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lit_terary's reviews
499 reviews
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
3.0
I… don’t know. It’s Donna Tartt, so it’s solid and still above average, however, I’m not quite sure what or where the point was. The story was intriguing and with great potential, and I particularly enjoy me a good and gritty southern setting, so this was set for greatness. Unfortunately, though, the length of the book and the scattered narration didn’t do the story any good. Things got dragged a lot, instead of using more pages to explore the town and its dirty deeds or actually give the plot a stronger backbone, and it all led to a rather anticlimactic epilogue. Not the best Tartt imo.
Una famiglia decaduta by Flavia Sigona, Nikolai Leskov, Mauro Martini
3.0
Different from the Russian “tomes” I’ve read so far: for starters, it’s very lighthearted compared to its contemporaries; secondly, despite the large cast of characters (hard to keep track of), the book mainly focuses on one character, princess Nikanorovna; lastly, the story is told by a female narrator. In terms of plot, there’s not really one to begin with, nor was ever promised one in the first place; however, the book felt a bit scattered nonetheless and in a way that prevented me from being fully engaged (not gonna lie, a lot of it just went over my head). The book is merely the reconstruction of a character via many little scenes, but it still has its pleasurable moments.
How to Read Literature Like a Professor Revised Edition: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster
3.0
The greatest perk of the book is the author: Foster sounds like the professor students deserve, he doesn’t take himself too seriously, he’s humorous and his writing is pretty informal. He’s a cutie-pie and I want to carry him in my pocket. That being said, I didn’t find this manual as useful than I thought it would be. Rather than providing actual tools and/or a method for “reading like a professor”, the book mainly focuses on intertextuality, analysing some of the most recurring themes we encounter in literature. Also, it can be pointless if you haven’t read the books he mentions.
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
4.0
I am quite baffled and a little dumbfounded. That was one hell of a ride, so much happened in just a single book, there’s so much to unpack here but I don’t really know how. I’m so overwhelmed right now, that *ending* totally caught me off guard, definitely NOT what I thought this was going to be about. That final revelation will probably haunt me for the rest of my life, because I’ll have to rethink it all through a new lens. Brandon really knows how to go with a bang, I’ll give him that. However I find there trilogy ill-balanced content wise, leaving the third one with so much shit to digest.
Il deserto dei Tartari by Dino Buzzati
4.0
[Update] Apparently I can't seem to stop thinking about this book, therefore I'm raising it to a full 4 stars.
3. 5
I honestly enjoyed this more than I thought I would, and the “message” and actual meaning underneath the story is more straightforward and less of an understatement than I was actually expecting. Furthermore, a lot of what goes on inside of Drogo’s head throughout the novel really resonated with me. Plus, I think there’s a lot more that I didn’t pick up but would on a second read. That being said, I did not love the more surface-level story/plot; the first part of the book, especially, kind of flew over my head a little, not gonna lie. All in all, it’s a pretty sad but meaningful book.
3. 5
I honestly enjoyed this more than I thought I would, and the “message” and actual meaning underneath the story is more straightforward and less of an understatement than I was actually expecting. Furthermore, a lot of what goes on inside of Drogo’s head throughout the novel really resonated with me. Plus, I think there’s a lot more that I didn’t pick up but would on a second read. That being said, I did not love the more surface-level story/plot; the first part of the book, especially, kind of flew over my head a little, not gonna lie. All in all, it’s a pretty sad but meaningful book.
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
3.0
Not gonna lie, I'm a little mad at this one. 3/5 of the book were solely dedicated to politics. I get it, some explaining was necessary and I generally don't mind a bit of political intrigue, but that was too much and too long for my liking. Majority of the book felt stagnant, with no progression on the plot front whatsoever. I honestly believe it could have all been condensed a bit, let's be real. Luckily, the last part went back to the action and juicy stuff, and GOD! does Brandon know how to do an ending; however, as riveting and exciting as it was, by then I was already worn out by the first 550 pages.
The Hidden Power of F*cking Up by Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, The Try Guys
3.0
Disclaimer: highly recommend you listen to the audiobook! The Try Guus themselves narrate it and I feel they added so much flare, so much of their own personality into it, that I'm sure I wouldn't have appreciated the physical version as much. It felt so much like listening to their podcast, which I love. This was part self-help-book part biography, and you can tell they've put their heart in it, so at least it was not solely a money-grab. However, as of itself. it's not an outstanding book; personally, I think I liked it only because I'm a fan of their confent and I like them as people.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
2.0
2.5?
Sadly, this was a near carbon copy of “The Hunting Party”, Foley’s previous book. It was a bit too similar in too many aspects: the situation/context/setting was the same, the plot structure/development was the same, character dynamics almost the same, and even the plot-twists and reveals bore an uncanny resemblance to the ones in the “The Hunting Party”. Needless to say, it all hindered my enjoyment of the book, given I hadn’t particularly enjoyed the previous book either. However, I admit this one was a bit better: more organized, focused, and overall less messy.
Sadly, this was a near carbon copy of “The Hunting Party”, Foley’s previous book. It was a bit too similar in too many aspects: the situation/context/setting was the same, the plot structure/development was the same, character dynamics almost the same, and even the plot-twists and reveals bore an uncanny resemblance to the ones in the “The Hunting Party”. Needless to say, it all hindered my enjoyment of the book, given I hadn’t particularly enjoyed the previous book either. However, I admit this one was a bit better: more organized, focused, and overall less messy.
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
2.0
2.5
Meh. Not really convinced. It wasn’t actually the who-dun-it, locked room mystery I was hoping for. It heavily focused on drama and character dynamics (which are rather obvious from the start) and the entire book is nothing but a long, slow build-up to the murder. The multiple points of view also didn’t really help the pace, as it made the plot repetitive and even more stagnant. The ending was messy in an attempt to strive for unpredictability (to no avail), but Foley had a little too much on her plate by that point, too many things on the background, too many distractions for it to be clean.
Meh. Not really convinced. It wasn’t actually the who-dun-it, locked room mystery I was hoping for. It heavily focused on drama and character dynamics (which are rather obvious from the start) and the entire book is nothing but a long, slow build-up to the murder. The multiple points of view also didn’t really help the pace, as it made the plot repetitive and even more stagnant. The ending was messy in an attempt to strive for unpredictability (to no avail), but Foley had a little too much on her plate by that point, too many things on the background, too many distractions for it to be clean.
Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov
2.0
I did not enjoy it as much as the two previous books, it was by far the worst, in my opinion. Something about it felt incredibly messy and unorganized, especially the second part of the novel. Once again, we have the same overwhelming predominance of dialogue over actual story-telling, but, unlike the other books, most conversations were void of any actual information. It was all so messy and confusing, this time around it was harder to keep up with objectives and intentions, as they appeared to be always changing. I won’t even get started on the ending. M-E-S-S-Y.