mateoj's reviews
432 reviews

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
I forgot how slow Ishiguro's books are.
Dark Tourist: Essays by Hasanthika Sirisena

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.75

the first half was good, but I think the second half of essays belong in another, much more academic book. or perhaps on lithub. either way, I really struggled with them, probably because I am not an art student. 
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The Double by José Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.
holy run-on sentence, batman
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

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adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

delightfully weird. apparently I do really enjoy Russian lit, so long as each character has <5 names. talking cats never hurt either! 
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The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin

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adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

(review later)
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

society if the earthsea chronicles became a huge sensation instead of harry potter >
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

I'm sure someone else has said this somewhere already, but I think the mark of a great food writer is the ability to make someone hungry for things they definitively do not like. am I a fan of sashimi, lobster, wine, or scallops? absolutely not. did Reichl's descriptions make me wish I could try the ones she ate? absolutely! 
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
why do writers write narrators that narrate like this. so grating and irritating. 
Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction by Grady Hendrix

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adventurous dark informative medium-paced

4.0

bring back the horror paperback industry NEOW