---

an epub i picked up by chance and didn't expect to like by the look of the first page. but after soldiering through the dramatically cryptic opening chapter and getting used to the narrator's very regional speaking style, i found myself hooked pretty quick and the momentum never really died down. extremely colorful and charismatic prose with a protagonist whose life relentlessly tugs him back and forth. it's so long and so much happens and i enjoyed it quite a bit.

not quite a "i need everyone i know to read this too," kind of 3 stars, more of a "can't think of a thing to gripe about. it was a good ride."

favorite throwaway subplot: the linda larkins affair

2024-09-01

---

in want of a book to read on the clock once more, i finally took the recommendation of many users on neocities and picked up an epub of convenience store woman. i was surprised by how much i hated it. admittedly, my lack of enjoyment was, in large part, because the english translation was godawful and painful to get through. if commas were seasoning, i could tell the translator was profoundly white.

but i also felt frustrated with the content itself— it didn't feel like the themes were expressed with any particular nuance or interest to me. i wondered if most of the substance was meant to be in the protagonist's "strange" worldview, but since her worldview was already familiar to me (the common reading of autism in csw does not surprise me) i was just like "ok, then what?" i could go on about my frustrations for a while.

i decided to try earthlings in pursuit of a good ol hate-read and to see if it would help me understand csw's popularity any better. i was first relieved to find a much better translation (though it still slipped into commaless 思った sentences about halfway through), then entranced by the much more colorful narrative.

in a complete 180 from my impression of csw, i loved earthlings. i find it elaborates on csw's themes in a significantly more effective manner, and the protagonist's motivations and development had ground in a way csw's didn't. i do think that i might not have been able to fully appreciate earthlings without first struggling against csw and subsequently searching out other's takes on it, so i'm tempted to give csw another chance with an improved perspective (and maybe in its original japanese).

reagrding the events in earthlings that warrant a list of trigger warnings: well, hardly much different from the tags on the average ao3 fic i read.

favorite part: natsuki's childhood

2024-04-20

---

of the ten entire books i have managed to read on the clock since coming back to work in july, this one's my easy favorite. it's a murder investigation set in 1896 new york, in which the investigative team essentially invents modern criminal psychology (i.e. the idea that serial killers have motives defined by their pasts and can be tracked down via this reverse engineering, as opposed to just being insane). it's a fascinating perspective and gratifying to see the characters' change of thinking come to bear results.

the pov character, john, is a guy who never seems to be told what the hell is going on, ever, but he sure does do his best all things considered. the cast is thoroughly likeable, including historical figures like theodore roosevelt, who was by far the most entertaining. despite being set in a very specific and very well-researched setting, you don't need any prior knowledge of the time to enjoy it or understand the role of the real people used. though i had to look up at least three different words related to horse-drawn vehicles.

i was impressed with the flow of the book, being that i never felt like a scene was dragging or that i'd rather be caught up with other goings-on, or that the obstructions to the investigation's progress were anything but interesting. it did get a little annoying how often the pov character was intentionally kept in the dark just for narrative suspense, but i couldn't be too mad when the prime perpetrator of such instances was the charmingly enigmatic laszlo (the titular alienist and john's close friend). i think laszlo should bully john even more, in fact

favorite line: every time theodore roosevelt said "by thunder!"

2023-09-19

---

a shockingly satisfying 16 episode series. i watched with a buddy spread out over a week, which i think is close to an ideal watching experience— you need someone to go "WTF!!!" with about the plot developments, and the episodes are pretty dense so it's good to put it down and digest instead of binging. i almost wish i had the endurance to watch one episode a week for a traditional experience.

the plot follows a woman seeking revenge against a friend group of rich kids that bullied (or really, tortured) her in high school 18 years prior. she spends most of her time being extremely smart and sexy while masterminding her plan. there is a het love interest that i found myself genuinely rooting for because their dynamic together was incredible. in general i found the character dynamics and motivations to be really fun and well-faceted. despite the premise of strategy and secrets, i found it pleasantly easy to follow without it feeling too simple, and despite all the trauma and tragedy, it never felt too heavy.

i remember hearing high praise for this show when it first released and i'm sad that it fell under the radar the way it did. highly recommended.

favorite character: hye-jeong's boob job

2023-09-15