All right, I haven’t reviewed in ages, so I’m just gonna jump right into it. I read Factory Girls months ago – in April, to be exact – and it has just been stuck in my craw. The book is the work of Leslie Chang, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was based in China, and spent years following the lives of women working in factories in Guangdong province. As Westerners, much of what we know about these factories come from stories about exploitation in […]
A quick, creepy read that was just a bit sobering for me
Another day, another Mitchell! I bought Slade House not long after I finished The Bone Clocks because I didn’t want to stop living in Mitchell’s world. It ended up being the perfect accompaniment to Bone Clocks, almost like a side note into the world of Atemporals, souls who are able to live on for centuries in different bodies. Described as a “haunted house” book, Mitchell exercises his horror writing skills in describing Slade House, which is hidden behind a small black iron door down a narrow, winding alley. Nathan Bishop, […]
A “mid-life crisis novel” for David Mitchell
I have been really terrible about writing book reviews, but I have at least renewed my drive to read more. Mitchell is one of the easiest authors for me to jump into, and The Bone Clocks — which has sat on my shelf unread for over a year now — was a pretty easy read for me. I’ll try to put up the reviews for all the other books I have read before and after this one (I have about four others!) On to the review! […]
This is a [white] man’s world
If you’ve picked this book up, you probably already know about Ta-Nehisi Coates, or have read his work on The Atlantic before. It’s hard to be sure because I live outside of the US, but based on my casual observation, Coates has become more prominent and publicized during this final Obama administration. Part of it may be due to his incredible long-form piece published two years ago, The Case for Reparations (if you haven’t read this, go. Read it now. Come back to my review later.); but I believe […]
Sex and crime, described in sentences containing five words or less
LA Confidential was a present from my boyfriend, a James Ellroy junkie, so the pressure for liking this book was already high. And since I’m a bit of a contrarian (A bit?! my boyfriend would say), I’m predisposed to dislike things that others so vehemently love. I’ll find the holes to poke through, the flaws that are there — whether intentionally placed or not — and I’ll do my best to skewer the book/movie/show that others love so much. Because I’m a bitch. There’s a reason why […]
I’m Back!! back back back back back!!!
I should say that I have let way too much time lapse since I read both these books. Coming off my high on Wool, the first of a three-part series by Hugh Howey, I was very eager to get into the other two and bought them both pretty much immediately. My memory on some of the details are spotty, but I’ll try to keep this about my feelings regarding the two books. (Possible spoilers ahead for people who haven’t read Wool. In which case, you should totally read […]