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loiscc's Reviews (313)
This book is an insightful look at egregious gender inequality and misogyny in South Korea during the late 90s and 2000s. It follows the life-story of the eponymous protagonist Kim Jiyoung as she is driven to insanity by the unfair treatment she receives as she tries to navigate her professional and domestic life. I would recommend this book purely for the insight it gives but it otherwise felt quite dull and read like an information based case study. Though some parts were anger inducing, I felt like this book lacked a sense of presence.
They Called Us Enemy is a graphic novel memoir about the life of George Takei, famously known for his most pivotal role, Hikaru Sulu from Star Trek. In this stirring novel, Takei relives his personal experiences as a young boy during WWII when hundreds of thousands of Japanese American citizens were forcibly detained in internment camps.
This novel was a candid portrayal of the devastating effects of human intolerance, yet it also felt hopeful in such a way that was far-reaching. I thought that Harmony Becker's illustrations fully captured the raw human emotion of each and every scene from the crushing lows to the elated highs and perfectly brought the story to life.
This novel was a candid portrayal of the devastating effects of human intolerance, yet it also felt hopeful in such a way that was far-reaching. I thought that Harmony Becker's illustrations fully captured the raw human emotion of each and every scene from the crushing lows to the elated highs and perfectly brought the story to life.
Strange weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami is as the name would suggest....well, strange.
It is about the growing romance between a single middle-aged woman and her former high school teacher. From casual encounters in their local bar to hiking trips and island getaways, the companionship they find in each other does more than just ease the loneliness they both feel but also develops into something infinitely more palpable.
Strange weather in Tokyo felt like a sentimental love letter to the past. It had a Murakami-esque mood reminiscent of smoky jazz bars and rainy nights. And I thought the moments where dreams blur into reality was poetic. To its credit, I loved all the nature and food imagery, it gave the story an extra flare.
Ultimately though it felt too slow-paced and very passive. Also I thought the romance blossomed authentically but I couldn't reconcile with why Tsukiko would be attracted to someone as antediluvian as her Sensei.
It is about the growing romance between a single middle-aged woman and her former high school teacher. From casual encounters in their local bar to hiking trips and island getaways, the companionship they find in each other does more than just ease the loneliness they both feel but also develops into something infinitely more palpable.
Strange weather in Tokyo felt like a sentimental love letter to the past. It had a Murakami-esque mood reminiscent of smoky jazz bars and rainy nights. And I thought the moments where dreams blur into reality was poetic. To its credit, I loved all the nature and food imagery, it gave the story an extra flare.
Ultimately though it felt too slow-paced and very passive. Also I thought the romance blossomed authentically but I couldn't reconcile with why Tsukiko would be attracted to someone as antediluvian as her Sensei.
(2.5 ⭐) The Starless Sea is a magical adventure novel that plunged me into the depths of unknowns and enchanted mystery. I was immediately pulled into a boon of escapism and promise, but sadly, that whimsical feeling only lasted about 200 pages.
Set in Vermont, it follows the story of a reticient university student, the son of a fortune-teller, who has an affinity for video games and whose name, Zachary Ezra Rawlins, was repeated enough times as to be unwillingly committed to my long-term memory.
He discovers an ancient book of stories, full of obscure symbols, in which there lies a strange mystery and it leads him to a magical underground library and a world of portalled doors.
I initially loved reading this book. I loved the idea of an intricate web of different stories all converging into one. But then the heavy, wordy prose began to weigh it down with excessive descriptions of every corner and inch of every room, from the light fixtures to the skirting boards. It was also completely overcrowded with symbolism to the point of poor execution.
Reading The Starless Sea, I did get the impression that its overly ambiguous sense of mystery was intentional, almost as though certain things were supposed to be interpreted by the reader. I appreciate the poeticism of the sentiment, however this book was too prosaic for my taste, such that I felt exhausted upon finishing it and let down by the mediocre ending.
