kibernick's reviews
134 reviews

funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

Exactly what it says on the tin: advice for writing and life in general. Will be coming back to this one for rereads and inspiration.

Factotum by Charles Bukowski

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challenging dark funny fast-paced

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

3.0

Don’t know how to rate this. My first Bukowski, recommended to me as a Disco Elysium lover. A raw, depressing and funny depiction of a working class alcoholic, roaming aimlessly around WW2-period USA.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

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

3.75

Very YA, with all the angst. But also very sweet and sad. The funny and quirky narrative helps with the moodiness and tragedy that simmer under the surface, waiting to swallow you. The structure was rather simple and somewhat predictable but it’s OK. I cried several times. NOT the best book to be reading when your pet is in hospital.

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway

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adventurous funny slow-paced

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

3.0

DNF. After previously reading and greatly enjoying "Gnomon" by the same author, I was eager to dive into their earlier works. Had to give up after almost three months of not being drawn in. It is a fun book overall but the writing here had tangents which had asides which had more tangents... The choice to

skip back in time to the MC's childhood in chapter 2 after the big setup in chapter 1 was a little offputting

. Additionally,

new characters kept getting introduced on almost every other page, often never to be mentioned again as we move on to yet another quirky scene

. I don't think it was time wasted, but there are plenty of other more engaging books to read.

My Annihilation by Fuminori Nakamura

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dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

The first third of the book gripped me. The rest was a little messy. Maybe that’s the point. Very transgressive but I didn’t feel it was impactful or added much to the story, guess it’s because when you throw so much at the reader at once, they become desensitized.

Content Warnings