u/Mrsdrspaghetti

This one was on my to read list and was heavily recommended for many years.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It gives an interesting retelling of some of the old testament characters and stories from a woman's/minor character's perspective. It makes you think about how so much of history and religion is told from one perspective that writes out women's stories. It was also a fascinating look into the cultural and religious practices of ancient civilizations.

I went in with pretty high expectations and saw that this book was categorized as a mystery, but it felt more like historical fiction and a slow-burn domestic drama.

I was a bit disappointed. I felt like it dragged a bit and was hoping for more mystery/thriller elements. I felt mehh about the characters​ but always enjoy an unreliable narrator. Overall, maybe a 2.5 or 3 out of 5 for me.

I'm about 5/6 of the way done. This is my first Allende and it's been relatively enjoyable overall.

Sometimes, it felt like it dragged a bit but I've enjoyed learning more about the Spanish Civil War, and events in Chile from the 1930s through the 1970s. It's kind of cool that the characters and happenings are also inspired by the author's family history.

Messy old-money rich people from New York get divorced during the pandemic and this is the ex-wife's tale.

OK, it was pretty good overall. It felt like a train wreck I couldn't look away from. A good study on unhealed generational trauma and patterns, ​resilience, intimacy (do we ever truly know someone?), and the hopeful promise that we can rebuild our lives and ourselves into something better.

Sharp Objects was my first Gillian Flynn book and it was *chef's kiss*. A page turner, creepy, building dread, complex and deeply flawed characters and great explorations of sex, intergenerational trauma and sickness, and girlhood/womanhood.

A Pslam for the Wild-Built took me a second to get into, but enjoyed the optimistic solar punk world building, along with the philosophical explorations of purpose and what it means to be human.

White Hot Hate: 3.75/5

Weyward: 3.5/5

In Defense of Witches: 4/5

All Systems Red: 4/5

A Psalm for the Wild Built: 4/5

Tender is the Flesh: 4/5

Wild Reverence: 3/5

There There: 4.2/5

This one's been on my to-read list for a while. I'm about 3/4 in and it's beautiful, heartbreaking, and I'm really enjoying the multiple perspectives from various characters - especially as we start to see how they all connect. Lived in Oakland for a while too, so I appreciate all the local references!