I read this play ages ago in its original form and my reaction then was largely the same as it is now. If you have a certain love of the absurd, then I read this play ages ago in its original form and my reaction then was largely the same as it is now. If you have a certain love of the absurd, then I think it's easier to appreciate this. Because as so many people have already pointed out...nothing happens. Twice. I like this, but don't love it. I do love the hilarious stage directions coming from the main narrator, though. Love those.
I listened to the audio version this time around - and coincidentally, this is the first audio book I've ever listened to - which was a good decision, because the narration was fabulous. I do find that listening to an audiobook is not as easy as I'd imagined it to be. It requires a lot of focus, which makes sense, I guess, because when you sit down to read you're also pretty focussed. But when I listened to this while doing stuff around the house, I found myself missing out on quite a few things. It was better to listen to a couple of scenes before bed, when I didn't have my mind on anything else. I'm not sure listening to an audiobook version of a novel would be for me.
2015 Reading Challenge: a book set during Christmas
3.5 stars but I'm happily rounding up because this was just really sweet and cute.
Olivia was ador2015 Reading Challenge: a book set during Christmas
3.5 stars but I'm happily rounding up because this was just really sweet and cute.
Olivia was adorable, and she happens to be the same age as my niece so I thought she was written realistically. Maybe the whole story and the writing was a little too syrupy-sweet for even my tastes (and that's saying A LOT, because I embrace cheesiness) but hey, I am willing to handwave a lot at Christmas.
Also, I felt like the ending could have been done better. (view spoiler)[I was a little annoyed that the conflict between Celeste and Flynn disappeared because Olivia went missing for a short while. Instantly, Flynn saw the error of his ways because he could hear in Celeste's panic-stricken voice that she really cared about his daughter. Well, okay then. I was hoping for a different resolution, because I actually understood both sides. He was of course too rude to Celeste and needed to grovel, but I did understand where he was coming from, too. (hide spoiler)]
Other than that, this was just what I expected and needed from a holiday story. I'm pretty excited to check out more of her books....more
2015 Reading Challenge: a Pulitzer Prize-winning book
You'd think I would have the good sense to pick books that are 300 pages or less to fill the rema2015 Reading Challenge: a Pulitzer Prize-winning book
You'd think I would have the good sense to pick books that are 300 pages or less to fill the remaining categories and finish the challenge in time, but nope.
Apparently, unwittingly, I'd already read quite a few of the more recent Pulitzer Prize-winners. I liked this - I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would after the first couple of pages - but certain parts were too hard or long or...confusing to get through smoothly. The first part of the book is the weakest, although I don't know if that's exactly the best word to describe it. It's certainly the most dense part, and the book starts off really slowly, which was why I initially struggled with it a lot. The subject matter also took some getting used to.
This reads like a dystopian, to be honest. How can it not? It's all about "serving your nation in the true spirit of communism - through labour and devotion." It's horrible. Even more horrible to imagine that what's being described, or the stories being told, may in fact be closer to fact than fiction. And said story is often repulsive at times; it's most certainly not an easy book to read. This is also due, in part, to the narration. Particularly in the second part, the story is alternatively told through one of the characters but also through the public speakers, which give daily episodes of the "Best North Korean Story" of the year. Both stories are the same, but the switch in POV/narration didn't always work. Often, it lead to confusion and frustration on my part.
Still, I did enjoy it. I am oddly fascinated by North Korea; this nation I know next to nothing about but that sounds like something out of a fantasy book.
Jun Do got under my skin. I don't know how he did it, but he did. I cared about him and his ultimate fate so much, I was scared to actually finish the book because I knew the odds of it ending well were not good.
I cared about him so much, part of me wishes I'd never read this book in the first place.
The whole book builds up to an inevitable conclusion. It's like waiting for a car wreck that you know is going to happen before your very eyes, but you're unable to look away. But Pak Jun Do, you managed to steal just a little piece of my heart anyway. ...more
How to begin reviewing this book? I honestly don't really know exactly how I feel about it. The story2015 Reading Challenge: a book set in the future
How to begin reviewing this book? I honestly don't really know exactly how I feel about it. The story isn't unique and there's a lot of seemingly endless descriptions and explanations that are there simply to inform the reader. It's long, possibly longer than it should be for the first book in a projected seven(!)-book series. Yet, in spite of that, this book did keep me engaged. I was reluctant to put it down every time, I cared about the characters and the predicament Paige was in.
