✦ reading centric sideblog - main @mcdonaldsnumberone.
𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞.
✦ like to read: romance, fantasy, classics, gothic horror, regency era, women and non-binary authors, social commentary/justice nonfiction, + more!
✦ fave works: villette, hungerstone, the safekeep, the eyes are the best part, feast while you can, + more!
✦ fave authors: jane austen, charlotte brontë, oscar wilde, + more!
𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞.
✦ currently reading: capitalist realism (mark fisher) + venus, vanishing (rebecca birrell) + rust in the root (justina ireland) + the book of lost hours (hayley gelfuso)
"I'm in a bad way. Boulder-size men with ZZ Top beards and face tattoos. Balding mad scientists. Count Chocula. The silhouette from Mad Men's credits. If this drought goes on any longer, I'll be lusting after the featureless figure on men's restroom signs." (pg. 183)
This book is such a gem! I didn't realize this was Hogle's debut novel until I got to the end, and when I found out, my jaw DROPPED. The writing is so witty and fun yet polished that I couldn't believe it! It was such a joy to watch Naomi and Nicholas's relationship rekindle, and while it took me a bit to immerse myself into actually rooting for the relationship, I loved reading about how they chose to be vulnerable and reconnect with one another. Loving someone is a choice, and I ate up the way the two learned to choose one another again.
I also loved how much this book highlights the smaller joys in life. You really don't need a wedding with all the trimmings and the whole nine yards to be happy! Just thinking about this book makes me melt and get all fuzzy inside.
Quotes I marked:
"'When you share a last name with Dunkin' Donuts, that's where your loyalty goes.'
'Your last name is Donuts?' I reply like a complete idiot, a split second before I realize my obvious mistake." (pg. 25)
"His body is shadow, stardust, and moonlight." (pg. 420)
"Fiction has a utility, and it's one that I think high achievers sometimes forget, and that is: fiction stirs you up inside, unsettles you, forces you to engage with that which isn't easily solved." (Brian Koppelman qtd. Ferris, pg. 329)
I usually don't reach for self-help books, so at the very least, this was something that got me out of my comfort zone! There are plenty of good nuggets of information to take away, and some interview definitely resonated with more than others. At some point, the answers do get a little repetitive, but the interesting tidbits to mull over are all things that would go far in helping you improve your quality of life, even if it's just a little bit. I think I would have benefited far more if this book had been cut down far, far shorter.
Quotes I marked:
"Anyone who would take his time to read, comprehend, and interpret Toni Morrison's work, based on my recommendation, was someone I wanted to spend significant time with. That experience taught me when people care, they'll go beyond the extra mile to understand you." (Bozoma Saint John qtd. Ferris, pg. 38)
"Face [the future] full of hope, knowing that whatever challenge lies ahead, you are equal to it, and just deliver a message that is precisely the opposite of fear and defensiveness." (Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks qtd. Ferris, pg. 162)
"Second, if, like many people, you got a liberal arts degree, be proud it, and own it." (Steve Case qtd. Ferris, pg. 346)
the book club i'm in is run by my best friend's older sister, so it's a little group of girls that are all friends or friends-of-friends! we all suggest a book to read, and that's how we decide our schedule!
i have an inkling this is the new girl's pick, but... GOOD GOD self-help aside, who suggests a 600+ page for a book club that meets every two weeks like... i'm bitchless and my hobbies are staying in, reading, and watching youtube but like... some of the other girls are actively planning weddings and things like that like.... SIX HUNDRED PAGES................
i will never be mad at anything i have to read, but i'm reading this for an irl book club i'm in and... what kind of insane person suggests a 600+ self help book as their pick oH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDD
"That's what made my tears rise. Never the cruelty; only the kindness." (pg. 54)
As an art history fanatic, a cheese enjoyer, and an English major, I am the example they put in the dictionary when you look up the word "pretentious." I think nowadays, it's called a LARPer. Regardless, the flavor of ironic, over-the-top literary fiction that Go Gentle embodies is my cup of tea. It's tongue-in-cheek and yet it's yearnful. Restrained but practically bursting at the seams with the desire to share too much until someone rips their ears off. Social commentary where both author and audience are guilty of the things we're commentating on.
Semple's wit is a delight to read, and Adora's struggle deciphering the avenues between pleasure, reality, and idealism were so much fun to read. Everyone harps about romanticizing the everyday to cope with the fact that our everydays are... not very romantic for the most part, but this really gets into the weeds with that sentiment. Every character is a blast, and I love that it isn't all self-hating nihilism as a few literary fiction books tend to all into.
Because we all have the right to stay on the hunt for our happy endings. Even if it means we need a nudge from the universe—and maybe an extra 30 years under our belts.