Set in Vermont, it follows the story of a reticient university student, the son of a fortune-teller, who has an affinity for video games and whose name, Zachary Ezra Rawlins, was repeated enough times as to be unwillingly committed to my long-term memory.
He discovers an ancient book of stories, full of obscure symbols, in which there lies a strange mystery and it leads him to a magical underground library and a world of portalled doors.
I initially loved reading this book. I loved the idea of an intricate web of different stories all converging into one. But then the heavy, wordy prose began to weigh it down with excessive descriptions of every corner and inch of every room, from the light fixtures to the skirting boards. It was also completely overcrowded with symbolism to the point of poor execution.
Reading The Starless Sea, I did get the impression that its overly ambiguous sense of mystery was intentional, almost as though certain things were supposed to be interpreted by the reader. I appreciate the poeticism of the sentiment, however this book was too prosaic for my taste, such that I felt exhausted upon finishing it and let down by the mediocre ending.
- Light spoilers -
Transcendent Kingdom was tragic and deeply meaningful, full of multi-layered nuance.
Set in Alabama, United States, we follow the main character, Gifty, daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, a promising Stanford university scientist whose field of study is all about Optogenetics and reward seeking behaviour. Through her experiments, she seeks to reconcile with her grief-stricken past and her estrangement with religion.
This book explores such sensitive issues as addiction and severe depression. It uses internal conflict to explore the disconnect between science and religion and challenges whether these two entities are truly mutually exclusive or whether science can also be a question of faith.
It definitely won't resonate with all readers because of the religious discourse, but I didn't feel like it was such an overwhelming presence as to be off-putting, but then again, I was brought up in a religious household so I probably wouldn't take my word for it.
I thought certain parts of the story lagged in the middle and I felt myself having to persevere in places. We didn't really get much from Gifty's character until towards the end of the book. Prior to that, she felt like a very pragmatic, emotionless observer, narrating the sufferings of her brother's descent into addiction and her father’s disillusionment with his new country in a very matter-of-fact way. But towards the end, her walls start breaking down and we start to fully appreciate the extent of her emotional turmoil.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Yaa Gyasi has done it again.
Transcendent Kingdom was tragic and deeply meaningful, full of multi-layered nuance.
Set in Alabama, United States, we follow the main character, Gifty, daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, a promising Stanford university scientist whose field of study is all about Optogenetics and reward seeking behaviour. Through her experiments, she seeks to reconcile with her grief-stricken past and her estrangement with religion.
This book explores such sensitive issues as addiction and severe depression. It uses internal conflict to explore the disconnect between science and religion and challenges whether these two entities are truly mutually exclusive or whether science can also be a question of faith.
It definitely won't resonate with all readers because of the religious discourse, but I didn't feel like it was such an overwhelming presence as to be off-putting, but then again, I was brought up in a religious household so I probably wouldn't take my word for it.
I thought certain parts of the story lagged in the middle and I felt myself having to persevere in places. We didn't really get much from Gifty's character until towards the end of the book. Prior to that, she felt like a very pragmatic, emotionless observer, narrating the sufferings of her brother's descent into addiction and her father’s disillusionment with his new country in a very matter-of-fact way. But towards the end, her walls start breaking down and we start to fully appreciate the extent of her emotional turmoil.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Yaa Gyasi has done it again.
Barrington Jedidiah Walker aka Mr Loverman is a smooth, sauve and extremely dapper gentleman who brings the Carribbean spice of Antigua to Hackney in South London.
Despite living in an unhappy marriage with his wife Carmel for over 30 odd years, with their two daughters, Donna and Maxine, he has been in love with his childhood friend, Morris since their puerile years back in Antigua. Now as a retired pensioner, Barry faces the damning internal conflict of facing up to who he really is and following through on his plans to divorce his wife and live the rest of his years with Morris.
Evaristo gave me zestful, flavoursome writing and hilarious tongue-in-cheek banter that left me just as smitten as Barry and Morris are with each other. They were such a lovable couple to read about and their story was given an extra dimension in the way that Evaristo confronted deeply ingrained colonial beliefs that have kept people like Barry closeted.
