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safekeeper's reviews
94 reviews
Idas Dans by Gunnhild Corwin
5.0
As books go, this one is nearly perfect. The quality of the writing can't be described with words. The book is so intimate that it's the first book I've ever read where I felt like I genuenly knew the characters (if you can call them that when it's a true story). It's a book you'll cry your way through, but there's so much love, hope, and beautiful moments that it's all worthwhile. Tragic, but so, so beautiful. One of those books you simply have to read.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
5.0
If your life is tough and you need a book to just chill and relax with, this is one of my top recommendations (I think my other go-to would be the Harry Potter books).
A wonderful feelgood book. The House in the Cerulean Sea has a colourful cast of characters, from a were-Pomeranean to the warm, wise, and grandfatherly caretaker of the orphanage, and tells a heartwarming and charming story while telling all sorts of life lessons throughout, about everything from prejudice and coming to terms with yourself to growing as a person and overcoming trauma.
The story is also a very good allegory about the treatment of native Canadian children.
A wonderful feelgood book. The House in the Cerulean Sea has a colourful cast of characters, from a were-Pomeranean to the warm, wise, and grandfatherly caretaker of the orphanage, and tells a heartwarming and charming story while telling all sorts of life lessons throughout, about everything from prejudice and coming to terms with yourself to growing as a person and overcoming trauma.
The story is also a very good allegory about the treatment of native Canadian children.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
- 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
Update: just startet listening to this for the third or fourth time, so safe to say it stuck with me. One of my favourite books of all time.
Be warned, this one is tough. I've read a fair few really difficult books before, and this one still forced me to take breaks throughout. Everything from the tension and fights of a household ridden with trauma and domestic violence, to gruesome accidents and injuries, will be described in graphic detail. If you're like me, it won't be a book you'll finish in one sitting.
If you can stomach a challenging read, though, this is also one of the best books I've read. The descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness, its people, and the events of the story are top-notch, so clear and crisp they'll do a wonderful job at bringing Alaska to life for you. It's a fascinating Bildungsroman where the insecure 13 year old main character is shaped and hardened by Alaska, showing bravery and courage in the face of the rugged frontier life.
The story itself has wonderful characters, and all of them, from the protagonist and her mom to the traumatized father of the house to the residents of the Alaskan village, feel believable. The plot has challenges in store for its characters, but their successes and resilience make up for the tougher moments, and all the events are treated with insight and the seriousness they deserve -- Kristin Hannah is above including terrible events simply for cheap shock value, and the protagonists give each others so much love and support throughout. No one suffers alone in this novel, and it's as if their support and compassion rubs off on you.
My only complaint is that I wish Hannah would've used the excellent Alaskan setting even more -- there were some things I would've loved to see described in more detail, such as when they canned goods for the winter. Loved the scenes where Lennie learns to fire a rifle or shoots a bunny and eats the heart, for example, and I wish there were even more scenes like that.
All in all, the author has done an excellent job at writing both the Alaskan wilderness, and the love and companionship of the tightly-knit community of the village -- and the inner workings of a dysfunctional family. This one will stick with you.
Be warned, this one is tough. I've read a fair few really difficult books before, and this one still forced me to take breaks throughout. Everything from the tension and fights of a household ridden with trauma and domestic violence, to gruesome accidents and injuries, will be described in graphic detail. If you're like me, it won't be a book you'll finish in one sitting.
If you can stomach a challenging read, though, this is also one of the best books I've read. The descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness, its people, and the events of the story are top-notch, so clear and crisp they'll do a wonderful job at bringing Alaska to life for you. It's a fascinating Bildungsroman where the insecure 13 year old main character is shaped and hardened by Alaska, showing bravery and courage in the face of the rugged frontier life.
The story itself has wonderful characters, and all of them, from the protagonist and her mom to the traumatized father of the house to the residents of the Alaskan village, feel believable. The plot has challenges in store for its characters, but their successes and resilience make up for the tougher moments, and all the events are treated with insight and the seriousness they deserve -- Kristin Hannah is above including terrible events simply for cheap shock value, and the protagonists give each others so much love and support throughout. No one suffers alone in this novel, and it's as if their support and compassion rubs off on you.
