Karabou Review

  Shiver  by Maggie Stiefvater was my attempted fourth read of the year. I've read The Raven Boys  and wanted to read something else from Stiefvater, so  Shiver  it was. This did not wind up being the right book for me.  This review was updated May 15th, 2023. Rating:    DNF Buy Shiver. Blurb from Amazon:  " For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever. " Review:  I had really hoped to enjoy this book, ...

A few days ago, I picked up a copy of  Night Sky with Exit Wounds  by Ocean Vuong. This time, rather than ordering a physical copy, I got an e-book copy because I was disinclined to wait for shipping and I thought I might get around to it faster. Given I started it the minute I put it on my e-reader and finished it within two days, I'd say that decision paid off. It was my third read of 2022 and arguably my favorite, thus far. (This review revision was completed April 15, 2023.) Rating:    4 /5 Buy Night Sky With Exit Wounds Here . Cover Blurb:  " In his haunting and fearless debut, Ocean Vuong walks a tightrope of historic and personal violences, creating an interrogation of the American body as a borderless space of both failure and triumph. At once vulnerable and redemptive, dreamlike and visceral, compassionate and unforgiving, these poems seek a myriad existence without forgetting the prerequisite of self-preservation in a world bent on extinguishing its ot...