Minimire's Bookish Thoughts

[minimire]

current reads:
1) Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

Left with under a hundred pages got this book. I might try for another chapter before the day ends. The writing is definitely beautiful but I do think that it can be a bit heavy at times for me. I also found the starting a bit slow, I do hope that things start to build up.

2) The Secret History by Donna Tart

Just started this and am already enjoying the first chapter! The prose is beautiful. It's lyrical and descriptive and the book is just so atmospheric so far. I have high hopes for this one after If We Were Villains was such a disappointment, but it's looking promising so far. The main character is definitely interesting and already has more depth than the protagonist in IWWV. This book also has more of an academia vibe to it, and very intellectual as well. I did get a bit lost on all the talks on philosophy and ancient languages but it didn't put me off.

3) Curd for Prey (Cheese shop mysteries #3) by Korina Moss

I am enjoying this series mainly because of how quick they are and they do have a bit of cozy vibes to it as well. And I do think I started eating a lot more cheeses ever since starting this series lol. On the main topic at hand, we're a hundred pages in to this one and I am skimming some parts mainly because I just want Willa our protagonist to get on it with her investigation already. I said earlier I disliked how she played the role of detective in the first book but now that she's working sort of together with the detective, I like it better. I even did feel bad for her at one point in the book. And I'm kind of rooting for her and that detective.

[minimire]

finished:
1) Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (2.5/5 stars)

This book, like Perfume, was pretty short but took me very long to get through mainly due to the writing style. It was beautiful but heavy at times. And overall, I just felt nothing for this book. But I did enjoy the last chapter the most out of the entire book. It was hard to really feel pity for any of the characters, except for maybe Hella, but even I don't really care for how much she was willing to lower herself for David who cares not at all for her. And I don't think even most women in real life at that time this was written and set in had such thoughts. David and Giovanni I personally found to be very toxic for each other so I really couldn't care much for either. David lies to those he loves and hurt them by also lying to himself and refusing to believe or admit that he is not straight. He views whatever he's doing as a sin and he views himself as dirty and keeps trying to tell himself that he's straight. Giovanni has that kind of toxicity that tries to guilt trip a partner into staying with them.

current reads:
1) Curd for Prey (Cheese shop mysteries #3) by Korina Moss

I felt this book is a lot slower compared to the first two. There seems like there was not as much agency in trying to find out who the murderer is compared to the other books. Though Willa is definitely a lot less annoying, I might have even started to like her now that she's working with the detective instead of against. She definitely feels more accepted by the town and works better with the other locals which I think adds to my liking of her. Romance is also very minimal in the books which I enjoy though I think descriptions can be cut down for more urgency.

2) The Secret History by Donna Tart

I just finished chapter four for this book and chapter four was wild, I'll tell you guys that. I was not expecting that at all though I'm glad at least some of my earlier questions are answered. The writing remains to be amazing, not too flowery. But I'm definitely seeing how the main character is pretty pretentious. He also seems like an unreliable narrator from what I've heard from others but I have not really picked up on that yet.

[minimire]

finished:
1) Curds of Prey (Cheese shop mysteries #3) by Korina Moss (3/5 stars)

Finished this book in a few days and while I definitely find it a lot more cozy now, the characters are more likeable and less infuriating than in the first book. However, for this mystery, I felt like there was not as much urgency to solve it as compared to the first two books. There were a lot of over descriptive moments and events that dragged out too long before adding anything to the story. The reveal was also not as satisfying as the first two books and more predictable. Though I do like how little romance there is in this series. It's very subtle and all the way in the background.

current reads:
1) The Secret History by Donna Tart

Just finished chapter 5 and I do like where the story is going, it's definitely hooking me but at the same time I would not say it's a page turner. The mystery was already revealed right in the beginning so that essentially eliminates the elements of a mystery, as we know what's going to happen. The only question we had was why and what happens after. But chapter 5 essentially explains why and we're only at the halfway point, literally. So I am interested to see where else the story leads. So far character wise, it is a little unnerving how sociopathic the main group is.

2) The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

Now this book is another pretty heavy read. It deals with the themes of homosexuality and slavery, but I'm only 15% in and so far it's nothing like what I expected. The writing style, though pretty easy to read, can be heavy due to the themes it carries. And though nothing is really graphic, whatever that is described, that the characters go through, are still disturbing and hard to swallow. I'm also not sure if I like the constant changing of so many perspectives. I'm not sure if I will continue this book or put it on hold for a while as it might be too heavy for my current mental state but I'll try to reach the 25% mark before making a decision.

[minimire]

Alright wow, a hot minute since I've updated but I've been in a reading slump for the past few months but I did finally finish a book!

finished:
1) In Memoriam by Alice Winn (5/5 stars)

My first 5 out of 5 stars book this year! I'm so happy I bought this book on impulse months ago and read it a few weeks ago without knowing too much about the plot! This book is beautiful, it's heart wrenching and honestly everyone should read this book. It takes place during world war 1 so do check out for any trigger warnings. The story is just so beautiful and I could not put it down. Some scenes really reminded me of the Netflix movie: All Quiet on the Western Front! Reading the book definitely made me a lot more interested in the first world war and while I knew certain battles, I was not that well informed on the first world war because modern wars never held much of my interest in history. Well that all changed after reading this. And especially when you know some details about the more significant battles during the war, when the book gets to that part, it just hits twice. Highly, highly recommend.

current reads:
1) The Secret History by Donna Tart

I am still not done with this book lol. I'm stuck slightly over 50% into the book. Honestly, while I do like it more than If We Were Villains, I just feel like the plot is not going anywhere at all. The deed has already been done and there's not much that pushes me to continue reading. But I feel I do need to complete this book to make a fair comparison between If We Were Villains, but who knows how long that would take. I also very recently found out who the author based on for some of her characters and honestly that changed my view on her and the book. I must say, honestly speaking, that I lost a little respect for her afterwards.

2) Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman

After finishing In Memoriam I definitely had to read up more on the first world war so I bought this right after and picked it up. I'm quite a slow reader when it comes to reading non-fiction so I'm expecting this to be a pretty slow read, but so far it's definitely interesting. The way the story flows makes it pretty easy to follow and it's not too dense for a historical non-fiction book. I'm just two chapters in, haven't read all that much, but I've definitely learned some new things already.