Quotes I marked:
"Desire, even the desire to have love in your life, is a choice. I decided then and there to flip the switch. Eliminate the option. I never looked back." (pg. 76)
"'You still haven't told me what it is you do.'
'I make people whole,' he said.
I wanted to be made whole.
I took the letter." (pg. 82)
"We mythologized the night as it unfolded. We were both novel and marginalia." (pg. 96)
"One of my favorite quotes is from Voltaire. When asked if he would like to attend an orgy for the second time, Voltaire replied, 'The first time, a philosopher. The second time, a pervert.'
In other words, anything once." (pg. 165)
"'Thousands of years of men's wisdom...' I said. 'Turns out it's no match for female intuition.'" (pg. 335)
"'What's in a name, after all, but an intention to uncover one's true essence?'" (pg. 96)
It's a very ambitious undertaking to do a feminist and sapphic retelling of two of the most famous female villains in literary canon. I have to applaud Christopoulou for coming up to the plate and taking a swing, but that's just about as much credit as I can give her. The story is fast-paced and not difficult to keep up with on purely a narrative level, and it would be the kind of action-packed read that would probably keep a younger audience entranced.
But from a more meta perspective, it falls so short. The characterization is so incredibly flat. Klytemnestra and Lady Macbeth are loved in their canonical works for their ruthlessness and rage, made so much more poignant by the constraints of their circumstance and sex, and none of that nuance carries through at all in this work. These women are not hardened rulers with clever minds and deep rooted ambitions but more like stock characters that book marketing can slap buzzwords of "sapphic female rage retelling!" onto. The rugged Lady Macbeth turns into a useless, hand-wringing damsel in distress. The vengeful Klytemnestra turns into an edgy Tumblr girl who threatens to stab anyone and everyone.
The concept was unique, but the pacing and execution fell so short. I couldn't keep track of everything after a while, and it kinda just felt like the author was pulling the plot out of nowhere at times. I just don't think this book was for me. I don't mind modern retellings as long as they acknowledge why the first iteration needed the retelling to begin with and start based on that foundation, but when a supposed feminist retelling reads like AO3 fanfiction rather than a polished, well-thought out narrative, that's when my patience wears thin.
Christopoulou's prose is beautiful, so I really hope with her next work, it'll be utilized in a more carefully crafted literary environs.
Quotes I marked:
"Ten years I've waited, dreamed and planned for this; how is it fair I get to hurt him only once, when the wounds he left in me will fester on forever?" (pg. 20)
"'I don't need your husband's name, woman. Some queen you strive to be... Don't you have a name of your own?'" (pg. 54)
"'People have always tried to fight their fate; they always will try. Give a man a prophecy and you have handed him his undoing.'" (pg. 364)
I really like Uketsu's bizarre yet straightforward writing style. I don't think any of the crimes or the mystery in any of his works are meant to be taken as realistic, so as long as you can suspend your disbelief, Strange Pictures makes for a lovely brain-teaser read. I read the whole thing within an hour inside of a noisy café, so I think that speaks to both my level of enjoyment (as I was sucked in) and its difficulty level. It's a lot of fun!
"'What use is dying skinny and hungry? When i join Lucifer I shall be plump and happy, and I can't bring myself to give a damn what anyone thinks about it...'" (pg. 63)
I adore a good cannibalism book (shoutout to my faves The Eyes are the Best Part and Feast While You Can). There's something about the hunger, the body, the intimacy of it that has me always prowling around for my next hit, lurking around the book recommendation underbelly of Reddit and the like. I was thrilled to come across Greedy while perusing the Goodreads' seasonal reading challenges, and I had a lot of fun with it.
The mystery in the book doesn't take too much sleuthing to piece together, but it's still interesting to see the way in which Ed ends up digging his own grave. The writing style is punchy and direct, and while that kind of direction isn't my cup of tea, it kept me hooked for what it was worth. Ed is a super interesting character too; making him a hypocrite and yet someone you still want to root for goes to show how layered he is as a man, as a father, and as an employee.
Greedy has a fascinating premise, and Hazeline is such a delight to poke and prod at as the novel progresses. I don't think this book is a roof-piercing stand-out as far as my tastes in cannibalism novels are concerned, but I still found it to be a clever gem—I'm sure there's someone out there who'll be more than happy to devour their fill.
