Jiaying
4.5 stars. The Chinese name of this book is 在谎言拆穿之前 or “Before the Lie Gets Exposed” (which I believed is a direct translation of the Japanese name). I think this name gives a better indication of the type of stories in this book. The first book was more about the people who time-travelled, but this book was also about the owners of the cafe and more about the ghost. I cried less in this book, but I enjoyed the unfolding of the stories behind the regular characters. As per the previous book, this was a healing read, and nudges readers towards liberation from grief, regrets and guilt through the stories.
__
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read ⬅️⬅️⬅️
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
3.5 stars. A good introduction to this Greek classic, keeping it short and action-packed. It was an easy read yet kept the pace and most of the essence of it. One small feedback would be that it was occasionally difficult to figure out which person is who because they are drawn pretty similarly.
___
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great ⬅️⬅️⬅️
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
There are some nice juxtapositions in the words but some minor feedback about the poetry:
1. The rhythm is a bit chunky at times
2. Style changes at different sections. Whether by intention or not, maybe the transition felt a little abrupt.
Nice piece of local graphic novel capturing the unique pandemic times in Singapore.
So cute and creative!
___
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend ⬅️⬅️⬅️
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
Pretty illustrations, great analogy. But I think the language might be a bit too difficult for children, its main target audience, to digest.
__
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy ⬅️⬅️
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
4.5 stars. Great illustrations and even greater creativity in putting the thoughts, feelings and emotions of book-lovers into witty, themed comics. I thoroughly enjoyed it all.
___
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read ⬅️⬅️⬅️
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
4.5. Beautiful book that you wish you can read on and on. This is a book about the beautiful stories of healing a therapist's patients, as well as her own self-discovery and healing with her own therapist, as well as the lessons about humanity and ourselves. I've personally learnt many things that I myself can apply to my life. One of those books I will recommend to people!
___
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read ⬅️⬅️⬅️
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
3.75 stars. Honestly the writing is pretty plain and simple. Perhaps some might say the characterisation is a bit flat. But it's merit is that it is relatable. You don't need deep characterisation for such a premise. I like how the theme of regret is handled. Often we wish we could change the outcome by changing what we did or said. But what if the outcome cannot be changed? Can we still right that regret? This is what this book is about. Warning: you might cry multiple times.
——
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great ⬅️⬅️⬅️
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
An ode to Impressionism (my own take). An ode to living life not perfectly, but enjoying life-ishly.
__
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend ⬅️⬅️⬅️
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
It's the kind of book with life lessons distilled into short 2-3 pages of wisdom in essence, and which you would want to put by your bedside table and refer back to again and again to recalibrate your mind to what is important and necessary in life.
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend ⬅️⬅️⬅️
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
4.5 stars.
A great collection of life stories of a few Shanghainese residents, each of which tells a story of China's modern history. The stories are lively, moving and written in a way that reflects the deep friendship the author had built with them over the years. There is tongue-in-cheek humor amidst the helplessness of the people's disenfranchisement, yet reminds us of their resilience and unwavering perseverance. Of course these stories are not representative of the masses, but it is still a writing with heart, to give a voice to these people who are still fighting for their right for the rule of law. It has been a while since this book was written, and it is fitting that I finished this book on my China trip, surrounded by banners and plaques of the Socialist values, of which freedom, democracy and rule of law are some of them. I hope China becomes a much better society to live in for the sake of these lovely people, as well as my loved ones who live here.
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read ⬅️⬅️⬅️
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
I was a really shy kid when I was young, and wish I had this book that understood my shyness and to gently prod me out of it. Beautiful watercolour illustrations that matches the book.
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend ⬅️⬅️⬅️
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
The book read like I was watching TV. I know this is written based on the TV series, which is why the author needs to be conscious of that when writing. There was too much description that relied on sensory information. I felt like I was watching for afar rather than being fully immersed in the characters and settings.
3.6 stars. It was a very imaginative plot but Neil Gaiman seemed to keep his writing within a very minimalist style. Kind of like reading a fairytale written for a junior audience, yet the content was most definitely for an adult audience. I felt that the story could benefit from fleshing the characters out more. The second half of the book seemed rushed and touch-and-go. Had great potential to be very emotionally impactful like the movie, but fell a little flat.
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great ⬅️⬅️⬅️
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
4 stars.
Do not read this at night. I have never been to Scotland but I did feel like I experienced the mythical qualities of Isle of Skye. It was a gripping and rather haunting story, especially when you read the first few pages again after the book has ended. My only grouse is with the font in the comic sections.
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend ⬅️⬅️⬅️
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
On the surface it might seem to be about the famed man and his achievements, but it is really a book about leadership. Philip Yeo shined because he had the right leaders who used him to his strengths. Similarly, he inspires fierce loyalty in those who worked under him because he did not see workers as objects but valued them as assets and relationships to be cultivated.
“Everywhere I went, the first people I fired were the managers. I never fire the workers. It's not the fault of the workers. Whenever a company has problems, it is because of problems in the management. When people feel they are being taken care of,that they are being recognised, and when workers respect their bosses and are able to work with minimum interference, their productivity will be unlimited. People don't work for pay alone. People work because they are recognised and valued. They leave a company because they don't feel wanted.”
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views ⬅️⬅️⬅️
4.5⭐️: Excellent read
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
4.5 stars.
You begin reading, thinking it is a book about death, but it is a book about life... (and I shall not finish the second part of the sentence because one has to read it for themselves).
Its core message is nothing new, but it brings what we probably already knew in our subconscious to the surface. Told in a narrative that takes you by surprise the first few times it happens, then you come to expect it without understanding, and the final section explains it all. The twists may feel a little raw, but be patient, it gets better.
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read ⬅️⬅️⬅️
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.