Aspects of Me

Author: RFG

  • Read: Mexican Gothic

    Mexican GothicMexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes exquisite prose and weaves amazing stories and worlds, seemingly, effortlessly. When Noemí arrives at High Place to find her cousin Catalina taken ill, after receiving such an alarming letter from her some weeks before, she is immediately suspicious – as are we, the readers. What follows is an expert lesson in the Gothic full of intrigue and suspense in a remote 1950’s mould-ridden mansion in Mexico, inhabited by some very peculiar characters in the Doyle family. A family obsessed with England and holding on to some very racist and misogynist ideals in an overly strict household that ‘no one leaves’.

    Without giving too much away, Mexican Gothic will have you guessing from the start as to what is really going on at High Place. Where Noemí’s nightmares may take you one way, her conversations with the various Doyles will take you another, and all the while we wonder what is really behind Catalina’s sickness? This is a great book from a brilliant writer and a must-read for any Gothic Horror fans.

    For me, the Gothic genre is not quite my thing and I found the first half of the story a little slow, which is why I’ve given it 4 stars instead of 5. The final third of the book flew by and will certainly ensure you remember to watch what you eat in creepy strangers’ houses.

    This was book #38 of my 2020 reading challenge.

  • RaiReads: June Bookhaul

    RaiReads: June Bookhaul

    Books that arrived during June 2020

  • RaiReads: Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag

  • Read: The Silent Patient

    The Silent PatientThe Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    The Silent Patient is a mystery/thriller with a twist I did not guess. That’s a claim a lot of PR tends to make only for it to not be true. There are a lot of books out there that I have guessed the endings to and while I was expecting something a little different to the standard cookie-cutter thriller (my theory in the first half of the book was it would be some sort of Shutter Island switch-up) the ending was well disguised.

    Alicia murdered her husband and never spoke again; Theo thinks he will be the one to “save her” and get her to talk again. They both had a tumultuous upbringing with asshole fathers, which Theo believes gives him an edge to figuring out why Alicia stopped speaking. All the while, telling us about his unfaithful actress wife, Kathy. Some of Theo’s white-knighting and general attitude towards women is frustrating and disappointing, although stick with the story as it feeds into the ending.

    In between Theo’s narratives we have entries from Alicia’s journal that she began to keep in the weeks running up to the murder of her husband Gabriel. These offer us a glimpse into the character of Alicia who – present day – is silent. It’s a clever mechanism to build up a rapport and empathy with a character that would otherwise be inaccessible.

    There are plenty of little twists and turns in the story along the way that will keep you guessing at what’s going to happen next. It’s a great read, well written, paced and with good character development on both Theo and Alicia’s part. As Michaelides begins to peel back the Big Reveal, and it starts to click into place, it’ll have you thinking “Hang on a second…!” before hitting you with the full secret. Expertly done.

  • RaiReads: Books by black authors to vary your reading

    #BlackLivesMatter
  • Read: Gods of Jade and Shadow

    Read: Gods of Jade and Shadow

    Gods of Jade and Shadow is a little different than my usual fantasy choices – I don’t tend to read fantasy based in our real world Earth – and I was not disappointed. The journey of Casiopea Tun is one I found myself readily investing in and just as at-first rude & lofty god Hun-Kamé softens and grows on Casiopea so does he too with the reader.

    The quest they embark upon doesn’t have great odds and along the way they meet demons, ghosts, spirits, witches, warlocks and Lords of Death. Hun-Kamé seeks to restore his power and himself to the throne of Xibalba (a form of Underworld in Mayan history) but he needs Casiopea’s help to do so. She is stuck living with her awful racist family who treat her with cruelty and disdain – she wants to escape and the time she spends with Hun-Kamé becomes some of the most vibrant and exciting days of her life; even with all the threat, dread and sacrfice.

    It is set in the 1920s so some of the prose and dialogue is suitably antiquated; if you’re not used to reading historical fiction it might take a little bit to get used to (like me) but it is worth it. This is a wonderful story that will teach you a few little snippets of Mexican and Mayan history along the way. Don’t worry, you don’t need to know anything special in advance as Moreno-Garcia not only guides us beautifully through the narrative but includes a handy Glossary at the end of the book too.

    Gods of Jade and ShadowGods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
    My rating: 5 of 5 stars

  • RaiReads: May Wrap-Up & June TBR

    RaiReads: May Wrap-Up & June TBR

    What I read in May and hope to read in June
  • RaiReads: MyTBR Recommendations Received

    RaiReads: MyTBR Recommendations Received

    Checking out my recommendations from mytbr.co
  • RaiReads: I started a Booktube channel

    RaiReads: I started a Booktube channel

    Something I had been toying with since before Christmas last year was the idea of starting a #booktube channel because I thought I might be able to get more out of that than simply writing up reviews on GoodReads and cross-posting them over here. What is #booktube? It’s people on YouTube talking about books and reading and everything that goes with it. When we went into lockdown and after a few weeks adjusting I had extra energy to read and do other things I enjoy. As a student I have a short period of free access to Creative Cloud so I thought, why not?

    Below is my ‘Welcome to the Channel’ video and I will embed the videos in posts on this site going forward for one handy central collection of my written & video reading journeys.

  • Read: salt slow+

    salt slow

    This little book by Julia Armfield has a lot to offer. Nine short stories all with a shade of the Gothic or the macabre about them as they explore different comings, goings and phases in women’s lives. All are well-written, clever and engaging. These are stories that can make you ache with feeling.

    There are romantic relationships – queer and straight – that are fraught with difficulties, pain and loss. There are sisterly relationships; both affirming and fractious. There is a hint of the monstrous in each story, which seems to make each one evermore human.

    The missing star between 4 and 5 is simply because some of the stories didn’t hit 5/5 for me, personally, and you should definitely read salt slow for yourself as they may resonate with you perfectly.

    4/5

     

    To Sleep in a Sea of Stars (sneak peek)

    This was the first ~300 pages of upcoming novel by Christopher Paolini (of Eragon fame) – not a long enough review to warrant its own post but definitely a title to keep an eye out for later this year!

    This ‘sneak peek’ was excellent and I’m excited for the full book’s release this September. It is a brilliant start to a story I really want to keep reading and I’m now a little dismayed I have to wait another 3 and a half months to see where Kira is taken next. This feels like the beginning to an epic tale and I cannot wait to jump back in.

    5/5