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maggie_desu's reviews
323 reviews
Darius The Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
Living with depression can mean getting stuck in cycles of misunderstood motives, of always imagining the worst in people, or thinking they are imagining the worst in you.
It can mean pushing people away because you don't think you're worth their time.
It can mean taking medication to stay alive - to combat self-harm or suicidal ideation - even if it dulls parts of yourself you don't realise are there. (It's probably worth it.)
It can mean imagining that the people who love you will never love you enough.
But depression can be just as hard to witness as it can be to live with. It's frustrating to love someone and be unable to help them.
It's frustrating to repeat the same cycle of misunderstandings over and over again.
It's frustrating to constantly tell yourself that, if you could just figure out the secret, you could make everything better - but you can't.
No matter what, though, depression doesn't have to rule your life.
If you're living with depression, there is help out there.
If someone you love is living with depression, there is hope for them.
It takes patience, and kindness, and forgiveness.
I'm still learning how to take care of myself, and learning how to take care of those I love.
I, myself, am still figuring all of this. It is scary and lonely most of the time, you can't quite trust what you think because the lies seem so real and convincing. It is quite hard to take that huge step and ask for help. It is equally hard coming to terms that you alone can't "cure" it or make it better or handle it, that you need extra help, medication, therapy and other things that can help fighting it. It is hard starting to realise some things about your past and present and making the connections, facing them and be ready to fight them and accept them. Live with them instead of erasing them like it never happened, and you were always okay, great, well. Nothing happened. Acceptance, forgiveness, patience, allowing yourself to know hidden parts of you, all of this is difficult, but we'll get there at some point. I hope we will. But in order to that happen we have to be ready to face the ugly reality, it will be painful, but it will help. There's something like a saying "it will get worse before it gets better" and that's so true.
Be patient, it's hard, I know, baby steps, baby tasks, baby everything that will help you to get there. It isn't impossible, it only takes time and will power to go through it, and of course, having a safety net is very essential.
It can mean pushing people away because you don't think you're worth their time.
It can mean taking medication to stay alive - to combat self-harm or suicidal ideation - even if it dulls parts of yourself you don't realise are there. (It's probably worth it.)
It can mean imagining that the people who love you will never love you enough.
But depression can be just as hard to witness as it can be to live with. It's frustrating to love someone and be unable to help them.
It's frustrating to repeat the same cycle of misunderstandings over and over again.
It's frustrating to constantly tell yourself that, if you could just figure out the secret, you could make everything better - but you can't.
No matter what, though, depression doesn't have to rule your life.
If you're living with depression, there is help out there.
If someone you love is living with depression, there is hope for them.
It takes patience, and kindness, and forgiveness.
I'm still learning how to take care of myself, and learning how to take care of those I love.
I, myself, am still figuring all of this. It is scary and lonely most of the time, you can't quite trust what you think because the lies seem so real and convincing. It is quite hard to take that huge step and ask for help. It is equally hard coming to terms that you alone can't "cure" it or make it better or handle it, that you need extra help, medication, therapy and other things that can help fighting it. It is hard starting to realise some things about your past and present and making the connections, facing them and be ready to fight them and accept them. Live with them instead of erasing them like it never happened, and you were always okay, great, well. Nothing happened. Acceptance, forgiveness, patience, allowing yourself to know hidden parts of you, all of this is difficult, but we'll get there at some point. I hope we will. But in order to that happen we have to be ready to face the ugly reality, it will be painful, but it will help. There's something like a saying "it will get worse before it gets better" and that's so true.
Be patient, it's hard, I know, baby steps, baby tasks, baby everything that will help you to get there. It isn't impossible, it only takes time and will power to go through it, and of course, having a safety net is very essential.
Todos Os Nomes by José Saramago
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
O Legado by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
The first time I started this book I was really struggling to keep going. I'm not gonna lie, it was a little hard to get into it. So after 150 pages I stopped reading it, this lasted months, seriously. And last week, out of nowhere, I felt the urge to read it and it seems like I stopped reading right at the moment when things got really interesting. Long story short, I devoured what was left like I haven't done in a long time.
