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sebby_reads's reviews
242 reviews
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
3.0
So, this is my last book of 2018. It had been on my nightstand for months. I read first few chapters and left it there as I busied myself with other tasks. I even finished reading other books including Murakami’s new book. I only began to resume it yesterday and the pace picked up slowly at first, then found its momentum near the half of the story. It has an intriguing story about the events of a man in search for a sheep in far off place. Who would have thought, the photo of a flock sheep against a mountain view used in an advertisement for travel agency could bring such an adventurous journey? My interest grew when he actually went off to look for the sheep. I think the protagonist found a little bit of himself as he searched for a certain sheep throughout the journey. I especially enjoyed reading the last few chapters and I love, love, love how it ends.
I found it less appealing to read than other Murakami’s books I had read. I checked when I finished reading it and it wasn’t the translation I get accustomed to by Philip Gabriel and/or Jay Rubin. No surprise the writing seemed a bit off this time., for me at least.
I found it less appealing to read than other Murakami’s books I had read. I checked when I finished reading it and it wasn’t the translation I get accustomed to by Philip Gabriel and/or Jay Rubin. No surprise the writing seemed a bit off this time., for me at least.
Bluets by Maggie Nelson
2.0
Introduced by a friend and likely this isn’t my type of book. In mere 90 plus pages, this book bored me most of the time except a few beautiful lines and a couple of snippets that could make me contemplate.
Everything Happens For A Reason And Other Lies I've Loved by Kate Bowler
2.0
I happened to pick up this book cause I found it in Bill Gates it Obama’s reading list. It’s about a 35-year old theology professor, Kate Bowler. Her life seems to be a smooth sailing experience until she was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. She started to wonder how to live when knowing she is having near death experience. What does is mean to die in a society that insists everything happens for a reason.
It was a slow read. I like reading a few of the chapters but it wasn’t a good ride. I felt this is quite a bit dull. At first I thought, non-fiction are not my cup of tea. But I like reading The Last Lecture and When Breath Becomes Air. They were about fighting cancer, too. I’m not sure why. Perhaps a bit too much religious stuff in it is one of the key reasons I had kept putting the book down. It might be just my mood and perception but I can only give it two stars.
It was a slow read. I like reading a few of the chapters but it wasn’t a good ride. I felt this is quite a bit dull. At first I thought, non-fiction are not my cup of tea. But I like reading The Last Lecture and When Breath Becomes Air. They were about fighting cancer, too. I’m not sure why. Perhaps a bit too much religious stuff in it is one of the key reasons I had kept putting the book down. It might be just my mood and perception but I can only give it two stars.
Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami
3.0
I received this book as a gift since the beginning of November but I only started reading it last Sunday. It took me a good whole week to finish it as I could only read a handful of chapter during the weeknights. And it’s pretty big and heavy book with nearly 700 pages so I couldn’t hold the book for very long. Regardless, it was a phenomenal read.
A thirty-something portrait painter in Tokyo was separated from his wife and left to a house in the mountain, owned by a famous artist, Tomohiko Amada. He discovered a painting by the former artist kept in the attic and from that he unintentionally opened a door for series of mysterious circumstances. With each new events interlaced with one another—the enigmatic sound of a bell ringing in the middle of the night, a business man living across the valley ask to commission his portrait and a precocious teenage girls, a Nazi assassination attempt in Austria during World War II, a pit behind an ancient shrine at the back of the Artist house—he tried to comprehend about his own struggles and about the people and the place he’s been associated with recently.
For me, it was a little less Murakami-ish compared to his other books I have read. Even though the usual old vinyl records, solitude, explicit dreams, and some eerie or surreal events are still featured in this book, I feel different. It has become less painful and saddening to read. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it. Uncovering the multi layer of mystery was very much intriguing with each page turned. I just wasn’t satisfied with the story, perhaps. I’ll give 3 stars for this one.
A thirty-something portrait painter in Tokyo was separated from his wife and left to a house in the mountain, owned by a famous artist, Tomohiko Amada. He discovered a painting by the former artist kept in the attic and from that he unintentionally opened a door for series of mysterious circumstances. With each new events interlaced with one another—the enigmatic sound of a bell ringing in the middle of the night, a business man living across the valley ask to commission his portrait and a precocious teenage girls, a Nazi assassination attempt in Austria during World War II, a pit behind an ancient shrine at the back of the Artist house—he tried to comprehend about his own struggles and about the people and the place he’s been associated with recently.
For me, it was a little less Murakami-ish compared to his other books I have read. Even though the usual old vinyl records, solitude, explicit dreams, and some eerie or surreal events are still featured in this book, I feel different. It has become less painful and saddening to read. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it. Uncovering the multi layer of mystery was very much intriguing with each page turned. I just wasn’t satisfied with the story, perhaps. I’ll give 3 stars for this one.
The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
4.0
No extensive introduction is needed for Mitch, I guess. People said this book is the long-awaited sequel to the Five People You Meet in Heaven. I never thought that his Five People needed a sequel. Don’t get me wrong. The Next Person is a great read. Both books have own beautiful story and ended the way it should have been. I’m happy with the Next Person. Barely over 200 pages and it was a quick read yet I enjoyed it thoroughly. I’d give this book four bright stars.
