santreads's reviews
842 reviews

Confessions by Kanae Minato

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

what a DEEPLY fucked up book. 

Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter

challenging dark sad fast-paced

3.0

“Moving on, as a concept, is for stupid people, because any sensible person knows grief is a long-term project. I refuse to rush. The pain that is thrust upon us let no man slow or speed or fix.”

Weird. Good. Strange. True.

This was a weird book describing a family who has lost a wife/a mother and who is being counseled through this time by a crow. I told you, weird. We see different perspectives - from the husband, the boys and the crow. Parts of it are just pure madness, parts of it hit too close to home, parts of it I struggled to understand. But in the end, it was a short read that I'm glad I read.

The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

A Murder on Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey

informative mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.0

Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

'time-pass' cozy mystery book. a bit predictable. cliched with its characters. but still works.

A City Happens in Love (Ishq Mein Shahar Hona) by Ravish Kumar

lighthearted medium-paced

2.5

I mean, it's okay. Short fiction (one page max) about love in a city - specifically in Delhi. Makes sense if you're from the city or know it well because a lot of it was mentioned and referenced. Some good lines but otherwise a bit of a disappointment.

Also read this in Hindi which took me tiiiiime!

Dead Men Tell Tales: The Memoir of a Police Surgeon by Dr B. Umadathan

dark informative medium-paced

3.5

good if you like true crime but told from an old uncle's perspective - like they're all very lucid and sharp but there's way too much time spent in diplomacy and saying 'i worked with this person, he is very smart and is now xyz in the force and is a close friend of mine'. Having looked that over, I still liked the procedures and the things explained though. I've been watching a lot of Criminal Minds and have always been a big fan of Bones, so this played into that love of mine. 

Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

Rita Welinkar by Shanta Gokhale

emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

stunning writing. brilliantly done. gaaaah. totally a new favourite.