#casual book review

[weaver-z]

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke is just mediocre shock fiction that would make a decent r/nosleep story. I don't feel like I completely wasted my time reading it, but if all your book has going for it is a very poorly-written lesbian relationship and gross-out horror, the gross-out horror needs to be REALLY good. Also, the two leads write emails in the exact same tryhard way. Not every shade of red mentioned in the book needs to be compared to an artery or an organ in lengthy purple prose by both characters, holy shit.

Also, it frankly feels weird that a nb gay guy would write from the point of view of a lesbian character whose primary motivation (which is brought up out of nowhere) is... to have a baby, and specifically to be pregnant. This story and the dynamic of the central characters would have made so much more sense as a heterosexual relationship, and it would have left less of a bad taste in my mouth (and I say this as a lesbian).

Anyway, I'd give it a 5/10. It was completely average. If you want an actually disgusting and scary horror novel involving a tapeworm, pick up The Troop by Nick Cutter.

#casual book review #things have gotten worse since we last spoke

[genericpuff]

yeah i don't think this is the kind of advertising rachel needs right now-

#again rachel doesn't really have anything to do directly with this situation BUT #cait still included LO as one of the series she inflated the rating of with 5 stars alongside her own book #correlation doesn't equal causation #but it's still really telling that these are the kinds of works cait simps for to the point of RATING THEM HIGHLY IN HER REVIEW BOMBING #when they're really so problematic and controversial at their core #and are laced with so much casual misogyny and racism #the latter of which cait has a LOT of #though 'casual' racism is really understating it #she promoted herself from casual to competitive ranked racism #and yeah that includes touch of darkness as well which she also rated high with her alts and it's literally just LO: The Wattpad Novel #cait corrain #oh and sidenote #her 'apology' was not a real apology at ALL lmao #it literally opened up IMMEDIATELY with her using her medication as an excuse #for RACISM #watch out y'all you don't wanna take the depression meds that come with racism as a side effect /s #lore olympus critical #lo critical #anti lore olympus

[thecasualbookreviewer]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An elderly lady is up to no good, Helene Tursten

Summary:

Maud is an irascible eighty-eight-year-old Swedish woman with no family, no friends, and . . . no qualms about a little murder. This funny, irreverent story collection by Helene Tursten, author of the Irene Huss Investigation series, features two-never-before translated stories that will keep you laughing all the way to the retirement home.

Ever since her darling father's untimely death when she was only eighteen, Maud has lived in the family's spacious apartment in downtown Gothenburg rent-free, thanks to a minor clause in a hastily negotiated contract. That was how Maud learned that good things can come from tragedy. Now in her late eighties, Maud contents herself with traveling the world and surfing the net from the comfort of her father's ancient armchair. It's a solitary existence, and she likes it that way.

Over the course of her adventures—or misadventures—this little bold lady will handle a crisis with a local celebrity who has her eyes on Maud's apartment, foil the engagement of her long-ago lover, and dispose of some pesky neighbors. But when the local authorities are called to investigate a dead body found in Maud's apartment, will Maud finally become a suspect?

Review:

This book is a small collection of 5 short stories in which Maud, the main character commits 4 murders, there is of course graphic descriptions of violence and Mauds thought process through his murders but nothing too gory or gritty.

I have been on a bit of a reading slump over the last two months, and I keep picking up books and not finishing them - though i still intent to do so - so I decided to read this short stories collection cause I thought it would be easier than to finish a novel, and I was right!

Each story is fun and easy to get through, I honestly had a great time reading this short book - i think it's around 170 pages? I think i finished it in around 3 days, and i found it to be easy and very interesting to see the inner thoughts of an 80 year old serial killer!

There is a sequel that I plan on getting my hands on as soon as I have funds!

#the casual book reviewer reviews #an elderly lady is up to no good #helen tursten #booklr #book photography #book review

[official-saul-goodman]

Here's my year roundup for books! I've included the ones I've enjoyed the most!

Red Rising by Pierce Brown, first book of an amazing scifi series recommended to me by my lovely friend Chimera :3

The Art of War by Sun Tzu, well. Classic innit. Very informative.

An Honourable Thief by Douglas Skelton, good historical + mystery + crime novel. Enjoyed it a lot.

