krystalgaia's reviews
32 reviews

Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong

reflective sad slow-paced

2.0

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Circe by Madeline Miller

adventurous challenging dark slow-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

3.0

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

adventurous emotional funny sad tense slow-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

4.75

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

funny informative reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

I don't know why I teared up right after finishing the book. It's not even supposed to be a sad story, but a reflection on the journey to adulthood- about first loves and the pressure to know who you are just because you turned 18.

I found the characters very lovable and to some extent relatable, especially Selin. There were a lot of great passages and I've dog-eared a LOT of pages!

Although I devoured this book in 2~3 days, I found it grueling to complete a chapter, as each chapter had about 80 pages, which made it difficult for me to remember where I stopped.

Anyway, overall -- I loved this!

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-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

Such a good, lighthearted book! This won't ruin your vacation and would leave you with a feeling that everything wkll be alright.

I like the overarching theme of moving forward with the things you love, and also loving yourself enough to move forward in the first place. 

It has a bit of a slow start though but I recommend this book for when you're looking for easy-to-read anthologies!

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I'm giving this book 3 stars just because the second to the last chapter made me tear up. Anyway, I think the concept is great, and I like stories with soft magic. I just think the delivery could've been better, especially with how monotonous the narration is.

The main character is flat; her decisions towards the end feel rushed and almost out of character, so the payoff isn't good. With how long this book is, the author should've spent more time steeping Julie's character, instead of randomly dropping pieces of information that won't be relevant later on.

This is Thao's debut novel, and there's a lot of room for improvement. I do hope he improves with his next story.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

funny lighthearted relaxing sad slow-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

5.0

A rollercoaster of emotions. Sometimes I would laugh at Ove's grumpiness and then immediately get silenced by his loneliness.

I always knew this book was a tearjerker, but I only cried at two sentences. "Thanks, Grandpa." "More than 300 people came to his funeral."

Definitely better than the Netflix film.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Shoko's Smile by Choi Eunyoung

emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This book is a collection of stories about people drifting apart. While I generally enjoy this type of story, the author fell short in execution.

Would still like to read her future works tho!