Diary of a Void 3.50 – is about a woman faking a pregnancy in Japan, kind of dry satire
I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokpokki 3.26 – is about a Korean woman sharing some transcripts of her therapy sessions. I found it very interesting and insightful, especially if you care about mental health. But I wouldn’t recommend the sequel.
RachelOfRefuge on
GR rating is 3.44
*703: How I Lost More Than a Quarter Ton and Gained a Life* by Nancy Makin
The author is funny, and in addition to her weight gain/loss narrative, she talks about her family joining a cult when she was young. I found it really interesting!
Wonderful-Elk5080 on
A Woman of Thirty by Honoré de Balzac. I found the way he describes sadness very touching and strangely beautiful. I wasn’t expecting to love this book so much, but it found its way to my heart.
Smooth-Vanilla-4832 on
*Bunny* by Mona Awad has only 3.49 stars on goodreads but I loved it.
TrustABore on
Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott. I don’t understand why this book has such a low rating. A reviewer on GoodReads described it as Rebecca meets Rosemary’s Baby, and I completely agree. It perfectly conveys the stifling experience of a woman being overlooked, underestimated, and manipulated under the guise of care and concern, while also being very creepy and suspenseful.
Remarkable-Pea4889 on
Body Surfing by Dale Peck. 3.31 on GR. It’s to Buffy what The Magicians is to Harry Potter and hated by many for basically the same reason. But I thought it was great.
The Magicians is at 3.53 so it just misses your cutoff.
MungoShoddy on
Derek Ingrey, *Pig on a Lead*. Zero ratings, zero reviews.
Fuck Goodreads anyway.
wanderlust_m on
Cause Celeb by Helen Fielding – it’s a light novel about a woman going on a charity mission to Africa, I found the satire around virtue signalling to be pretty sharp and the story was entertaining.
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby – This novel is about suicide but is uplifting. His writing style is lighthearted and heartwarming.
The Real Deal by Caitlin Devlin – a novel that looks at the effects of using children in reality TV . I thought it had things to say and it was an entertaining read.
Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren – this is a memoir that was an easy read and gave a look at a rarely seen work, she lived in the harem of the Prince of Brunei for a while. I think this is rated low because she was not very reflective/apologetic about sex work.
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan – brilliant short novel, partially about euthanasia.
Life without Children by Roddy Doyle – collection of short stories set during COVID, with loneliness as a running theme but not so sad that they’re hard to read.
The Flood by Ian Rankin – atmospheric novel about life in Scotland while the economy is breaking down.
Equal_Ad5760 on
Bunny by Mona Awad
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
Peppery_penguin on
Hey, great thread! Here a few of my suggestions:
– *Wild Hope* by Joan Thomas (3.48) An eco-thriller by an award-winning author (her previous book *Five Wives* was presented with the Governor General Medal in Canada.
– *The Librarianist* by Patrick deWitt (3.41) The latest from the author of my favourite book (*The Sisters Brothers*)
– *Bellevue Square* by Michael Redhill (3.10) I gave it 5 stars and think about it often!
SkyOfFallingWater on
Treacle Walker by Alan Garner (3.13 on goodreads): To be fair, I can totally see the book not being for everyone. It appears very non-sensical, surreal and chaotic (think “Alice in Wonderland”, but Welsh mythology) and the author doesn’t care to explain anything. I adored it.
Idol, Burning by Rin Usami (3.22 on goodreads): I think the marketing is partly at fault as it implies to focus more on the paradoxical growing obsession of the fan of an idol after he’s accused of attacking another fan. In reality it focuses more on the protagonists struggles, while also exploring idol culture. Both were done very well in my opinion. The ending is a little weird, the imagery bordering on the surreal (but that’s exactly my taste).
You Too Can Have A Body Like Mine by Alexandra Kleeman (3.23 on goodreads): Again, a weird book. Absurdist, liminal space vibes, cult vibes, …
Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson (3.48 on goodreads): Now, I have really liked all the books by this author, but this one is my favourite so far. I’d probably describe it as Neil Gaiman meets “A Wrinkle in Time”. To be quite honest, I cannot relate to the criticisms at all, so it might really be a hard-to-grasp personal preference thing.
The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson (3.4 on goodreads): not a lot of plot, more atmospheric and I think that’s why it doesn’t work for some people, but I loved the visuals that the writing contured up in my brain (it also doesn’t try to be a faithful retelling of the witch trials and merely uses them as background setting for the characters, which are highly fictionalized versions of actual people involved… a bit like an alternative history take)
The Death of the Little Match Girl by Zoran Ferić (3.44 on goodreads): I can totally see this not working for everyone. I actually compared it to the movies of Jodorowsky, which I myself tend to feel torn about (except that I absolutely adore his movie “The Dance of Reality”). However, I really loved this book. There’s a very dry satirical absurdism to it. Things are weird, dark, at times obscene, surreal. The writing style is often somewhat poetic, while the dialogue of the characters is mostly rather coarse. The people are not actually likable. I can see why some people might think the book is problematic, but in my interpretation this was -because of the difference of the narrator’s vs. the character’s voice as well as the resolution- clearly a critique/satirization of these kinds of bigoted mindsets alongside the political situation of the country (I mean, I very much hope that I’m not just fucking stupid and didn’t understand it correctly).
