Scan barcode
pecsenye's reviews
153 reviews
The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.
Too random stream-of-consciousness glorifying the violent, desolate, dirty lives of white male artists. Blech.
Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Better than most career motivation books because of the focused research.
Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Sweet little murder novel. A little weird that the 57-year-old character was written as if she was 75, but that feels like a trend in current cozy mysteries to have "sweet old ladies" who aren't even retirement age yet.
Pinball, 1973 by Haruki Murakami
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is Murakami's second book and it's starting to establish his matter-of-fact perspective.
Hear the Wind Sing by Haruki Murakami
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
This is the first book Murakami wrote, the one that won the magazine contest and started his career as a writer. It's such a fascinating little glimpse at what he would develop into later on. Not the most action-packed novella, but totally worth reading if you like Murakami.
Be Your Future Self Now: The Science of Intentional Transformation by Benjamin P. Hardy
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
This is a plain old self-help book, except that the idea of the Future Self is new and interesting.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Cute, but The Bride Test is more engaging.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book is a time capsule. It's literally about a seagull named Jonathan Livingston Seagull, but it's very fake-deep in that swinging '70s, pre-AIDS kind of way. Like some dude would give you this book and tell you to read it because it "changed his life" and that was supposed to seduce you because he was so inspired. Was Jonathan Livingston Seagull supposed to be Jesus? Is this all just an acid trip? How did a book that's 96 pages (25 of which are black and white photos of seagulls) get published and become a bestseller? I'm going to stop with the questions now before my review gets longer than the actual book. (Although this would be a great book club choice because it's such a fast read and everyone would be so weirded out by it that they'd have something to say.)
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-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
4.5