layeredirony's reviews
23 reviews

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

🥺🥺🥺 so good huhu [cries] lovely story about love and friendship

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

hopeful inspiring reflective 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

a comforting read that perfectly captures the beauty and joy of books, the connections we make through it, and how it changes us as people.

Severance by Ling Ma

dark 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? N/A

3.75

woops turned out this was a dystopian book...you cannot tell by the cover haha. enjoyed this more than i expected to and i found this to be a riveting read, largely due to my dislike of bob.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

reflective tense 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

4.5

the fact that i read this book in just 3 days shows how hard it is to put the book down!! it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. you're sucked into the universe right from the first few paragraphs, and you end up rooting for the characters in general.

Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

soooo good! this book was an eye opener and made me appreciate all the different forms of love i have in my life. especially loved the last section as an anxious about loss gurlie. 

She and Her Cat by Tsubasa Yamaguchi, Makoto Shinkai

hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

a light and quick read! i loved how slice-of-life it feels and how it's divided into four mini-stories/shorter stories. it's a lovely book about cats and the relationship between cats and their humans.

Wellness by Nathan Hill

emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

i absolutely loooooved this book. i was intimidated by its length but once i started reading, i couldn't put it down. i think nathan hill is really good at 1) narrating a variety of processes and subjects, 2) writing conflict scenes, and 3) packing so much food for thought into ~600 pages. i don't think it's for everyone but this is definitely in my top 5 fave books i've read.

The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More by Adam Grubb, Annie Raser-Rowland

informative inspiring fast-paced

4.0

i'm not very into self help books but i did enjoy reading this one! there were some parts of the book that i thought weren't as applicable to my context, and the authors are definitely more on the extreme side when it comes to being frugal, but overall i think everyone can learn a thing or two from the book. just might need to pick which ones that will work for you and which ones won't hehe

We Can't Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

a very light read; a good book to read when you want a break from heavier books. didn't feel particularly invested in the romance aspect though - i was more excited to read/learn about quinn's growth in other aspects of her life

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

soooooooooooooooooooooooo fricking good. i laughed and cried so much reading this. one of my fave books of all time!!