hareada's reviews
11 reviews

Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.

didn't care for it, maybe i'd enjoy a physical more 

Introducing Critical Theory: A Graphic Guide by Stuart Sim

a bunch of marx-hating losers :| jokes this was a helpful overview, but fr, IT ALL COMES BACK TO MARXISM 

The Hungry Road by Marita Conlon-McKenna

challenging sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

the opposite of trauma porn. a very important read executed with the same grace as the author's children's series. it very much feels like an accurate and loyal depiction of the worst years of Irish history as opposed to a nuanced character study - main characters are not full of flaws or exceptionally layered with tendencies to do great wrongs. a must read to empathise with Ireland's shameful and difficult history.

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

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

fantastic. felt ever so real and i could really see myself in this book. makes me excited to grow up and outgrow these horrid thought patterns.

would have been nice for it to do even even more but it is beautifully messy as is. i don't know if i loved the ending but i like where it did decide to end.

Emma by Jane Austen

jaw droppingly boring. love it! great narration with distinctive voices in the free youtube audiobook!

Wage-Labour and Capital/Value, Price and Profit by Karl Marx

one to reread and revisit again and again! a polemic against wage-price spiral. hard to read through but very pithy and so short it is absolutely worth it. come on capital!

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

i'm sorry but SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF was required for me to read this book! it sounded like the best plot ever, but whilst the author writes multifaceted characters, they did not feel believable to me for some reason, it felt as though everything was happening on the surface only. i know that's very vague, but it is at least partly because the writing did not work for me - it didn't feel refined and cuddly as i'd hoped, but immature. i couldn't believe that August was 23 years old by the writing. the cut-off sentences as characters have realisations as they speak to one another is incessant and was quite annoying imo. and whilst i loved the emphasis on friendship i didn't feel like i really knew the ensemble either (maybe because there was so many characters??). and perhaps i am just not as much of a genius as August is said to be to understand the surrealist aspect, but there is so much discussion of the plot and the various 'cases' the main character is meddled in, yet they feel completely nonsensical. i would have rathered not being given a justification for someone being stuck on a subway for 45 years, than the messy one given here.

all of this being said this is still a lovely fun book with fantastic representation of queer relationships (although Jane's ethnicity and family background didn't feel rounded out to me personally). maybe i am just salty

at how good the sex between August and Jane was when it was her FIRST TIME! also by how the manage to fuck on a full carriage - i find myself on crowded trains imagining how that could have been possible lmao

The Odyssey by Homer

adventurous emotional hopeful

What a luscious and sparkling translation! After the introduction, which was so accessible and made excellent points on the language of translations, and generally added to my understanding and enjoyment of the story, I had geared myself up for a difficult and tenuous read. But I was surprised by how beautifully simple the language used was. I have read very few ancient texts, so this interpretation is one I would absolutely recommend to beginners like me. In the poem itself, I was surprised by its domesticity, and the fact that half of it take place

upon his return to Ithaca!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

emotional reflective relaxing

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

has a much more diary-esque (but also less nostalgic, oddly) feel in comparison to the film

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

serious Jane the Virgin vibes and a brilliant depiction of teenage-hood