sara91helal's reviews
112 reviews

Sourcery by Terry Pratchett

adventurous challenging funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book by far is my favourite Discworld novel. I don't think I've read anything this silly, hilarious and also so brilliant. And I also think Rincewind is my favourite wizard of all time. 

Mort by Terry Pratchett

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

I loved this. I never thought I'd read a hilarious story starring Death, but this is how Terry Pratchett's stories are. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.0

I had to play the audiobook in the background of my workout to be able to finish it. I thought this was the story of how a little girl fought her way among men to become a wizard, but no it was a very boring narrative with barely any plot. It felt like a totally different author wrote this. 
Shame, it could've been a good story.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

As a psychiatrist AND a psychotherapist, I have a lot to say about this book. First, it's simultaneously fucked up and brilliant. Second, no doubt the author is a therapist himself because that's the work of someone who knows how to turn a clinical scenario into a thriller and manipulate you as a reader (in a good way), and then take you by surprise.

I struggled with depression in my college years, so I related when the therapist said he became a one because he was struggling, but then (avoiding spoilers) I stopped relating. I started noting "signs" that made so much sense by the end, and I'm proud to say that my clinical sense wasn't misplaced. Yet still, how the author pulled it all off shocked me.

One thing I disagree with is how mental illness is portrayed as a byproduct of childhood traumas. I have the utmost respect for psychoanalysis, but it places so much weight (and blame, for that matter) on the past and on parents. While it has helped many people overcome their traumas and gain a better understanding of themselves, I find that many use its theories to rationalize unacceptable behaviour or deem themselves as beyond repair.

Also, I didn't appreciate how psychiatrists were portrayed as unempathetic and solely focused on medications. Not all of us are like this; come on. 🙄

Daytripper by Gabriel Bá, Fábio Moon

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

One of my favourite things about graphic novels is that you don't need to say much, and yet you can tell a story with profound meanings and a powerful message. This novel's message was quite simple: live.

A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories by Terry Pratchett

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I love Terry Pratchett's wit. This audiobook has been a really good companion on my way to and back from work. Some stories were better than others, but they all made me smile. 

القرآن الكريم by Allah

5.0

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Easy 5 stars for the prose; elegant and vivid.
The plot, however, barely 2 stars. Everything felt flat, unpolished, and predictable (except for one revelation at the end that made me gasp). The ending was too rushed and messy, just like when you spend hours stacking domino tiles, only to send them tumbling down in a second.

I was promised a good book and I didn't get one, again. *sighs*

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

2.0

I don't care about how symbolic the story was meant to be, it's so disturbing. I mean, WTF have I just read?!

Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists by J.K. Rowling

funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

Another heart-warming quick read from the wizarding world.