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mijtje's reviews
117 reviews
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Fascinating read. First, would I recommend it? Yes. It is a classic and fascinating story and a book that says a lot about the time it was written in. That, and I love the pretty old English that it is written in. The impact on the literary world is something that I also can't ignore. So read it for sure!
However, I can’t say I found it a very good book. It is impressive for sure, especially the themes that are intertwined with the story, but the story... often just doesn’t make sense. There are plenty of contradictions and mistakes. So the monster learned French by listening, then suddenly could READ French, then could READ German at the same time as well, but couldn't understand spoken German? Mistakes like these aren’t a problem in a book like this (which, surprise surprise, isn't super realistic). However, Shelley does her very best to make the story make sense, in a way that sometimes feels like she’s trying too hard. Because of this, these oversights are pretty obvious. It made the reading experience pretty annoying, especially in the beginning.
Also, dear mr Frankenstein, stop fainting and almost dying all the time. Seriously.
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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
4.25
Agatha Christie is a queen and I love her books. This one is no different. Hercule Poirot always makes me laugh.
The Green Planet: (ACCOMPANIES THE BBC SERIES PRESENTED BY DAVID ATTENBOROUGH) by Simon Barnes
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Fascinating book that delves into the world of plants. The chapters are structured by biome which makes it easy to tie plants together and understand more of the underlying relations between plants. The book is very well written and is interesting until the end.
I do think the writer has a huge crush on David Attenborough though. He keeps complimenting them throughout the book and at some point I thought JUST MARRY HIM ALREADY. TELL ME MORE ABOUT PLANTS.
I do think the writer has a huge crush on David Attenborough though. He keeps complimenting them throughout the book and at some point I thought JUST MARRY HIM ALREADY. TELL ME MORE ABOUT PLANTS.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Amazing book. It gets under your skin and stays there forever.
Even though I couldn’t help comparing this book to The Secret History by Donna Tartt at first, it managed to soak me away from that. It has a similar story, but there is a lot more symbolism to be found here. I think this is the kind of book you can reread a thousand times and still discover new things.
Sometimes I felt a little left out as someone who knows absolutely nothing about Shakespeare. It wasn’t too much of a bother, but I did feel like I missed essential parts of information throughout the story. If you’re a Shakespeare fan, that will add another layer to this book. In my mind, this book is as much a homage to Shakespeare as anything else.
Finally, with tragedies like this, I am always scared the ending will leave me empty and sad, which I don’t like. The ending to this book, however, is perfect. Hard to pull off, so I tip my hat to M.L. Rio.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Medical content, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Blood, Drug abuse, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Eating disorder
De vroedvrouw van de Sultan by Roberta Rich
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Prima boek maar ook vrij makkelijk. Het is een beetje historisch GTST. Vermakelijk geschreven en de spanningsboog blijft duren tot het einde van het boek. Er zitten veel kleine mysteriën in die het boek moeilijk weg te leggen maken. Het einde is wel wat anticlimactisch en onrealistisch. Verder heeft de hoofdpersoon een wel heel moderne kijk op de zaken van toen. Dat is altijd een beetje jammer in historische romans. Al met al een aanrader als dat geen dingen zijn waar je je aan ergert en je een simpel, vermakelijk historisch romannetje zoekt. Het is in elk geval een boek waar je een goed gevoel aan overhoudt, en dat is altijd fijn :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Infertility, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, and Rape
Boeddhisme in alle eenvoud by Steve Hagen, George Hulskramer
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
2.75
Prima introductie, al was het fijn geweest om af en toe ook wat lijstjes oid te hebben. Verder lijkt het advies vooral te zijn: git gud, of in de taal van dit boek: “word wakker en ga de waarheid zien”.
The Big Four by Agatha Christie
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
TL;DR
wtf
So this is a weird little book. It’s good to be aware that it’s a collection of short stories which together make up one longer story. This makes it a little too fast paced at times and it might feel like a weird, all-over-the-place book. Which it is. But hey, now you know the reason!
The weirdest part is the crossover between Hercule Poirot and James Bond. It has gadgets, disguises, evil geniuses and of course a world order that secretly controls everything. It’s still good old Poirot and his adorable friendship with the kind of stupid Hastings, but then packed into a really weird story.
The beginning especially is hard to get through. As someone on here described it very aptly: it read as a Hercule Poirot fanfiction. About halfway through it gets better, however. Still, very weird. I feel like I was sucked into a parallel universe for a moment where Agatha Christie wrote shitty spy novels. Good thing she decided not to.
It’s still Hercule Poirot and I love Hercule Poirot, so it’s hard to give a very low rating, but yeah. Read Christie’s other books instead.
wtf
So this is a weird little book. It’s good to be aware that it’s a collection of short stories which together make up one longer story. This makes it a little too fast paced at times and it might feel like a weird, all-over-the-place book. Which it is. But hey, now you know the reason!
The weirdest part is the crossover between Hercule Poirot and James Bond. It has gadgets, disguises, evil geniuses and of course a world order that secretly controls everything. It’s still good old Poirot and his adorable friendship with the kind of stupid Hastings, but then packed into a really weird story.
The beginning especially is hard to get through. As someone on here described it very aptly: it read as a Hercule Poirot fanfiction. About halfway through it gets better, however. Still, very weird. I feel like I was sucked into a parallel universe for a moment where Agatha Christie wrote shitty spy novels. Good thing she decided not to.
It’s still Hercule Poirot and I love Hercule Poirot, so it’s hard to give a very low rating, but yeah. Read Christie’s other books instead.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Death
Since the book was published in 1927, there are some paragraphs that can be seen as racist towards Chinese people.
De democratie crasht: Politieke onmacht in het digitale tijdperk by Kees Verhoeven
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.0
A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
TL;DR
Story good, characters bad
Boyne is very good at taking a small idea and creating it in something great and unique. This book is a good example. He managed to get me so pissed at the characters that I had to put the book away for a few days. Good work!
It’s amusing and managed to keep my attention. But it’s also a little predictable when you know that Boyne likes drama. The characters are also upsettingly one dimensional. For most, their personality can be summarised in one word. The main character was the most frustrating; I couldn’t find any redeeming qualities whatsoever, which made reading the book feel unrealistic and infuriating. I get that Boyne wants me to hate him, but do it in a smarter way. No one is this horrible.
Story good, characters bad
Boyne is very good at taking a small idea and creating it in something great and unique. This book is a good example. He managed to get me so pissed at the characters that I had to put the book away for a few days. Good work!
It’s amusing and managed to keep my attention. But it’s also a little predictable when you know that Boyne likes drama. The characters are also upsettingly one dimensional. For most, their personality can be summarised in one word. The main character was the most frustrating; I couldn’t find any redeeming qualities whatsoever, which made reading the book feel unrealistic and infuriating. I get that Boyne wants me to hate him, but do it in a smarter way. No one is this horrible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Rape, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Miscarriage