renreads2much's reviews
55 reviews

Schoolgirl by Osamu Dazai

Go to review page

dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

The book is just entirely internal dialougue of this girls thoughts, she moves through the motions of her life in a depressed state. She feels a range of emotions, all so heavy and pent up, yet she does nothing about it. Like Yozo, from No Longer Human, she is also a clown. She has complicated family relationships and connections to people that dont necessarily make sense. She is a lonely girl, who is not really a girl anymore as the novel insinuates the transition from girlhood to womanhood.

I think the book was good, but I think it could honestly be so much better. I wish the story felt less zoomed in, maybe told from a third perspective or a narrator that isn't the main character? I'm not sure. The feelings the character feels are very relatable and depressing. 
So Sad Today: Personal Essays by Melissa Broder

Go to review page

dark emotional fast-paced

4.0

I got through this book pretty quickly, it’s a bit of an an emotional read and talks a lot about addiction and illness. I found it interesting and I liked the way the author wrote and described her experience it felt real and as if she was talking to me directly. 
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Go to review page

dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I’m not going to say much since my copy of the book is annotated, but I don’t know. The book wasn’t as good or satisfying as I thought/expected it to be. But I have a feeling that this is going to be another My Year Of Rest And Relaxation situation where I’ll like it the more I read it.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Comfort of Things by Daniel Miller

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.
The date for DNFing is inaccurate 

I stopped the project that I was using this book for so there was no need to keep reading. I was also intimidated by the sheer size and thickness of the book in all honesty
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
The date for DNFing is innaccurate

Just bored and was busy during the time of reading, will pick it back up at some point or read the original 1831 text to annotate.
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

Go to review page

Did not finish book.
I don’t really know, I was just busy with reading other things and I was kind of bored. I will most likely be picking this back up. (Also the date for DNFing is inaccurate)
Eve's Hollywood by Eve Babitz

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
I lost it and can’t find it anywhere LMAO
Radium Girls by Cy.

Go to review page

sad fast-paced

3.0

I like the art style and the story is engaging. Finished it all in one sitting, it was interesting to learn about a piece of US history that isn’t normally taught. The author did a great job
The Flowers of Buffoonery by Osamu Dazai

Go to review page

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Really not much to say in all honesty. The book was ok, it didn’t add much to the original story of No Longer Human, but Im glad that I read it regardless. I have a love hate relationship with how the author/narrator talked so much about himself and his own thoughts. It’s interesting, and I don’t think I’ve actually really seen what he did be done before. (Basically breaking the fourth wall in a book) but at times, this was a bit unnecessary. Like… Hey can we focus on the story and not your spiraling depression author? Thanks. But overall, I did really enjoy the style that the book was written in. The story over all was okay.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Go to review page

relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book wasn’t necessarily anything special or life changing for me, but it was enjoyable. It felt exactly how it feels to be a depressed teenage dirtbag. 
  • The main character is really engaging to read and hear his inter dialogue. 
  • Reminds me a lot of Jess from Gilmore Girls and Daria from MTV
  • I like how the book points out and observes things that most people wouldn’t really care about. It shows a lot about Holden and his perspective
  • A bit of repentive language but it isn’t annoying 
  • Interesting characters and interactions