nookofley's reviews
100 reviews

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I accidently found this book on a reddit post where someone claimed that the audiobook was very enjoyable to listen to, well, it was!! I was hooked from the first chapter and I loved listening to the podcasts bit. The sound effect included made it feel like I was listening to a real podcast.

The ending felt a little anticlimactic, since the many parallels between the first murder and the second.

Kopi, Puffs & Dreams by Pallavi Gopinath Aney

slow-paced

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

2.25

I have had a book disappoint me so sorely like this one did. The blurb of the book promised me something entirely different than what I expected in the book. 

We are introduced to these 2 young men, who are casted out from their own society, strike a close bond on the way to be sold off as labourers in British Malaya and then their journey to establishing their successful restaurant in Singapore. The story then follows their journey from their 20s to their 40s as they try to survive in this foreign land with only each other to depend on. 

I loved the first part of the book where we see them working in rubber estates and the hierarchy among the workers and their 'leader'. Growing up with grandparents who worked in those exact conditions, this felt so close to my heart and it was refreshing to read it.

However, this is when everything went downhill. Everything seemed so convenient? Every conflict was resolved within the next page and it is just for the achievement of our MC's current goals. After logging through 300+ pages, we finally see the "secret" unraveling, only for it to be resolved abruptly within the next page. It all feels like the author just decided to cop out in the last pages.

Don't even get me started on the characters themselves. So many aspects that could've been fleshed out to create more layers to the story itself. This book feels like a wasted potential of what it could've been.

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee

emotional reflective slow-paced

4.75

I was told that I should sit and soak in the book, but for some reason, I rushed through it as fast as I can. But even then, the lines between Baek Sehee's life and mine seemed to distort. There was a lot of lessons and a lot of new things I learned from her psychiatrist (I probably need one too). A lot of self-reflection is due after reading her book, and I am sure I will reach for it when life gets hard.

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

emotional funny hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

You're Born an Original, Don't Die a Copy! by John Mason

hopeful reflective fast-paced

3.0

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

emotional hopeful sad tense

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

3.5

I really love how fully fleshed out the world is in Rebecca Ross's stories. I can tell she really put a lot of effort into research.

That being said, it is essentially a romance that is set in a war. The focus was mainly on our two MCs which felt a little jarring amidst the literal war that is happening around them. 

Please Look After Mother by Kyung-sook Shin

emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.75

Absolutely devastating book, made me want to call my mum immediately.
Minus 0.25 star because it was pretty sappy all the way through, and the translation did not work well in some areas. Otherwise great read when you're on your period and looking to bawl.

1984 by George Orwell
Did not finish book. Stopped at 66%.

It was too depressing and the Julia subplot made me EXTREMELY uncomfortable. It just felt like I was reading the author's fantasy being lived by Winston (maybe it was intentional,idk). I think I might come back to it another day. 

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

medium-paced

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

4.5

The Umbrella Academy: Dallas by Gerard Way, Gabriel Bá

3.25

I didn't quite understand the physics of time travel here. The plot was whack but if you keeo reading without using too much brainpower it is kinda fun.