THE LIBRARIANIST (Patrick DeWitt) - July 24/23

 I was immediately set on edge by this book, as DeWitt delivers an opening stretch rife with unreasonably quirky characters. So I was surprised that I did enjoy the next section, which flashes back to the main character's early 20s and his relationships with his girlfriend/wife and best friend. I wish the whole book had been just about that, because then it flashes back even further to his childhood, and this stretch is insanely tedious. (I couldn't have cared less about these off-kilter performers.) I was completely checked out by the time it returned to the present. A real misfire, this book. * out of ****

EILEEN (Ottessa Moshfegh) - July 15/23

 I basically enjoyed this, although it definitely feels too long and overwritten. But the self-loathing central character is quite compelling, and I enjoyed the last-minute turn into thriller territory. *** out of ****

HAVE YOU SEEN HER (Catherine McKenzie) - July 7/23

 Another typically bloated book from McKenzie. I basically enjoyed this, although it always feels way, way too long. I also wasn't crazy about the reveal that Cassie was in cahoots with Jada and Petal. Like, the book is written in the first-person perspective! It's just silly and obnoxious. **1/2 out of ****