mateoj's reviews
423 reviews

Get in Trouble by Kelly Link

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

3.5

I felt like this was a solid 50/50 split between amazing examples of magical realism and examples of how NOT to do magical realism. 

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.

I forgot how slow Ishiguro's books are.

Dark Tourist: Essays by Hasanthika Sirisena

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.75

the first half was good, but I think the second half of essays belong in another, much more academic book. or perhaps on lithub. either way, I really struggled with them, probably because I am not an art student. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Misogyny, Rape, and Terminal illness

The Double by José Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa
Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.

holy run-on sentence, batman

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

delightfully weird. apparently I do really enjoy Russian lit, so long as each character has <5 names. talking cats never hurt either! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol

The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

(review later)

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.0

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-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

society if the earthsea chronicles became a huge sensation instead of harry potter >

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

I'm sure someone else has said this somewhere already, but I think the mark of a great food writer is the ability to make someone hungry for things they definitively do not like. am I a fan of sashimi, lobster, wine, or scallops? absolutely not. did Reichl's descriptions make me wish I could try the ones she ate? absolutely! 

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.

why do writers write narrators that narrate like this. so grating and irritating.