As I saw mentioned in a few reviews, close to the end I was convinced the killer was X and then bam, in your face, you little smug Agatha Christie's copycat (by that I mean myself). The killings are very graphic and ...original, macabre. Definitely not for the faint-hearted. The downside to this edition is without doubt the poor revision, either by the translator or the actual reviewer. I'm going to keep an eye for this author and check out her other books, not soon, but some day.
As I saw mentioned in a few reviews, close to the end I was convinced the killer was X and then bam, in your face, you little smug Agatha Christie's copycat (by that I mean myself). The killings are very graphic and ...original, macabre. Definitely not for the faint-hearted. The downside to this edition is without doubt the poor revision, either by the translator or the actual reviewer. I'm going to keep an eye for this author and check out her other books, not soon, but some day.
Ventos do Norte by David Anthony Durham, Maria Correia
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Since I read this in Portuguese and the first volume was divided into two parts, I agree with everyone when they say that this first volume is some sort of introduction to the world, characters and plot. It has some promise and I think it can work well. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. Also, we have to take into account that this book was published in 2007, so at that time this was the beginning of high fantasy. Of course nowadays we have so much better books, so well developped and written.
Sabia, desde a doença e morte da mãe, que não se podia confiar em ninguém. As pessoas que amava eram-lhe sempre roubadas. Os sonhos sempre desfeitos. Era assim que via a vida.
Sabia, desde a doença e morte da mãe, que não se podia confiar em ninguém. As pessoas que amava eram-lhe sempre roubadas. Os sonhos sempre desfeitos. Era assim que via a vida.
A Bibliotecária de Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
I don't have words to describe this book, at least words enough to describe it. I thought I would keep the tears but it wasn't possible. It was so painful. At a point I just said: "please, end their misery, please".
A Hipótese do Mal by Donato Carrisi
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Estão a ver todos aqueles sentimentos que tive no primeiro livro? Pronto, esses sentimentos mantêm-se. Só tenho a dizer: leiam, leiam que vale a pena.
A última folha da história deixou-me com a impressão de que poderá haver um terceiro livro relacionado com estas personagens. Espero que realmente haja porque tenho toda uma grande necessidade de ter um terceiro livro.
Senhor Carrisi, por favor, continue com o seu belo trabalho, continue a arruinar-me os sentimentos e a vida com livros assim. Os seus livros dão-me uma vontade enorme de gritar sempre que algo acontece. Adorei e não estou desiludida. Este autor não me está a desiludir. Ainda há mais um livro traduzido por ler e aposto que vai ser espetacular!
A última folha da história deixou-me com a impressão de que poderá haver um terceiro livro relacionado com estas personagens. Espero que realmente haja porque tenho toda uma grande necessidade de ter um terceiro livro.
Senhor Carrisi, por favor, continue com o seu belo trabalho, continue a arruinar-me os sentimentos e a vida com livros assim. Os seus livros dão-me uma vontade enorme de gritar sempre que algo acontece. Adorei e não estou desiludida. Este autor não me está a desiludir. Ainda há mais um livro traduzido por ler e aposto que vai ser espetacular!
Uma Morte Conveniente by Sofie Sarenbrant
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Escrita super simples, nada complexa, o que foi uma mudança aprazível, pois estava a ler "Expiação" e a notar dificuldade em ficar a lê-lo durante algum tempo (um pouco denso para já). O mesmo aplica-se à história, não achei que fosse fantástica, mas entreteve. Temos vários pontos de vista das personagens, inclusive do assassino, que obviamente não é identificado. É leve e esperava um pouco mais de desenvolvimento na parte da investigação, pode ser que nos próximos haja.
No entanto, é uma leitura agradável e que se devora. É ideal para quem não gosta de policiais muito violentos e gráficos.
No entanto, é uma leitura agradável e que se devora. É ideal para quem não gosta de policiais muito violentos e gráficos.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
Going to restart this one in portuguese, my mother language.
Verdades Ocultas by Michael Hjorth
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
- 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