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emmacb's reviews
176 reviews
The Shielding of Mrs Forbes by Alan Bennett
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this and forgot to review it right away, but it's a good, funny read, as most of Alan Bennett's books tend to be!
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
2nd in the series! Once again, sweet, easy reading and very nostalgic!
Seeing the symbolism as an adult who can sort of understand it a little more is interesting!
Seeing the symbolism as an adult who can sort of understand it a little more is interesting!
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Starting a new Christmas tradition for myself of re-reading books from my childhood, thought I'd kick it off with the Narnia series!
Didn't learn until after I finished this book that it wasn't the first published (I found out when I wondered after reading 'the lion...'), or that there's debate around the order the books should be read in - sort of wishing I'd known so I could have read them in a different order! One to try in future maybe!
Anyway, it's a sweet, easy reading story and one that, despite being pretty old fashioned as writing styles go, I think would still be pretty accessible to younger readers now - certainly never put me off when I was little!
Didn't learn until after I finished this book that it wasn't the first published (I found out when I wondered after reading 'the lion...'), or that there's debate around the order the books should be read in - sort of wishing I'd known so I could have read them in a different order! One to try in future maybe!
Anyway, it's a sweet, easy reading story and one that, despite being pretty old fashioned as writing styles go, I think would still be pretty accessible to younger readers now - certainly never put me off when I was little!
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
3.75
This book would have made it to 4 stars, maybe more, but for one thing - it really didn't draw me to keep reading it somehow. I really enjoyed it, but in a cat and mouse sort of way where, just as I was getting frustrated or bored with the characters or where the story was in its plot, something would change to bring back excitement. I think this is what made me slow to come back to it- it's a fairly slow paced story so it wasn't exactly unputdownable, but I always wanted to find out what happened next which kept me coming back to it eventually.
There was good building of tension, and well seeded twists that were hinted at enough to make you wonder but not so obvious that you knew for sure before they happened.
Weirdly, the ending was slightly spoiled for me by a musical (The Rocky Monster Show) I took part in when I was about 9 years old where Mrs Danvers was a character. Based on a single line I somehow remember from that, I knew what was going to happen!
There was good building of tension, and well seeded twists that were hinted at enough to make you wonder but not so obvious that you knew for sure before they happened.
Weirdly, the ending was slightly spoiled for me by a musical (The Rocky Monster Show) I took part in when I was about 9 years old where Mrs Danvers was a character. Based on a single line I somehow remember from that, I knew what was going to happen!
High-Rise by J.G. Ballard
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed this book at the start, but sort of lost it as I continued to read.
It feels like the sort of book where the author is reeeeeally trying to say something and either it's going over my head or i just straight up disagree.
Or both.
The book feels like a comment on humanity in a similar way to lord of the flies where it's not so much a comment on actual human behaviour as the author's cynical idea of human behaviour that maybe says more about them than it does about humans! Also I had some thoughts on the depiction of women - it wasn't great. OK bad... to a degree that had me wondering if this was all a meta-commentary on people's depiction of humans in literature because surely noone thinks that's actually how women (or men tbh) would behave in the scenarios described in the book.
It feels like the sort of book where the author is reeeeeally trying to say something and either it's going over my head or i just straight up disagree.
Or both.
The book feels like a comment on humanity in a similar way to lord of the flies where it's not so much a comment on actual human behaviour as the author's cynical idea of human behaviour that maybe says more about them than it does about humans! Also I had some thoughts on the depiction of women - it wasn't great. OK bad... to a degree that had me wondering if this was all a meta-commentary on people's depiction of humans in literature because surely noone thinks that's actually how women (or men tbh) would behave in the scenarios described in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Rape, and Sexual violence
The Watchers by A.M. Shine
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
A captivating read, good tense mood throughout. I wish it hadn't ended where it had, as I was excited for what the next segment of the story would have brought, but it was also a good, tense note to finish on. I liked the twist, but think it was maybe a little too heavily telegraphed
I made the mistake of reading a review pointing out some potholes in the story that made some reasonable points and soort of affected my overall opinion of the story, but overall I'll stick with my personal honest thoughts after finishing which is that I really enjoyed it!
I made the mistake of reading a review pointing out some potholes in the story that made some reasonable points and soort of affected my overall opinion of the story, but overall I'll stick with my personal honest thoughts after finishing which is that I really enjoyed it!
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Always a pleasant read! Fun twists you could see coming, but not so much as to be blatantly obvious!
The Cloudspotter's Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
Informative, fun and interesting! Got a bit stuck partway through this, but once I picked it back up again I really enjoyed it :) definitely recommend for a gentler informative book on clouds, as the blend of information and related stories really helps the readability.
It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Read this in one night of insomnia. Not as in stayed up reading it, more like, woke up at 2:30am and brain just decided not to be tired until 5am. Was a good, easy-reading book to pass that time with. And I did enjoy it overall.
It was fluffy to a degree that felt unrealistic. Sometimes I like that, but in this case it meant I ended up finding the relationship less real-feeling, which isn't what you want from a book focused on a relationship!
While making interesting comments on co-parenting to a degree, I also felt that by focusing to the degree it did on the happy ending it also therefore had a bit less to say than the first one!
Overall still ok, but not one I'll be raving about!
It was fluffy to a degree that felt unrealistic. Sometimes I like that, but in this case it meant I ended up finding the relationship less real-feeling, which isn't what you want from a book focused on a relationship!
While making interesting comments on co-parenting to a degree, I also felt that by focusing to the degree it did on the happy ending it also therefore had a bit less to say than the first one!
Overall still ok, but not one I'll be raving about!
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
How quickly I got through this book probably says something about how much I enjoyed it.
It's relatively light (while dealing with a heavier theme),and the ending is pretty fluffy but sometimes that sort of uplifting but still thoughtful stuff is just what you want!
It's relatively light (while dealing with a heavier theme),
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide
Minor: Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Car accident