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j0s1eg's Reviews (29)
emotional
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
Enjoyable book, well written, a little heavy on the emotion towards the end in a Tumblr way but overall very sweet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Blood, Death of parent
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Underground Railroad is good, but harrowing. Following the story of a young woman who escapes slavery on a plantation in Georgia, author Colson Whitehead doesn’t shy away from the horrors of slavery, and some of the imagery is stomach-churning. It’s the kind of book that makes you feel ... not just disturbed, but uneasy, guilty, even. The kind of guilt that lingers.
The Underground Railroad is named after the clandestine routes used to smuggle slaves north away from their "owners" and towards freedom. So, obviously this novel is about racism, a young America whose engine runs off the free labour of its African slaves, and what it means to be truly free. But at its core, the novel is about trust: the impossibility of it, the necessity of it. Poor Cora - constantly on edge, and with good reason. Even those who try to help her - Black or white - end up failing her. Whitehead doesn’t offer easy resolutions. Even in the end, you’re left wondering: can Cora ever truly escape?
A powerful, difficult book that lingers like a ghost.
The Underground Railroad is named after the clandestine routes used to smuggle slaves north away from their "owners" and towards freedom. So, obviously this novel is about racism, a young America whose engine runs off the free labour of its African slaves, and what it means to be truly free. But at its core, the novel is about trust: the impossibility of it, the necessity of it. Poor Cora - constantly on edge, and with good reason. Even those who try to help her - Black or white - end up failing her. Whitehead doesn’t offer easy resolutions. Even in the end, you’re left wondering: can Cora ever truly escape?
A powerful, difficult book that lingers like a ghost.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
Slaughterhouse Five follows the story of Billy Pilgrim, an American soldier who quickly finds himself taken prisoner at the tail-end of WWII in Germany. The book is explicitly about the bombing of Dresden, which killed 135,000 people, and implicitly about the Vietnam War which was ongoing when Vonnegut published the work.
Slaughterhouse Five is great absurdism. It is this absurdist slant that makes it a great anti-war novel; it also reminded me of Voltaire's Candide (the "best of all possible worlds" and "so it goes" feeling like two nihilist shrugs in the face of powerful machinery like greed and war).
It's a short novel; I gave it a go because it was 99p on the Kindle store and because it's my husband's favourite. I liked it and I'm glad I read it (hell, it's a classic). It does fall short for me slightly: I am, at my heart, a plot/character girl rather than a "big ideas" girl and I didn't feel especially connected to Billy Pilgrim or any of the other characters. I felt sorry for him, sure, but not sure what made him tick. And of course he is just a vessel for an idea.
I also liked Kurt Vonnegut's outlining of the Tralfamadorians and their 4-dimensional way of viewing life and death. It feels very ahead of its time. But yeah ultimately I felt like this book was a great book because it had a strong anti-war message which is delivered well, rather than being plot- or character-driven.
Slaughterhouse Five is great absurdism. It is this absurdist slant that makes it a great anti-war novel; it also reminded me of Voltaire's Candide (the "best of all possible worlds" and "so it goes" feeling like two nihilist shrugs in the face of powerful machinery like greed and war).
It's a short novel; I gave it a go because it was 99p on the Kindle store and because it's my husband's favourite. I liked it and I'm glad I read it (hell, it's a classic). It does fall short for me slightly: I am, at my heart, a plot/character girl rather than a "big ideas" girl and I didn't feel especially connected to Billy Pilgrim or any of the other characters. I felt sorry for him, sure, but not sure what made him tick. And of course he is just a vessel for an idea.
I also liked Kurt Vonnegut's outlining of the Tralfamadorians and their 4-dimensional way of viewing life and death. It feels very ahead of its time. But yeah ultimately I felt like this book was a great book because it had a strong anti-war message which is delivered well, rather than being plot- or character-driven.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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:
Yes
Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary follows Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut who wakes up aboard a spaceship with no memory of how he got there. As he pieces together his past, he realises he’s on a last-ditch mission to save humanity from an existential threat.
This book is packed with science, problem-solving, and wry humour which only veers into Millennial Internet Speak (think: "Did that just happen!?") occasionally.
Some of the technical explanations got a bit dense for me (I zoned out during those bits tbh), but the story moves fast, and the surprises along the way keep things exciting. Plus, there's an unexpected friendship at the heart of it that makes the whole journey even more special. I really enjoyed this!
Overall, a really fun and clever sci-fi read! A little heavy on the science at times for me personally, but totally worth it.
