oribulbul's reviews
73 reviews

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Fuck khaled hosseini im never picking up another one of his books again 
Too emotional, 10/10. Def read if you want your tear glands to be used like a stress ball

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.

i don't really know why this book frustrated me like it did. it felt so all over the place, the multiple povs felt like they had no point, i just. didnt like it at all. i don't think i will be reading this author's other works as well. 
the romantic backstory of the lawyer and julia felt completely unnecessary and as a whole, parts of the story and how it was being told had no thematic overlap, no purpose. the storytelling did not work in conjunction with the story itself. i wish the book explored the themes with more nuance. it villainised the mother right off the bat(imo the mother was a pos but even then i'd have liked the book to explore her perspective instead of bashing on her), none of the characters have a personality. disappointing.

What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

 i remember exactly when i knew this one was going to be an easy 5-stars for me. 
you pick up a book on trauma and therapy.  the main character talks about her childhood and it gets  to the part where she graduates from college and gets a nice job and eveyrthing and that's usually where the narrative ends right? the abused child is free of their parents and is going to therapy and has a nice job

i reached that point in this book and checked the page count and i was at 20/373

this book does not focus on the trauma. it focuses on the healing, and that was so encouraging, touching and heartwarming to read!! it's so personal and intimate and full of so many insights. the writer is incredibly sharp. 

 

At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

well. holy shit things took a turn quickly in this book
the mc's anguish was so palpable and life in the trenches was written with a lot of grit. it's difficult to write about war experiences well, but this does the job. it's realistic but not in a trauma-porn kind of way. makes you despair why humanity inflicts war upon itself

Lie with Me by Philippe Besson

emotional reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.25

THIS BOOK IS WHAT CALL ME BY YOUR NAME WAS TRYING TO BE. The writing is so incredibly atmospheric. It is perfect paired with Taylor Swift's evermore/folklore albums and a basket of grapes. 

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

I have marked the mood as 'challenging' because it was a challenge to get through how tedious and dry the text was. It was thought-provoking but a little too on-the-nose and in general, overhyped. 

I'm Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait

reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

A study of a dysfunctional family. I did quite like the characterisations but i'd have liked it more if the personalities were more meditated upon in the book. the only one whose personality i could connect with their childhood was celia; i would have liked to have the same connect with the children as well.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

0.25

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

So eerie. Incredibly atmospheric. The descriptions are very sensory, the grief pours from every page. It got a bit too vague for me at the ens, i wouldve preferred at least some semblance of closure. I love open endings but this just felt incomplete. A lovely sapphic relationship and even more beautoful writing embellishing that
edit: changing from 4 stars to 5 because this book has marinated in my brain a little more and it is perfect the way it is, i love it to pieces. i fully realised the genius of it when i visited the beach at night and was filled with a feeling that felt eerie yet familiar, as if i'd felt it before even though i've never seen the ocean at night. and then i realised i'd felt an echo of the same feeling while reading our wives under the sea. i read it again perched on rocks with the waves crashing under me and moonlight glinting on the water. it's so perfect.

Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park

emotional hopeful reflective 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

It was so tender and intimate, i normally dont like published relationship centric stories because they never get it right but this was the good stuff. This is what i crave. It felt like i was spending an afternoon with the main character telling me all about the greatest platonic and nonplatonic loves of his life, his life defining relationships. An incredibly comforting read