The Outsiders by S E Hinton, very very immersive i loved getting emotionally involved with the characters, i have to read the rest of the books.

-

And now on to the worst books.

If We Were Villains by M L Rio. This is fucking dogshit. It's tropes done very badly and the unreliable narration is not done well either. It's such a pompous piece trying to riff off the vibes of Donna Tartts The Secret History. It's also so. I don't even have words for it, it's a cheap story dressed up in fancy words.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo. Dogshit prose, horrible reading experience. Story itself very interesting as someone entirely unacquainted with mafia and underworld nonsense, but the prose. Mario Puzo i will have your head.

-

Well! That's my roundup.. Anyone who wants to do a book roundup imagine I've tagged you!

#book review #books #literature #reading #year review #I'M aware I'm not good at giving casual reviews #i don't want to spoil anything but also i don't know how to explain without spoiling

[alwri-tes]

The Silver Birds by Apolline Lucy, Book Review

(This is my first ever public/official book review) ( @apolline-lucy )

Official Book Summary/overview:

"Every winter’s first snow, a flock of silver birds descends upon Namu Island and leaves with a heart. When River’s father is taken, she seeks vengeance. But soon uncanny events unfold: islanders die in eerie ways, the woods turn green in the dead of winter, River’s brother disappears, and a strange woman turns up. To save her brother and unravel the island’s mystery, River will be cast into an unexpected alliance that will challenge her beliefs, trust, and love."

-

I devoured this book. And along the way, I screamed, squealed, and shivered with fear. The dynamics between the various characters, especially those who are friends and/or family, are immensely compelling. The dialogue between them is often impeccable. Filled with sweet friendship, gorgeous writing, and plot twists that will leave your jaw on the floor, The Silver Birds is a brilliant and addictive fantasy that I can’t recommend enough!

You can read a sample and purchase the book for yourself here!

#al talks #book review #seriously this book is SO GOOD #on a more casual note it satisfied my endless want for female main characters #lots of weapons #and female main characters with lots of weapons #caps in tags #bookblr #books #books of tumblr

[anonymousdormhacks]

I'm finally reading in 2024, with a fun little goal of 12 books by the end of the year (currently at 3 finished books)

Having said that I'm halfway through the Cold fire Trilogy book #1, and surely the author knows that constantly describing how pretty Gerald Tarrant looks from the perspective of Damien makes the man look like he's pining 24/7

#coldfire trilogy #I usually hate shipping but like dude #Damien does so much casual thinking about Tarrant it's insane #I only realized it was a Damien thing when I realized Senzei doesn't do it in his POV chapters #Senzei is too busy making out with the concept of magic in the corner to have thoughts #anonymous book reviews

[nature-played-a-trick-on-me]

I've started reading this Outlander preview and so far it's fun... it did literally have the "let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding" trope thing lmao but what I'm expecting is something similarly dramatic / over the top as the TV series yknow Drama but Fun !!!!!

#it reminds me of the The Cat Who series in it's like casual style which is very different from anything historical ive ever read before lol #TCW is like cozy thrillers about a journalist and a vaguely psychic cat. #i once read such a hate review on the book which is soooo silly like the entire premise is #'grumpy journalist and his 2 spoilt cats accidentally solve crimes; again' #premise says all about the kind of book it is!! it is fun! not Serious Literature #outlander is like Woman mysteriously travels through time and meets handsome young scot involved in rebellion' #like that should give you all the pointers about what kind of book it is

[fangirlwithasweettooth]

I hope @what-eats-owls is somehow aware that I finished Little Thieves in under 3 days and now am starting Painted Devils and im ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED???

