Delicious prose and setting, biting satire. This book deserves the accolades it's been given!

Giving this a pick because I love the world!

If our relationships are made of many small lies, they become something larger, a prison of falsehoods.

I really liked this book - delicious, thoughtful, and not mean-spirited. I've read that some think of this as more of a YA read, but to me this straightforward little tale wouldn't make as much sense to someone without a little more living under their belt. Just my two cents. ✌

Well-written, but do be careful with this one. It's unflinching in its resolution - I think all I need to say (not really a spoiler) is that this book begins just before the labrador main character is due to be put down.

So, I was looking up Matt Haig at the bookstore today - he has a book releasing in the States in October that's going to be a movie. Anyway, I wanted to see what we had in and found we've had this interesting little gem on our shelves since 2009. I picked it up out of curiosity and so far I'd have to say it's an addictive, clever read, and altogether unfussy. I'm intrigued.

I wish wish wish I'd been able to finish this uninterrupted. It's a good crisp tale primed for one sitting, fine-grained and subtle. Best read alone, and with gusto. A beautiful unflinching dive into Lovecraft's xenophobia-laden universe. Highly recommended.

I'm going to be thinking about this one for a while. I'm tempted to reread it now, but I need to let Lahiri's thoughts soak through my own, really. This book is about about identity, about creativity, about the place of self in the creative process. It's not going to be for everyone. It's beautiful and incredibly personal, and I treasure having read it.

Loved the 1st and 3rd story, but the 2nd and 4th struggled with some of the same issues. Hill can revert to the sensational/the emotive to forward plot, weakening what he writes. I wanted to love this, and I did love half of it. But the trust issues Hill has with his reader's intelligence, coupled with some shallow and insensitive character development in the two less successful stories mean I'm probably done with reading him for a good while.

This.

Real mixed thoughts about this book so far. The first story sang, the second was a cheap shot full of low-blow gut punches. Here's hoping the third and fourth stories redeem.

Outstanding! Ms. Thomas has an amazing narrative voice and I look forward to reading what she puts out next. My top YA pick right now! 😍

Ok, so far so good - back to form. Was not a fan of The Fireman - I have high hopes for this one!!

Started this today. So far it's outstanding.

"But literature, the best of it, does not aim to be literature. It wants and strives, beyond that artifact part of itself, to be a true part of the composite human record -- that is, not words but a reality."

This is a good yarn, both sensitive to the age of its likely reader and unwilling to bend away from the truth of itself. It's an unflinching, dark dystopic tale, and a great first novel for Forde. I look forward to recommending it to middle school readers who want a followup to the Hunger Games series.

What a marvelous, unusual, transformative book. Definitely on my top five this year. I wish I had read it when I was an emerging adult. I'd like to think it would have shattered my world, in a good way. The structure is unique, but interweaving - I don't want to say more for fear of giving things away. It's a great YA read, with a lot of crossover appeal.

This is the longest I've taken reading a book, possibly ever. It's not that it's not well-written. I think part of it is probably a rejection of the visceral loss expressed. It's an unflinching read, and right now, I need that in small doses.

@Clare_Riley Ran across your post about George Saunders's signature...we got a box of signed books into @SundogBooks - the one you were reading looks signed to me. 😊 Check out the way this one turned out! 😅

This is a fun, quick read - a good choice if you need something smart, light but engaging. There's action, a touch of romance, lots of great hats and cool cars. Plus time travel. I mean, what's not to love? ^_^

"The sides of Harry's colonial coat flapped open. Her hands swung up, each holding a pistol. The guns thundered in the open space -- three, four, five, too many shots -- and the faceless man staggered back, kicked hard in the chest."

A *slow* burn of a book but a compelling story. About time travel, yes, but frank discussions of race and gender, as well. Intriguing.

Been waiting to review this one. It's delicious - a Weird Fiction fable that muses on the nature of humanity while telling a good yarn. If you like VanderMeer's other books you *definitely* want to pick this one up! (Mord agrees. 🐻)

Chaotic, imperfectly copy-edited, foul-mouthed amaze-sauce. Perfect for certain breeds of learning writers. I'll be back to dip into this one.

Paean seems too strong a word for such a gentle book. Insomniac City is a memoir in search of celebration - which it finds. Little flecks of recollection and adoration for lost beloveds and a city which sleeps restlessly (just like Bill Hayes). Read this and fall in love.

He was without a doubt the most unusual person I had ever known, and before long I found myself not just falling in love with O; it was something more, something I had never experienced before. I adored him.

Sharp-witted, sharp-eyed satire. Saunders has an amazing imagination. A great read, but not if you need to be in your happy place.

My company at the car repairshop. Yikes. At least the company is good news. 😵

Great world building, interesting characters, rushed ending. Will recommend to my YA readers and fellow traveler adults, but am a little sad the end was so obviously compressed for book two. OTOH this feels like a emerging writer issue and I look forward to reading Ms. Chupeco's next book.

Lunch break read. so far this is *fantastic*!

A novel conceived in and powered by intellect, but emotionally detached. I feel as though Cora was an intellectual tool - versus a character the author was attached to - and it shows. Any book that sparks serious cultural dialogue in this manner is important, but the story reveals itself as an ends to this means, and not a journey to any place in particular.

Ultimately, Octavia Butler did it first, and did better.