Zarah's Updates en-US Sat, 03 May 2025 03:33:57 -0700 60 Zarah's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg UserStatus1056342122 Sat, 03 May 2025 03:33:57 -0700 <![CDATA[ Zarah is 85% done with Döden tar semester ]]> Döden tar semester by Carina Burman Zarah is 85% done with <a href="/book/show/221486623-d-den-tar-semester">Döden tar semester</a>.
Zarah wrote: ”Moadmaselleâ€�? En gĂ„ng Ă€r ingen gĂ„ng, etc - men nu har det hĂ€r udda uttalet stört mig fler gĂ„nger. Gah. ]]>
Rating853598164 Sat, 03 May 2025 00:40:26 -0700 <![CDATA[Zarah liked a review]]> /
Drottningar och pretendenter by Carina Burman
"VÀldigt rolig och informativ essÀbok framför allt om de tidiga kvinnliga deckarförfattarna i Sverige. Jag upptÀckte en hel radda namn som jag aldrig hört talas om, och reserverade en liten hög av titlar frÄn biblioteket. Jag blev ocksÄ glad Ät att se att Modernista kommer att ge ut Kjerstin Göransson-Ljungmans deckare under 2024. De fick fint betyg av Burman och verkar sÄ roliga, med en cigarrökande medelÄlders kvinnlig privatdetektiv.

Burman Àgnar sig framför allt Ät pusseldeckaren, som hÀrskade oinskrÀnkt i Sverige fram till Sjöwall-Wahlöös intÄg. Boken inleds med biografiska kapitel om de övervÀgande brittiska författare som brukar kallas guldÄlderns deckardrottningar: Christie, Sayers, Tey, Allingham. Rendell och PD James kommer ocksÄ med pÄ ett hörn. HÀr kan jag konstatera att Àven om Burman kan sitt Àmne, tycker vi olika. Jag Àlskar Allinghams tidiga smÄtt anarkistiska pusseldeckare/gangsterthrillerkombon, och tycker att The Nine Tailors Àr en ohyggligt stel, trÄkig och krystad mordgÄta.

Ett stort problem med den hĂ€r boken dock, Ă€r det arkaiska och daterade sprĂ„ket. Jag blev inte klok pĂ„ om Burman medvetet Ă„terskapar trettio-femtiotalsdeckarnas sprĂ„k och slang som nĂ„gon slags stilistisk touch, om hon bara har förlĂ€st sig just nu och omedvetet hĂ€rmar sprĂ„ket, eller om hon brukar skriva sĂ„ jĂ€mt. Saker Ă€r fashionabla och mondĂ€na, Burman uppskattar flugighet och saknar capricer. Osv. Jag blev uppriktigt förvĂ„nad över att lĂ€sa pĂ„ omslaget att hon Ă€r född 1960. Hon anvĂ€nder ocksĂ„ genomgĂ„ende svenska citat Ă€ven nĂ€r det gĂ€ller översatta deckare, och de översĂ€ttningarna har INTE Ă„ldrats vĂ€l. De gör inte originalen rĂ€ttvisa, Ă€ven om Burman ibland t ex kallar en översĂ€ttning ”spĂ€nstigâ€� och verkar ha en nostalgisk kĂ€rlek till dem.

TyvÀrr störde sprÄket mig sÄ pass mycket att jag drar av en stjÀrna. I övrigt Àr det en riktigt bra, rolig och kunnig översikt för deckarnördar."
]]>
UserStatus1054215662 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:46:39 -0700 <![CDATA[ Zarah is 26% done with Amy Perry's Assumptions ]]> Amy Perry's Assumptions by Laura Starkey Zarah is 26% done with <a href="/book/show/59640763-amy-perry-s-assumptions">Amy Perry's Assumptions</a>.
Zarah wrote: I don’t like Amy. She’s just very much a person I wouldn’t want to spend time with. Even in book form. Soâ€� I am DNFing at 26% ]]>
Rating846491141 Sat, 12 Apr 2025 09:07:42 -0700 <![CDATA[Zarah liked a review]]> /
The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
"magical dark academia horror about scary girls...it felt fated that i would like this book.

and i did. for a while.

in fact, i LOVED!!!! the first pages of this � so atmospheric and intriguing, and unlike anything i'd read since ninth house, a book high i've been chasing for years.

unfortunately i do believe that 3 characters is too many to follow this closely and with unique points of view, that we embarked on our plot too quickly, and that there was so much gore and grossness and vomit as to reduce the impact of the ultimate climax.

similarly the ending was sweet, but these characters leaned too heavy into their stereotypes to be really memorable. that's what happens when we have too many to follow: we end up with The Rebel, The Witch, and The Nerd.

but contrary to all the complaining i just did...i'm going to follow this author.

bottom line: a lot of good! not enough. but a lot.

(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)"
]]>
Rating845400584 Wed, 09 Apr 2025 04:25:29 -0700 <![CDATA[Zarah liked a review]]> /
I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin by Katy Brent
" A bit far fetched, but very dark, twisty and fun. đŸ”Ș đŸ©ž

Female serial killers avenging wrongs done to women is a good trope. We support women’s rights and women’s wrongs here. 🧍‍♀ïž�

I wont write a complete review for this because it’s got so many twists and turns I do not want to spoil it. But anyone who is frustrated or disgusted by the amount of misogyny, especially online, in the world today, this is a cathartic book with lots of dismemberment and blood spatter. I did guess the villain early on but was still taken on a ride of twists and turns and was worried for the character presented as a red herring. Kitty does have a history of cutting off dicks and acting a tad impulsively with her manicide. In this one we delve more deeply into Kitty as a character and I was weirdly sympathetic to her struggles to not murder and quite encouraging of her breaking her serial killer sobriety. Do what you love, girlie.
The ending obviously is setting up the next book so it wasn’t wrapped up nice and tight, however it did leave me wanting more murder and mayhem and comeuppance for horrible men.
**

SO EXCITED FOR MORE MAN MURDERING!"
]]>
AuthorFollowing107342100 Tue, 11 Feb 2025 07:55:50 -0800 <![CDATA[<AuthorFollowing id=107342100 user_id=5530854 author_id=7770873>]]> UserChallenge62009583 Thu, 30 Jan 2025 11:22:44 -0800 <![CDATA[ Zarah has challenged herself to read 52 books in 2025. ]]> /user/show/5530854-zarah 11627
She has read 6 books toward her goal of 52 books.
 
Create your own 2025 Reading Challenge » ]]>
UserFollowing320549102 Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:51:30 -0800 <![CDATA[Zarah is now following Bradley]]> /user/show/4213258-bradley Zarah is now following Bradley ]]> AuthorFollowing106723185 Thu, 16 Jan 2025 10:41:19 -0800 <![CDATA[<AuthorFollowing id=106723185 user_id=5530854 author_id=21049317>]]> Comment285223531 Sun, 05 Jan 2025 03:53:00 -0800 <![CDATA[Zarah commented on Marieke's review of My Friends]]> /review/show/6758178330 Marieke's review of My Friends
by Fredrik Backman

I still remember, in vivid detail, the first time I read a chronicle by him in the paper. It was about a person recklessly passing his car in traffic. How they nearly collided. And the heart wrenching, breathtaking lines where he divulged that his small child had been sleeping beside him when it happened. It was absolutely phenomenal and I keep reading it from time to time. He really has a knack for describing enormous emotions with simplicity and beauty - one of the best writers there is, I’d say. And this one?? Like all his others: I will take it on with that same trepidation you felt. Knowing it will ruin other books for me, for a long while afterwards, and that my heart might shatter irreparably this timeâ€� thank you for a great review! ]]>