#it has real six of crows vibes I love it so muchhhh 🥹 #Vanja and Kaz would get along GREAT #as would Inej and Emeric I think #and I absolutely ADORE the casual acceptance of queer people in this universe #while also acknowledging the whole ‘heirs are needed’ thing that complicates [redacted]’s life #(i have so many emotions about [redacted]’s coming out scene to her parents AHHH) #also i hope ragne knows that i would die and kill for her <3 #literally can’t say enough good things about this book akfhskfh #ok im gonna go leave a proper review on Goodreads now so im not just rambling #everyone go read little thieves seriouslyyyyy #little thieves #painted devils #no one cares sage #sage reads

[ram-reads]

Blue Flag was the perfect book to end the year on. The manga follows a third year high schooler named Taichi Ichinose. One day he decides to help the shy girl from his class, Futaba Kuze, even though he doesn’t like her because she reminds him of himself. That leads to him finding out she has a crush on the popular guy in school, Toma Mita, who happens to be his childhood best friend that he is no longer close with. After seeing how determined she is, Taichi agrees to help her and as he helps her he starts to fall for her. Unbeknownst to both of them though is that Toma actually has a crush on Taichi and Futaba’s best friend, Masumi Itachi, has a crush on her. I absolutely loved this story. I was invested from beginning to end. All of the characters were so lovable. Taichi was a great protagonist. He’s a little pessimistic, but I like seeing negative people become more positive. Futaba was so adorable. Her eagerness to grow and achieve her goal was inspiring. Toma was a sweetheart. Watching him try so hard to continue to be friends with Taichi, who believes they live in two different worlds, made my heart ache. He has such a good heart for a jock. Masumi was admittedly kind of a jerk, but I still ended up liking her because of how protective she is of Futaba. I hope she’s as prominent in the story as the other three. For someone who doesn’t like love triangles I’m enjoying this one so far. It helps that it’s not obnoxious and that I like all the characters. The way I would prefer it to go is Taichi ending up with Toma (that bus scene!) and Futaba ending up with Masumi (I’m a sucker for protective characters). I would love to see two queer couples be the main relationships in a shoujo manga. I’m gonna keep my expectations low though because I’m sure with Taichi already falling for Futaba they’ll end up together. Both of them are great too, so if they are endgame I won’t be too salty. The art was great. I liked how most of the character designs felt original. After reading a lot of shoujo manga it starts to seem like there are many similarities between the main characters of each, but this manga managed to avoid that. Both Futaba and Taichi were such little cuties. Futaba was often compared to a hamster and it definitely worked. I loved the height difference between them and Toma because he is a giant. I’m glad this was the last book I read in 2021 because it had everything I wanted. I want to read volume 2 right away but only if I can get my hands on a physical copy. Why am I only reading manga that my store doesn’t have volume 2 of? This is the second one this month. Why am I doing this to myself? I definitely plan on snatching it up as soon as it comes in though.

#book review #book reviews #manga review #manga reviews #diverse books #blue flag #viz manga #booklr #book recs #manga recs #book recommendations #manga recommendations #lgbt+ books #diverse reads #2021 reads #5 stars #my reviews #*casually leaves this review from 2021 and disappears again*

[todayisafridaynight]

Ok but Jiro splurging and getting Ichi a little pocket guide to local bugs ;o; He’d carry it everywhere as a kid and it’d get so bent and dirty but he learns so much. Bringing home bugs to his dad in his lil wire bug trap and rattling off bug facts while some of the girls are screaming for him to take it outside (cute lil Ichi being the one who handles bugs for some of the girls at Shangri-La who are afraid of them)

I’m sorry I dunno why I’m so obsessed with little bug guy Ichiban. Imagine him being young and watching caterpillars grow in class okay ;o; angel!!

oh so we're all on board with Bug Lover Ichi then maybe democracy does exist

#snap chats #i leave for a walk and casually comment 'ichi should be a bug wizz' and #pun intended #here come a swarm of asks 😩 #i do very much like the idea that jiro gets ichi a bug book for his birthday one year.......... thats so cute i love that... #he bringing that shit everywhere with him i prommy it always gonna be tucked away in his lettermen 😭 #and ichi being the Local Bug Remover....... bless his heart... everyone mad at the roaches but hes just :( ? Theyre Friends :) #jewel beetles are MAD pretty i LOVE EM im sure ichi'd love em too.. #and I Too consider nancy a sea bug of sorts... its only fitting its only right.. #how the fuck a cicada molt in your car tho ☠️☠️ LMAO good luck for things to come i guess #also in review i think i found a cicada /carcass/ instead of a shell- VEEEERY different #considering cicadas often represent rebirth and change and growth... that doesnt tell me good things about my future.. #but thats just superstition right :) r :) right <:) #speaking of superstition the moo is Full And Yellow tonight like an expensive wheel of cheese #and tbh as pretty as they are full moons worry me: people can get weird during that time and my mom is no exception #coupled with the fact then when i got home my bro told me my sis- who was supposed to be home today- was sick #veryyyy bad omens ahead for me..... #in any case... i watched the deer king and WMA2 today :) #unrelared to Everything I Just Said LMAO BUT HEY MIGHT AS WELL REPORT IT #LOVED EM but i dont have the tags to talk about them both extensively... just know yall should give em a watch... #or at least Deer King.. that one's much easier to find with subs.... (but WMA2 is def worth the trouble) #ok bye i have work to do i got Another client during my walk ☠️☠️

