September 2024
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    I'm not very good at reviewing or maybe even understanding why books are good on an intellectual level, I just like what I like… these are my brief thoughts on what I did and didn't like about each and I hope you can recommend me books to read based on the 10 books I've read this year.

    My own insight is that I seem to like:
    – Dystopian
    – Love/relationships
    – Fleshed out, interesting characters
    – A clear plot
    – Highlighter worthy passages/quotable bits

    Thanks!

    Still Life, Sarah Winman, 3 out of 5 stars
    I enjoyed the characters, they were warm and loving and funny. I enjoyed the writing, which was beautiful, I highlighted so many passages in this book. I didn't like that it felt like there was no real plot, until I realised that probably wasn't the point of the book.

    The Collected Regrets of Clover, Mikki Brammer, 2/5
    It was an easy read and I enjoyed Clover coming into herself, and the theme of a lost love/reunited/redeemed. I didn't like that it felt like I was reading the plot of a formulaic movie, or that this book didn't feel very deep.

    The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera, 5/5
    I don't know why I loved this book, but I did. So many little parts that felt deep, and hit a nerve with me. I enjoyed the theme of love, beauty, lightness in this one. Tomas was a frustrating character.

    Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro, 5/5
    I loved reading this. It felt easy, without feeling simple. The plot reveals through Kathy's narration, which I enjoyed. I loved the darkness of the plot, I loved the innocence and humanity of the donors.

    One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 3/5
    I found this funny, interesting, beautiful and frustrating. I don't know if I enjoyed it, but every now and again there would be a passage that was really beautiful and it kept me going. Couldn't tell you what the book is about really – there was a house, a big family, an old woman, sex, death, and a really cool ending.

    The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett, 2/5
    I kinda hated that I didn't enjoy this book. I was hoping it would be magical, or supernatural, but in the end it was neither… this one just felt a little too dated and basic for me.

    Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov, 3/5
    This was a tough read, it took me two months because of, well you know. However I did enjoy the unreliable narrator aspect, wondering whether the conversations Humbert had and the things he heard Lolita say to him were true, how much of it was his own warped mind twisted to justify his monstrous behaviour. The writing was pretty, but lots of words I'd never ever seen before that I couldn't be bothered to look up the meanings of.

    Pachinko, Min Jin Lee, 2/5
    I liked the first half of this book, i found it easy to read but ultimately I didn't feel connected to the characters, besides maybe Sunja. I found Noa's story frustrating, and I didn't care about anyone towards the end. I don't think this kind of book is for me, though it was interesting reading from a persective and time I hadn't much exposure to (Korean/Japanese/WW2).

    Flowers For Algernon, 5/5
    I flew through this, I really enjoyed everything about it, except that I could have read another 100 pages of it. I didn't find it as sad as some have described, and I found myself rooting for a more drawn out love story between Charlie and Alice, but I loved it regardless.

    The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath, 4/5
    I loved the beautiful descriptive language, the metaphors, and the inner monologue of Esther. I didn't really know where the book was going most of the time. I liked Esther, she was too bright for the world she was in and it just felt like everyone around her were idiotic.

    by rhinestoneBones

    1 Comment

    1. Maleficent_Corgi_281 on

      If you like The Bell Jar you might like My Year of Rest and Relaxation

      If you liked the first half of Pachinko you might like Joy Luck Club

      If you only found Lolita mid, you might like My Dark Vanessa

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