But the reader is required to put quite a bit of effort into it. The "slang" is hard to keep up with at first, and I admit to actually looking up the book's wiki page that has more in depth info about the different categories of voyants, and so on. I feel like despite the book's length, there is still very little information that's being handed out. Who the hell ARE the Rephaim? And the Emim? And what is the purpose of this book? I do hope the next one in the series provides at least a few more answers.
(view spoiler)[Another curious thing was that - again in spite of its length - the romantic angle still felt really underdeveloped. I liked both Warden and Paige a lot, but when something happens between them towards the end of the book, I found myself wishing it hadn't. Not yet, at least. This may also be due to the fact that I thought Paige had only been there for a couple of week, but really she'd been there for months, apparently. The timeline in this book was off, for some reason. While I like the idea of them and was definitely on board with that, the execution left me wanting more. (hide spoiler)]
I'm definitely intrigued enough to keep going with this, because this read smoothly and I did enjoy it. But on the whole my feelings are pretty mixed still. ...more
2015 Reading Challenge: a book by an author you've never read before.
I don't know how to describe my feelings towards this book. I didn't hate it, I 2015 Reading Challenge: a book by an author you've never read before.
I don't know how to describe my feelings towards this book. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. Above all, it seems to have made me feel wistful. I don't know why exactly, but the imagery, the time period, the setting...it struck somewhat of a melancholy chord. I'm glad I finally read this. I should really get my hands on the movie now. ...more
Ik ben geen fan van Pieter Aspe. Dit is pas het tweede boek dat ik lees van zijn hand (en dan alleen nog om aan de uitdaging te voldoen), maar ik voelIk ben geen fan van Pieter Aspe. Dit is pas het tweede boek dat ik lees van zijn hand (en dan alleen nog om aan de uitdaging te voldoen), maar ik voel absoluut niet de behoefte om er meer te gaan lezen. Dat komt voornamelijk door het taalgebruik, vreemd genoeg. De verhaallijn zelf zit meestal goed in elkaar, wat ik apprecieer, maar zijn schrijfstijl komt op mij meer Hollands dan Vlaams over.
Alles speelt zich af in Brugge, maar de personages praten alsof ze in Nederland wonen. Daar is op zich niks mis mee; er zijn wel meer Vlaamse schrijvers die geen typisch Vlaamse schrijfstijl hebben. Hier stoort het me echter mateloos. Misschien omdat ik me totaal niet kan voorstellen dat de lokale politie zinnen als "Jezus allemachtig!" en "dit is geheid een zootje" tegen elkaar uitkraamt.
Een paar pagina's later komen er dan plots twee onbeschofte agenten op het toneel, die dan natuurlijk wel plat West-Vlaams spreken. Waar dat voor nodig was, geen idee. Blijkbaar kiest Aspe enkel voor ofwel Hollandse parlé of plat West-Vlaamse parlé. Een gulden middenweg is er niet.
Domme kritiek misschien, dit, maar het stoorde me teveel. Het is ook mogelijk dat dit enkel komt omdat dit het eerste boek in de reeks is. Ik zal misschien in de toekomst nog een paar boeken van de serie proberen en zien of dat verbetert, maar zijn schrijfstijl ligt me tot nu toe niet echt.
De plot zal wel vrij goed in elkaar en slaagde erin mijn aandacht van voor tot achter vast te houden.
2015 Reading Challenge: a book that takes place in your hometown - Given that my hometown is arguably the equivalent of Stars Hollow, there are no books set there. I settled for one set in Bruges, which is the next best (and closest) thing. ...more
Sam and Mia, man. I'm rounding up from 3.5 stars for them alone. I wasn't as disappointed as I had feared I would b2015 Reading Challenge: a trilogy.
Sam and Mia, man. I'm rounding up from 3.5 stars for them alone. I wasn't as disappointed as I had feared I would be, which is largely due to the both of them. Yes, Sam was kind of an ass at the beginning and had arguably been an ass for the past ten years, but I really loved the energy between them regardless.