[13lizardsinatrenchcoat]

Aghhhh The Sweetness At The Bottom of the Pie is my favourite mystery novel but I feel like I cam never recommend it on account of the racism.

#it's set in 1950 but it was written in 2009 #it irks me because casual 1950s misogyny occurs but is challenged #whereas casual 1950s racism is not. indeed the main character herself is extremely racist. #which is. in character for a rich white british 11 year old in 1950 (or today...) #but is also just jarring to randomly stumble across in the middle of an otherwise fun and jaunty murder investigation #dont know what the solution to this is. but i do hope the author figures out a solution in a later book #alan bradley why did you do this to me personally #books #murder mystery #mystery books #lizard life #trenchcoat reviews #middle grade fiction

[616nightcrawler]

i finished iron widow on the train and i thought it was pretty good! sort of self congratulatory in parts (esp abt how the throuple subplot) in a way i can imagine feeling grating but the setting is fun and i had a good time reading and you can tell the author really wanted to write this story. i know i wouldve really liked it as a kid

#book reviews for nobody #ive seen some people rly diss this book and like. its not exactly high art but its a good enjoyable novel #im gonna read the sequel for sure #ig the worst thing i could say abt it is that its VEEEERY self indulgent #in a way that veers into feeling fanficky #and i didn't love the like. super casual slang-y way the characters talk sometimes #the life and times of brows

[thecasualbookreviewer]

Currently reading:

The Last cuentista, Donna Barba Higuera

#the casual book reviewer reads #the last cuentista #donna barba higuera #currently reading

[heartyearning]

who up tell me an album to listen to while i do my little tasks today

#multiple albums will probably be listened to i have a bunch of little chores and im in the mood for some music !! #been mostly reading audiobooks but im like a little Done now #i listened to white trash zombie and like. idk idk. i like the concept i like the character i thought i had a good time #but the more its settling the more im very very :///// about the casual racism #like idk i was wondering if it was like part of the character trait and it'd be redeemed or whatever #but like idk. and i think this book is from 2014 so im feeling more and more weird abt it esp bc its not like #the kind of casual racism you usually see like it feels a little more directed/pointed/uhm. meaningful if you will #i could for sure be wrong so im gonna read some reviews of the later books but rn. i need a music cleanse

[maddiesbookshelves]

Hi! Can I ask: 75, 90, 105 ?

Thank you!

-Thecasualbookreviewer

Hi, thanks for the ask!

75 a book featuring the I'm not like other girls trope

Can I say Alive and Hexing? I feel bad when I talk about it because it's self-published but it's so bad... it's kinda funny...

90 the longest book you've read

The High Lord, third book in The Black Magician Trilogy with 763 pages according to The Storygraph.

105 your favourite crime novel

I don't read a lot of them but I'd probably say The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle because it really blew my mind. Living the same day as different people to solve a crime in 24h? Damn.

#ask game #the casual book reviewer #books #booklr community #book recs

[conspiracydawg]

I finally found a review of tlt that touched on something that was a serious issue for me but couldn't figure out how to word! huzzah!

#me bitching #ive honestly been casually looking for negative reviews of tlt periodically since i read gideon #i didnt hate the books or anything but i am profoundly dissatisfied with them #and im annoyed that something that has been so crucial to my dissatisfaction has eluded me for so long #every time i found myself mentally scripting a review this section would just spiral on and on until i completely lost track of it #but it really is just 'there's no frame of reference'