hellomei's reviews
97 reviews

The Third Love by Hiromi Kawakami

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

so moving… maybe i was so affected by it because the fact that the protagonist’s dream lives involve heroines who were Not her but who she inhabited resonated with my own daydreams so much. but in general, it was amazing to read a story about someone having a rich inner world, and to see it portrayed as enthrallingly (?) as it’s been in my experience, too. 

and seeing how real life and imagination intersect and influence each other… i think a lot about that, so i was happy it featured so prominently in the book… also loved the dream stories being set in the past (the passage of time!!!) and during times in japanese history i enjoyed studying, no less… black-tooth ditch and the heian period palace both felt so real!

my thoughts are all jumbled but it was just a very good read, though maybe very me catered. i picked the book up BECAUSE the premise was “woman has fantasy life” but didn’t expect it to use the concept exactly how i wanted it to. anyway. normal again

The Lover by Marguerite Duras by Marguerite Duras, Marguerite Duras

emotional mysterious

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.75

not a huge fan of stream of consciousness hence the rating but the writing is beautiful, and there are so many poignant lines. love the way she talks about her mother. 

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker

5.0

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

2.5

Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali

4.5

stirred something in me. the story is one i’ve heard before but the way it’s written is something else

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

4.0

This Is How You Remember It by Catherine Prasifka
Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.

very hamfisted, preachy prose about the downsides of growing up the digital age etc. unfortunately felt like an intro to fiction creative writing college class submission – a shame, because i wanted to like it.

My Education by Susan Choi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.

wayyyy too dense, and i heard from mallow (friend i was doing the buddy read with who finished ahead of me) that the ending was unsatisfying.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

hopeful lighthearted

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.75

i’m admittedly judgy about books like this but i went into this with as open a mind as possible and was pleasantly surprised by how much i enjoyed it! charlie is very cute, and the cookie-cutter characters grow on you as you get to know them. i still do not love a first-person-POV book, but this was a nice light read :)