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penguinna's reviews
319 reviews
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
I noticed that I am becoming more emotional over the years. I just finished the last Harry Potter book and cried my eyes out.
When I read this book for the first time, it immediately became my favorite one. Nothing has changed; I absolutely love every single page of it.
Everything, literally everything, is explained here. You might have had some questions even from the book 1, but you will find all your answers here, alongside the unimaginable plot twists.
I will keep it short. The Harry Potter books have a special place in my heart and words cannot express how much I love them. The only thing I wish for is that this series was longer. It feels extremely painful to say goodbye after spending every single day for three whole months at Hogwarts, following the main characters' 7-year journey from childhood into adulthood, sharing the most wonderful and the most challenging moments of their lives with them.
I solemnly swear that I will re-read the whole series again in the future. Hogwarts will always be there to welcome me home.
⚠️ P.S. If you're diving into the wizarding world, borrow the Harry Potter books from a friend or your local library. Let’s not fund JKR’s transphobia. For more on that, check out my first HP post.
More reviews by me on instagram: @penguinna_books
This Winter by Alice Oseman
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Can’t wait for the next Heartstopper? Read this!
This is a short story about Christmas Day in the Spring family. It takes place somewhere in the middle of Heartstopper Volume 4 and right before the events of Solitaire.
The winter has been particularly challenging for Charlie, his sister Tori, and brother Oliver. Despite Charlie's recent return from a psychiatric ward, the process of recovering from his eating disorder is not yet complete. The siblings are simply trying to have a nice Christmas day, but with a bunch of relatives who have no sense of tact, it is not that easy.
Usually, books about Nick and Charlie make me smile, but this one was really sad. However, it was great to learn a bit more about Oliver and Tori. I have yet to read Solitaire, where Tori is the main character, and This Winter is a good introduction to it.
I can recommend this book to everyone who has already read Heartstopper Vol. 4 and wants to know more about the Spring family.
More reviews by me on Instagram: @penguinna_books
This is a short story about Christmas Day in the Spring family. It takes place somewhere in the middle of Heartstopper Volume 4 and right before the events of Solitaire.
The winter has been particularly challenging for Charlie, his sister Tori, and brother Oliver. Despite Charlie's recent return from a psychiatric ward, the process of recovering from his eating disorder is not yet complete. The siblings are simply trying to have a nice Christmas day, but with a bunch of relatives who have no sense of tact, it is not that easy.
Usually, books about Nick and Charlie make me smile, but this one was really sad. However, it was great to learn a bit more about Oliver and Tori. I have yet to read Solitaire, where Tori is the main character, and This Winter is a good introduction to it.
I can recommend this book to everyone who has already read Heartstopper Vol. 4 and wants to know more about the Spring family.
More reviews by me on Instagram: @penguinna_books
Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I've been waiting for this book for many months. And you know what? I READ IT ALL IN ONE EVENING. ONE!
My last six reads were a plunge into the abyss: dark, sad, desperate, and absolutely depressive. Now, don't get me wrong: these are normally the kinds of books I enjoy (we all have different tastes 💅🏻).
But when the cold and gloomy weather outside mirrors the mood of my books, it becomes a bit overwhelming, especially with a bunch of responsibilities at the end of the year.
Heartstopper was a bright sunray in all these rainy clouds. Just as I read the first few pages, I started smiling so much! I missed the good old cheesy story that made my heart melt! So as soon as I opened the book, there was no way back: I decided to leave all the troubles to the real world and stay with Nick, Charlie, and their friends for this evening!
The novel is, as usual, very fast-paced, and I was not very ready for it. I could not stop turning the pages, I JUST COULD NOT. I am not going to spoil anything, but AAAAA! This part is just an emotional rollercoaster! Too many things are happening, way too many..!
Despite being a bit predictable, this book made me enjoy every single page of it. Brace yourself for a cliffhanger ending: waiting a whole year for the next part will be a challenge! I know I could just read “Nick and Charlie” that tells about the events after Heartstopper #6, but I refuse to spoil the very last part for myself. So I choose the agony of anticipation 💅🏻
If you haven’t read Heartstopper yet, go and do it. I am serious! Being absolutely not a romance person, I recommend you a romance book with my entire heart. You will feel so alive after reading it!
More reviews by me on Instagram: @penguinna_books
My last six reads were a plunge into the abyss: dark, sad, desperate, and absolutely depressive. Now, don't get me wrong: these are normally the kinds of books I enjoy (we all have different tastes 💅🏻).
But when the cold and gloomy weather outside mirrors the mood of my books, it becomes a bit overwhelming, especially with a bunch of responsibilities at the end of the year.
