mikkiokko's reviews
101 reviews

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A gang of reckless semi-rich mid-30 year olds go on vacation. They all ruin each other's lives. But you slowly feel more and more pity for them. They have been through it with no solutions. They turn to vices to stay disillusioned, and even when they finally realize how pretty it would have been another outside force will not let them be. They are so incredibly lost. You see hauntingly how the same feeling still is, you just wish for a few more words. 

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I love this book a lot. Bullied a lot in my childhood, I found a lot of comfort in the exploration of increasing isolation and the almost frenzied thinking that comes trying to understand your experience of something so senseless. It is definitely not an easy read, but it is a great focus. It also goes without saying that Kawakami's writing is just some of the best out there today. I hope so badly to be able to write this well one day. 

An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro

informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Pros: 
- The exploration of Japan after WWII was interesting and a perspective that I've never got to hear about. 
- If there's one thing Ishiguro is great at its exploring a characters psyche. Ono's journey and reflection of coming to terms with his contribution to Japan's imperialism and nationalism during WWII was very interesting. Always felt like I was fully in his brain, whether it be for the better or for the worse. 

Kinda Cons:
- PLEASE be forewarned that so far from what I've read of Ishiguro's earlier works they are VERY slow paced. It is just a man talking and thinking, that is the plot of the book. Doesn't mean it's bad, it means just be prepared. 
- Ono, glad you could reflect on your contributions to imperialism, now please check your contributions to sexism. To be clear I don't think Ishiguro is sexist, from how he's described women in his other books there's never been a problem. In this case I think he is just reflecting the time and setting, but god it is still ROUGH to read over and over again. So just be prepared for that. 
- I wish that the secondary characters in Ono's present day were more developed. I It kind of felt like they were just there to propel him forward in his thinking, rather than had their own lives too. 

Sula by Toni Morrison

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Plainly and simply, the most well-written book I've ever read. My jaw is continues to literally drop every time I read Morrison's words. It baffles me that we do not study Morrison's work more in classes (at least I haven't gotten the opportunity to). 
Anyways, I cannot stop thinking about this book. The rollercoaster of emotions I went on watching the events of Sula & Nel's relationship had me thinking that one of them was the bad one, then the other actually was, then realizing that they were still so alike in the end and almost not caring anymore who was "the bad one". I think that's what I keep thinking about the most after finishing this book is "the bad one", and honestly maybe that's not the point. I feel like the point is being witness to these two women and their extreme bond in the background of a town of people just trying to survive as seemingly everything from the natural world and social order around them tries to tear them apart. As usual, a Morrison novel is something you cannot ever put down because it just keeps  lingering in you. 

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I liked this story, however I think it suffered quite a bit from being overly repetitive. I would have liked to see the book focus on one story (preferably the Tonkatsu one), that way I could feel more invested in the story and avoid the repetition of facts. Furthermore, I wish we could have spent more time on one story so that we could actually follow Nagare's deduction skills rather than just hear about them. I also wish there was more development/discussion of Nagare and Koishi's relationship, especially since their mom/wife has passed. There were more things that were also mentioned over and over but never really went anywhere (ex. photos in the corridor, Drowsy). Overall, not bad it was nice and cozy, I just wish I could have been a little more invested in the story. 

ALSO JUSTICE FOR MY BOY DROWSY EVERYONE TREATED HIM LIKE SHIT FOR NO REASON!!

Also also, this is the most Hisashi book to ever exist. 

If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura

funny reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I liked the concept of this book and the complicated journey our mc took. The exploration of and reinterpretation of meaning and memories is quite nice and hurt my heart a lot at times. I also personally liked the mildly ambiguous ending. However, the book was VERY repetitive at times making it hard to focus sometimes. Overall, I still liked it. 

Cabbage and Aloha are my fav part I cannot lie.

Recitatif by Toni Morrison

challenging informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Look, going into my first Toni Morrison I knew I was going to experience a literary legend's work, but that doesn't mean I wasn't unable to keep my jaw off the floor. 

It is actually incredible how much Morrison is able to pack into 40 pages. In Recitatif she performs an experiment on the reader by telling a story of two friends (Roberta and Twyla), one black one white, but never clarifies who is what race and makes their racial identity crucial. The experiment on the reader comes in as they try desperately to identify the race of Roberta and Twyla, but it is impossible. Morrison forces us in our spiral of trying to pick out speech patterns, cultural identifiers, stereotypes, etc. to confront our why we insist on identifying when she hits us with the powerhouse of the last line, "Oh shit, Twyla. Shit, shit, shit. What the hell happened to Maggie?"

As soon as I finished Recitatif all I could think was how similar Twyla and Roberta were. For all of their crucial differences, they both could not help trying to other each other, and, as I was hit with, Maggie. This is what Morrison is trying to do though, she is forcing the reader to ask why they want, no need to identify the characters' races. As Zadie Smith says in her excellent introduction (though I read it second) to the book, "Oh, I urgently wanted it straightened out. Wanted to sympathize warmly in one sure place, turn cold in the other. To feel for the somebody and dismiss the nobody. But this is precisely what Morrison deliberately and methodically will not allow me to do". We are desperate to find a nobody, someone to exploit and withhold our empathy and understanding from. Whether it be by their race, their class, their gender, or their history we refuse to listen to even though our history shares a part in it. Morrison lets the reader do that act, participate in it, then be terrified by themselves for it. That is a genius' magic. 

I desperately need someone in my life to read this book so that I can talk about it for hours. 

Strange Planet by Nathan W. Pyle

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

Cute, funny, and pleasant read! 


Also, this is entirely me, but sometimes the aliens' eyes freaked me out just a little bit. 

Plath: Poems by Sylvia Plath

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

What a powerhouse Plath was. For much of the depression in her life it was pleasant to find work of her's that was positive and lively. I was thoroughly impressed with how well her lines would fall of of the tongue sometimes. She was also a master at picking just the right words to impact the reader deeply. Going to be thinking about her works and rereading them often. 

Favorite Poems: 
All the Dead Dears
Tulips
Mirror
Lady Lazarus 

The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner

informative medium-paced

Shoutout to my Creative Writing professor for assigning this read as homework! I liked it and understand more about my relationship with poetry because of it! Excited for the poetry unit after break!