I loved finding out about him; (view spoiler)[the surprise that Sam was a witch himself was a pleasant one and I enjoyed how connected he was to it all. The connection he had with Mia and that he was as much a part of the legend as the others were. (hide spoiler)]
The magical aspect of the series didn't always work for me - mostly I didn't like the way it was used, I did like it in theory - but it was better in this third book. Maybe because everything was being wrapped up. And I liked how every book featured the yellow cottage in a prominent role, with every one of the island's new arrivals temporarily staying there.
All in all this was a good conclusion and easily the best book in the series for me. I've seen people mention this being their favourite Roberts trilogy, but it fell short on too many fronts to get there for me. ...more
Ripley wasn't my favourite, but I'd still been looking forward to her book. Unfortunately, instead of my growing to like her through her own book it tRipley wasn't my favourite, but I'd still been looking forward to her book. Unfortunately, instead of my growing to like her through her own book it turned out to have an opposite effect. She's the type of character that I have trouble warming up to and by the end I almost disliked her.
I did love the early banter between her and Mac, more of that always, please. Though his name made me snicker, because Mac Booke...really? I was charmed by Mac and his nerdy forgetfulness and absentmindedness, but it wasn't enough to win me over completely to these two. I've been waiting impatiently for Mia's book, but now I have a feeling I'm going to be left disappointed if I don't significantly lower my expectations.
To end on a completely different note: I am amused by the number of women who always conveniently seem to be wearing a bra with a front clasp in romance novels. Is this an American thing? I am genuinely curious. Particularly because I've never in my life even seen one of those. I know they exist, but I don't know anyone over here who actually wears them....more
Enjoyable, but nothing more. It started off quite promising, because the basic premise of this is a Sleeping with the Enemy-type situation, which I'm Enjoyable, but nothing more. It started off quite promising, because the basic premise of this is a Sleeping with the Enemy-type situation, which I'm kind of partial to.
I liked Nell and Zack, but it never went beyond liking; partly because I had trouble believing how easy it all seemed. I didn't buy the fact that she practically set up her own catering business in a matter of a week, previous experience or not. Catering a party with 100+ guests all by yourself while still working full-time elsewhere seems like it would be near impossible, yet it was described as being a piece of cake.
I would also like to actually see Nell attempt baking 10 different kinds of pastries every day in a small kitchen that is not well-equipped (her words) and a newly acquired kitten running around. Pretty sure most kittens would turn that process into somewhat of a nightmare for a baker, just saying.
It was a just a little too hapy-go-lucky for me, with everything perfectly falling into place, but I did enjoy it enough to be intrigued by the other two books. I'm looking forward to the other two, particularly Mia's book. ...more
I'm pretty sure I won't be able to write a non-rambly review for this book, but safe to say that it took care of my book slump o4.5 stars
Well, then.
I'm pretty sure I won't be able to write a non-rambly review for this book, but safe to say that it took care of my book slump of doom quite efficiently. (Now if only I could make myself finish the other books I'm supposed to be reading).
Apparently, there was quite a hype surrounding this novel even before it was released and yet, somehow, it never showed up on my radar. Not until about 3 weeks ago when I was Googling potential challenge books, as I had quite a few categories still to fulfill. This is odd, because a book like this should really have made its existence known to me much earlier or I should've at least been aware of it. This was right up my alley.
I admit to going in blind. Aside from reading the book's synopsis, I had no idea what I would be getting into. The only thing I did know was that it was termed suspenseful with a healthy dose of creepiness. It certainly was both those things, but in spite of that I think going in knowing as little as possible is a definite advantage.
Very early on, the book kept reminding me of Donna Tartt's The Secret History and upon finishing this I read a couple of reviews and noticed that I'm not the only one to have remarked on this. I'm not comparing both novels, but if you know me at all then you know that I don't mention The Secret History lightly; I very rarely mention that book in connection with anything, but it was oddly alike. Not story-wise, but in the way both books made me feel when reading them, and in the way it just pulls you in right off the bat and doesn't let go. It weaves its spell like invisible magic floating around you, the unsuspecting reader, and revealing more clues and details bit by bit at very specific times in the story. I LOVE that.