Heartstopper was a bright sunray in all these rainy clouds. Just as I read the first few pages, I started smiling so much! I missed the good old cheesy story that made my heart melt! So as soon as I opened the book, there was no way back: I decided to leave all the troubles to the real world and stay with Nick, Charlie, and their friends for this evening!
The novel is, as usual, very fast-paced, and I was not very ready for it. I could not stop turning the pages, I JUST COULD NOT. I am not going to spoil anything, but AAAAA! This part is just an emotional rollercoaster! Too many things are happening, way too many..!
Despite being a bit predictable, this book made me enjoy every single page of it. Brace yourself for a cliffhanger ending: waiting a whole year for the next part will be a challenge! I know I could just read “Nick and Charlie” that tells about the events after Heartstopper #6, but I refuse to spoil the very last part for myself. So I choose the agony of anticipation 💅🏻
If you haven’t read Heartstopper yet, go and do it. I am serious! Being absolutely not a romance person, I recommend you a romance book with my entire heart. You will feel so alive after reading it!
More reviews by me on Instagram: @penguinna_books
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Written in 1928, this book was banned for 30 years due to obscenity and explicit sexual scenes. It was the forbidden fruit, and let's be honest, the only reason anyone bothered picking it up.
This book tells us about Connie, who marries the rich baronet Clifford Chatterley. Shortly after their wedding, Clifford goes to war and returns with paralyzed legs. Connie slowly transforms from a loving wife into his servant, her feelings fading away. Every day of her existence is gray and meaningless until she meets Mellors, Clifford’s poor, low-class gamekeeper.
This novel was a challenge to the public moral standards of that time. The author addresses stigmatized topics such as divorce, female pleasure, and the absurdity of the class system. Nevertheless, I could never be happier to finally finish the book.
The main character is absolutely boring and has no personality, and Oliver Mellors, Connie’s lover, has made me sick since the very beginning. The violent way he treated his daughter and Connie herself, the disgusting sexist, homophobic, and racist things he was saying made me actually hate him. However, according to Connie, Mellors is the epitome of a “true man,” and the novel presents his traits as a beacon of pure, precious honesty that goes in contrast with all the fake manners of aristocracy. What were intended to be romantically beautiful scenes served as glaring red flags, making my eyes roll.
Despite the book’s significant role in literature, I could not stand it. Lady Chatterley’s Lover, once a big challenge to societal norms, has aged very poorly. I strongly recommend not wasting your time on this.
This book tells us about Connie, who marries the rich baronet Clifford Chatterley. Shortly after their wedding, Clifford goes to war and returns with paralyzed legs. Connie slowly transforms from a loving wife into his servant, her feelings fading away. Every day of her existence is gray and meaningless until she meets Mellors, Clifford’s poor, low-class gamekeeper.
This novel was a challenge to the public moral standards of that time. The author addresses stigmatized topics such as divorce, female pleasure, and the absurdity of the class system. Nevertheless, I could never be happier to finally finish the book.
The main character is absolutely boring and has no personality, and Oliver Mellors, Connie’s lover, has made me sick since the very beginning. The violent way he treated his daughter and Connie herself, the disgusting sexist, homophobic, and racist things he was saying made me actually hate him. However, according to Connie, Mellors is the epitome of a “true man,” and the novel presents his traits as a beacon of pure, precious honesty that goes in contrast with all the fake manners of aristocracy. What were intended to be romantically beautiful scenes served as glaring red flags, making my eyes roll.
Despite the book’s significant role in literature, I could not stand it. Lady Chatterley’s Lover, once a big challenge to societal norms, has aged very poorly. I strongly recommend not wasting your time on this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Animal cruelty and Racism
Rape is shown as something very romantic
The Language of the Third Reich: LTI--Lingua Tertii Imperii: A Philologist's Notebook by Victor Klemperer
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Originally, I come from a country where freedom of speech is nonexistent. The situation worsened significantly after this country invaded another almost two years ago: the already fragile state of freedoms and rights has now reached a critical level.
Currently residing in Europe, I am grateful for the complete freedom to read and express myself without any sense of threat. Therefore, I have decided to dig deeper into the topic of propaganda to figure out how it really works. I wanted to understand how it convinces people that war can be righteous and even sacred, and how it makes others think someone from a different nationality or religion doesn't deserve to live. Therefore, I decided to go to the extreme and read about the propaganda language in Nazi Germany, or the so-called Third Reich.
LTI, or Lingua Tertii Imperii, is written by a German Jewish professor of philology in Dresden, who faced the horrors of Holocaust firsthand. This book is based on his personal diaries from 1933 to 1945 which he had to hide to avoid being consigned to a concentration camp.
