sullyisreading's reviews
52 reviews

Corrigenda for Costafine Town by Jake Morris-Campbell

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

3.75

There is a mix of poetry in this collection to catch your attention. Jake Morris-Campbell had a lot to say and if you listen, there is much to take away from his works.

Selected Short Stories by Guy de Maupassant

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

I've had this book to read for a while, and I'm so glad to have gone through the stories included. They are brilliant, hardly one can be pointed out as being weak. Maupassant's skill cannot be underplayed. He was a master writer.

The translation I read by Roger Colet was appropriate and strong, providing a great sense of the imagery and speech in each story. 

My favourite stories that spring to mind from the selection are Boule De Suif, The Graveyard Sisterhood, Madame Tellier's Establishment, Two Friends, The Jewels, My Uncle Jules, Mother Savage, The Horla, and Mouche. It would be harder to pick stories that were my least favourite from the collection, frankly.

The Eyes of the Overworld by Jack Vance

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

Quite enjoyable book. Had some moments I felt Jack Vance could have capitalised on, which failed to quite meet expectation, but were highly enjoyable all the same. A bizarre, farcical version of the Odyssey, if taken primarily by land instead of sea. Worth a read if old fantasy tales that tell uniquely odd stories are your bag. I don't know if I would read more of the series, but I enjoyed the read primarily for Cugel. Cugel the Clever. Clever indeed...

The King in Yellow / The Mystery of Choice by Robert W. Chambers

adventurous dark emotional informative lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

When I began this book, I had bought it for the King In Yellow section of stories. Some of them were very good, too. The Court of the Dragon, The Yellow Sign, The Mask, and The Demoiselle d'Ys - were all great in seperate ways.

However, personally, I enjoyed RWC's Mystery of Choice collection as a whole to be stronger and more enjoyable a read. Especially The Purple Emperor, The Messenger, and The White Shadow. Something about how they were written and told stood out and captured me more than the King In Yellow.

I understand as well that some stories were left absent from the collection of King in Yellow stories present in this book. I've heard they're quite basic and seem to oddly have no obvious connection to the playscript of The King in Yellow which ties his stories together. 

Nonetheless, RWC is a very talented writer, and his imagery is gorgeous. His romance-writing shows as the many relationships shown are tender, enjoyable, and sweet.

Divisible by Itself and One by Kae Tempest

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

3.75

There was some strong poetry in this book. I found some of the poems not to my liking however I couldn't pick out much that I felt made it wrong or weak, simply not to my preference in parts. Would recommend. My favourite poem was probably 'Cacoon.' Her form poetry was unique.

Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Strong first book to finish reading in the year of 2024. I haven't read anything quite like this book before and it was a welcome blast. I hope to read more books like this in the future. Brilliantly written and absurdly on point with its handling of the concept of grief.

Roadside Picnic by Boris Strugatsky, Arkady Strugatsky

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I really enjoyed this story. It'  been one I've wanted to read for a while, and when I saw the book on sale, I was excited to check it out. Well worth the read and worth the wait from when I first heard about the book to finally reading it.

I wish more characters in literature were like Red. Fascinating and enjoyable to read.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

As a whole, although there were parts of the story that I felt dragged a little, the story as a whole was entirely worth the read. I began by reading it out with my partner who had already read the book, and was the one who loaned it to me; eventually they were fine with me reading it by myself. Although I've been busy, I made the effort to reach the end. 

A very emotional story. The characters felt real, and the progress they make and the paths through life they make feel very genuine and realistic. It has left me feeling a very nostalgic, happy sadness - if that makes any sense at all. 

Would definitely recommend to anyone who likes the works of Ted Chiang, or experimental sci-fi stories that are rooted in modern day situations and life. 

Fairy Tales by Terry Jones

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This collection of fairy tales are wonderful. My favourite from the whole collection is 'Dr Bonocolus' Devil' - a new, highly amusing take on the tale of Faust.

The whole book is amazing to read outloud. Highly recommend.

Fortuna. Gawain Douglas by Gawain Douglas

adventurous dark emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

5.0

An eclectic mix of poetry. When I came across this book, although I was at that time unfamiliar with the writer, I was incredibly curious to read their works. I thought every poem to have a unique charm and quality about them, and there were many I particularly loved. I think I'd pick this book up again to read the odd poem from, as there are many that captured my imagination and put me in the mood to write my own poetry. 

Amazing work. There's nearly 200 pages of poetry here and I hope to publish close to as many poems as Gawain Douglas has.