sophiphas's reviews
106 reviews

dark emotional lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I don't really like the plot in the second half as much as the first and the first few pages were not that interesting to me at all. The author's attempt of mimicking a 5 year old child's thinking is good at times, but there are still some parts where the thoughts in Jack's head are way too mature for a child this young. I respect the attempt though, since it is difficult to pretend to be a child. Only thing I actually like is Jack's relationship with his mother, it was heartwarming. Wish Old Nick's character would be explored more.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

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adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.25

i like the message of the story and the premise, but the writing threw me off. maybe it's because certain things have been lost with the translation, but still. while the stories are nice and got me tearing up a wee bit, the characters are two dimensional and dull. i also don't like how some of the stories play off, like the third one for example: the sister is just equally as selfish for not considering the big sister's dream and purpose. overall it's a 3.3/5 for me; i'm very disappointed since i had high expectations lol.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

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2.0

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

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emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Incredibly beautiful, relatable and tragic. Reading this was like getting punched in the stomach as a queer trans person. This was the first time I've read anything by James Baldwin and now I'm looking forward to reading more of his works.

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

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informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.25

i will forever cherish the things i've learned from these letters. my brain just got rewired

La Servante écarlate by Margaret Atwood

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

A 4 stars for me. Beautifully written and impactful. My only criticism is that the this book has a really privileged-white-first-world-country view of feminism and that it's slowmoving at times. Otherwise, it's a great book; I love especially the last few chapters and the ending.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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mysterious medium-paced