The structure of Night Film is therefore what reminded me of Tartt the most. The carefully built-up suspense, the way certain things just grip you by the throat, the writing ... The knowledge that everything you read, everything you encounter at any given point, will later come to be important and have more than one meaning.
I was pretty ecstatic about this book from the beginning because it pulls you in straightaway. Plus, there's a multimedia aspect to it that made it all the better. I'm sure this has been done before in fiction, but it was actually the first time I came across a book that used this technique, which maybe partly explains why it worked so well for me. I also loved the unlikely alliance between Scott, Hopper and Nora and everything about their dynamic.
So why not 5 stars? Well, part of me wants to say "screw it!" and give it 5 stars in spite of its flaws (and there are flaws) because this read like a train, and if I hadn't needed to sleep and work occasionally, I would've finished this in one reading session. But one of the biggest flaws is that I wasn't entirely sold on the eventual ending. Which kills me, because everything about the book is so MASTERFUL. But the ending, man. I don't know. I get what Marisha Pessl wanted to do, I just don't know that I agree with it. I neither wanted nor needed all of the answers. In fact, I was fully expecting to be somewhat left in the dark by the end, but the ending we actually ended up with? That can sort of go both ways? Not sure I buy it.
Another thing that frustrated me tremendously from the get-go, was the fact that there's an overuse of italics throughout the book. It's full of randomly - and mostly unnecessarily - italicised words. Now I don't mind italicising for emphasis, but I do mind when it becomes bothersome enough to interrupt the flow of my reading. And it was waaaaay too much here; I'm talking at least one word in italics every 5 or 6 sentences. This did get better as the book progressed, but it was never completely absent. The beginning's the worst, though.
Other than that, this was definitely an experience. I am probably going to end up buying a physical copy of this soon, so that I can re-read.
2015 Reading Challenge: a book that scares you....more
I was slightly less into this book than the first one. Mostly because of the Ramona-storyline (I have zero tolerance for things like that, because as I was slightly less into this book than the first one. Mostly because of the Ramona-storyline (I have zero tolerance for things like that, because as opposed to Grace, I do hold grudges. She's a better person than me.) and because I was just a little more into Garrett and Hannah's dynamic.
Still liked this a lot, though!
Sidenote: timezone pet peeve, but if it's 9.30am in Paris in May, then it's 3.30am in Massachusetts and not 2.30am. ...more
2015 Reading Challenge: an autobiography or memoir
I am currently going through a Mindy Kaling phase (yes, that's a thing), in that I read her previou2015 Reading Challenge: an autobiography or memoir
I am currently going through a Mindy Kaling phase (yes, that's a thing), in that I read her previous book last month, was then reminded that I'd been meaning to check out The Mindy Project for a while, and so proceeded to binge watch the show over the course of two weekends.
(I actually watched all of season 2 in one afternoon. Obviously my life is the best.)
But it's actually a good thing I'd caught up to the show before reading this, because, spoilers galore.
This was fun and I related to some things a whole lot. Some of those actually hit too close to home. I think I liked her first book slightly better (only slightly, though!) but this was still a really fun read.
I mean, obviously if you don't like Mindy Kaling all that much then you should not read this. But I happen to kind of adore her....more
First Karin Slaughter book I've ever picked up and it was definitely a page-turner.
One of my colleagues - who is as avid a reader as I am, but who re First Karin Slaughter book I've ever picked up and it was definitely a page-turner.
One of my colleagues - who is as avid a reader as I am, but who reads almost exclusively mystery and crime novels - had been recommending her books to me for a long time now, so I figured I owed it to her to check one of them out. She was particularly persuasive when it came to her latest book, which is this one, but I'm of two minds about it.
While it was very suspenseful and intriguing and the mystery kept me going for chapters on end, the entire book was also kind of horrifying. And not in the way that Gillian Flynn's books (to give but one example) are horrifying. This was on a whole other level.
What I did find Karin Slaughter did particularly well, was the characterisation. She made me care about all the different players from the very start, which is not an easy thing to do; especially since the sisters had grown so far apart, it would be easy to paint one of them in a more favourable light than the other and make it easy to pick sides. I cared about both, though, and I can be kind of a sucker for certain stories about sisters.
