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pineconek's reviews
736 reviews
Leech by Hiron Ennes
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
the writing is confusing and grating - both due to the unique POV of one organism in various bodies (would've worked better in 3rd person) and the pseudo french dialect that breaks my francophone brain
I was anticipating this one so highly but ugh lads I can't
put me in a reading slump
I was anticipating this one so highly but ugh lads I can't
put me in a reading slump
Greek Lessons: A Novel by Han Kang
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Han Kang is officially a "I would read your grocery list" author. Which is very different from being a 5 star author, and I will attempt to explain:
Greek lessons follows two characters who are disconnected from the world. One is losing his ability to see, and the other one seems to have lost her ability to speak. The former teaches ancient greek to the latter, and the book waxes poetics about ancient greek - on the voice between passive and active, on the complexity of the suffixes, on the difficulty of translation.
I'm enough of an etymology and grammar nerd to have thoroughly enjoyed those portions, but I especially enjoyed them when they were coupled with characters so deeply drowning in their own loneliness. This book is so bleak, and every sentence is oversaturated with melancholy, to the point where it can become too much. I put the book down for days at a time, and I don't see myself giving it a high rating. But I'm glad that I have a paperback of this, which was a pleasure to annotate.
Recommended if you're into "not plot just vibes" melancholic litfic, enjoy theorizing about the mechanics of language and what they mean for connection and communication, and want to be haunted by a text that you're not sure if you actually enjoyed. 3.75 rounded up.
Greek lessons follows two characters who are disconnected from the world. One is losing his ability to see, and the other one seems to have lost her ability to speak. The former teaches ancient greek to the latter, and the book waxes poetics about ancient greek - on the voice between passive and active, on the complexity of the suffixes, on the difficulty of translation.
I'm enough of an etymology and grammar nerd to have thoroughly enjoyed those portions, but I especially enjoyed them when they were coupled with characters so deeply drowning in their own loneliness. This book is so bleak, and every sentence is oversaturated with melancholy, to the point where it can become too much. I put the book down for days at a time, and I don't see myself giving it a high rating. But I'm glad that I have a paperback of this, which was a pleasure to annotate.
Recommended if you're into "not plot just vibes" melancholic litfic, enjoy theorizing about the mechanics of language and what they mean for connection and communication, and want to be haunted by a text that you're not sure if you actually enjoyed. 3.75 rounded up.
The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Factors that drew me to this book:
- The only reality TV that I've consistently indulged in have been cooking shows
- I'm currently on a "give modern romance a chance" kick
This book toed the line between kinda cringey and very entertaining (some of the smut was uh questionable at best), but both held my attention. We follow a restaurant owner and her head chef. They're both great at their jobs, messes in their personal lives, and need to save the failing business. What better way to do that than to appear on the cooking reality TV show hosted by the head chef's ex? And let's not forget the restaurant owner's awful father coming in to judge this place for not serving rapini (or broccoli? one of the two).
Recommended if you're looking for something light and silly and sexy and, damn it, we have to save the restaurant!! And our love for one another!! 3 stars.
- The only reality TV that I've consistently indulged in have been cooking shows
- I'm currently on a "give modern romance a chance" kick
This book toed the line between kinda cringey and very entertaining (some of the smut was uh questionable at best), but both held my attention. We follow a restaurant owner and her head chef. They're both great at their jobs, messes in their personal lives, and need to save the failing business. What better way to do that than to appear on the cooking reality TV show hosted by the head chef's ex? And let's not forget the restaurant owner's awful father coming in to judge this place for not serving rapini (or broccoli? one of the two).
Recommended if you're looking for something light and silly and sexy and, damn it, we have to save the restaurant!! And our love for one another!! 3 stars.
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Nothing grips me quite like an excellent family saga does.
The Mountains Sing follow a Vietnamese family over the course of the 20th century and it is nothing short of brutal. Each generation is faced with abject horror - starvation (and the calamity of agent orange), child separation, mutilation, murder... need I go on?
As such, this book was really painful to read and I had to take my time with it. There were scenes that I felt so viscerally and they were brilliantly presented: both written as a narrative that happened and as a relative explaining to the next generation: "this is what I went through. Do you understand?". And I think I understand more now, more than I did before.
