kou
I was quite dull and didn't realize Leah was turning into a Hadal creature until the Hadal Zone ;v; The imagery was quite nerve-wracking as Leah's body was adapting to the Hadal zone underwater. I for sure what not expecting such adaptation to the human body in such way when going into this book.
I thought the writing was beautiful, the idea of change, death, and having to ultimately let go of something/someone was prominent.
Now I'll be dreaming about big eyeballs and scary Hadal/transparent sea creatures with those big sharp white teeth, good bye
最後のおやつは、何を食べたいですか？
TWs/閲覧注意: Terminal illness/末期症状の病気, death of a family member/家族の死
When death approaches, people may often think of a last meal. At the Lion's House, the residents of this hospice have a chance to submit a request for what snack/dessert they would like to eat once again. Every Sunday at 3:00 pm, the residents gather together and eat a snack/dessert item that was submitted.
The story follows Shizuku, who recently was told how long she has due to her illness. Facing her last moments of life, she reflects on her memories, meets other residents of Lion's House and Lemon Island, and enjoys the delicious meals that she took for granted.
A beautiful story about letting go, death, grief, and gratitude. (The dishes that come out in this book sound so good – they will make you hungry!)
TWs: Discrimination
“What's wrong with living the way our ancestors have always lived?
3.5 rounded down.. or is it a 4?? I don't know!! I really enjoyed the aspects and the topics of indigenous people, their traditions/cultures, and being placed into a colonized, modern world. A topic and question still important to our current modern world as many cultures shift into modernization and integration of technology.
The con for me was also the pacing, repetition, and the odd romance (I say odd because I personally did not expect it lol). Much of the action happens at the very end of the book, so the pacing confused me quite a bit throughout the book. The writing was not my cup of tea, perhaps it is because it's a YA book.
[b:The Tent 17646 The Tent Margaret Atwood https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388285549l/17646.SX50.jpg 1080772] provides different stories, I feel much more of an interesting variety compared to [b:Old Babes in the Wood: Stories 61489616 Old Babes in the Wood Stories Margaret Atwood https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659417079l/61489616.SY75.jpg 95303780]! It's a short read, but the stories could be defined as quirky, fun, and bold.
TWs: death/loss of a parent and family, terminal illness, grief
4.5 rounded up; A beautiful story about Clover, a death doula, who is there for those who are about to pass so they are not alone. However, outside of her job, she juggles different internal struggles and her own feelings. How do we live life to the fullest?
I can't stop smiling, it's such a great book! Highly recommend if you enjoy an older female mc, Indian/Arabian/Muslim cultures, pirates, swashbuckling adventure with a lovely dash of humor!
I did not expect Jamal to be Dunya!!! What a plot twist LOL I'm so glad Amina got home safely and her crew still all in one piece, except for the few who have lost their lives ;-; I loved how the crew respected each other's culture/religions!! I don't often see that concept in books, but I think this one did so well. Raksh reminds me of Loki, I couldn't stop laughing when he got rafted at the end. I'm so glad this book didn't have any explicit intimate scenes or crazy amounts of romance. I feel like it often happens with fantasy books recently, but without it, it's done so well.
Who decides what's out of reach, if not we ourselves?
4.5 rounded up; I really loved the story and the plot!!! There were so many twists and turns.. like all this mystery and connections between Altair!! He just seems to have unlimited tricks and secrets up his sleeves lol I was a little disappointed with Deen's quick death early on in the book. Zafira and Nasir's scenes were 0//__//0 I was disliking Altair in the beginning but he ended up being my favorite by the end! A little disappointing how Altair describes himself as forgotten in the end and they kind of all just allowed it.. ;-; I'm sure it'll all be answered and unraveled in the next book!
Glossary and pronunciation guide!
TWs: drug abuse/overdose3.5 rounded down; for now! I really enjoyed [b:Sea of Tranquility 58446227 Sea of Tranquility Emily St. John Mandel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1626710416l/58446227.SX50.jpg 92408226] and [b:Station Eleven 20170404 Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680459872l/20170404.SX50.jpg 28098716], but the concept for [b:The Glass Hotel 45754981 The Glass Hotel Emily St. John Mandel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564199892l/45754981.SX50.jpg 57817644] is quite different so it was a little difficult. I liked and continued to read the first half, but I started losing interest (probably not the best time when everything is being pieced together lol) I still enjoy Mandel's writing and prose! But I think this financial situation/plot wasn't as enjoyable. Still, I liked the concept of the counterlife and Mandel's way of rotating through timelines like a puzzle. I think I'll revisit at a later time
TWs: Bullying, suicidal attempts, terrorists (planes), trauma (psychological/mental)
My life has been changed, soundlessly, instantaneously.
What a beautifully written novel, yet so heartbreaking and sad ;-; The story is written like an autobiography in the present tense as Elaine reminisces memories as she is getting ready for her retrospective exhibition.