My only complaint is that I wish Hannah would've used the excellent Alaskan setting even more -- there were some things I would've loved to see described in more detail, such as when they canned goods for the winter. Loved the scenes where Lennie learns to fire a rifle or shoots a bunny and eats the heart, for example, and I wish there were even more scenes like that.
All in all, the author has done an excellent job at writing both the Alaskan wilderness, and the love and companionship of the tightly-knit community of the village -- and the inner workings of a dysfunctional family. This one will stick with you.
Etter Dansen by Gunnhild Corwin
3.0
If you're expecting another Idas Dans ('Ida's Dance'), this book isn't it. Which is understandable - the debut novel was near-perfect, and probably result of a mother pouring all of the raw love and grief she must've felt at the moment into the pages of the book. It would be too much to ask for her to write such a masterpiece again.
While Corwin's debut novel detailed her daughter's fight with leaukemia, Etter Dansen ('After the Dance') are the reflections of a bereaved mother, and her way back to a kind of new normality.
So again, while it's no second Idas Dans, Etter Dansen has its share of wisdom and wonderful reflection, and if you like Ida's Dance, it's well worth a read.
While Corwin's debut novel detailed her daughter's fight with leaukemia, Etter Dansen ('After the Dance') are the reflections of a bereaved mother, and her way back to a kind of new normality.
So again, while it's no second Idas Dans, Etter Dansen has its share of wisdom and wonderful reflection, and if you like Ida's Dance, it's well worth a read.
Men du ser ikke syk ut by Ragnhild Holmås
5.0
Fantastisk bok. Lettbent og lettlest, full av rystende historie og innsikt, gode refleksjoner, så mange poeng som får deg til å tenke, og jevnlige doser humor. Bør leses av alle.
True Spirit: The Aussie Girl Who Took On The World by Jessica Watson
5.0
A wonderful and thrilling account of a heroic solo journey around the world. I recommend picking up the audio book, narrated by the adventurer herself (found it on Audible, but might also be available elsewhere)!
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
5.0
My only problem with this book is I wish King wrote it under a pseudonym. I want more people to experience this little gem of a book, but getting people to read it is super-hard because they see a Stephen King book and assume it's going to be a super-dark horror book ;). Oh well.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is a great account of a girl who gets lost in the woods and has to survive and persevere. It doesn't overstay its welcome (it's not long, and King quits while he's ahead, so nothing in the book feels like filler content), and I love books that make max use of the setting and plot and doesn't feel the need to add much to them -- You go in expecting a story about a girl who gets lost in the woods, and you get precisely that.
King describes both the nature surrounding Trisha, and her actions and inner monologues, in great, believable detail, and the narrator sticks with her for almost the entire book -- only in a few very short breaks does it jump to her worried parents, or to rescue crews looking for her.
Granted, there is a "something" that the protagonist believes to be stalking her, but it takes a little role in the book, more of a vague kind of paranoia, and I almost wonder if King only added it because readers expected there to be something supernatural and scary since it is after all a Stephen King novel.
Overall, I recommend this book to everyone. Particularly if you're a hiking or wildlife enthusiast.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is a great account of a girl who gets lost in the woods and has to survive and persevere. It doesn't overstay its welcome (it's not long, and King quits while he's ahead, so nothing in the book feels like filler content), and I love books that make max use of the setting and plot and doesn't feel the need to add much to them -- You go in expecting a story about a girl who gets lost in the woods, and you get precisely that.
King describes both the nature surrounding Trisha, and her actions and inner monologues, in great, believable detail, and the narrator sticks with her for almost the entire book -- only in a few very short breaks does it jump to her worried parents, or to rescue crews looking for her.
Granted, there is a "something" that the protagonist believes to be stalking her, but it takes a little role in the book, more of a vague kind of paranoia, and I almost wonder if King only added it because readers expected there to be something supernatural and scary since it is after all a Stephen King novel.
Overall, I recommend this book to everyone. Particularly if you're a hiking or wildlife enthusiast.