pages prior. Regardless, Giovanni’s Room is a poignant & intense read, while I rated this book at just 3 stars, it’s still a book I’d recommend.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

This book had 1 of those twists you just don’t see coming until it’s in your face. I was throwing suspicion around pretty early on in this story & rightfully so in a way but was also way off! The Final Girl Support Group is a crime mystery thriller that will keep you in suspense waiting for the mystery to unravel itself until the very end, or maybe it’s just a confusing read, can’t decide. As the title suggests a central part of this story is the support group for ‘final girls’ our protagonist Lynnette attends, meeting with 5 other ‘final girls’ & their therapist monthly. Then 1 of them ends up dead & the safety Lynnette thought she’d created for herself quickly slips thru her fingers. This is the part of the book where I started rolling my eyes a bit, it just got so overly dramatic so quickly. How did we get to apartment buildings being shot up with semi-automatic guns & bombs being detonated seemingly overnight, wtf how did we get here? Is it real, is it Lynnette’s traumatized mind imagining these scenarios? I didn’t love nor hate this book, rated 3 stars, it was ok, a little confusing, for me at least, however the over all story was different enough to not be a predictable bore.

Loteria by Mario Alberto Zambrano

This was a cover buy, yes I’m a cover-judger & quite proud of it, my cover judgements have led me to some very good books! This being one of them. I really loved reading this book, I felt like I was being trusted by a family member with their story while reading. I’m not sure what I was expecting with this book but it wasn’t the story that I read. I thought this was a coming of age story & I guess it kind of is but it’s also a story about culture & family & how those 2 things intersect. Our main character Luz recounts, with the help of her Lotería deck, a tragic time in her family. This is a quick read, under 300 pages, finished in about 2 days, I ultimately rate this book 3.5 stars.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly

This book is a ya cult fiction, in my opinion it’s on the older end of ya, the story gets dark! Told from the pov of our main character, 17 year old Minnow, we join her as she is being held in juvenile detention & learn what led her to be there. Raised in a camp compound out in the middle of the forest as a part of the Kevinian cult from the age of 5, Minnow has not had an easy or particularly enjoyable life. Subjected to physical & psychological abuse in the name of god, at the hands of the men of the cult she has suffered immensely at her young age. The story begins after the cult leader has been murdered & the ‘camp’ set ablaze, with the why & how unfolding as the story progresses. Finished this book in about a day & a half, rated 4 stars.