jiayuanc's reviews
274 reviews

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

dark funny

3.0

It starts of so strong and genuinely hilarious, I rarely find books that make me laugh and this is one of the ones that do. But then it gets tiring. The joke of calling out every single brand name of what everyone single person is wearing does the job of telling us Bateman's way of looking at the world the first hundred times it happens, it gets tired reading it again and again and again. By the last 30% I felt myself starting to skim. 

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Lynn Varley

3.0

Gotham Central Omnibus by Kano, Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, Greg Rucka, Stefano Gaudiano

4.5

Getting back into reading super hero comics and this is a great way to dive back in to the DC world. Some arcs concluded very conveniently but I suppose that's the way cases go sometimes when you've got Batman to rely on. Loved the police procedural look at living in Gotham city. 

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

3.5

Batman: Year One by Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli

adventurous dark mysterious

3.5

Getting into superhero comics and was recommended to start with this one as an introduction to Batman. Enjoyed it for the Jim Gordon perspective and liked seeing Batman/Bruce a little more "human" way, in that he makes his mistakes as he learns how to be the caped crusader. I didn't care for the Catwoman as a prostitute origin story though. 

Mariel of Redwall: A Tale from Redwall by Gary Chalk, Brian Jacques

adventurous funny fast-paced

4.0

Redwall was my beloved childhood series. I have read "Martin the Warrior" and "Redwall" more times than I can count. This was my first time returning to the series as an adult and I'm so glad to report that the series still holds up. There is a comfort in the formulaic storytelling of dear Brian Jacques that makes reading his work cozy and warm like Cavern Hole, even when Mariel and friends are out fighting searats and facing danger and death. A lovely comforting read despite everything. 

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, Hester Blum

adventurous emotional funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ishmael my depressed ADHD friend.. he's just like me for real. I loved this book, but I could have done without a few of his whale tangents. Melville was so ahead of his time. 

I initially read the Oxford Worlds Classics edition edited by Hester Blum but I found the end notes quite lacking. I ended up ordering the Penguin Deluxe Classics edition which has no notes but a lovely map, diagram of whales, the ship, and labelling whaling tools that really enhanced my read. And I finished off reading this book by swapping between the OWC, Penguin and Norton Critical editions. I would recommend looking to Norton Critical for more thorough notes on the text. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Racism

Minor: Child death, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts

Cuddy by Benjamin Myers

5.0

I loved the section on the Oxford professor's diary entries on the days leading up and into the exhumation of St Cuthbert's tomb. It reminded me of the journal writing in Dracula in a lovely way. The final section was lovely too, though I thought the ending was a bit predictable. A wonderful read. 

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

slow-paced

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

2.5

It's a nice book, but one I would have dipped in and out of, like a bed time book you read a couple pages of each night. I read this as a book club selection and finished it over two weeks. I don't think this made for the ideal reading experience as it was repetitive and I can't remember a single city that was described; all of them blended together similarly. The prose is beautiful but nothing happens. 

Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories by Ghassan Kanafani

4.0