I listened to the audiobook of Mr Loverman which was exceptionally narrated by the genius that is James Goode and has a running time of 9:58 hours.
Despite living in an unhappy marriage with his wife Carmel for over 30 odd years, with their two daughters, Donna and Maxine, he has been in love with his childhood friend, Morris since their puerile years back in Antigua. Now as a retired pensioner, Barry faces the damning internal conflict of facing up to who he really is and following through on his plans to divorce his wife and live the rest of his years with Morris.
Evaristo gave me zestful, flavoursome writing and hilarious tongue-in-cheek banter that left me just as smitten as Barry and Morris are with each other. They were such a lovable couple to read about and their story was given an extra dimension in the way that Evaristo confronted deeply ingrained colonial beliefs that have kept people like Barry closeted.
I listened to the audiobook of Mr Loverman which was exceptionally narrated by the genius that is James Goode and has a running time of 9:58 hours.
The Short Day Dying is a historical fiction novel, set in late nineteeth century Cornwall, England. It follows the story of a preacher and blacksmith named Charles Wenmouth as he goes to great lengths to preach the word of God. He laments the unfavourable response he receives to his message by his fellow countrymen and starts to doubt his own faith. His only solace is found in the ailing girl, Harriet French, he routinely visits on his preaching rounds.
This book is a deeply meditative read, focusing on internal conflict, self-doubt, fear and poverty, rather than focussing on the plot. It was written in an original way, devoid of punctuation to reflect the fleeting nature of time. Each setting was described beautifully, with poetic nature references. The Short Day Dying makes for more slower-paced reading and it does so in a way that is distinctive and purposeful.
This book is a deeply meditative read, focusing on internal conflict, self-doubt, fear and poverty, rather than focussing on the plot. It was written in an original way, devoid of punctuation to reflect the fleeting nature of time. Each setting was described beautifully, with poetic nature references. The Short Day Dying makes for more slower-paced reading and it does so in a way that is distinctive and purposeful.
Red River is a highly entertaining, attention grabbing, kinetic manga set against the backdrop of time travel and present day meets ancient empires. Yuuri is a Japanese girl who magically gets portalled into the ancient city Hattusa of the Hittite empire by an evil priestess who wishes to use her as a human sacrifice to achieve her royal ambitions. I was immediately hooked by this manga and was left wanting more at the end.
Loveless is about an eighteen-year-old university student called Georgia Warr who loves romance, fanfiction and her two best friends, Pip and Jason. When Georgia begins her freshman year at Durham University, she has hopes that her epic love story will finally begin, except she's always been unsure about her sexuality and why she lacks the feelings that come so naturally to everyone else.
I found Loveless to be a heartening coming-of-age novel that explored both cultural and sexual diversity in a way that was sound and very relatable. It gave me a glimpse of university life, having never progressed that far myself, but I digress.
I love these sorts of novels that are rich in representation and this book which focuses on an asexual main character is perfect for any young person facing similar feelings, it has a resounding message that was very affecting, even if you're not asexual. Though I believe books like this deserve more hype and transparency, from a critical reading point of view, I found this book to be overly cheesy, with troupes that felt synonymous of almost every American High school movie I've ever watched but it was nice to see those troupes being applied in a more diverse and inclusive setting.
I found Loveless to be a heartening coming-of-age novel that explored both cultural and sexual diversity in a way that was sound and very relatable. It gave me a glimpse of university life, having never progressed that far myself, but I digress.
I love these sorts of novels that are rich in representation and this book which focuses on an asexual main character is perfect for any young person facing similar feelings, it has a resounding message that was very affecting, even if you're not asexual. Though I believe books like this deserve more hype and transparency, from a critical reading point of view, I found this book to be overly cheesy, with troupes that felt synonymous of almost every American High school movie I've ever watched but it was nice to see those troupes being applied in a more diverse and inclusive setting.