barelyalex's reviews
25 reviews

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

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

3.5

What the book was putting across was unique and interesting however there was a lot of needless filler that didn't add to the story enough to justify it, the first 200 pages could have been about 10 pages. I loved the idea and narrative but the execution was tedious 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth

challenging dark funny medium-paced

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

5.0

Beautiful and artfully horrific. A psychological horror with elements gore and dark humour. This book is drastically underrated on here, I think due to people having read this and being unsettled by it/not expecting the more grousome parts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Rape, and Vomit

We Can Do Better Than This: 35 Voices on the Future of LGBTQ+ Rights by Amelia Abraham

3.5

The Photographer's Playbook: 307 Assignments and Ideas by

3.5

Why it Does Not Have to be in Focus: Modern Photography Explained by Jackie Higgins

3.5

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

adventurous dark mysterious reflective

4.0

Boxer, Beetle by Ned Beauman

3.5

Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes

4.0

The Discomfort of Evening by Lucas Rijneveld

dark 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? Yes

5.0

Haunting. I think about this book often, there were parts that cut through me. Unabashedly real and important. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, and Antisemitism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.0