This book is packed with science, problem-solving, and wry humour which only veers into Millennial Internet Speak (think: "Did that just happen!?") occasionally.
Some of the technical explanations got a bit dense for me (I zoned out during those bits tbh), but the story moves fast, and the surprises along the way keep things exciting. Plus, there's an unexpected friendship at the heart of it that makes the whole journey even more special. I really enjoyed this!
Overall, a really fun and clever sci-fi read! A little heavy on the science at times for me personally, but totally worth it.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"Before the Coffee Gets Cold" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi offers a unique premise with its time-traveling café, but the plinky-plonky storytelling style reads somewhat like a children's storybook, although that might be due to the nuances of Japanese-English translation. While the emotional relationships build up nicely, the overall impact felt more like a fairy tale, making it less compelling for me personally. A fine read, but not one I'd highly recommend. I read it in a few sittings.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this book felt like indulging in a dessert—sweet, light, and easy to consume.
The book follows a couple, Daphne and ... I want to say Dominic? I literally just finished reading this novel and I've already forgotten the name of the main characters. Anyway, Daphne and Dominic marry very young and decide to open up their relationship as they approach 30. Naturally this has some very funny consequences and both of them learn a lot about themselves.
It’s a light-hearted read with some pleasant moments, though it didn’t leave a lasting impact on me. The main characters were perfectly fine, though not particularly memorable, and I can imagine others might find them more engaging. Some parts of the plot leaned into the unbelievable—like the sudden rise to internet fame, which I always find quite amusing in novels—but it didn’t detract too much from the overall enjoyment.
That said, I found the book lacking in depth. The characterisation felt a bit bland, the plot predictable, and while the writing was competent, it didn’t stand out as particularly remarkable or challenging. It’s an enjoyable read if you’re looking for something light and uncomplicated, but it didn’t leave me feeling inspired or changed.
If you’re in the mood for something easy-going and don’t mind a predictable story, this might be a great pick for you.
The book follows a couple, Daphne and ... I want to say Dominic? I literally just finished reading this novel and I've already forgotten the name of the main characters. Anyway, Daphne and Dominic marry very young and decide to open up their relationship as they approach 30. Naturally this has some very funny consequences and both of them learn a lot about themselves.
It’s a light-hearted read with some pleasant moments, though it didn’t leave a lasting impact on me. The main characters were perfectly fine, though not particularly memorable, and I can imagine others might find them more engaging. Some parts of the plot leaned into the unbelievable—like the sudden rise to internet fame, which I always find quite amusing in novels—but it didn’t detract too much from the overall enjoyment.
That said, I found the book lacking in depth. The characterisation felt a bit bland, the plot predictable, and while the writing was competent, it didn’t stand out as particularly remarkable or challenging. It’s an enjoyable read if you’re looking for something light and uncomplicated, but it didn’t leave me feeling inspired or changed.
If you’re in the mood for something easy-going and don’t mind a predictable story, this might be a great pick for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This collection of short stories is silly, sad, brilliant. Saunders' writing is like a trust fall - you're not sure what's going on at first, but by the end, it all clicks in a way that feels deliberate and satisfying.
His absurd style never feels frivolous; the moments of levity make the emotional points hit harder. The characters and scenes stick with you long after they're gone. It reminds me a bit of Joseph Heller's Catch-22, but where I couldn't finish that, I raced through this (Tenth of December is amazing too, so I'm maybe just a Saunders fan, idk)
Weird in a great way - thought-provoking, funny, unexpectedly moving. Liked it!
His absurd style never feels frivolous; the moments of levity make the emotional points hit harder. The characters and scenes stick with you long after they're gone. It reminds me a bit of Joseph Heller's Catch-22, but where I couldn't finish that, I raced through this (Tenth of December is amazing too, so I'm maybe just a Saunders fan, idk)
Weird in a great way - thought-provoking, funny, unexpectedly moving. Liked it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Sexual content
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Calleja's writing style is frenetic and fast-paced, bouncing from reference to reference. Calleja writes loosely on the topic of goblinhood: a state of being which is tricksy, unashamed, introverted, self-serving. It feels right for the period of history in which we find ourselves. We learn about the author through tiny chinks in the armour; information she lets sneak through until by the end of the book we have a deeper understanding. I've never read anything like this before. It feels all at once very personal and at the same time surface-level. I really enjoyed it.
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really interesting, challenging book with strong feminist themes. A kind of darkly funny and magic look at motherhood and the roles women are squeezed into. The last chapter kind of a-little-too-neatly summarises the key themes of the book but it was still a strong start to the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence