nookofley's reviews
109 reviews

Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie

5.0

I was BAMBOOZLED and I couldn't put the book down until the end.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

It was mid. Sorry but the marsh and the lonely girl navigating life did not do it for me. I'd rather watch the movie, it takes less brain space and time.

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.25

I finished this book and just sat there for a while and my first thought was, "Is this what vegans think of people who eat meat?"

This book tries so hard to be political and the same time fails at getting anywhere with its message because of the amount of space the MC's personal thoughts

(which ends up being contradicted by the plot twist)

and his observation about the emptiness without the animals feels like. There is so many message everywhere in the book about classism, capitalism, human brutality, and Marcos' personal life that made you question, "WHAT on earth is this author trying to tell you?". IF fleshed out properly and focused on one theme, this book would've been a more memorable.

Now, for the ending, I think this just nullifies everything we learned about Marcos. I love unreliable narrators but I am trying so hard to see where did his mindset change or have been not reading it correctly? And what does the cockroach he keeps seeing in his sister's house means?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Dementia, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green
Did not finish book. Stopped at 70%.

It got too depressing to think too much about the human psychology and our behaviours at the end of the year. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by John Green himself, so it was a really nice touch to know that what I'm listening to is exactly what and how the author intended me to listen. It was really interesting but got boring at a certain point. 

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

I felt like a voyeur most of the times food was mentioned by Kajii. The way butter was mentioned made me hungry for Japanese rice doused with soy sauce and topped with gleaming, golden butter. I loved how the book talks a lot about misogyny, the position women hold in their society, and food. For women, the simple of act of cooking or eating is placed under severe scrutiny. The reason Kajii became popular is not because she managed to get away with multiple murders but because she is a woman. 

Overall, Butter was utterly delectable and I probably need a few days to process the book.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.75

The plot twists was AMAZING and it had me pausing every time to just walk around the room. But this was unfortunately not a 5 star read as I had some qualms about the way the book was written. A lot of the plot was revealed at the end and it gave no time for us to see Bel's internal conflict

of choosing to believe her mum that had just reappeared or her dad, with whom she has spent her whole life with. To add to this, Charlie's motive to murder Rachel seems to fall flat and felt very implausible

 

The Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

0.25

I've never hated a book and its characters THIS much before. The first half of the book was so promising with its plot and its (really windy) introduction to this "new world" only to never hear about it again. Another major thing that put me off so much was how the majority of the book was our MC obsessing over a 30 year old man. HUHH?? Was she not shown to be a smart (albeit not very street smart), confident young women and the second she reaches Wainscotia she becomes a helpless little sap whose whole life revolves around a man. 

I would've appreciated the ending better if there was a solid world-building instead of reading a kid crush over  a GROWN man for most of the book.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

lighthearted medium-paced

• 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

4.75

The Extraordinary Adventures Of Arsene Lupin: Gentleman-Burglar by Maurice Leblanc

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

I HAD to read the book after watching Lupin on Netflix and I have to say, this book was amazing. The edition that I read from Project Gutenberg is a collection of short stories that is mainly recounted by Lupin's friend (the narration changes a lot throughout the book) about Arsene Lupin's adventures. Each short story leaves me in surprise everytime I finish it. Like they say in the show,"It always seems like Lupin is about to get caught, but he escapes each time."

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

I accidently found this book on a reddit post where someone claimed that the audiobook was very enjoyable to listen to, well, it was!! I was hooked from the first chapter and I loved listening to the podcasts bit. The sound effect included made it feel like I was listening to a real podcast.

The ending felt a little anticlimactic, since the many parallels between the first murder and the second.