elydy's reviews
116 reviews

Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes

challenging funny informative fast-paced

4.5

Absolutely loved this. I'm fascinated by Greek mythology and getting an overview of these women's stories and literary histories was fascinating. NH's narration was brilliant. Love her humour.

Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams

funny lighthearted fast-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? No

4.0

Great fun as per usual. Laughed out loud at the mattress chapter in particular. And I loved the way everything tied together at the end.

The Man Who Forgot His Wife by John O'Farrell

hopeful lighthearted medium-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

3.5

Eh, this was quite fun. Really felt like he had some yellow flags though, like when they slept together and then he suddenly got pass agg - just not convinced at the strength of the relationship!

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

fast-paced

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

4.0

Really really interestingly written, I loved the interweaving narratives and the way she plays with time. Also I really hate Perseus!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

medium-paced

3.5

Really plodded through this one. Was a fun YA concept and I loved the twist halfway through. But didn't grip me massively.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

0.5 off 5 stars just because it took me bloody ages to get through this. But WOW. This book was excellent - I loved the detail of the narration, the complex characters who are roughly sketched out, the absolutely haunting setting. Perfect autumn read.

The Odyssey by Homer

adventurous challenging slow-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

3.75

Definitely better than the Iliad - there's more plot and interesting adventures going on! As always it's fascinating to read something so ancient and that's what keeps me going through it. But of course it's relatively slow and Odysseus is not super likeable.

Autumn: An Anthology for the Changing Seasons by Melissa Harrison

reflective slow-paced

4.0

A sentimental annual re-read for me. Mixture of sections which are fine and sections which really wow me. It always gets me in the autumn mood 🍂

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

4.5

Just so lovely and charming. There are some particularly beautiful/poignant passages, like when they meet Pan, which really set this apart from other children's literature. Absolutely loved it - perfect audiobook to potter around the house to.

The Message of Hosea by Derek Kidner

informative medium-paced

4.0

Very informative and enlightening commentary.