I expected that there would be similarities in war propaganda across different nations and historical periods, but I was unprepared for the actual extent of them. I had to annotate almost every page to use the phrases later in my research. Language is power, and we do not even notice how it affects us, our daily expressions, and, therefore, our views and opinions.
“Nazism permeated the flesh and blood of the people through single words, idioms, and sentence structures which were imposed on them in a million repetitions and taken on board mechanically and unconsciously.”
Full of examples and explanations based on the real-life situations, LTI by Klemperer is a very tough read that is a must for every linguistics and philology student or anyone who is interested in the insides of propaganda.
More reviews by me on instagram: @penguinna_books
Currently residing in Europe, I am grateful for the complete freedom to read and express myself without any sense of threat. Therefore, I have decided to dig deeper into the topic of propaganda to figure out how it really works. I wanted to understand how it convinces people that war can be righteous and even sacred, and how it makes others think someone from a different nationality or religion doesn't deserve to live. Therefore, I decided to go to the extreme and read about the propaganda language in Nazi Germany, or the so-called Third Reich.
LTI, or Lingua Tertii Imperii, is written by a German Jewish professor of philology in Dresden, who faced the horrors of Holocaust firsthand. This book is based on his personal diaries from 1933 to 1945 which he had to hide to avoid being consigned to a concentration camp.
I expected that there would be similarities in war propaganda across different nations and historical periods, but I was unprepared for the actual extent of them. I had to annotate almost every page to use the phrases later in my research. Language is power, and we do not even notice how it affects us, our daily expressions, and, therefore, our views and opinions.
“Nazism permeated the flesh and blood of the people through single words, idioms, and sentence structures which were imposed on them in a million repetitions and taken on board mechanically and unconsciously.”
Full of examples and explanations based on the real-life situations, LTI by Klemperer is a very tough read that is a must for every linguistics and philology student or anyone who is interested in the insides of propaganda.
More reviews by me on instagram: @penguinna_books
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You think life is unfair? Then you haven't heard Elizabeth Zott’s story. This young chemist goes through hell trying to achieve her goals in science, simply because she is a woman in the unjust male society of the 1950s.
But wait for it: not only does her career hit her hard, but so does her personal life. She is a single mother (in the 50s!) who not only has to support her daughter but also constantly prove to people that she is equally worthy with or without a husband.
Dealing with struggles, Elizabeth ends up becoming a TV host of a cooking show. However, she does it in her own way: seriously and scientifically. Everyone tells her that an average Jane will not understand anything, but in fact, Elizabeth empowers a whole generation of women.
Countless reviews describe this book as "a novel that sparks joy on every page." Well, I cannot agree with it. This is a tough story of a woman breaking her way through life even when everything is pointed against her. I made the pages wet with my teardrops several times. I felt immense pride, I felt devastated, I felt powerful. There were some moments when I had a smile on my face, but I would never dare to call this book "joyful."
"Lessons in Chemistry" is absolutely worth reading! Despite being a little naïve, the book is a total page-turner that you cannot put down. This is an emotional novel about life, about death, about love, about hate, and about surprises that come to us when we least expect them.
But wait for it: not only does her career hit her hard, but so does her personal life. She is a single mother (in the 50s!) who not only has to support her daughter but also constantly prove to people that she is equally worthy with or without a husband.
Dealing with struggles, Elizabeth ends up becoming a TV host of a cooking show. However, she does it in her own way: seriously and scientifically. Everyone tells her that an average Jane will not understand anything, but in fact, Elizabeth empowers a whole generation of women.
Countless reviews describe this book as "a novel that sparks joy on every page." Well, I cannot agree with it. This is a tough story of a woman breaking her way through life even when everything is pointed against her. I made the pages wet with my teardrops several times. I felt immense pride, I felt devastated, I felt powerful. There were some moments when I had a smile on my face, but I would never dare to call this book "joyful."
"Lessons in Chemistry" is absolutely worth reading! Despite being a little naïve, the book is a total page-turner that you cannot put down. This is an emotional novel about life, about death, about love, about hate, and about surprises that come to us when we least expect them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
3.75
Hello, I hope somebody is listening… If nobody is listening, am I making any sound at all?
Remember Aled Last from Heartstopper? This is a story about him. The narrator Frances Janvier finds out that Aled is the anonymous Creator of the popular podcast Universe City that she’s been a huge fan of for the past few years.
Initially strangers, Frances and Aled develop a strong bond that turns into a close-knit friendship. Together, they make new episodes of the podcast, which Aled dedicates to someone called February Friday until… their secret becomes public.
