bookswithlydscl's reviews
437 reviews

The Snow by Flint Maxwell

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A thoroughly enjoyable apocalyptic novella. Solid series opener and intrigued enough.to read more.
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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

4.0

A gentle read overall but does explore darker elements of society - judgement of someone with a less than salubrious past, and the stigma of illness. Personally i found it a cosy contemporary japanese tale about unlikely friendships, second chances and sweet bean paste.
The Escape by Ruth Kelly

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Disappointing. I loved The Villa but this and The Ice Retreat have been disappointing - thin storylines and characters I couldn't pull for. Definitely a holiday thriller if you're looking for an easy read by the pool in future.
Jaws by Peter Benchley

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adventurous challenging dark funny informative 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

3.5

The humans are much more flawed and fallible in the book compared to the film, and I'm glad I've read it but I'll stick to the movie. I prefer the characters and story arc.
The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2024 by Lia Leendertz

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hopeful informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.25

I loved reading this month by month. I have  on idea on the validity of some of the ideas presented, but it was certainly a lovely way of tracking the year and marking down my intentions and word of the month and then my reflections at month end.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Can absolutely appreciate it and for me is a 4 star and certified 20th century classic.

But once was enough.
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I have been loving working through the works of Charles Dickens and for the most part have loved them.
This one, despite being one of his most famous is one that I haven't liked at all. Found it slow and the story too thin to be such a long book. I'll take David Copperfield instead for a sad and bleak tale of a young mistreated and abandoned boy.
The Black Swan Mystery by Tetsuya Ayukawa

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adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The Black Swan Mystery the first translated edition of the Inspector Onitsura stories. It's a locked room mystery set in the 1960s Japan and has a varied cast of characters including, of course, the intrepid Detective charged with unravelling the mystery. Despite all of these elements (that I typically love), this one didn't really click for me. I think the intricacy of the plotting and the need to introduce multiple key characters meant that the pace was generally slow and I found it a clunky read.

Despite those issues this is very Agatha Christie alike and ultimately I didn't guess the culprit or they why which is why I set it as a solid 3 star mystery and I'm sure it will hit the spot for other mystery fans, especially those who enjoy Japanese mysteries.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Press | Pushkin Vertigo for this digital review copy of "The Black Swan Mystery" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

Going Clear by Lawrence Wright

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challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

Overall enjoyed this but just felt at times that some sections were a little thin (I.e. disappearance of Shelly Miscavage) and then others over weighted. So a little uneaven but a really interesting look scientology.
Sandwich by Catherine Newman

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.
Don't like the writing style or tense used