kirbrary's reviews
38 reviews

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

such a visceral and jarring turning point that the beginning of the book was almost like it was a completely separate book that i read a million years ago as opposed to the latter half of it. it was an opposing take to depression as “my year of rest and relaxation” by ottessa moshfegh was, and this almost felt more real given the circumstances of the author and the fact that this book was essentially the story of her life. it was hard seeing it all in perspective but it was raw and i loved it— the understanding that since the beginning of the book, it was all the things that added up like a pressure cooker on her mental and once summer came and there was nothing to do or think about, that’s when you feel everything at once.

The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

dark mysterious reflective tense 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

3.0

i’m 100% unsure of how to feel about this book. as a novel, i was actually super into it, with the many twists that i wasn’t expecting, reminiscent of the silent patient in some ways, but the theological aspect of it has me in shambles i have to process more to fully understand if what i read was biblically accurate, etc. as a novel though, the plot and everything was very engaging: i bought this book last night and actually couldn’t stop reading until i finished it.

Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

i think i’m actually numb because the last story was the most heartbreaking one, yet one tear was not shed. i felt myself trying to rush through this book since i started it and it was really an emotional disconnect— i was taken back in time myself to older characters from previous books, to when one of the children was not even born, and the other was still a baby, so it was wild to be put in that position as the reader. overall not bad, was hoping to get the story of kazu’s mom in this book though— for why she decided to stay longer, or maybe was forced to?

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

funny mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

i’m genuinely confused about how to feel about this book. the visuals of what this book is about is interesting, and i still don’t quite get all he went through in the story he was retelling us, but you could tell it was about protecting innocence and letting kids be kids, because growing up is hard and i think that’s why holden was struggling to stay put, fear of change and lack of grief and trauma processing too. overall, i would read it again in the future to see if i can get more out of it.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Did not finish book. Stopped at 53%.

soft dnf, will get back to it eventually...

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

i say this about half the books i read, but i don’t know how to process what i just read. i watched donna tartt’s interview in 1992 about this book, and she said that she learned from alfred hitchcock that “suspense doesn’t come from having a bomb thrown out of nowhere at the hero, suspense comes from having two people, sitting, talking at a table, there’s a bomb ticking underneath the table, and the audience sees it, but the characters don’t” and honestly. the prologue hooks you from the get go and it was very well written according to how she wanted you to see it play out, taking inspiration from the greeks, as is evident in the book, more notably about how they tell you everything that will happen in the story right off the bat. very interesting and complex in how she wove this whole piece together. beautifully done.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

WHEW. i finally finished this book after putting it off for maybe two months. i see why it won best fiction of 2022 according to good reads. it was full almost to the brim of loss, but them coping with it especially through the lens of video games and just the need and the longing for something to last longer than what our lives give to us. once i started again from my 58% checkpoint, i couldn’t put it down for the second time since starting the book from scratch. so many lessons to be learned and perspectives to be seen. i love and i love and i love.

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

where do i even start. i only read the yellow wallpaper because i’ve been hearing a lot about it, most notably because of the fact that it’s one of the shortest, if not the shortest, books. it wasn’t hard to follow the story but knowing what i know about short stories, there’s usually something deeper to digest. i wasn’t far off but it was definitely interesting to read, as her voice for feminism portrays the use of symbolism quite effortlessly. i wish there was more.

Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

this book didn’t hit quite as hard but i’m not sure if it’s because i’m reading this series almost one after the other and i’m becoming numb in my emotions… LOL. needless to say, it was still a good book and the last story made me shed a tear but it felt. sudden. which i guess could be the point because no one knows the future so just take your chances (which is the lesson of this book in my opinion). can’t wait to read the next one until the new release this year!

The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

 my brain seems so small to comprehend all of what i just read and how the narrator’s novel fit into the story besides the fact that what the novel character lost first is what the narrator lost last, and the feeling of being trapped and so on. the book feels incomplete to me, although it was a wonderful read, i sense a trend that something seems to be missing for me whenever i read a sci-fi-esque book.