“Radio Silence” is a young adult novel that I wish I had the opportunity to read during my high school years. Both Frances and Aled are studying machines who get only the best grades at school, aiming to get a place at Oxbridge. However, it might not be what they actually want. But it is so difficult to admit it, when your life has always revolved around a single predetermined path.
And while Frances’ mom is the most supportive and wonderful parent someone could ever imagine, Aled’s mother, Carol, is the opposite. She is a tyrant who literally turns into ashes everything he loves in order to make him more concentrated on his studies. Years ago, Aled's twin sister, Carys, fled their home because of Carol, for whom the only things that matter are good grades and academic degrees. But what about happiness?
Even though Radio Silence was a bit predictable and childish for me, I really could not stop turning the pages. I admire Alice Oseman's ability to vividly portray every single side character, depicting their flaws and imperfections, along with background stories that reveal the depth of each person in the book. And the thing I particularly love about the Osemanverse is that in every book you meet characters from other stories: Tori and Becky, Nick and Charlie, and the others whom I have not yet had the opportunity to meet.
I believe that anyone who reads Radio Silence will relate to their own challenges of being seventeen. I really do recommend this book!
Remember Aled Last from Heartstopper? This is a story about him. The narrator Frances Janvier finds out that Aled is the anonymous Creator of the popular podcast Universe City that she’s been a huge fan of for the past few years.
Initially strangers, Frances and Aled develop a strong bond that turns into a close-knit friendship. Together, they make new episodes of the podcast, which Aled dedicates to someone called February Friday until… their secret becomes public.
“Radio Silence” is a young adult novel that I wish I had the opportunity to read during my high school years. Both Frances and Aled are studying machines who get only the best grades at school, aiming to get a place at Oxbridge. However, it might not be what they actually want. But it is so difficult to admit it, when your life has always revolved around a single predetermined path.
And while Frances’ mom is the most supportive and wonderful parent someone could ever imagine, Aled’s mother, Carol, is the opposite. She is a tyrant who literally turns into ashes everything he loves in order to make him more concentrated on his studies. Years ago, Aled's twin sister, Carys, fled their home because of Carol, for whom the only things that matter are good grades and academic degrees. But what about happiness?
Even though Radio Silence was a bit predictable and childish for me, I really could not stop turning the pages. I admire Alice Oseman's ability to vividly portray every single side character, depicting their flaws and imperfections, along with background stories that reveal the depth of each person in the book. And the thing I particularly love about the Osemanverse is that in every book you meet characters from other stories: Tori and Becky, Nick and Charlie, and the others whom I have not yet had the opportunity to meet.
I believe that anyone who reads Radio Silence will relate to their own challenges of being seventeen. I really do recommend this book!
Бог есть +/- by Andrei Krasniashikh
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Mom is hard of hearing. But she hears explosions. Now, even when they are gone.
БОГ ЕСТЬ: +/-
GOD EXISTS: +/- (my translation of the title)
Andrei Krasniashikh is a professor of literature at Kharkiv National University in Ukraine. Published in 2023 in a mixture of Russian and Ukrainian languages, the book tells us how the life of Kharkiv’s residents has changed after the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The narration reminds of a diary: the author explains that since February 24th he could not read or watch anything but news reports on telegram channels. Therefore, his writing skills were influenced by them. We see a big amount of short sentences and naked facts with very few descriptions. “As if you are walking, picking up the fragments of something broken. Splinter style.”
Half Ukrainian, half Russian, Andrei Krasniashikh tells us how his ten years old daughter suddenly matured under the relentless shelling of Kharkiv. How did it come to be that the most desired Christmas presents now are flashlights, batteries and power banks. And the most common birthday wishes changed from health and love into unbroken windows, water in taps, electricity and clear skies. How Home stopped existing anywhere but in people’s hearts and memories. How life plans turned into day plans because everything makes sense only here and now.
This devastating and terrifying story is about the courageous people of Ukraine who had and still have to leave their beloved homes in order to survive and protect the loved ones from Russian missiles. I hope the book will be translated into English, so that people worldwide remind themselves that the war is not over.
Check the quotes from the book translated by me below, and donate to your local non-profit organization to support Ukrainian people in the daily fight for peace and freedom.
Quotes:
▪️Good night” now sounds different. So much so that it’s scary to jinx it. The only thing scarier than “Good night” is “Good morning.” In the chat of our department in the morning there is a roll call: “Alive”, “Alive”, “Alive”.
▪️Kharkiv no longer exists. And neither do we. The old, pre-war we remained underground. In the metro, where many people went down on February 24, they still haven’t gotten out. In cellars, basements. Our past, normal, human life died there while Kharkiv was being bombed.
