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allylund9's reviews
27 reviews
Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
On the cover of my version of the book, the title is actually spelled “Istanbul - memories of a city” , and In a way I suppose that both titles work in reflecting what the book contains. In this book Orhan spins together history and small facts about Istanbul together with his own experiences growing up and living in the city. He describes the city and its people with the word “hüzün”, which if I remember correctly sort of translates to a feeling of collective melancholy. Orhan Pamuk himself seems to be very melancholic- and when reading this book for longer periods of time I felt like he painted me too with that black and white melancholic feeling, so therefore it took a while for me to get through it. It was an interesting book to read.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this in about three days when I was stuck in my cabin with not much else to do. Usually I don’t read books this thick in such a short time but I was honestly addicted. This is a great book that I would recommended to just about anyone- I never got tired of reading it.
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Unexpectedly, I really liked this book. I had never heard of it before, only picking it up at random from my parents library. I have previously read both withering heights and Jane Eyre , but to my surprise I think that I prefer her style of writing to her sisters. I don’t really know why.. maybe that Anne’s is a bit less dark and gloomy? Haha. Though some parts of the book were inevitably a bit aged, I overall recommend reading it.
A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Loved it! It took me about two days to read and to be honest I got so into it I barely did anything else. The language is easy enough and the story is captivating. Perfect to read in summer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This really is the best book in the series. The story picked up pace and I TRULY could not stop reading. As usual the staggering amount of strange words makes it difficult to follow what’s happening sometimes, but I feel like I got a hang of it after a while.
Magical Girl Apocalypse, Vol. 3 by Wesley Bridges, Kentaro Sato
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
So I picked this one up without really looking much closer at it at a discount sale in town. I just liked the cover art and it was cheap so I though “why not?” and put it into my bag. I later realized that it was the third volume, but with manga I feel like it usually doesn’t really matter.
With this one though I feel it did. The plot I understood and manages to get kind of invested in but the characters were so awful that it completely threw me off. One of the main characters even being a rapist/pedophile? I might be missing something important- but I found the characters to be unlikeable enough for me to not even bother reading the other volumes.
With this one though I feel it did. The plot I understood and manages to get kind of invested in but the characters were so awful that it completely threw me off. One of the main characters even being a rapist/pedophile? I might be missing something important- but I found the characters to be unlikeable enough for me to not even bother reading the other volumes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Overall just a cozy book to sit down and read. In difference to other mystery fiction it does not have much action, rather it is very calm and lighthearted. It is very similar to “the number one detectives agency” , so if you’re a fan of that series you will definitely like this one aswell.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
As good as the ones before it. Alexander McCall Smith is great at keeping his books consistent
Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn Vol. 1 by Jocelyne Allen, Masamune Shirow, Koushi Rikudou
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The story and the art are both pretty good, but I thought the sexual innuendos on every page to be a bit distasteful. The jokes didn’t really land on me either. Don’t think I’ll be reading VOl.2
Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Perhaps the worst romance book I have ever read in my goddamn life. Though the characters were good, the plot aggregated me to no end. It was the best in the beginning and went downhill from there.