annjk's reviews
103 reviews

Gleanings by Neal Shusterman

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

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

4.0

Solid 4⭐. I enjoyed the bulk of these stories aside the Antarctica one, the last story felt a bit overly idealistic but I had to remind myself this book has a lighter tone than my usual reads. 
Enjoyable experience! 

Kadunud hõim by Mehis Heinsaar

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

3.75/5 
Selle raamatu esimene pool oli ülimalt põnev ning ei suutnud pinevusest seda esialgu käest panna. 

Samas ei oodanud,

et Agu jääbki sinna elama ja et tegevustik nii isoleerituks ja mõnevõrra "tavaliseks" muutub . Ehk ootasin veidi rohkem kestvat pinevust ja ebamaisust. Kuni Eevaldi juhtumini pidin end mõnevõrra sundima lugema. Pärast seda läks samas kõik jälle ladusalt ja mu tähelepanu oli kuni lõpuni haaratud. 

Arvan, et need ajahetked, millest üle hüpati oli väga õige tegu antud loo puhul. Ei jäädud liigselt pidama detailidesse kui küsimused ulatusid juba tulevikku. Lõpus tulnud "üllatus" oli päris selgesti aimatav aga raamatut lõpetades võin täienisti öelda, et olin loo lõpuga rahul, mida ei juhtu just tihti viimasel ajal. 

Lisaks oli Agu selline tegelane, kes mulle just eriti ei sümpatiseerinud, välja arvata siis tema lakkamatu uudishimu millega ta end päris korralikult jamadesse tõmbas. Hiljem, kui juba oldi kohanenud Mustakulmu eluga, hakkasin talle rohkem kaasa elama just elukogemusest tulnud mõõdukuse tõttu. Just see kohanemisaeg jäi vahepeal venima nagu Jakobi toidukirjeldused.

Kiidan ka alguses olnud kerget gootilikku hõngu ja kujutasin ette, et sellest raamatust saaks meeletul hea film, lugedes jooksid stseenid  peas otsekui kinolinal. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne

adventurous emotional funny reflective

5.0

 5/5⭐

While I'm not a huge (auto)biography reader, this one really was a ride to read through. Gave me a lot of unexpected insight as a person who is only Ozzy's casual music enjoyer. He seemed really personable and reflective. Definitely witty so I found myself often laughing in the middle of outrageous scenes that I would not like to witness nor experience myself ever.

I find no reason to lower this rating. While this book didn't make me a raving fan, it's one of those reads that gave me perspective and left both an impression and an impact. (less)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Mental illness, Violence, Car accident, and Pregnancy

Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent

Vareda by Sven Mikser

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Ei osanud oodata, mis suunas see raamat läheb, kuid elasin täie südamega kõigele kaasa. Minu jaoks oli kirjastiil ülimalt meeldiv ja paeluv. Väga ehedad mtmeküllased emotsioonid ja hindan kuivõrd sai muud kunstiajaloolist tausta sisse toodud. Usun, et see andis peadegelasele palju sügavust juurde. Esimese kolmandiku juures polnud päris kindel, mida arvata süžeest, kuid lõpuni jõudes pean ütlema, et teos on eestikeelse kirjanduse lemmikute seas.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

emotional reflective tense

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

3.5

While I acknowledge it was a valuable read, I did not enjoy it as throroughly. Being trapped in Emma's perspective was often very irritating. While sometimes I hoped she would finally wisen up, by the halfway point I resigned myself to see if she ends up causing a trainwreck for her family. 

I found the overarching themes good. New exciting things becoming habitual and mundane. The need to appreciate what is real and there instead of fantasies. Aging.

I noticed at some point Madame Bovary senior had told them after one of the earlier visits that they'll end up in a workhouse if they don't get their finances in order. I was wondering if that would come back by the end and while I was devastated for Berthe's fate, it was pretty poingnant. 

Part of me was disappointend Emma was spared from long term accountability even if her last day's weren't as romantically serene as she imagined.

Overall the book felt irritating, uncomfortable, verbose and very real. It isn't my favorite piece of writing but I can't deny it's an important book that definitely left an impact on me. I'll be thinking back on it every now and then.

Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.

Gave me bad dreama consistwntöy the more I got into the book

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

This last book was so action packed I had to take breaks to digest all that was happening. I absolutely love how all the plot points paid off (be it negatively or positively towards Vasya) and with this final book, the ending was done beautifully.

I love how Vasya's character evolved throughout the books and how much more self-aware she became in this last one. This was a wild series that has become my all-time favorite. The characters are unique, human, feel real. The fantasy element was weaved in beautifully and was outright terrifying at times (the upyr). There were stakes, mistakes, and consequences. I felt I couldn't rest until I knew all three siblings were safe. Their relationship was also done so well and has been my main point of praise since book 1. In conclusion I highly recommend this series!

Rehepapp ehk november by Andrus Kivirähk

adventurous dark funny

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

2.0

Loetud ta sai, oli päris huvitav ja meelt lahutav. Eriti kui hakkas mingi seotud süžee välja kooruma ja tegelased said tuttavamaks. Kohati ajas mõni asi ka siiralt naerma. Kui muude tegelaste käekäiku jälgisin juba huviga, siis kogu Jaani süžee lugemine oli minu jaoks ebameeldiv ja ma ei nautinud ühtegi aspekti temaga raamatu lõpetamisest. Emotsioon rehepapi peatükist enne seda jäi nagu korralik pitsat mis sidus asjad kokku. Pärast seda mõjus lõpp kui ämber külma vett kaela ning kustutas selle rahuloleva maigu.

The Girl in The Tower by Katherine Arden

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

Absolutely stunning book! I despaired for Vasya, worried for her and couldn't put the book down  before I could see through this seemingly impossible mess. Loved how fleshed out the characters were, absolutely adored the siblings' dynamics. The ending was a rush but something from it felt maybe a little too rushed as I felt from the last book. Still, this is just a minor criticism, this book has stakes and serious consequences. Love it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Blood, and Religious bigotry

Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? by Mark Fisher

challenging informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

This book is important. For someone who is just dipping their toes into this kind of political literature, while it was filled with many new expressions, it also laid out a lot of features in day-to-day life that I haven't thought to verbalize. I'd say I found a lot of examples to annotate and will definitely refer back to them. 
Some examples were obscure to me so it took more effort to grasp the point. This book is definitely something that warrants a reread.