So I was actually enjoying this quite a bit, right up to the point after the big reveal where everything just took a far too gruesome turn. (view spoiler)[Speaking of the big reveal, I hadn't seen Paul being alive coming in this one. I am usually good about picking that up, but one of the reasons I hadn't here is that I didn't really buy it. I'm not a big fan of super powerful serial killers with a lot of political backweight that turn out to have a whole circle of followers/disciples to help him cover things up. Just, no. (Because - if any Mentalist fans happen to be reading this - sound familiar? The worst.) That twist didn't work for me. I did predict, as soon as it was revealed that Paul was still alive, that he'd be responsible for Lydia and Claire's father's death.
But yeah, the extensive files and photos of naked men posing next to dead girls that they have basically gutted? Too gruesome, and I've read some pretty gruesome books by this point. I also didn't get why anyone would let themselves be photographed next to a swinging corpse. As if that's not going to rear its ugly head at some point in the future? If you're going to commit a crime, at least be smart about it and don't pose next to the girl you just killed. Really, now. (hide spoiler)]
Which brings me to another complaint, which is that I hate when characters make what I deem to be nonsensical decisions. It's the equivalent of watching a horror movie and screaming at the main character that the last thing to do in that situation is go outside, because of course he/she will get killed. And while I realise these are just fictional characters, sometimes it can truly bother me when they don't do the only logical thing in a certain situation (e.g. call the police in case of emergencies). This is a personal pet peeve, though. Just like the fact that some things were a little far-fetched for me to believe. (view spoiler)[The fact that Ben Carver, a convicted criminal, had information about Julia's case and was able to give her father a very important clue, is something the reader is basically simply supposed to accept without asking any more questions. This is something I don't handle well, I don't like having to suspend disbelief too much. (hide spoiler)]
This is sounding more negative than I wanted it to now. It was a very solid book that I enjoyed and that kept me reading for hours on end. It's very well-written - the chapters written from the father's POV were also beautifully heart-breaking; I loved those the most - and I would definitely be interested in checking out other books by her. ...more
And I wanted to do a re-read, for challenge purposes, and then discovered that the copy I2015 Reading Challenge: a classic romance.
I love this book.
And I wanted to do a re-read, for challenge purposes, and then discovered that the copy I own wasn't actually on my bookshelf. Which is weird and a little disconcerting, because that means it probably got lost when I moved last year, and it also means I should REALLY get around to unpacking those final boxes that are still stacked in the corner of the guest room. Because hopefully my physical copy will be in there somewhere.
Anyway. I don't know that I can actually write a proper review for this novel. I've only ever read this one, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen and while I'd be hard pressed to pick a favourite amongst those...if I were forced to, I'd probably choose this one.
(Although haha, if I had just re-read P&P I would probably be saying the exact same thing. I cannot choose.) ...more
2015 Reading Challenge: a graphic novel (this is more just an illustrated novel, but I'm making it count)
This is a hard one for me to rate, actually.2015 Reading Challenge: a graphic novel (this is more just an illustrated novel, but I'm making it count)
This is a hard one for me to rate, actually. Every person I know who's read this book gave it 5/5; the friend average rating is literally 5.0 on my GR page. And while I love what this book did and how Patrick Ness chose to execute Dowd's idea, the story didn't grip me by the throat as it should have.
It's an emotional book, and I am actually one of the most emotional people out there. I'll cry at the drop of a hat and can't even watch or read about a dog and its master being reunited without bawling; but not here, for some reason. It was sad, of course it was sad - devastating, heartbreaking and so, so real - but I didn't shed a tear or even get particularly emotional. Which is very strange, so something was lacking for me.
Something that kept pulling me out of the story, was Harry (Conor's main bully). He seemed far too insightful for his age; I didn't believe at any point in the story that he was supposed to be a 12/13-year-old boy. And that bothered me enough to keep distracting me whenever he came along in the book.
This sounds a lot more negative than was my intention, because as my rating shows I still enjoyed this book quite a bit. It's beautifully written and slowly leads readers towards its inevitable outcome. It just fell short of being great, for me....more
This is probably tied with Blue Smoke for my favourite Nora Roberts novel. At least so far. I seem to be picking out the good ones lately, be4.5 stars
This is probably tied with Blue Smoke for my favourite Nora Roberts novel. At least so far. I seem to be picking out the good ones lately, because I really loved this. The beginning of this - the first 6 or 7 chapters - make for such a strong opening, it just pulls you in straightaway.
