Lisa Eckstein > Recent Status Updates

This is well-done satire, though running into the contemporary problem that satirizing the present is hard when reality is so far-fetched.

Story is developing nicely, with a memorable cast of characters!

I've been devouring this quickly, and some parts are fascinating me, but other parts don't work as well.

"'I'm writing a book,' I say, and kiss them again. For some reason, I like people to know this, like I'm not just one person here and now or here and then, but I am also another person constantly taking notes in my head, keeping track, looking around."

"The thing is, the gods are wrong to punish Orpheus for looking back, because if you want to save anyone or anything, you have to look back. You have to watch horrible things so you can know history and see the patterns, and not get tricked again."

Not feeling as connected to the characters as I'd like, but interested to see what happens to them.

"I have never seen a rom-com about a middle-aged, bisexual, disabled cis woman and her trans girlfriend." Enjoying this so far!

The book starts by listing five generations of characters, the prologue takes place in 1868, and the first chapters are set in 1933 with the fourth generation, so I'm intrigued!

Lots of tense conflicts building in this story!

The middle is dragging somewhat, with not enough happening for the number of chapters, but I'm still curious to see where the characters are going to end up.

"Austin sometimes thought that if hearing people ever studied the power and speed of the Deaf rumor mill, they might think twice about classifying deafness as a 'communication disorder.'"

"Over the years the stories we tell ourselves change. They have to. Who wants to live as a foil or a minor character to their own life’s story? We choose the scenes and chapters to tell a story where we are the hero. It’s the only way to survive the gashes, nicks and scratches life carves out of us. And yet, here we are still with knife in hand."

This is great! Compelling characters and story, and fascinating exploration of Deaf culture and politics.

This remains engaging. Curious to see where the story is going to go.

I'm loving this already: two great POV characters, compelling conflicts, and some ASL lessons.

The angry/funny narrative voice is great.

I've really been enjoying the interpersonal relationships and growing tension of this story.

"'Americans make such good anthropologists because they're so bloody rude.'" Great characters, fascinating setting, and much interpersonal conflict being set up!

A tiny little book that's a long essay about the author contemplating his life on a road trip. It's thoughtful, absorbing, and often amusing.

Well written, engaging exploration of the connection and disconnect between women with two very different lives. Curious to see how the story is going to wrap up.

Well written characters, so I'm into this story.

I'm liking these characters, and I have no idea what to expect.

I keep hoping to get to a point where I like this better, but everything the characters do and say feels motivated by the plot rather than resembling how a real person would act.

The writing and plotting are unfortunately somewhat clunky, but the premise is fun, and I'm curious to find out what's going on with the maps.

Looks like this is going to be a fun mystery!

Intriguing opening, for sure!

"But knowing everything is too much like knowing nothing; without a story, it's all just information."

From some things I'd heard about the book, I thought more of the story would be about Joan working in the hospital during the pandemic, but in fact that's only a small part at the very end.

It continues to be lots of fun to find out about the characters who appeared on the periphery of the stories in the previous book.

Feeling about this similar to how I felt about Chemistry -- an interesting look inside a character's mind, but I wish for a little more to be happening. However, I know that COVID is approaching in the story, so that should be more eventful.