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m4rtt4's reviews
327 reviews
Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi by Johanna Sinisalo
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
interesting, fascinating, funny and above all, original. nothing bad to say about this except WHy the fuCk was a juvenile troll sexualised? imo Mikael was very questionable and the least likable character but not badly written at all. I really loved the excerpts from other literature, fake or not, throughout the book, especially the fake (or who knows??🤔) evolutionary history!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Excrement
Moderate: Sexual content
Nya namn by Elin Willows
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Boken var bra men det kunde va så bara tack vare det enkla språket.. jag behövde inte bli irriterad över att va så dum :D senast läste jag på svenska för nästan 1,5 år sen..
men jag tyckte jättemycket om Willows's ansprakslösa och mysteriösa stil.
men jag tyckte jättemycket om Willows's ansprakslösa och mysteriösa stil.
Buy Me the Sky: The remarkable truth of China's one-child generations by Xinran
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
an interesting take on the one-child policy, can't really call this a positive one either but something that is often ignored. Reading more about the infanticides and Chinese politics behind this issue would have been interesting as well but I do understand the author's decision to leave those out. This is not a general book on the issue, but if you want to know about something more niche, check this out.
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really loved Breasts and Eggs, but this book did not do it for me. I usually like books with vague plots, but this one lacked the (emotional) depth that needs to happen inside the characters (if the outside is excluded). I can often come up with a bunch of adjectives to describe a book, but this one I can only describe as reflective (out of the choices given). Some scenes were (and still are) vivid in my mind, the protagonists nightly walks above all. A proofreader's pov was an interesting take on reading books as well. Struggled to get through this, but I thought it'd get more intense and/or deep on the way (it almost did). Such a perfectly tied ending was not very necessary for a story of this kind. I'm not giving up on Kawakami though, I'll still check (and read) her future works! Not every book can be as good.
(also, Fuyuko's "only time she had sex" was a straight up rape and no one addressed it. I hated the scene, but I hated it's handling even more.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Mental illness
Enkelit ja demonit by Dan Brown, Pirkko Biström
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I admire Dan Brown for his ability to create these kinds of page-turners full of interesting facts. I'm not a huge fan of action books or movies where everything is centered around villains and violence, but all the nerdy stuff in this book surely made up for it :)
On the other hand, I really dislike Brown's way of writing characters, everything from creating backstories interesting enough to describing them in present day and action. I mean, of course Robert Langdon is as perfect as Brown's wanted him to be (bet he created him as a perfect version of his own self), but oh god, ARE THERE MORE TO FEMALE CHARACTERS THAN THEIR BODIES? Obviously there should be, but I wouldn't recommend using Brown's books as a guide to writing women. Or, tbh, any other characters either, so very one-dimensional, stereotypical, (and even racist) he made them all (apart from Langdon ofc). Especially the assassin — his actions and overall villain-ness didn't frustrate me nowhere near as his personality was written to be.
So, overall the story was adventurous and entertaining if you just treat most of the chacters as "necessary implementers to the required actions" and ignore their personal traits. Wouldn't recommend if you dislike science and/or history.
On the other hand, I really dislike Brown's way of writing characters, everything from creating backstories interesting enough to describing them in present day and action. I mean, of course Robert Langdon is as perfect as Brown's wanted him to be (bet he created him as a perfect version of his own self), but oh god, ARE THERE MORE TO FEMALE CHARACTERS THAN THEIR BODIES? Obviously there should be, but I wouldn't recommend using Brown's books as a guide to writing women. Or, tbh, any other characters either, so very one-dimensional, stereotypical, (and even racist) he made them all (apart from Langdon ofc). Especially the assassin — his actions and overall villain-ness didn't frustrate me nowhere near as his personality was written to be.
So, overall the story was adventurous and entertaining if you just treat most of the chacters as "necessary implementers to the required actions" and ignore their personal traits. Wouldn't recommend if you dislike science and/or history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Sexism, and Suicide
Vieterilintukronikka by Haruki Murakami
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A new drinking game: take a shot every time Murakami mentions someone's breasts.
I read this in English a couple years ago and it didn't hit me quite as hard as Murakami's other thicker novels, thought it was just a language issue and now re-read it in my native tongue. Turns out it wasn't the language, it was the story or maybe me. Not bad this time either, a solid more-than-three-stars, even better if you exclude the excessive #menwritingwomen scenes Murakami's unfortunately known for – and this time, sexualising a minor?? Poor Mei/May. My favourite scenes were the ones set around the war times Lieutenant Mamiya's story and Akasaka Muscot's childhood, though I also liked the Kano sisters and Mei/May a lot and let's be honest, plot-wise there wasn't much to dislike, just not much to really love either.
I read this in English a couple years ago and it didn't hit me quite as hard as Murakami's other thicker novels, thought it was just a language issue and now re-read it in my native tongue. Turns out it wasn't the language, it was the story or maybe me. Not bad this time either, a solid more-than-three-stars, even better if you exclude the excessive #menwritingwomen scenes Murakami's unfortunately known for – and this time, sexualising a minor?? Poor Mei/May. My favourite scenes were the ones set around the war times Lieutenant Mamiya's story and Akasaka Muscot's childhood, though I also liked the Kano sisters and Mei/May a lot and let's be honest, plot-wise there wasn't much to dislike, just not much to really love either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Abortion, Murder, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Misogyny
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Great, fun, sad and extremely emotional. Not as flawless a book as daisy jones or evelyn hugo were, but a very enjoyable bumpy ride nonetheless. Taylor Jenkins Reid sure can make words seem alive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Car accident
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
So beautiful yet so heart-wrenching. Do not read this if you're hungry. Even if you're not, you will be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Abortion