ayedrianreads's reviews
20 reviews

Cosmos by Carl Sagan

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

There came a point where I think I thought reading this book was like a chore. It was only because of how much it felt like I was a reading a science textbook, what with all the detail and information he gave us. But that’s not a bad thing. Sagan cracked the code to how to make learning enjoyable and relatively accessible. Though there were some chapters that completely lost me concept-wise, the esoterica might leave other readers wanting more so that they could understand. 

Sagan introduced concepts imbued with emotion and humanness. He made connections that anybody could understand, analogies that hit so close to home. He argued for the need for compassion and the unity of our species. He explained why space projects deserve more funding. He explained why military and defense deserve less. And finally, he urged the reader to keep on questioning. After all, according to Sagan, it is in our DNA. 

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

While I’ve come to find out I don’t enjoy nonfiction writing as much as fiction writing, this one was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t notice in the moment, but in hindsight I think the writing style was the thing that drew me in. With other nonfiction books, while I may have liked the story/plot itself the writing was always a drag for me. I can proudly say it was not like this time around. I loved the details he included of the crew’s days, and while some days were very much like others, I think it was important to include those duplicates because it really illustrated the monotony of everyday life for the men while they were stranded. In a way, too, I felt I myself getting bored from their getting bored, and it actually made me empathize with the characters further. While I could cure my boredom by putting the book down, they couldn’t really cure their own boredom. It was very humbling to read.



As for the story itself, it was nothing short of brilliant. I can’t fathom everything they had to go through, even after reading a detailed account of it. The title is nowhere near a misnomer; this story really showed the indomitable human spirit in action. Given the double meaning, it was a very fit title. 

I honestly thought the story would be more grave and dark. Don’t get me wrong, I'm glad it wasn’t, but I think it just really showed how great a leader Shackleton was. For the most part, no one was selfish or didn’t want to cooperate, and the times that people were uncooperative, they quickly became useful again. The story could’ve easily taken a Lord of the Flies route. Also I’m glad no one died in the book or else it would’ve been a proper tearjerker! I was already slightly tearing up a few pages before the last. Truly one of the best survival stories I’ve ever read. 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I give this book a solid 3. Middle of the road. I think it was a little cheesy at some (most) parts, especially with the romantic dialogue, but it’s an iconic book with iconic scenes so that increases the rating for me. It read very YA, which I honestly was not expecting. As like probably most people, I watched the movie before reading the book. I liked the extra scenes that we got in the book, and some of the secondary characters’ backstories. As for the characters, I understand when people characterize Bella as simple. I guess she technically is not a very interesting character lol. She (Bella, maybe Steph Meyer is to blame too idk) made being clumsy her whole personality, which wasn’t annoying to me personally but I could see how it’s kind of cringe. And I know Edward cares for Bella, which explains his choice of words and reactions to what Bella does, but it was kind of confusing sometimes. It felt like his mood would just change very suddenly out of the blue then go back to how it was. I guess that’s to indicate how much he actually cares about Bella, but it kind of came across as being super reactionary too. But going back to the cheesiness, I think that’s the biggest thing that took points away from the rating for me. (Why did Edward have to smile after literally everything Bella said?) This book is definitely not short of cringy lines.  In terms of plot though, it did not disappoint. I actually rather liked the plot. There was a part in the middle though, around page 300, that I kind of lost interest just because nothing was really happening and the cheesiness was too much. The buildup in the beginning was the best part for me imo.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

challenging dark informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

Honestly I think this book is very humbling. I encourage everyone to read it. FD is a very inspirational person and we can all learn something from his story. It felt kind of fast, though. Things happened very quickly, it didn’t feel like you could really get used to any particular setting. But I think that was reflective of slave life too. So it fits. There were a lot of names so it was hard to remember everyone but I think most readers will fare pretty well. If you want a more detailed autobiography I imagine “My Bondage and My Freedom” is that, from what I deduced looking at its table of contents. There were some parts that were kind of inaccessible to me, hard to understand, but overall, it was thought-provoking and eye-opening.  It’s sad to think that while Douglass and countless other slaves saw freedom, a lot of slaves never got to. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

The twist in this was incredible. I wasn’t somebody who watched the movie beforehand so going blindly into the book was very worthwhile. While I sympathized with one character for almost half the book, I started to sympathize with the other in the second half. The author did a great job or really making you feel like you’re in for the ride too by including Amy’s diary entries. 

I completely felt for Amy until the twist. While I hated Nick for cheating on Amy, what she did as a response was completely maniacal. The gaslighting was real in those diary entries. I kinda hated the ending because he just accepts she’ll never get caught. It’s kinda dark idk. Overall still good though. 

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can see why some King fans call this one of his best. I don’t know if I’d agree, I think I’d have to do a reread to know how I truly feel. I liked it but it didn’t connect as much as other King books have for me. Since it’s been some time I’ve gotten to really reflect and I will say it’s still worth the hype. Overall just a very sad story where you can’t help but sympathize with MC despite their questionable and horrifying actions. I think if you’ve experienced grief, especially over the loss of someone in your immediate family, then it will connect and resonate with you more and you’ll understand Louis’ actions.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

emotional funny sad 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? No

3.0

I went into this thinking I’d be very emotionally invested but I wasn’t. I don’t know what it was because the book was definitely very sad. It just didn’t connect with me. I think that just might be a me thing though. That aside, the writing was beautiful and very touching throughout.  The narration through Death offered a unique experience that kind of humanizes loss even more. But because I felt like there was something missing, I couldn’t connect as much as I wanted to.

Needful Things by Stephen King

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

adventurous emotional inspiring sad tense 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? No

3.5

I was kind of bored with the book. It wasn’t like I was eager to settle down and continue reading it. I think because of the previous book, the concept wasn’t all that interesting to me anymore. I will say it is an interesting idea to have it take place on the very first End Day though. I liked that part. I really loved and started to feel for the characters more towards the end. But like I said before I can’t ignore the fact that I was bored in the middle, so I have to give it a 3.5. I will say it is so worth getting the edition with the bonus content at the end! To me that was more emotional than the end of the actual book. 

Under the Dome by Stephen King

dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Gun violence, Drug use, and Addiction