Cheesyaust on
the absinthe underground
Upset-Fish-8739 on
The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die” is a book about The Author John who interviewed over 220 people above the age of 60 and gives you everything you need to know to live a fulfilling life with love and happiness. Great read.
14 Comments
I actually liked The Fury.
Diary of a Void 3.50 – is about a woman faking a pregnancy in Japan, kind of dry satire
I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokpokki 3.26 – is about a Korean woman sharing some transcripts of her therapy sessions. I found it very interesting and insightful, especially if you care about mental health. But I wouldn’t recommend the sequel.
GR rating is 3.44
*703: How I Lost More Than a Quarter Ton and Gained a Life* by Nancy Makin
The author is funny, and in addition to her weight gain/loss narrative, she talks about her family joining a cult when she was young. I found it really interesting!
A Woman of Thirty by Honoré de Balzac. I found the way he describes sadness very touching and strangely beautiful. I wasn’t expecting to love this book so much, but it found its way to my heart.
*Bunny* by Mona Awad has only 3.49 stars on goodreads but I loved it.
Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott. I don’t understand why this book has such a low rating. A reviewer on GoodReads described it as Rebecca meets Rosemary’s Baby, and I completely agree. It perfectly conveys the stifling experience of a woman being overlooked, underestimated, and manipulated under the guise of care and concern, while also being very creepy and suspenseful.
Body Surfing by Dale Peck. 3.31 on GR. It’s to Buffy what The Magicians is to Harry Potter and hated by many for basically the same reason. But I thought it was great.
The Magicians is at 3.53 so it just misses your cutoff.
Derek Ingrey, *Pig on a Lead*. Zero ratings, zero reviews.
Fuck Goodreads anyway.
Cause Celeb by Helen Fielding – it’s a light novel about a woman going on a charity mission to Africa, I found the satire around virtue signalling to be pretty sharp and the story was entertaining.
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby – This novel is about suicide but is uplifting. His writing style is lighthearted and heartwarming.
The Real Deal by Caitlin Devlin – a novel that looks at the effects of using children in reality TV . I thought it had things to say and it was an entertaining read.
Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren – this is a memoir that was an easy read and gave a look at a rarely seen work, she lived in the harem of the Prince of Brunei for a while. I think this is rated low because she was not very reflective/apologetic about sex work.
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan – brilliant short novel, partially about euthanasia.
Life without Children by Roddy Doyle – collection of short stories set during COVID, with loneliness as a running theme but not so sad that they’re hard to read.
The Flood by Ian Rankin – atmospheric novel about life in Scotland while the economy is breaking down.
Bunny by Mona Awad
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
Hey, great thread! Here a few of my suggestions:
– *Wild Hope* by Joan Thomas (3.48) An eco-thriller by an award-winning author (her previous book *Five Wives* was presented with the Governor General Medal in Canada.
– *The Librarianist* by Patrick deWitt (3.41) The latest from the author of my favourite book (*The Sisters Brothers*)
– *Bellevue Square* by Michael Redhill (3.10) I gave it 5 stars and think about it often!
Treacle Walker by Alan Garner (3.13 on goodreads): To be fair, I can totally see the book not being for everyone. It appears very non-sensical, surreal and chaotic (think “Alice in Wonderland”, but Welsh mythology) and the author doesn’t care to explain anything. I adored it.
Idol, Burning by Rin Usami (3.22 on goodreads): I think the marketing is partly at fault as it implies to focus more on the paradoxical growing obsession of the fan of an idol after he’s accused of attacking another fan. In reality it focuses more on the protagonists struggles, while also exploring idol culture. Both were done very well in my opinion. The ending is a little weird, the imagery bordering on the surreal (but that’s exactly my taste).
You Too Can Have A Body Like Mine by Alexandra Kleeman (3.23 on goodreads): Again, a weird book. Absurdist, liminal space vibes, cult vibes, …
Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson (3.48 on goodreads): Now, I have really liked all the books by this author, but this one is my favourite so far. I’d probably describe it as Neil Gaiman meets “A Wrinkle in Time”. To be quite honest, I cannot relate to the criticisms at all, so it might really be a hard-to-grasp personal preference thing.
The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson (3.4 on goodreads): not a lot of plot, more atmospheric and I think that’s why it doesn’t work for some people, but I loved the visuals that the writing contured up in my brain (it also doesn’t try to be a faithful retelling of the witch trials and merely uses them as background setting for the characters, which are highly fictionalized versions of actual people involved… a bit like an alternative history take)
The Death of the Little Match Girl by Zoran Ferić (3.44 on goodreads): I can totally see this not working for everyone. I actually compared it to the movies of Jodorowsky, which I myself tend to feel torn about (except that I absolutely adore his movie “The Dance of Reality”). However, I really loved this book. There’s a very dry satirical absurdism to it. Things are weird, dark, at times obscene, surreal. The writing style is often somewhat poetic, while the dialogue of the characters is mostly rather coarse. The people are not actually likable. I can see why some people might think the book is problematic, but in my interpretation this was -because of the difference of the narrator’s vs. the character’s voice as well as the resolution- clearly a critique/satirization of these kinds of bigoted mindsets alongside the political situation of the country (I mean, I very much hope that I’m not just fucking stupid and didn’t understand it correctly).
the absinthe underground
The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die” is a book about The Author John who interviewed over 220 people above the age of 60 and gives you everything you need to know to live a fulfilling life with love and happiness. Great read.
[https://cleverchapter.com/](https://cleverchapter.com/)