marinalikeaboatyard's reviews
40 reviews

Butcher's Crossing by John Williams

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

like “stoner”, a near perfect novel. just read it, trust me. 

The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Like an insane sci fi version of “Office Space”. Amazing. No notes. 

Penance by Eliza Clark

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

welp, guess i’m never listening to a true crime podcast ever again 

Cousin Bette by Honoré de Balzac
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.

I will return to this one day…

Stoner by John Williams

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

easily one of the best books i’ve ever read, and slides into my favorites of all time. beautiful, devastating. 

The Country Will Bring Us No Peace by Matthieu Simard

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

what the f*ck did I just read (positive)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility

Termush by Sven Holm

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

truly can’t understand the bad reviews on here…this tiny book has so much to say. 

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

“The Princess Bride” for Hot Topic kids

The Flowers of Buffoonery by Osamu Dazai

dark funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

taylor swift would absolutely f*cking love this book.

do not read unless you have or intend to read “no longer human”

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

yozo would absolutely f*cking love ‘the tortured poets department’.

**************

this was recommended highly by a lovely barnes & noble employee with whom I shared literary taste, but he seemed to be far more familiar with japanese literature and he has opened up my world. I cannot recommend this highly enough. yozo is the most insufferable, frustrating, selfish, yet sympathetic protagonist, someone who just can’t get out from under himself. dazai, writing in the decades following ww2, meditates uniquely on society and the individual, and what “qualifies” one to be a part of society…and if it’s even real at all, and if god or sin plays any role in that qualification. 

I don’t know many western/american readers who know this author or read asian literature, so I implore them to jump in with this one. it’s relatable, quick, interesting, and accessible, and opens a world of japanese literature that I, for one, want to keep exploring.