akimakami's reviews
16 reviews

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

A lovely read. I found the first chapter kind of difficult to get through but once I adjusted to the writing style, I couldn’t put this book down. It was suprisingly more cohesive than I thought it would be, and it made me reflect on my current life and what I would change.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

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informative reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

An amazing read. There was a part of me that wishes I was more surprised at the misogyny, but it is thanks to this book that I realised I am desensitised to misogyny as a woman. Thank you, Cho Nam-Joo

Content Warnings

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

It was a privilege to be able to read this book, to exist at the same time as Ocean Vuong. Within the first twenty pages, I already knew this was my new favourite novel of all time. Each word was incredibly purposeful. I felt like my heartstrings were constantly being pulled by the words I was reading. Ocean Vuong- you are a soulful genius

Content Warnings

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

An incredibly thought provoking novel. Atwood creates a world that eerily mirrors our own, forcing us to reflect on how we react with the world we live in. This was such a rewarding read. I would say the book is more suited to those who enjoy analogies. Not an easy read- check trigger warnings beforehand!

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

A beautiful book- gorgeous. I can tell it’s not for people who highly value plot, however. Ishiguro’s writing is so accessible, and this book got me out of a reading slump. There will be many moments from this book that I’ll never forget, simply due to the deeper meanings hidden in them

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

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dark mysterious reflective medium-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

5.0

This is truly a breathtaking book. It’s short in comparison to other classics, but its content will affect you for a lifetime. Absolutely enthralling. It’s best to go in as blind as possible! This is something that I would recommend for someone getting in to classics. It’s almost criminal that Wilde didn’t publish another novel

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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reflective medium-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

5.0

This is a book that everyone should read at least once in their life!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

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dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

READ IT. PLEASE.

Is Mr Rochester a red flag in every way? Yes.

I do not love the book because of him. I love the book because Charlotte Brontë writes specific human emotions and writes them like it’s sacred scripture. Jane said things that I thought would be too abstract to put into words, and yet, Brontë does it. Effortlessly.

Jane might be one of my favourite heroines ever. I love her! If you are Christian (I’m more so agnostic) I highly recommend this for you. Even if you aren’t Christian, you will still appreciate this book and its writing. :)

I must say though, this classic inevitably contains many things that are simply not acceptable in today’s evolved society. Proceed with caution in some parts

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Heartwrenching. Poetic. Beautiful. (Keep in mind that Patroclus sees Achilles in a very idealistic light though!)

Content Warnings

Dare to Be Kind: How Extraordinary Compassion Can Transform Our World by Catherine Avril Morris, Lizzie Velásquez

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reflective slow-paced

2.0

As much as I love Velasquez as a speaker, I do not enjoy her writing style. I think the main problem of this book is that it was written as a talk rather than a book, if that makes sense. There were certain parts of the book that threw me off, e.g. (TW!) the unexpected graphic mentioning of su*c*de, as well as the naming of sch**l sh**ters. I feel like the lessons taught could have been developed more as well. This book is personally not for me

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akimakami's reviews 16 reviews

akimakami's reviews
16 reviews