The heroine is great, and although I did have to get used to her manner of speaking and her very literal mind (this was, oddly, less of an issue for the beginning chapters where she's still a teenager. It didn't start to bug me until she was an adult, but it was only a minor annoyance), I loved her a lot. I loved Brooks and his entire family a lot, too. And BERT.
I'm also giving Nora Roberts a lot of credit for keeping this one low on drama. I'd been expecting a whole lot worse with regard to the Volkovs and I was so pleased to be proven wrong. The local drama with Blake and his son, etc. didn't bother me at all, because it was handled really well and overall the drama was still only minimal.
(view spoiler)[Obligatory complaint that I could've done without the super quick engagement, especially since the novel is long and could've easily been set over a few more months; but I've almost come to expect the fast betrothals, so eh. (hide spoiler)]...more
2015 Reading Challenge: a book written by someone under 30.
This was not my cup of tea. I liked the story itself well enough but didn't like the way i2015 Reading Challenge: a book written by someone under 30.
This was not my cup of tea. I liked the story itself well enough but didn't like the way in which it was being told. I kept losing focus and found that I really wasn't as interested as I should have been.
Also, there were little, seemingly inconsequential things that bothered me. If you have a friend/girlfriend/daughter who's been having black-outs and has been in a bicyle accident because of these...would you let her drive when going somewhere? There were two other people in the car, why would you not insist anyone but the person experiencing black-outs drive? That was ridiculous. It emphasised something that started bothering me very early on, which was that Andrew and Wendy just didn't seem to care all that much about Maggie. I will admit that this could've been attributed to her delusions and the way Maggie experienced it as opposed to actual reality - because she is an unreliable narrator if ever there was one - but it still bothered me.
I love Mindy Kaling. She just seems like such a fun person, without even getting started on how funny she is on 2015 Reading Challenge: a funny book.
I love Mindy Kaling. She just seems like such a fun person, without even getting started on how funny she is on top of that. If I knew her in real life, she's the type of girl I'd be really good friends with. I laughed out loud various times and there were a couple of sections I identified with so much. Her whole section on non-traumatic occasions that make her cry could basically have been written about me, tbh.
This has only cemented my belief that I really should start watching The Mindy Project very soon....more
Look at the pretty book cover. I am kind of in love with it, not gonna lie.
That being said, that's about all I was in love with.
Which is a shame, beLook at the pretty book cover. I am kind of in love with it, not gonna lie.
That being said, that's about all I was in love with.
Which is a shame, because this book is somewhat unique. It's set in an unspecified, far-off future, but because at some point technology started failing on a global level, mankind has turned back to the days before any kind of technology. They now refer to our present as the Time Before. Plus, the French Revolution part II seems to be in full swing, there are spies and beheadings galore, and in Great Britain (or the Commonwealth, as it's referred to) they have sought solace in celebrating everything Regency. It reads like a historical novel, but it's actually a futuristic/dystopian kind of thing. I don't even know how to shelve this.
Which really intigued me, to be honest. I thought this book sounded amazing. And I still think that. I still think that the idea at the basis of all of this was actually a pretty good one. What just didn't work for me was the pacing of the storytelling. The writing style is hard to describe, because it isn't exactly bad, it's just...boring. Even the action sequences are told in a way that isn't gripping at all, there is too much description and when I started this I kept losing focus. I actually fell asleep a few times at the beginning stage, even though I wasn't reading late at night. And I'm not particularly exhausted because I've just had what is essentially a month-long vacation, so this book quite literally put me to sleep.
It did pick up a little at some point, and I admit to really enjoying the relationship between René and Sophia. I was drawn to that, but it wasn't enough to overcome the flow and density of the writing, which just didn't work for me.
I started skimming very large sections around the 40% mark because this book is just far too long. The idea of history repeating itself and everything coming full circle at some point was intriguing, but homage to The Scarlet Pimpernel or not, the book still remains a bit of a hot mess that could've been great but isn't.
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