abooknomad's reviews
410 reviews

Layover by Emily Henry

3.5

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

"I would rather love a coward than mourn a legend." 

This is how you write a short story, the hype didn't lie.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

In a world where we often feel wronged by titles, Conversations On Love was exactly what its title suggests:  a collection of informal discussions in the form of interviews and essays about the sentiment that has plagued writers and philosophers alike since the beginning of time, love. Not just the romantic variety, but also platonic and familial love. 

I was pleasantly surprised that this book never felt preachy or disguised itself as a hardcore self-help book. This is one of the cool non-fiction books that leave space for interpretation and introspection all the while being an easy and interesting read. This is partly due to the way the author writes, she’s relatable and doesn’t try to disguise her faults or flaws, but also due to her chosen approach to the subject with the multiple interviewees and perspectives contributing to a well-balanced book in terms of viewpoints and subthemes. 

It was so satisfying to tab and underline this book. It is full of precious reminders, insights, and realisations. Not every page will make you go “wow”, but many of them will make you “humm” in thought. And I’ll be coming back to those tabs and underlined quotes often. 

Cannot recommend it more. 

Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

3.0

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

An entertaining sequel and the book I saved for last to complete this trilogy. I loved how the author portrayed and gave life to the various personalities of Asperger syndrome, and Khai's character was precious in that regard. Although The Bride Test was not my personal favourite in terms of storyline and execution, I'm very much excited for whatever Helen Hoang has in store next.

 

Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

 This book is the kind of story that will always call to me: achingly beautiful in its angst, filled with ups and downs between characters, and exploring the normalcy and oddity of life.

In this debut novel, we follow Rosie and Will as they deal with whatever life throws at them in the best way they can. The only constant in their life, it seems, it's the fact they never fall out of love with each other.

Although this is a love story, it’s not a romance, and the back and forth between characters and prevalent miscommunication is sure to frustrate the majority of readers. In this sense, a lot of this book reminded me of Sally Rooney's writing, storyline-wise, and stylistically: quotation marks are nowhere to be seen, and sentences are clipped, often cut short. Because I love me some Sally Rooney, all these things were music to my ears. However, if any of Rooney's novels made your skin crawl in a negative way, I’d say to stay away from this book.

Besides the romantic angst, Talking at Night also discusses what often plagues us in our daily life: grief, insecurities, people-pleasing tendencies, self-doubt, and mental health. It's not a firework of a novel that will make you realise something you didn’t already know or provide you with lighthearted escapism. It’s very much grounded in reality, and I loved it for that.

However, even I, one of the five people who likes a good miscommunication trope, had my patience tested. At times, the stagnancy, misjudgements, and omissions felt overdone for plot convenience, and there’s only so much suspension of disbelief you can ask of me.

All in all, this was a great read, and I’m excited to see what the author has in store next. Bonus point for making me feel like I couldn’t put this book down. I haven't felt this feeling for months! 

Jade Shards by Fonda Lee

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love the Kauls, I love the No Peak Clan, I love Kekon. I love the Green Bone Saga. And this was the perfect last little taste of these characters and world. Thank you, Fonda Lee.

The Hunger Games: Special Edition by Suzanne Collins

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.

It’s not the book, it's me. 

I'm looking for connection in the stories that I read and this book is not delivering the way I want in terms of character focus. I don't feel invested at all. The attention to detail and worldbuilding in this one are as impressive as in the predecessors, but it's bereft of the emotion of the first book and second book (to some extent). It's undoubtedly well written, it's just not the book for me at the moment.

Maybe I'll come back to it and finish the series one day.