sweetwitches's reviews
33 reviews

The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto

as a nostalgia queen and yoshimoto fan (i haven’t read her in over 2-3 years now though) i love the general premise of this book but i think it really fell short on the execution for me.

i love the concept of remembering your past in fragments and not quite getting the full picture for better or for worse. i can empathize with the feeling of feeling like something is missing, being drawn to something and not knowing what it is but i guess the way these ideas were explored were not for me. also didn’t think she explored yayoi’s premonitions enough which is crazy because i think that’s the title of this book.

i tried to keep an open mind when it came to the taboo topics (

incest and student-teacher relationships

) but ultimately i didn’t see its purpose. i’d like to think i’m missing some cultural context and that things got lost in translation.

Greek Lessons by Han Kang
Did not finish book. Stopped at 68%.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

4.0

i thought i knew the gist of frankenstein but i guess not! this was surprisingly easier for me to digest as someone who struggles with reading old english/old english adjacent literature. i loved her prose while wishing she toned it down a bit at the same time which is honestly more of a me problem. so in reading this story i realized how much i need to slow down…not just in reading but also in other aspects of my life currently so there’s that. 

she’s a classic for a reason. 

The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante

3.0

many beautiful quotes from this one although it might be my least favorite ferrante novel so far (this is only my third). im such a big fan of her writing though so i kept reading despite not really caring for the story and the relationships between the characters. 

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

4.5

She hugged herself, and told herself that she was brave, and she almost believed herself

i started reading this in early november specifically for the creepy autumn vibes (and then i got distracted obvs) and it definitely was that but it also ended up being a more emotional read than i thought (for me idk im just going through a lot these days i guess). but yeah. i really love coraline as a character and i now hold her near and dear to my heart. ❤️

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

emotional reflective sad tense

4.75

def one of my favorite reads of the year :’) i might come back and write a real review soon but wow

The Vet's Daughter by Barbara Comyns

4.0

The Fawn by Magda Szabó

4.5

My Death by Lisa Tuttle

3.0

might have to reread this to really #GetIt 

Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig

challenging reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

every character was so messy and melodramatic which is a critique ive seen in a bunch of reviews but i actually kind of loved that about the book and felt that it explored so much about us as people. like i don’t think 99% of these characters are agreeable but with zweig’s prose and storytelling its like okay i see where you’re coming from. yknow. i do see why people think it dragged bit but it didn’t bother me personally. 

anyway this was so crazy this is what happens when you have no boundaries u guys it actually scared me and made me rethink my own.