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redheadreading's reviews
2147 reviews
8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster by Mirinae Lee
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
Brittle with Relics: A History of Wales, 1962–97 by Richard King
emotional
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Richard II by William Shakespeare
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Loved the latter half of the play a lot, particularly Richard's speeches once he's deposed.
Tir: The Story of the Welsh Landscape by Carwyn Graves
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Such a bold look at both the landcsape of Wales' past and how to incorporate that into a vision for the future under the impending climate catastrophe.
Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Super fun to read Moreno-Garcia's debut! I can see a lot of seeds for her later work here, particularly Silver Nitrate in the type of magic and characters that are going on. I will say it's not my favourite of hers overall, I felt the middle dragged a bit, but I've never had a bad time with this author.
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
I absolutely adore the way Jasper Fforde throws a bucketful of seemingly disperate nonsense into each of these, but without fail draws it all together in a meaningful way!
The Life of Rebecca Jones by Lloyd Jones, Angharad Price
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
The narration is quite simple, particularly at the beginning I felt it was perhaps too simple but I grew to appreciate it, and there are some lovely descriptions of nature and the valley running throughout. The emotion of the book really built for me as it went on - I think I really hit my stride when Rebecca was in her 40s and 50s, as that's when we got slightly less factual "here's a potted biography of my brother's life" and a bit more of her opening herself up, growing into herself, and therefore providing more emotional resonance for me as a reader. By the end, the reflections on the change the valley had seen and the way of life were really moving.
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
It took me a while to settle into this and I wasn't really sure what I was getting, but actually I think I ended up quite enjoying it! Having also read The Ill Made Knight by TH White this month, the Sword in the Stone series is a great comparison text to this with how it's handling aspects of Arthurian mythos in a slightly off centre way that is intriguing. I also feel there's a hefty dose of Beowulf to be found, albeit in a much more literary fiction loosey goosey kind of way! My favourite thing is probably the way it engaged with the idea of generational memory - is it better to remember your sins, what can grow if you give yourself space away from your hurts, what do we owe to ourselves and others, all sorts of interesting little thought spirals. Absolutely a book that I can see people disliking and for fair reason, but I feel strangely taken with it how I've had time to mull!
A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75