Recommended if you're interested in family sagas/historical fiction, want to learn more about what Viet Nam has gone through over the past 100 years, and are ready to have your heart broken repeatedly. 4.5 stars rounded up.
The Mountains Sing follow a Vietnamese family over the course of the 20th century and it is nothing short of brutal. Each generation is faced with abject horror - starvation (and the calamity of agent orange), child separation, mutilation, murder... need I go on?
As such, this book was really painful to read and I had to take my time with it. There were scenes that I felt so viscerally and they were brilliantly presented: both written as a narrative that happened and as a relative explaining to the next generation: "this is what I went through. Do you understand?". And I think I understand more now, more than I did before.
Recommended if you're interested in family sagas/historical fiction, want to learn more about what Viet Nam has gone through over the past 100 years, and are ready to have your heart broken repeatedly. 4.5 stars rounded up.
The Woman Who Borrowed Memories: Selected Stories by Tove Jansson
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I'm on a Tove Jansson kick and I recommend it.
The author of the Moomins is the best kind of of comedian: one who is fully aware of the pains and bleakness of life. This comes cross in her short stories, which are gentle and sometimes painful paintings (or photographs?) of very human moments.
I'm writing this review two months after reading the book, and realize I remember few details about the stories but I do remember how they made me feel. So I recommend this if you want some slow-paced literary and occasionally bleak vignettes or to have a feeling of going through someone else's old family album. 3.25 stars.
The author of the Moomins is the best kind of of comedian: one who is fully aware of the pains and bleakness of life. This comes cross in her short stories, which are gentle and sometimes painful paintings (or photographs?) of very human moments.
I'm writing this review two months after reading the book, and realize I remember few details about the stories but I do remember how they made me feel. So I recommend this if you want some slow-paced literary and occasionally bleak vignettes or to have a feeling of going through someone else's old family album. 3.25 stars.
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Reading this feels what I imagine having an older sister feels like. And this older sister gets a little wine drunk with you and tells you stories that serve both as cautionary tales and entertaining party stories.
I picked this up based on the cover alone. I knew nothing about the author and it was nice to get to know her over the years. While a lot of the book centered on a lifestyle of bar hopping and online dating that never appealed to me, there were tender moments of grief, friendship, body image, and other insecurities that I found quite moving.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if I were both younger and a different kind of woman. But reading this at 30 felt a little bit like being at a party where I only know the host and they're busy talking to someone else. Reading this book reminded me of nights where I'd had a deep conversation with someone who I never saw again, a memory of trading wounds and sharing beers.
Recommended to women in their 20s who feel a little lost, long for connection and meaning. 3 stars.
I picked this up based on the cover alone. I knew nothing about the author and it was nice to get to know her over the years. While a lot of the book centered on a lifestyle of bar hopping and online dating that never appealed to me, there were tender moments of grief, friendship, body image, and other insecurities that I found quite moving.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if I were both younger and a different kind of woman. But reading this at 30 felt a little bit like being at a party where I only know the host and they're busy talking to someone else. Reading this book reminded me of nights where I'd had a deep conversation with someone who I never saw again, a memory of trading wounds and sharing beers.
Recommended to women in their 20s who feel a little lost, long for connection and meaning. 3 stars.
Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.25
Well, turns out I'm a luddite.
In recent years, I've gone from an embracer of modern tech to someone that's closer to just terrified. I'm sometimes using, but also sometimes half-heartedly resisting, tools like AI and smart-home personal assistants ("although not now, Siri" is my most common Siri command, said when I accidentally turn that function on).
Blood in the Machine walks us through the history of the luddite movement, or the workers' movement to resist unwanted automation. The base argument is simple enough: workers need jobs with living wages, and those are threatened by unregulated ahtomation. The book does an excellent job laying out the nuances and intricacies of that position, and grounds the reader both in Victorian society and in how it resonates with our current economy. After all, history rhymes.
The book is somewhat of a chonker and can be repetitive or dry at times, but that's also a testament to how well it's researched.
As a side note: I never realized how involved Mary and Percy Shelley, along with Lord Byron, were in these types of social issues. I also think reading this book prior to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell would have been fun (was the fictional Byron there written with luddite undertones that I wasn't attuned to?), but oh well.
