Oscar
Let Him in is a stellar debut novel for William Friend. The prose is light and airy but beautiful at the same time; flowing between the real world, the superstitious and flashbacks.
The story is about a grieving father who lost his wife and must deal with his twin daughters' imagination of seeing a man around the house at night. He asks for help to his sister-in-law and both try to figure out if everything is just child's play or something more...
Overall, the book is an enjoyable read but suffers from some pacing issues and an unsatisfying ending which does not clear up much of the mystery.
Time's Arrow is a tricky book. It forces you to read segments a few times over to fully understand what is really going on since the story is told in reverse. Even the dialogues begin at the end, and they are done in a very clever way, almost palindromic in nature since they make sense both in reverse and normal order. Fortunately, the extra effort to understand everything is very rewarding as you dig deeper into the protagonist's darkest secrets.
What an intense ride through the English language. Possession is mainly an indulgence into language's beauty, coated with themes of scholarly research, academic competition, thoughts on feminism and platonic love. The plot itself isn't that important or incredible since it's more about its themes and thoughts. The book also features a lot of poetry which can be a turn off for some people but it is a plus for me. Ultimately, I have to commend the author for pouring in so much love into creating these “fake” poems and backstories which are extremely elaborate and realistic to the point you actually end up believing that these fictional poets actually existed.
If you're looking for a good story, it isn't your kind of book, but if you're looking for an experience, Possession is pure literary pleasure.
It's a very interesting book which tackles the eternal question if there is life after death and tries to do so by using scientific explanations (quantum physics and quantum biology) and the content is very intriguing. The only problem that the book has is the way it's written: it repeats many of the same concepts over and over again and in many occasions, paragraphs of text have no relation with the previous one, there is a disconnected flow between explanations. Beside that, I enjoyed what it teaches.
This has been my first Brandon Sanderson book and sadly, it wasn't what I was expecting given all the glowing praise from its fans. One thing I strongly disliked is how everything feels crafted to appeal to the masses. It seems like something out of the MCU with flat and snarky characters. There is a point where most crew members of the story get mashed up together with similar personalities and you really can't distinguish them easily.
The magic system is not of my taste either, it seemed like something pulled out of a videogame. There is a chapter which resembles a tutorial or the manual of the system and it really pulled me out of the immersion.
The prose was just too straightforward, no aesthetics considered at all.
The positives are that, just like an MCU movie, it is entertaining and easy to digest. Its fun at parts and can keep you engaged but you get the feeling you're eating a Whopper: nice and tasty but not truly good food for you.
A nice little read on the unknown side of teaching. It tackles problems of self-esteem, confidence, how to discipline when necessary and, most importantly, connect with students. Much of the advice is fairly basic but it is a great launching point for any aspiring teacher to hone their teaching metagame and start improving the way they teach.
Another book from my teenage years. This time, however, I remembered it being better. It's a book that could be entertaining for young people but it was too shallow for my grown self now.
It is a collection of 4 short oral stories, like the ones grandma used to tell you next to a fire to scare you. In book form, they lose most of their effect and leave you wondering what was the point. They try to also communicate a message, a lesson learned but they seem too simple or childish.
A quick and engaging mystery/horror book set in the enchanted and magical lands of Galicia, Spain. The story flows easily and is always advancing thanks to being mostly told through letters. I had already read this book in my teenage years and picked it up again 20 years later for a nostalgia trip and it didn't disappoint.
The only gripes I have with it are how some characters are capable of writing about a nice church they've seen once (and other seemingly unimportant details) while hiding away from a lurking danger outside their room which I find completely implausible.
Also how forced and rushed the ending seems, with no hint or explanation of how the events unfold or why. I know it's meant to be open ended in interpretation but this gives a feeling of “it happens like this just because”.
Despite this, the book is enjoyable through and through and a real page turner because you get hooked quickly.
Not in the mood for this right now.
Not the moment for it
Too abstract into Magic theory for my taste.