chiming_bells's reviews
29 reviews

Chess Story by Stefan Zweig

adventurous challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

Fantastic. The yellow wallpaper for chess. 

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

4.0

Lovely, cosy fire side read. It’s a love story, and you really want them to succeed. 

I found the beginning funny - Wallace as a corporate monster, middle slow as he came to terms with his death, and a lot of parables about life, faith and death. I was kept waiting for something - but perhaps a tool/ point she was trying to make? 

But page 200 onwards was wonderful. Wallace got into the zone, and helped. He found his humanity. I laughed, cried hiccuped, all on the train in front of other commuters. 

Lovely. 

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry

adventurous dark funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-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

5.0

I listened to this as an audiobook. Stephen fry’s voice is wonderful, and he puts in so much effort to be lyrical and humour us with the cast of characters. 

The stories are each short - so could work as a reference book, though we now have the internet for that. 

Will try and cling on in my mind to all the stories, but I fear all the names will soon be forgotten. And I’ll need to revisit them again another way. 

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.75

A boy who runs a book shop goes on a journey with a tabby cat to solve four labyrinths. 

The book feels like a fable or moral text, and so am struggling to rate it. I should learn from it - not to rush books, nor over indulge in them or take them for granted, nor friendships and family too. 

All the messages were simple, and known, but nice to hear once in a while. 

this book was like cucumber water, refreshing on a hot day, incredibly good for the soul, but a bit plainer than you’d really normally choose. 

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective tense 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

5.0

It’s a portrait of life I don’t live, but will stay long in my mind after reading.  

Demon relentlessly goes through life scathed, always working hard and getting to his next chapter. 
Kept thinking the story could and relieved it kept going on. 

Liked that the book mapped out everyone’s endings. Beautiful prose. 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

4.25

The Future by Naomi Alderman

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

Spaceman of Bohemia: SHORTLISTED FOR THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD FOR SCIENCE FICTION by Jaroslav Kalfař, Jaroslav Kalfař

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

It’s reminiscent of divergent, and borrows heavily from other fantasy books. Though loved the dragons.

While I finished the book, and will defo be reading the next - i wasn’t totally enamoured with the pretty immature characters - hugely annoying and constantly reminded me of myself as a teen; a mental space i’d rather not re-occupy. Probably the issue with reading YA!