Revommended if you're interested in labor rights, Victorian society and how it influenced our modern one (the Victorian to modern day split is about 90/10), and don't mind a meandering walkthrough of the subject. 3.25 stars rounded down.
In recent years, I've gone from an embracer of modern tech to someone that's closer to just terrified. I'm sometimes using, but also sometimes half-heartedly resisting, tools like AI and smart-home personal assistants ("although not now, Siri" is my most common Siri command, said when I accidentally turn that function on).
Blood in the Machine walks us through the history of the luddite movement, or the workers' movement to resist unwanted automation. The base argument is simple enough: workers need jobs with living wages, and those are threatened by unregulated ahtomation. The book does an excellent job laying out the nuances and intricacies of that position, and grounds the reader both in Victorian society and in how it resonates with our current economy. After all, history rhymes.
The book is somewhat of a chonker and can be repetitive or dry at times, but that's also a testament to how well it's researched.
As a side note: I never realized how involved Mary and Percy Shelley, along with Lord Byron, were in these types of social issues. I also think reading this book prior to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell would have been fun (was the fictional Byron there written with luddite undertones that I wasn't attuned to?), but oh well.
Revommended if you're interested in labor rights, Victorian society and how it influenced our modern one (the Victorian to modern day split is about 90/10), and don't mind a meandering walkthrough of the subject. 3.25 stars rounded down.
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
dark
funny
mysterious
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
3.75
I'm spoiling the book in my review my dudes. That's cause it's a short book (a novella, really) and you should read it if you haven't.
This is one of the first vampire stories, and served as a foundation of the genre. It's an early example of the ties between vampirism and obsession as well as eroticism, same sex attraction, taboo sensuality, etc.
That said, some portions are unintentionally hilarious. I couldn't help but chuckle atthe unsubtle permutations of Carmilla's name to hide her immortality (Mircalla! Millarca!) or the extremely casual mention of the fact that her coffin is filled with seven inches of literal blood.
Recommended if you're interested in seeing the roots of classic vampire tropes and are in search of a small dose of Gothic Victorian vibes. 3.75 stars rounded up.
This is one of the first vampire stories, and served as a foundation of the genre. It's an early example of the ties between vampirism and obsession as well as eroticism, same sex attraction, taboo sensuality, etc.
That said, some portions are unintentionally hilarious. I couldn't help but chuckle at
Recommended if you're interested in seeing the roots of classic vampire tropes and are in search of a small dose of Gothic Victorian vibes. 3.75 stars rounded up.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
One of my neuroscience professors said something to the effect of "whenever we know what a brain region does, it's because we've seen what happens when it's damaged".
These are the case studies detailing these damages. They're baffling and illuminate how compartmentalized certain neural functions are. There's parts of our brain that specifically recognize faces, others that keep track of where our limbs are in space (even if we're not looking at them), and others still that help us know where our body ends and the not-me begins. These dysfunctions range from slightly comical to downright horrifying.
The text includes some language and perspectives that are, to put it politely, outdated. The author nevertheless extends (or, at least, attempts to extend) compassion to the patients in his care.
All that said, my enjoyment of the book steadily decreased as I went through it. I think that's both due to the fact that the cases I found to be more interesting were mostly in the first section, and that the cases started to get repetitive and reference one another as the book progressed.
Recommended if you're interested in how a few neuronal cells can misfire in baffling ways and are down to read two dozen case studies. 3.25 stars rounded down.
These are the case studies detailing these damages. They're baffling and illuminate how compartmentalized certain neural functions are. There's parts of our brain that specifically recognize faces, others that keep track of where our limbs are in space (even if we're not looking at them), and others still that help us know where our body ends and the not-me begins. These dysfunctions range from slightly comical to downright horrifying.
The text includes some language and perspectives that are, to put it politely, outdated. The author nevertheless extends (or, at least, attempts to extend) compassion to the patients in his care.
All that said, my enjoyment of the book steadily decreased as I went through it. I think that's both due to the fact that the cases I found to be more interesting were mostly in the first section, and that the cases started to get repetitive and reference one another as the book progressed.
Recommended if you're interested in how a few neuronal cells can misfire in baffling ways and are down to read two dozen case studies. 3.25 stars rounded down.