kaadie's reviews
158 reviews

Nude Men: A Novel by Amanda Filipacchi, Amanda Filipacchi

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

0.0

'Nude Men' is by far one of the strangest and most unpleasant books I have ever read. It definitely mimics the book's concept of an O.I.M. (optical illusion man) in regards to the fact that it is simultaneously underwhelming and very unsettling. It is very abstract and I did not enjoy the interactions between any of the characters. Jeremy is pathetic and annoying. Sara is a caricature and feels as if she has been written from a male viewpoint (a gross, hyper-sexualized viewpoint). Personally, there were no redeemable qualities of this book and I struggle to see how anyone could enjoy it. I know that art and societal norms often part at a crossroads in the aim of encouraging sincere and truthful reflection but this book was just disturbing. Utterly bizarre. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: The Animated Story by Charlie Mackesy

adventurous hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

It was sweet. A little clichéd but very effective. The art was gorgeous. 

Stations by Nick Mulgrew

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I have never read a short story collection before so I was unsure of what to expect. It was nice to read a book set in South Africa (where I live) but I didn't love the stories. The narration was a little confusing and I found it hard to follow sometimes. Also, I was sometimes left wanting with certain stories and I didn't feel as if they were given enough time to develop. They really were just like peering through a keyhole  in order to view each character's life, which may have been the point but I wasn't a fan. 

Good Girl by Anna Fitzpatrick

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I have so many feelings about this book. The first impression is definitely one of entertainment. Lucy is funny and sarcastic in a way that you wish you could be all the time but know would only be possible if you had 24 hours to come up with a response. She is also a painfully real character and thus following along with her story is equal parts comforting and confronting. Comforting because you know that at least you aren't the only 20-something-year-old who is so completely lost and overwhelmed with their own mediocrity in the midst of the "best years of their life". Confronting because every clearly bad decision that Lucy is making is admittedly something you have already done or thought of doing. Anna Fitzpatrick's writing was bold and raw and I loved that Lucy wasn't a fixer-upper character that started single, anxious, insecure and still figuring it out and magically ended with the perfect life in just 300 pages. 

One caveat I will add is that this book was only so enjoyable because I could relate to it so personally. 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

If I am being honest I don't really have anything to say about Never Let Me Go; I was largely unaffected by the book. One detractor for me was the fact that the narrator would meander through the story and tell it in a somewhat disjointed manner; it became confusing at times. However, that being said, I was really pleased at the depiction of the main character Kathy H. She narrated the story for us and was a completely believable female character. I think this is quite an accomplished from a male author seeing as most female characters written by men are just clumsy and ill-thought out. 

The Tiger's Woman by Celeste De Blasis

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.0

My toxic trait is loving (slightly) problematic romance. 

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

informative slow-paced

2.5

Sapiens was an informative read and I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book. I am not a fan of non-fiction and this book unfortunately had a few of the typical negative attributes of that genre. It was dry and read like a textbook. The writing didn't flow very nicely with frequent tangents. These are personal preference and do not reflect the ability of the writer, I just wasn't a fan. 

The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse

adventurous emotional informative 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

2.5

The Burning Chambers was a conflicting read. On the one had I really loved the characters and setting. The Joubert family is lovely and Minou and Piet's love story is quite heart warming. However on the other hand the plot was somewhat lacking for me. I found the story slow and predictable, which is an unfortunate combination. I was also perpetually frustrated by the characters reticence to confide in one another about things they suspected or had learnt. For example:

Bernard refusing to tell Minou about her origins, Minou not telling Piet about her knowledge of Devereux, Michel refusing to speak to Minou etc.

I did not like the fact that the author used these pockets of silence as means of forwarding the story since the characters were unaware and thus blundered into easily prevented pitfalls 30 pages later. What was also frustrating were the characters naivety:

Piet's faith in Vidal and McCone, Alis leaving with Blanche, Minou and her interactions with her Toulouse family members

. It was annoying. 

Overall I had a lackluster reading experience.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Religious bigotry

Minor: Pedophilia and Torture

The Martian by Andy Weir

adventurous informative inspiring tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I don't like space and I don't like survivor stories because they both stress me out, but I really enjoyed this book. Mark Watney is an engaging and funny character whose levity makes the life-threatening circumstances much more digestible. All of the science was well explained so that someone with absolutely no idea what they were talking about (I.e. me) could easily follow. 

I just really enjoyed the read. I was stressing for the character but it was well balanced with occasional triumphs and it kept me eagerly reading the next pages to see if Mark survived. 

A Suitable Vengeance by Elizabeth George

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Meh. This book delivered what it promised. Someone was murdered and someone else figured out the how, why and when.