▪️In fact, just no one wants to leave their home. It seems that while you are in it, you protect it. If you leave, something could happen to it and to you. It protects you, too.
▪️For holidays, I used to wish happiness, health, joy, strength. Now – strength, but most importantly – whole windows, water in taps, electricity. Clear skies. A quiet day. However, I don’t wish whole windows anymore. There is no one left whom I can wish this.
▪️But the war is far from over. And it won't end when it ends. You will carry it with you.
🔖 More reviews by me on Instagram: @penguinna_books
БОГ ЕСТЬ: +/-
GOD EXISTS: +/- (my translation of the title)
Andrei Krasniashikh is a professor of literature at Kharkiv National University in Ukraine. Published in 2023 in a mixture of Russian and Ukrainian languages, the book tells us how the life of Kharkiv’s residents has changed after the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The narration reminds of a diary: the author explains that since February 24th he could not read or watch anything but news reports on telegram channels. Therefore, his writing skills were influenced by them. We see a big amount of short sentences and naked facts with very few descriptions. “As if you are walking, picking up the fragments of something broken. Splinter style.”
Half Ukrainian, half Russian, Andrei Krasniashikh tells us how his ten years old daughter suddenly matured under the relentless shelling of Kharkiv. How did it come to be that the most desired Christmas presents now are flashlights, batteries and power banks. And the most common birthday wishes changed from health and love into unbroken windows, water in taps, electricity and clear skies. How Home stopped existing anywhere but in people’s hearts and memories. How life plans turned into day plans because everything makes sense only here and now.
This devastating and terrifying story is about the courageous people of Ukraine who had and still have to leave their beloved homes in order to survive and protect the loved ones from Russian missiles. I hope the book will be translated into English, so that people worldwide remind themselves that the war is not over.
Check the quotes from the book translated by me below, and donate to your local non-profit organization to support Ukrainian people in the daily fight for peace and freedom.
Quotes:
▪️Good night” now sounds different. So much so that it’s scary to jinx it. The only thing scarier than “Good night” is “Good morning.” In the chat of our department in the morning there is a roll call: “Alive”, “Alive”, “Alive”.
▪️Kharkiv no longer exists. And neither do we. The old, pre-war we remained underground. In the metro, where many people went down on February 24, they still haven’t gotten out. In cellars, basements. Our past, normal, human life died there while Kharkiv was being bombed.
▪️In fact, just no one wants to leave their home. It seems that while you are in it, you protect it. If you leave, something could happen to it and to you. It protects you, too.
▪️For holidays, I used to wish happiness, health, joy, strength. Now – strength, but most importantly – whole windows, water in taps, electricity. Clear skies. A quiet day. However, I don’t wish whole windows anymore. There is no one left whom I can wish this.
▪️But the war is far from over. And it won't end when it ends. You will carry it with you.
🔖 More reviews by me on Instagram: @penguinna_books
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
“You will be required to do wrong no matter where you go. It is the basic condition of life, to be required to violate your own identity.”
The book was written during the Cold War, at a time when people's greatest fear was nuclear fallout. The plot introduces us to the post-apocalyptic Earth of 1991, where most animals died out and the majority of humans have relocated to colonies on other planets. However, neurodivergent people are forced to be sterilized and stay on the dying planet.
In order to encourage the migration, companies supply people with androids: house slaves that look identical to humans. Some of them rebel, slaying their masters and fleeing to Earth. The central character, Rick Deckard, is tasked with the mission of “retiring” them using a laser gun.
To identify an android, Rick uses an empathy test. Initially convinced of androids' emotional void, he soon finds the roots of uncertainty within him. He does his job to earn money, in order to buy a living animal and prove to the neighbors that he has empathy.
A whole new religion is built on empathy: humans share their emotions from life events through a special device with other humans worldwide… reminds us of something, doesn't it? And the book was written half a century ago.
The idea of the book was very innovative back then. However, certain storylines remained unresolved, marked by plot holes and a lack of logic. Moreover, the book has aged badly: every female character is described in a sexist way:
▪️ “He decided that the woman is really good-looking, and her husband is quite dangerous”
▪️ “It's sadly impossible to appreciate her body under the suit, but I bet it's perfectly fine”
▪️ “But, perhaps, she is too thin – no protruding roundness, especially breasts – the figure of a child, flat and not arousing desire”
All in all, the concept seemed intriguing; however, the plot and character presentation disappointed me a lot. I would recommend this book only if you're very familiar with sci-fi literature. As for me: it wasn't my cup of tea.
More reviews on my bookstagram: @penguinna_books