kyscg's reviews
227 reviews

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

dark informative 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? Yes

3.25

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

emotional lighthearted reflective 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

3.75

My first GGM book! and it did not disappoint. This book is a mix of narrative and descriptive storytelling although just from this work, it feels like narration is Marquez' stronger suit.

Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga

dark mysterious reflective slow-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? Yes

2.75

Flashes of good writing obscured by a drawn-out, and needlessly complicated plot. 

It felt like the author had a bunch of metaphors he absolutely wanted to use and so, sprinkled them throughout the book without much thought. The end of the book is plain bad, such a disappointment after all the build-up. 

Troy by Stephen Fry

adventurous funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-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

4.25

This has to be the most accessible and captivating trilogy of books in the modern age for people interested in Greek myths. I listened to the audiobook, and that only enhances the experience.

The story of Troy remains peerless in it's ability to capture my imagination, so I am biased, but this is a great book.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0

What a book, I would say this takes the top spot for the year along with Complications. Maybe this slightly edges Complications in novelty, but maybe not in importance. This is the kind of book one should read very quickly first, and then very slowly a second time, taking in every single sight, smell, taste and touch. Russia remains the greatest literary muse!

One of my favourite quips of the Count is the wisdom from his father about the twice-tolling clock. The first toll is to indicate that one's day of honest work is done, and the second toll is an admonishment about why one is still awake at that hour. Nina Kulikova has to be the most arresting character, her spectre looms so large over the entire story. The unlabelling of the wine bottles was a very clever metaphor about the times and their signs. So was Mishka's proclamation about the Burning of Moscow to inconvenience Napoleon. Seven stars.

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

This is the kinda book I imagine people that watch TV series will love to read. 

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

The parts about running are written better than the memoir parts, but both are still written very well. The running stuff is more interesting to learn about. I think running is such an interesting activity because the only reason to keep going after you're completely worn out is to prove something to yourself. I liked the parts where he talks about this choice you face every time you run. It feels Sisyphean.

Every run transforms you, and you learn something about your body and mind that you didn't know before. I feel this is very true for a lot of sport where you push yourself to get better and better with time. The satisfied player sticks to what they do well, the unsatisfied player is never happy with anything they do. Runners are, by definition, unsatisfied.

This is the first time I've read the articulation of the amount of physical effort it takes to sit and write. Sometimes, writing is the most draining work I do, a few hours wipe me out for the entire day. I'm also adding the run from Athens to Marathon to my bucket list.

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

adventurous funny tense medium-paced

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

3.75

brilliant writing! brilliant story! I held off on reading this almost a decade ago because King was associated with horror, but this book is more a thriller-comedy than a horror story. Maybe I can slowly tiptoe into King's other works now?

one of my favourite parts about this book is how all of Trisha's phrases and euphemisms to herself are borrowed from the people around her. 

Also, "Who do you call when your wind-shield's busted?"

The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol

dark funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-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

3.25

That self-deprecating Russian humour will never fail to be endearing. For some reason, in my head, I vaguely remember The Overcoat as a story of a man's coat slowly getting worn out until it just ceases to exist anymore. Something like the Ship of Theseus. I don't know if that's another story or if my mind is playing tricks on me.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

dark emotional sad 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

3.25

I have nothing to say about this book that has not been already said, nor can I say it any better. I like Kafka's descriptive style, something I always struggle with while writing. 

One thing I strongly felt was that Samsa and his family should have tried to develop a system of communication with each other. The story might have been very different had his family known he understood them. This is no doubt inspired by my recent reading of The Martian, so take this opinion with a grain of salt.