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juwaria's reviews
211 reviews
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I am not going to lie, when I first picked this book up I assumed I would find it boring. I mean, reading about astronauts in an orbiting space station that had no science fiction elements. Surely it’ll be boring?! I even embarrassingly wondered why it had won the Booker Prize this year.
However, I am so glad I decided to read it because it is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. The prose and the analogies were just *chefs kiss*. I had to actually google to see if the author was a retired astronaut writing this because the way the writing transported you into space…left me absolutely shook and speechless.
I feel like it’s the book we need to read right now, amidst all the political strife and climate change. It enables you to think about the bigger picture outside of the mundanity of life but also enables you to appreciate how your little life fits into a bigger picture.
‘The planet is shaped by the sheer amazing force of human want, which has changed everything, the forests, the poles, the reservoirs, the glaciers, the rivers, the seas, the mountains, the coastlines, the skies, a planet contoured and landscaped by want.’ - Orbit 7
The book does not have a plot, it’s more a character study or dare I say a human study? A review from the guardian said that the ‘characters introspection and mediation on humanity was the strength of the novel’.
I wholly agree with that, the author weaved the characters personal experiences and ideologies into their musings. This helped give the characters depth and nuances which is difficult to do in such a short novel, that doesn’t really have a plot per say. It made them relatable and helped you realise that as humans no matter what cog we are moving on in the grand scheme of life we worry and muse about the same things.
‘Our lives here are inexpressibly trivial and momentous at once, it seems he’s about to wake up and say. Both repetitive and unprecedented. We matter greatly and not at all. To reach some pinnacle of human achievement only to discover that your achievements are next to nothing and that to understand this is the greatest achievement of any life, which itself is nothing, and also much more than everything. Some metal separates us from the void; death is so close. Life is everywhere, everywhere.’ - Orbit 14 descending
However, I am so glad I decided to read it because it is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. The prose and the analogies were just *chefs kiss*. I had to actually google to see if the author was a retired astronaut writing this because the way the writing transported you into space…left me absolutely shook and speechless.
I feel like it’s the book we need to read right now, amidst all the political strife and climate change. It enables you to think about the bigger picture outside of the mundanity of life but also enables you to appreciate how your little life fits into a bigger picture.
‘The planet is shaped by the sheer amazing force of human want, which has changed everything, the forests, the poles, the reservoirs, the glaciers, the rivers, the seas, the mountains, the coastlines, the skies, a planet contoured and landscaped by want.’ - Orbit 7
The book does not have a plot, it’s more a character study or dare I say a human study? A review from the guardian said that the ‘characters introspection and mediation on humanity was the strength of the novel’.
I wholly agree with that, the author weaved the characters personal experiences and ideologies into their musings. This helped give the characters depth and nuances which is difficult to do in such a short novel, that doesn’t really have a plot per say. It made them relatable and helped you realise that as humans no matter what cog we are moving on in the grand scheme of life we worry and muse about the same things.
‘Our lives here are inexpressibly trivial and momentous at once, it seems he’s about to wake up and say. Both repetitive and unprecedented. We matter greatly and not at all. To reach some pinnacle of human achievement only to discover that your achievements are next to nothing and that to understand this is the greatest achievement of any life, which itself is nothing, and also much more than everything. Some metal separates us from the void; death is so close. Life is everywhere, everywhere.’ - Orbit 14 descending
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
emotional
funny
reflective
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
3.75
The Trunk by Kim Ryeo-ryeong
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I think I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn’t been advertised as a ‘thriller’ - it was more of a social commentary on marriage and being a woman in South Korea. I kept waiting for the suspense, eventually when I was 50% in and read some readers reviews and realised it wasn’t a thriller I was able to enjoy it for what it was.
I loved the main character’s snark and wit - it was very refreshing and made me chuckle on numerous occasions. I also liked the whole story of the marriage business and thought it was a very good story idea. I just wished it was fleshed out a little more and we were given a more in depth look into it. I almost wanted her to accept the promotion at the end so we could get a further look into the mechanisms of the business from an MC directly involved. Then I feel there would have been some thrillerish avenues to explore!
I loved the main character’s snark and wit - it was very refreshing and made me chuckle on numerous occasions. I also liked the whole story of the marriage business and thought it was a very good story idea. I just wished it was fleshed out a little more and we were given a more in depth look into it. I almost wanted her to accept the promotion at the end so we could get a further look into the mechanisms of the business from an MC directly involved. Then I feel there would have been some thrillerish avenues to explore!
More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
lighthearted
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
I read the second book immediately after the first which was nice because it felt like the story just continued and I was happy to be with the characters again.
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This review summed up the book for me-
‘ Kawakami has an effortless way of turning the mundanity of Fuyoko’s day-to-day into detailed occasions that I want to know more about . . . Though the everyday is more interesting than you’d think, this is a book that’s really about Fuyoko discovering happiness’ Stylist
‘ Kawakami has an effortless way of turning the mundanity of Fuyoko’s day-to-day into detailed occasions that I want to know more about . . . Though the everyday is more interesting than you’d think, this is a book that’s really about Fuyoko discovering happiness’ Stylist