This book is about Annie, the little girl Eddie died saving in Five People and she is the next person Eddie Meet in heaven. Each chapter unfolds the life story of Annie as she meets with the five people and we learn beautiful life lessons through her character.
In Five People, it gave us the messages Eddie needed to understand: everything happens for a reason, sacrifices are part of life, releasing anger and granting forgiveness, love, purpose of one’s life. Albom’s big theme hasn’t changed or become any more compelling since the previous novel. “When you first get to heaven, you meet five people from your time on earth,” Annie’s first guide explains. “They teach you something you didn’t realize while you were alive. It helps you understand the things you went through.”
In this book, Annie learnt about five things from five different people: all the lives are intertwined—our stories are connected to one another, loneliness leads to empathy for others, grace about secrets and truth, learning from mistakes, accepting the loss.
This book is about Annie, the little girl Eddie died saving in Five People and she is the next person Eddie Meet in heaven. Each chapter unfolds the life story of Annie as she meets with the five people and we learn beautiful life lessons through her character.
In Five People, it gave us the messages Eddie needed to understand: everything happens for a reason, sacrifices are part of life, releasing anger and granting forgiveness, love, purpose of one’s life. Albom’s big theme hasn’t changed or become any more compelling since the previous novel. “When you first get to heaven, you meet five people from your time on earth,” Annie’s first guide explains. “They teach you something you didn’t realize while you were alive. It helps you understand the things you went through.”
In this book, Annie learnt about five things from five different people: all the lives are intertwined—our stories are connected to one another, loneliness leads to empathy for others, grace about secrets and truth, learning from mistakes, accepting the loss.
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
2.0
I picked this one because of its synopsis at the back of the cover. A bookshop owner in Paris recommending books to soothe the troubled souls of his customers. Except he couldn’t cure himself. It seemed interesting at first but it became a very slow and a boring read. Perhaps it’s not my cup of tea.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
5.0
I have never cried so much in my life while reading a novel. This must be the kind of book Franz Kafka once said, “I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound or stab us. If the book we’re reading doesn’t wake us up with a blow to the head, what are we reading for? (...) A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.”
Despite being a total page turner, #ALittleLife is one harrowing book that I had to take small breaks after some pages. Relentless suffering from the beginning to the end, these 810 pages were an exhausting read, yet I immensely enjoyed it in last 6 days.
It casually started with a group of friends in New York—JB, Jude, Malcom, and Willem—trying to be successful in their own field after the college. Then slowly and cruelly learnt about the past of the broken protagonist, Jude. His inexplicability about his dark past was, at first, seemed like a mystery but, my, I was gasping for air when it was unfolded. His abusive and traumatic childhood was something always troubling him. His 4 dear friends and other loving friends tried to help him escape the hyenas of his own savannah.
I like how Hanya Yanagihara wrote this book. No specific and famous person or movie or songs were featured so it becomes eternal present day. Everyone from different decades can relate to it. I know the book is not perfect or the best in literature sense or whatever ruler you use to measure it. But I just love, love, love her storytelling. The writing is too graphic and some chapters are like pushing a knife into an open wound and twisting it again.
*SPOILER*
Some people never escape from their dark past no matter how hard they fight. And despite the unconditional love and support form the loved ones around him, somehow he can’t be saved. Near the end of the book, I wasn’t just crying, I was bawling. The last chapter broke me like Kafka had said.
Jude, Willem, JB & Malcom forever. As well as Harold, Julie, Andy, Richard, and everyone surrounded these beautiful-soul people with such loving and care and kindness. I still can’t get over it yet. I might regretfully pick it up again in a couple of years.
Despite being a total page turner, #ALittleLife is one harrowing book that I had to take small breaks after some pages. Relentless suffering from the beginning to the end, these 810 pages were an exhausting read, yet I immensely enjoyed it in last 6 days.
It casually started with a group of friends in New York—JB, Jude, Malcom, and Willem—trying to be successful in their own field after the college. Then slowly and cruelly learnt about the past of the broken protagonist, Jude. His inexplicability about his dark past was, at first, seemed like a mystery but, my, I was gasping for air when it was unfolded. His abusive and traumatic childhood was something always troubling him. His 4 dear friends and other loving friends tried to help him escape the hyenas of his own savannah.
I like how Hanya Yanagihara wrote this book. No specific and famous person or movie or songs were featured so it becomes eternal present day. Everyone from different decades can relate to it. I know the book is not perfect or the best in literature sense or whatever ruler you use to measure it. But I just love, love, love her storytelling. The writing is too graphic and some chapters are like pushing a knife into an open wound and twisting it again.
*SPOILER*
Some people never escape from their dark past no matter how hard they fight. And despite the unconditional love and support form the loved ones around him, somehow he can’t be saved. Near the end of the book, I wasn’t just crying, I was bawling. The last chapter broke me like Kafka had said.
