Scan barcode
erinbrenner's reviews
504 reviews
The Ghost Road by Pat Barker
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder
The Eye in the Door by Pat Barker
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Infidelity, Self harm, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
The Conscious Style Guide by Karen Yin
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
From my book review at The Writing Resource:
The Conscious Style Guide "is especially valuable for writers and editors to help them better communicate with readers and become a gate opener, 'let[ting] through more of the voices, ideas, and identities we want to nurture and protect' (51–52).
The Conscious Style Guide "is especially valuable for writers and editors to help them better communicate with readers and become a gate opener, 'let[ting] through more of the voices, ideas, and identities we want to nurture and protect' (51–52).
"If you’re familiar with conscious language, you might be tempted to dive right into chapter 3. Fight that temptation. It’s like reading the front matter of a dictionary: your understanding of how to use this tool will jump into the stratosphere if you take the time for those first chapters. Then you can use chapter 3 to guide your writing and editing and chapter 5 to influence others.
"Throughout the book Yin is encouraging. Each of us is capable of making a difference in our world. She empowers us to think for ourselves and make decisions that fit our circumstances. 'An ideal conscious language practice,' she writes in chapter 1, 'is one that creates more ease and calm in your life while maximizing your ability to do good.'
"I’m in."
To read the full review, go to https://www.righttouchediting.com/2024/05/16/the-conscious-style-guide-transforming-language-to-foster-equity-and-understanding/
To read the full review, go to https://www.righttouchediting.com/2024/05/16/the-conscious-style-guide-transforming-language-to-foster-equity-and-understanding/
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Regeneration by Pat Barker
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, War, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Antisemitism
The Warden of English: The Life of H.W. Fowler by Simon Winchester, Jenny McMorris
The book tries to introduce us to a celebrated linguist and give us insight into the work he did. It largely does that. But it's filled with flaws--some serious, others nuisances. Currently, there's only one other biography on Fowler, published in 1935, shortly after his death. It's a shame that this one is so flawed.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.75
I picked this book up at a library sale, because I wanted to know more about H.W. Fowler and his work on Fowler's A Dictionary of Modern English Usage. I've enjoyed biographers about other lexicographers and books on the making of dictionaries. As a writer and editor, I'm interested in how my favorite resources are made.
Overall, this is an enjoyable but flawed book.
There's a lot about Fowler that we don't know, which is a shame; many letters and records have not survived. But Jenny McMorris does her best with what's available. When she has enough source material, the book is not only enjoyable but informative and interesting. When she doesn't have enough info, though, she sometimes guesses at what happens, making bold conjectures. I found this frustrating. If McMorris has grounds for her theories on what happened, she doesn't share them. These conjectures, not infrequent throughout the book, weaken the reader's trust in the book and author. Just tell me you don't know something!
Other things bothered me about this book:
Overall, this is an enjoyable but flawed book.
There's a lot about Fowler that we don't know, which is a shame; many letters and records have not survived. But Jenny McMorris does her best with what's available. When she has enough source material, the book is not only enjoyable but informative and interesting. When she doesn't have enough info, though, she sometimes guesses at what happens, making bold conjectures. I found this frustrating. If McMorris has grounds for her theories on what happened, she doesn't share them. These conjectures, not infrequent throughout the book, weaken the reader's trust in the book and author. Just tell me you don't know something!
Other things bothered me about this book:
- The text is sometimes confusing. McMorris will jump around in time in one paragraph and doesn't use enough time markers, leaving the reader confused about when something happened. The text is also sometimes vague or plainly grammatically incorrect, so that the reader doesn't know who is being referred to. The text needed more copyediting to help with clarification.
- McMorris carries some of the early 20th century biases into her work. In the early 1900s, Fowler might have been considered old when he was in his 50s, but the book was published in 2001. We know better. There's no need to refer to him as elderly when he's in his 50s. There's also no reason to describe his wife, Jessie, as "a large lady of advancing years" and similarly. Nor commenting on his brother Charles as courageous for doing so many sports even though he weight 27 stone.
- The front and back matter. An abbreviations list appears at the front of the book, but most of the abbreviations are for the end notes. The endnotes are headed with chapter numbers but the chapter numbers only appear on the first page of the chapters. These items cause a lot of flipping through the book, an unnecessary hurdle for readers.
The book tries to introduce us to a celebrated linguist and give us insight into the work he did. It largely does that. But it's filled with flaws--some serious, others nuisances. Currently, there's only one other biography on Fowler, published in 1935, shortly after his death. It's a shame that this one is so flawed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
City of Bones by Martha Wells
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Whose Names Are Unknown by Sanora Babb
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A powerful, thoughtful story of what it was like to watch your farm literally blow away, move to California to start again, starve, be looked down on, be cheated, and still find a way to survive.
Babb's novel is an intimate, personal look at these events and her characters are so real, I want to look them up and see how they survived after the last page.
This should have been published in 1939 and Random House was set to do so until Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath" became so popular. The world "didn't need" two books on the Dust Bowl and Depression. I call BS. They didn't want a woman upstaging a successful man. Otherwise why wait 40+ years to publish?
But go read this book and decide for yourself.
Babb's novel is an intimate, personal look at these events and her characters are so real, I want to look them up and see how they survived after the last page.
This should have been published in 1939 and Random House was set to do so until Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath" became so popular. The world "didn't need" two books on the Dust Bowl and Depression. I call BS. They didn't want a woman upstaging a successful man. Otherwise why wait 40+ years to publish?
But go read this book and decide for yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Classism
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Death, Misogyny, Racism, and Antisemitism
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
File under "Horrible people behaving horribly" and "Overprivileged people getting what they deserve." The characters are, almost to a person, self-centered, selfish, unkind, and unethical. Yet the writing is beautiful and it was satisfying to see 3 of the 4 main characters get what they deserved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Rape, and Transphobia
Minor: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0