Quotes I marked:
"'The only thing stopping you being a great husband, a great father, is your own self-doubt. If you start believing in yourself, appreciating what you have day-to-day, you won't need the rush of gambling.'" (pgs. 266-267)
"True wealth, Ed is learning, is not flaunted. It is discreet, tasteful, and proud. To the untrained eye, the setup might look simple and affordable. To those with wealth, who know the price tags of the decorative wine bottles, the quality of the mats, the light scent of the soy candles—well, to them, it is exquisite and tasteful." (pgs. 284-285)
"'It is cheaper to eat the poor than to feed them.'" (pg. 367)
"'But a love of life. Or money. Or opportunity. Everyone is blinded by something they love.'" (pg. 371)
"Am I committing a moral transgression? Ought I to stop? I have no answers, but I promise you this: If ever you are discovered, if the world turns against you, write to me at once. You will never be friendless. You will never be entirely alone." (pg. 102)
A Korean historical fiction Pride and Prejudice retelling? Are you KIDDING me?? It's like this book was tailor-made in a lab specifically to win my heart. I couldn't get enough of this book. I was already sold from the premise, but the skeptic in me wanted to hold back: after all, lots of books are marketed as Pride and Prejudice inspired but rarely follow through on the elements that truly make Austen the classic she is today.
What I found really worked for me when it came to Behind Five Willows was undoubtedly Haewon and her character development. What I love most about Elizabeth is her growth and her steadfastness in demanding to be seen as an equal despite Darcy's "superior" social position. And I loved that aspect about Haewon: she's forced into corners time and time again as the novel goes on, but not once does she truly compromise her truest values to lessen herself in order to make the trouble pass. Her inner strength is amazing, and seeing her go from a stubborn girl to a still stubborn but now much insightful young woman at the novel's end was such a satisfying journey.
I wish we got to see more of her transcription and book-oriented business just as much as the romance, because her love for novels and her work in transcribing them drive so much of her character and the narrative as a whole. Her work is present throughout the story, don't get me wrong, but I want to have seen more of it in direct scenes instead of a plot device to keep the ball rolling. I think having done so might have helped the audience feel the depth of her love towards forbidden literature, and I would argue it would have given more complexity to her relationship with Seojun as well.
I absolutely adored how Hur sprinkles in so much Korean culture and history into the story as well. Having grown up in a Korean immigrant family, it makes me so happy to see my culture represented in these ways. As much as I loved all these details, I also wish Hur could have expanded on some of her references a bit more: I didn't have trouble digesting most of them as they were things that I grew up with, but for a non-Korean reader, the Korean words/stories/places that are scattered throughout with only a sentence or two to explain what they are might make it confusing pretty quickly.
As a whole though, I loved this book. The romance was great, and I loved both characters dearly. I loved how well-rounded all of the different characters were, with even the side characters feeling like fully fleshed out individuals instead of stock characters just there to meet some kind of plot-quota. I wish I could wipe my memory so I can read it for the first time all over again—even now as I write this review, I can feel a smile creeping onto my face. It's just sooooo good!
Quotes I marked:
"Books upon books were stacked on the shelves, ten thousand lifetimes pressed between covers. With the turn of a page, she was no longer Shin Haewon. No longer the daughter of a family in financial straits; no longer a helpless sister witnessing an overwhelmed Jade, the government soon to force her to get married quickly, quickly; no longer the keeper of a younger third sister who was prone to recklessness. A page turned, and all fears and anxieties fell away. Her mind became sheer mountains and cliffs and the raging sea." (pg. 15)
"'And they are awe-inspiring, beautiful, and'—her voice trembled—'and they bring me such joy!'
Everything in him quieted at those words, and the way she had spoken them. The deep love, the reverence. She spoke with a passion that could set the stars ablaze." (pg. 58)
"'I believe in fate,' he said at last. 'I was raised to understand that a gentleman bears his fate and follows it obediently.'
'To bear fate,' she said contemplatively. 'I by far prefer the notion of destiny, for I am going to choose mine.'" (pgs. 167-168)
"'I'm convinced,' she said, unable to hide the rawness in her voice, 'that to live without a will is to deny the bird the sky, the flowers the sun. I was born with a will. Mayn't I use it?'" (pg. 168)
"'Sometimes you come across people who have been searching for each other all their lives.'
'As two enemies fated to despise each other.'
'As two lost souls searching for their home.'" (pgs. 200-201)
"'...Novels move us in a way that Confucian classics cannot. The classics dictate how we ought to think. But novels speak to a longing that we are ashamed to admit.'" (pg. 317)
"She had grown up learning that respectability was everything. That it was the very air a woman breathed. And yet she could not shake away the conviction that there were far more important things in life.
'If I lose my honor, I will lose my place in the world,' she whispered. 'But if I betray Black Lotus, I very much fear I will lose myself.'" (pg. 323)
"'My mother always did say the hearts of men are fickle. They will fall in love fast and forget us just as soon, while we pine away for years.'" (pg. 363)