It's unfortunate that Elaine had resorted to vengeance and took on Cordelia's 'persona' as she grew up. Though, it could have been different depending on many factors. How might it have been if someone had noticed what Elaine was going through? Who could have stopped Cordelia's bullying? Would they all have been drinking tea as old friends if it had been identified early on? Elaine's vengeance clouded her vision and perhaps came to the realization too late.
Dostoevsky is like my comfort read lol
Although I haven't read other translations, I highly recommend Pevear and Volokhonsky! The notes are always helpful and allow me to learn and understand the background knowledge. I also love that Dostoevsky includes poetry, words, and music from various sources!
2.5 rounded up; Mixed feelings about this book – I like the concept of these mediens and the types of powers/magic they have. The society is surrounded by questions and mystery.
The characters are sooooo, so similar to each other, it's hard to like them at all because they talk the same, use the same vocabulary (f-bombs everywhere), and this repetitive responses/answer-question format that became a lot more annoying in this book (“yes.” “yes?” “yes.”). Their attitudes are also so similar, which might be understandable, considering their position within the society, but it definitely could've been differentiated more. I skimmed over a LOT of it because seconds in the moment felt like hours.
I was highly anticipating for Callum's character development because he was probably the most interesting out of all of them in [b:The Atlas Six|50520939|The Atlas Six (The Atlas, #1)|Olivie Blake|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579241117l/50520939._SY75_.jpg|75499539], in a good way or earning trust back, but he ended up being this drunkard with self-pity seeping out everywhere. Gahh
Unsure if I'll pick up the next book if the characters and writing is going to continue on like this ;-;
This was such a nice, short, lovely read! The aspects of friendship shown here through the Tortilla Flat was so nice. I liked that each character came out after every chapter, and it was presented in a way that I was able to comprehend easily, distinguish, and enjoy, despite them being 6+ people by the end. I definitely wasn't ready for that ending, and it pains that the Tortilla Flat crew sort or dispersed due to Danny's death, because it's kind of what kept them together ;-;
I accidentally clicked on a spoiler early on and spoiled myself with the ending, so I ended up meticulously highlighting a bunch of things that Sheppard said or did. So when chapter 13 hit, it seemed that Sheppard could be the suspicious one. He and Poirot seemed to have a lot of conflicts, compared to Hastings (though, I've only read one book with Hastings lol but the language is slightly different between the two). I also really like that he brought up how he's the Watson to Poirot's Sherlock, but definitely more “foolish” as this book brought up quite a lot :Chuckle: I really like how it ended! I suppose Sheppard is the foolish one, thinking he can outsmart the Poirot the hair dresser LOL Caroline was the MVP, saying all these things about his brother, and they were all quite true about his true nature..
After reading people's reviews, I'm thinking it's the level of character development/connection is lacking? I know it's only the first book, but usually you have one character you want to root for, or emotionally devote to, but everyone in this book was kind of all over the place so my attention is going wheeee. Though, I did enjoy parts of it, and Blake's writing is interesting, but I definitely enjoyed [b:Alone With You in the Ether 61126612 Alone With You in the Ether Olivie Blake https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1661863300l/61126612.SY75.jpg 84581419] much more. I thought Libby's abduction was going to be solved here but guess not
TWs: Mentions of rape, animal death, gore, domestic abuse
Welcome to the journey, all aboard the Saardam..!! I really enjoyed the trip, the mystery behind this devil, and how the mystery unraveled! I'm terrible at mysteries and cannot (or more like do not like lol) figure out the culprit, but I'm pleased with the ending!
My only concern was the mention of rape after the shipwreck. I felt like it was meant to bring it to the extreme, considering the story takes place during the 1600s, but it's a little overboard (no pun intended). It could have worked without it. Aside from it, I really enjoyed the story, and the author's little letter at the end, "If you want sexy Arent, sexy Arent you shall have." LOL
For the ending, I knew Pipps was so sus, but I didn't think it would have also been Creesjie, and they were siblings!! I'm sad for Arent, considering he was like Pipps' friend, bodyguard, and someone he worshipped, but I guess I'm glad that he made such deal to burn the ship down (I hope they truly did), but I suppose that doesn't change the fact that Pipps was like any other ruler or man that Arent despised.
If you have terrible memory like me, I would suggest writing or printing the list of people at the beginning. It helps when the author brings them up as their name or title, which definitely confused me more than I can count. (a hard copy works too! I read on a kindle)
TWs: Gun violence/gore, death of an animal/gore
4.5 rounded up! I haven't watched the movie, so I was interested in reading it and then watching it later.. But wow! I really enjoyed the writing, and the narration made it so much better! She portrayed each character's narration/POVs with their accent and personalities, so it was easy to distinguish between them as they switched through the chapters. The story was slow at first, and multiple characters' storylines began to enter. Once it picked up, it was difficult to pull away!
TWs: Child abuse, child death, self-harm
A beautiful story narrated by a blind boy who can only rely on his other senses as he navigates his new home and interact with those around him. The way this book was written was amazing, and how it had no chapters, yet it was unique and intentional, adding to the writing style. A roller coaster of emotions as it follows the story of Luca and his friend Ada.