Jude, Willem, JB & Malcom forever. As well as Harold, Julie, Andy, Richard, and everyone surrounded these beautiful-soul people with such loving and care and kindness. I still can’t get over it yet. I might regretfully pick it up again in a couple of years.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
4.0
It was a slow but a good read. Susan Cain, being an introvert herself, doesn’t force the introverts to come out of their shell when dealing with the world. She asks the people to accept the introverts as much as the world praises the extroverts. In today’s world, an ideal person is an extrovert. She mentioned that many of the most important institutions of contemporary life are designed for those who enjoy group projects and high levels of stimulation. Susan Cain didn’t write this book to bash on the extroverts. She simply wants a world with a decent amount of equilibrium between these two types of personalities.
The multiple facets of introverts were presented in various scenarios. Referencing the researches and books on personality and psychology, she explained why the introverts behave or think in a certain way. So I think this book isn’t just for introverts to read and understand themselves, it is also for the extroverts to know more about the opposite personality of theirs.
I watched Susan Cain talked about the power of introverts on Ted Talk a few years back. Being one of the introverts with a big fat capital I, her talk was empowering. Since then I had been searching her book but couldn’t find at any bookstore. A couple of months back, this book resurfaced on my Instagram feeds and I felt the urge to read it. This time I just went straight to Bookdepository and ordered it.
The multiple facets of introverts were presented in various scenarios. Referencing the researches and books on personality and psychology, she explained why the introverts behave or think in a certain way. So I think this book isn’t just for introverts to read and understand themselves, it is also for the extroverts to know more about the opposite personality of theirs.
I watched Susan Cain talked about the power of introverts on Ted Talk a few years back. Being one of the introverts with a big fat capital I, her talk was empowering. Since then I had been searching her book but couldn’t find at any bookstore. A couple of months back, this book resurfaced on my Instagram feeds and I felt the urge to read it. This time I just went straight to Bookdepository and ordered it.
အလွမ်းဆိုင် by Sabal Phyu Nu, စံပယ်ဖြူနု
4.0
I heard so much about this book from my friends and read its good reviews online, too. The fact that it has becoming quickly sold out in most of the bookshops made me want to read it even more. I finally got the book on Tuesday evening and finished it on Wednesday night.
What a delightful read. A beautiful story of the protagonists reminiscing about their adolescence in a sleepy little town of Shan State, Hsipaw. The writer carefully crafted the usual things every teenagers have to go through – like the very first crush, the unrequited love, the teenage heartache etc – with such eloquence. It was not dramatic with exaggeratedly adorned words nor boring with lack of character development. It also featured the time when book rental shops were huge impact for book nerds. The era today’s 30-somethings and 40-somethings really wish they could go back cause the book rental shop culture is nearly vanished in the country.
With such poise, the ambience of Hsipaw and its vicinity were impeccably developed. The pretty little train station, the riverside house, the book rental shop and the yellow wild sunflowers were vividly printed on my mind. As the title suggests, a subtle nostalgic feeling lingered as I turned each page. A well deserved 4 stars.
What a delightful read. A beautiful story of the protagonists reminiscing about their adolescence in a sleepy little town of Shan State, Hsipaw. The writer carefully crafted the usual things every teenagers have to go through – like the very first crush, the unrequited love, the teenage heartache etc – with such eloquence. It was not dramatic with exaggeratedly adorned words nor boring with lack of character development. It also featured the time when book rental shops were huge impact for book nerds. The era today’s 30-somethings and 40-somethings really wish they could go back cause the book rental shop culture is nearly vanished in the country.
With such poise, the ambience of Hsipaw and its vicinity were impeccably developed. The pretty little train station, the riverside house, the book rental shop and the yellow wild sunflowers were vividly printed on my mind. As the title suggests, a subtle nostalgic feeling lingered as I turned each page. A well deserved 4 stars.
သက်တံ့တို့ဖြင့်ရက်ဖွဲ့ ချစ်သူရဲ့ ခြုံလွှာ by ဂျူး
2.0
To be frank, it was a total let down. Juu happened to be one of a very few Burmese contemporary writers I like. I still have a handful of favourites from her former books. In this recent book, she failed to weave the different stories into one impeccable shawl. (Pun intended.) It doesn’t necessarily have to feature today’s trend to make the young readers feel inclusive, I guess. Whether or not the readers can be relatable with the materials isn’t important. The much more important point is to be able to bewitched the readers emotionally.
It would have been a good book if the story was about the protagonist’s grandmother having flashbacks and the reminiscent of her two daughters (protagonist mum and the aunt). Now there is an extra chunk of sub story—the protagonist’s story—I don’t really feel like to be part of it. It’s pretty lame. Overall, I would generously give 2 stars.
It would have been a good book if the story was about the protagonist’s grandmother having flashbacks and the reminiscent of her two daughters (protagonist mum and the aunt). Now there is an extra chunk of sub story—the protagonist’s story—I don’t really feel like to be part of it. It’s pretty lame. Overall, I would generously give 2 stars.