aruarian_melody's reviews
462 reviews

The Phoenix Empress by K. Arsenault Rivera
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.

Writing style is very different from the first book which was mostly first person/epistolary format. Without this I just very quickly lost interest and decided to not continue with the series.

Best Team Ever: The Surprising Science of High-Performing Teams by David Burkus

funny informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

Perfect mix of informative and entertaining. The information was very well structured and the real life examples were both interesting and fitting. I flew through this and learned a ton. Will definitely check out more by the author.

The Harvard Business Review Manager's Handbook: The 17 Skills Leaders Need to Stand Out by Harvard Business Review

informative inspiring medium-paced

3.0

Good overview on project management concepts and tools. Personally, I would have loved more focus on the tools than on trying to highlight why PM is so important. The author also tended to describe successful real life projects but didn't quite manage to show WHY these were successful. Still, it is a good starting point. I'm not sure how much of this I will be able to apply for projects in academia which have different rules regarding funding, scope, risk and time frames. While the author says the book should be very accessible and applicable to many different settings, it is very much focused on projects in companies (including spending a lot of time on when to axe a project for another one). 

The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Perfect beach read - very engaging and not too deep. In that context I didn't mind the flaws that might have otherwise deterred me. I don't love the chosen one trope and the things these girls supposedly did at very young ages were ridiculous. I also didn't love that all of the cultures of this fantasy setting were clearly heavily inspired by real Asian cultures while the author isn't part of these cultures (as far as I could tell after a quick search). 
Still, the first person writing and epistolary format really worked for me (as long as I didn't think too hard about if it makes sense to tell this story this way to the supposed recipient of the letter). 
So while it was not perfect, I flew through this and enjoyed the ride.

It by Stephen King
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.

King is really good at writing kids and their fears but I lost interest eventually. I'm aware of a scene very late in the book that I know would be a hard sell for me, so when I just felt indifferent after over 400 pages I didn't see this book improving for me and decided to move on.

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
Did not finish book. Stopped at 63%.

Didn't keep me engaged. The concept is great but for once I felt like Pratchett's tone didn't work with the serious theme presented. 

To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

2.5

Maybe I should have stuck with Steinbecks later and popular work. Similar to another early work of his, there were some things that I really connected to and others that made me lose interest. Very up and down for me, overall. I don't think this one will stick with me. 

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

adventurous reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

First reread since 2009, this time around as an audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis, who did a great job. A classic of the genre, this covers some interesting themes surrounding war, power and corruption. I've enjoyed the exploration of these themes and the character interactions but I still don't care much for all the lore stuff that at times makes this sound like a history book or a religious text. As groundbreaking as this was, it just isn't what tend to enjoy in books. So this was a bit of a mixed bag for me that was enjoyable overall. 

I remember being very smitten by the language when I first read this. Back then I had just (finally) started to feel comfortable with reading books in English and I remember being delighted by learning many new words that I would never get to use in everyday contexts. This time around the language didn't really stand out to me but the themes were much more apparent. I think it will be interesting to return to this series from time to time. As much as I liked the narrator who brought the story to life, I think I actually prefer to read my physical copy to truly immerse myself in the story. Fantasy books rarely work as an audiobook for me. 

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.

Liked the parts with just Rachel and her exploring the dystopian city or learning about her background. Couldn't stand Borne as soon as he started talking. The writing style also didn't quite click with me in general, so I decided to put this down. 

Cup of Gold: A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, with Occasional Reference to History by John Steinbeck, Susan F. Beegel

adventurous dark reflective sad medium-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

2.75

My third Steinbeck book and the first of his that has ever been published. As I'm slowly making my way through his bibliography, it was interesting to see where he came from. There were glimpses of the writer he would become but overall this book felt a bit disjointed. The pacing, style and tone changed dramatically numerous times. Still, there were some really good parts, especially in the last third when they

made their way towards Panama and the dissection of Henry Morgan's character began

. I don't think I would have finished it without the incentive of reading everything by Steinbeck, but I'm so glad I stuck with it.