olivyre's reviews
47 reviews

Asterix the Gladiator by René Goscinny

funny lighthearted relaxing 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

4.0

Monsieur Rigolo by Roger Hargreaves

challenging lighthearted relaxing slow-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

3.0

I’m very behind in my book goal. 

Arsène Lupin : L'Aiguille creuse by Maurice Leblanc, Jérôme Félix

challenging inspiring mysterious slow-paced

2.25

I understood about 10% of this book because I cannot read french well at all but it was pretty good anyway from the random sentences and words that I recognised. 

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious slow-paced

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

4.25

Spoilers!

The first 350 pages of this were so confusing but I was so pleased to find that it was intentionally written to confuse and that it wasn’t just me having missed multiple major plot points. The realisations were immaculately written - I had to tear a cereal box up to bookmark all the whaaaaat moments.

When we found out who the narrator was it put so much into perspective and from there to the end it was a cruise - you just have to hold on and live with the glaring plot holes for a while. They get filled in.

And as always the dialogue was very funny. 

I was reading for so long that I made elbow imprints in the bed.

‘‘Nav, if you persist in making jack-off motions when I am talking, I will show you what Harrow’s kidneys look like.’

’ That! That’s what I’m talking about,’ I said. ‘Don’t think about her kidneys. Don’t do anything with her goddamn kidneys. Get a grip. Don’t look at her blood or lick her bones or do any of the shit necromancers lie and say they don’t do the moment two of them get nasty.’

She shrugged that gold-skinned shoulder.

‘What can I say,’ she said. ‘I love a little gall on gall.’

‘Reverse everything I just told you,’ I said. ‘Let’s get married.’’

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

adventurous lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

The Night Circus was so imaginative in its creation. The very definition of a soft magic system.

I was drawn in by the circus, the ideas behind it and the exhibits in it. The actual plot and characters were not quite as interesting but were none the less pretty good. I feel like they achieved a certain wonder about the circus that ‘Caraval’ did not, yet I still think it could have gone deeper. I’d have liked for more time to have been spent interacting with the exhibits also. But I’m being picky – it was good.

‘Only the sea is made of books, its sails thousands of overlapping pages, and the sea it floats upon is dark black ink.’

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

slow-paced

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

3.0

It just wasn’t my cup of tea. I recognise how well written it is and that it’s a classic, but I found it a little boring for my personal taste. I just wanted to give it a second shot from when I read it at school.

‘‘You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.’’

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Spoilers!

And once again, she takes the cake.

It was disgusting reading from June’s perspective. I never want a peek into her mind again. But what a great way to induce reflection in the reader - by putting us into the shoes of a pitiful woman who has failed at life and begins revealing hidden biases that morph into out-right racism. It’s genius I tell you. But never again do I want to go back in that brain.

June has such a victim complex that she proposed some ok-ish reasons for her actions in the beginning. I could understand why she might publish Athena’s work under her name and continue the lie but it delved deeper and deeper into a pit that she did not step back from and she really lost her marbles.

There was a cyclic pattern of regret to self-righteousness that kept revolving and how it ended was very fitting even though it wasn’t satisfying. I did want her to get a little more comeuppance.

And of course Kuang’s writing is excellent as always.

‘’Do you know what its like to pitch a book and be told they already have an Asian writer? That they can’t put out two minority stories in the same season? That Athena Liu already exists, so you’re redundant? This industry is built on silencing us, stomping us into the ground, and hurling money at white people to produce racist stereotypes of us.’’

Beyond the Wand: The Magic & Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton

lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

2.75

DNF at 85%

It was decent and a nice light read. I would definitely recommend this to any hardcore Tom Felton fan. I chose this on a whim and was very tired and therefore couldn’t focus on another hour of the audiobook.

‘So I did what any self-respecting actor would do: I burst into tears and waddled offstage as fast as my branches would allow.’

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Spoilers!

This. Was. Excellent.

This woman is such a great writer. I couldn’t tell you specifically what elements of this story made it great, only that they clearly worked.

I love Elizabeth Zott and her straightforward no nonsense responses to anyone trying to ‘put her in her place’, it was so satisfying. 

And then Madeline was written with the same attitude but the understanding of a younger person yet with a very high intelligence. I could tell by their attitudes that Mad and Elizabeth were related but still Garmus wrote them so they were different from each other.

And I loved that 6:30 was given a voice.

Fuck the Patriarchy. Everyone should read this book.

‘’Whenever you start doubting yourself,’ she said, turning back to the audience, ‘ whenever you feel afraid, just remember. Courage Is the root of change - and change Is what we’re chemically designed to do. So when you wake up tomorrow, make this pledge. No more holding yourself back. No more subscribing to others’ opinions of what you can and cannot achieve. And no more allowing anyone to pigeonhole you Into useless categories of sex, race, economic status and religion. Do not allow your talents to lie dormant, ladies. Design your own future. When you go home today, ask yourself what you will change. And then get started.’’

A Map of the Invisible: Journeys into Particle Physics by Jon Butterworth

challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

3.75

It should have been ‘A Map of the Invisible: Journeys into the Indivisible’ as it would’ve rhymed and therefore been better.

It was certainly fascinating and I loved the island analogy where the towns were types of particle and the transportation were the forces. It made the physics far more fun to read. 

I learnt a lot and will hopefully remember as much as possible but I definitely have a grasp on the sheer scope of particle physics that an A Level class cannot provide.

Overall, great for a non fiction book and excellent execution.

Also the map art was awesome.

I understood so so much more on the second read but god was it a mistake to read all in one day. So much brainpower.

‘’I have done a terrible thing, I have postulated a particle that cannot be detected.’’ - Wolfgang Pauli