An interesting look at both the eastern tradition of fox spirit possessions and the western tradition of female hysteria, and a juxtaposition of the two. Short and strange.

This family story is really incredible, but somehow just not compelling. I really couldn‘t believe such an amazing history came off so flat. Yes, a lot of important issues with identity were raised, but other books have managed it while remaining engaging.

I am surprised that I liked this book, and I actually started out disliking it because of the writing style, but it got less obtrusive pretty early on. I don‘t know that I liked any of the characters very much, but I loved the story and found it so insightful. It‘s a wonderful examination of the methods and motives of wielding great influence over children as they develop into adults.

These stories are definitely strange, but I loved them. It‘s a little like Shakespeare in that you have to get into the rhythm of it and get used to the common themes and how they‘re told, but it‘s so worth it. Get ready for fox spirits, ghost sex, and magical Taoists.

I liked the earliest stories the best, since they got more grotesque as they went on, but it good, straight horror. The stories are mostly built around hell and evil, not as focused on the ambiguities of human morality. A little bit Lovecraftian.

This is a polarizing book. People either love it or hate it. I listened to it and loved the narrator so much that I checked for other books she‘s done (no dice). I think I would have disliked reading it, though. Amazing dive into The Sorrows in Northern Ireland, and Anna Burns is a great observer of human nature. There is a lot of humor in this book, but Americans might miss it without the audiobook (comparing my experience with other reviews).

Short and a quick read. A woman who doesn‘t fit in can‘t make sense of her place in society except at the convenience store at which she works. Strange, but I liked it. I loved the character. She was odd without being jarring, although she was so to those around her.

An amazing analysis of infidelity. I really think everyone should read it (actually, you should listen to it because Esther Perel reads it herself and she has a great Belgian accent). I have much more ability to see the gray surrounding an affair, which is important because you will not get through your life without having infidelity touch you in some way (through parents, family, or friends, if not through partners). This is a helpful foundation.

I liked this book, as evidenced by the fact that I finished it. But it was sort of like a Hallmark Channel movie. Pretty much everything works out and there are some very implausible turns. I read for Clare‘s side of the story and not Cornelia‘s, partly because Cornelia tended to irritate me with her obsession with old movies and insane friend.