lalaland_of_books's reviews
79 reviews

XOXO by Axie Oh

informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.0

Jenny, living in LA is a cellist and wants to be a professional and be in an orchestra. She also does a part-time job in a karaoke bar owned by her late father and his friend; this is where she meets Jaewoo, a K-pop idol but she has no whereabouts of his celebrity status in South Korea or the k-pop culture. And these are our two main characters. 

This is a typical romantic story with predictable storyline. The author has tried to explain the k-pop culture very well for those like me who have no idea of it and who do not follow the recent trend of falling for everything Korean😅 This is a medium paced, relaxing and light-hearted book best recommended for romance buffs out there.

Greek Lessons by Han Kang

dark hopeful sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Reading this book was like watching an art film.

Can you imagine life without language? There are emotions and feelings but you can't express it, not to others, not even to your own self. And slowly, in lack of expression, those feelings and emotions die. Won't life be like snow and earth then? That is how life has become for our female protagonist - Snow in the throat, earth in the eyes.

The male protagonist too is dealing with loss; loss of a long-lost love and loss of eyesight. He is the Greek language instructor and our female protagonist is his student, both nearly of the same age, both dealing with disability and both 'lonely'. Slowly they gravitate towards each other both physically and emotionally.

Here, we get to read about wordless love between a mute woman and a blind man. We read about love that doesn't need to be communicated via the language of words and sight; because here 'love' is the only language. This book makes us content and hopeful by the final pages.

This would have been a 5 ⭐ read if I had read it in place of listening it....but I just started listening it without checking on storygraph if it is a character driven book. And it is a character driven book which means that I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read it, but none the less I have added this book in my re-read tbr.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

3.5

#qotd If my life were a book and you read it backward, nothing would change. Today is the same as yesterday. Tomorrow will be the same as today. In the book of Maddy, all the chapters are the same.
Until Olly.

📚 Madeline Whittier is suffering from a rare condition called SCID(Severe Combined Immunodeficiency). As the name suggests, her immunity is so compromised that she can't even breath unfiltered air. Everything that reaches her is decontaminated including books and humans. She has her mom and Carla her nurse cum care take to look after her.

✈️ Everything in her room from her clothes, to furniture and walls is white, reflecting the meticulousness needed to preserve her fragile health. She has never stepped out of her house but she is happy. Happy to be alive; until Olly arrives, and the hues of her existence change. Suddenly, the sterile white isn't enough; she craves the vibrancy of life. She is hit by the realisation that she wants to live rather than just stay alive.

This heartwarming tale is a delightful read, weaving a simple yet predictable love story. Amidst the pages, discover not only the sweet narrative but also the captivating graphics that enhance this touching exploration of love and life.

Cobalt Blue by Sachin Kundalkar

emotional mysterious fast-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

4.0

The Joshi family has decided to lease their additional room, equipped with a separate entrance, to a paying guest. Both siblings, Tanay Joshi and Anuja Joshi, find themselves enamored by the carefree and charming painter occupying the space. Regrettably, the paying guest's 'no strings attached' attitude results in shattered hearts for both siblings. The narrative unfolds through the lens of their recollections, offering insights into the period they shared with the paying guest.

This story not only deals with homosexuality and heterosexuality, it also presents to us a love which from top to bottom is engulfed in emotions; and a love which takes place due to the desire to set onself free. This book presents to us a middle class Maharashtrian family for whom in those days the concept of homosexuality might not have existed. This is a very nicely layered book.

This isn't a book that you'll instantly fall in love with; it's one whose excerpts linger in your thoughts—echoing in the background as you watch a movie, listen to songs, or go about your daily routine . This will stay with you for a long long time. This definitely is an underhyped gem and I recommend it everyone.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Manga by Ranmaru Kotone, Yasutaka Tsutsui

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

3.0

This manga follows the story of Makoto Konno, a high school student who discovers she has the ability to time travel. Initially, Makoto exploits her newfound power for personal gain and trivial reasons. However, as she navigates the consequences of her actions, the narrative takes a thoughtful turn.The manga explores themes of friendship, responsibility, and the consequences of altering the past.

Its a short book that one can finish in one sitting. Its light hearted and easy to follow. The only problem I had while reading Kindle was that this books was from right to left and so was the sequence of text, that was the only I had to get used to. All who are into anime and drama are definitely going to watch its adaptation if not already watched.

The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

A group of friends who are members of K-University's Mystery club visit an isolated island with a lone blue mansion which is decagon in shape (hence the 'decagon house') for a week long trip. As a norm of the club, these friends are addressed by the nick names which are names of Golden Age Mystery authors. They are intrigued to visit this place because 6 months back 4 people were killed in mysterious conditions in this decagon house and they are excited to do some detective work as they are all fans of mystery novels. Little did they know they have tables turned on them as someone is going to make judgement, do justice and give them horrible deaths.

This is a locked-room mystery with characters which are not well developed, lack personality and the only distinguished feature of one character from the other is its name. The plot seems stagnant and directionless. This novel draws similarities from Golden Age Mystery novels and mentions it repeatedly but fails to match that mark. If you are into mystery novels and read the likes of Christie, you might not enjoy this novel a lot. Though it is important to mention that some readers also suggest that this book is in 'honkaku' style, meaning the writer lets the reader figure out who the culprit is -if thats the case, this novel does justice to Japanese 'honkaku' style.

This is a medium paced novel, best recommended for beginners and amateurs.

Best Kept Secret by Jeffrey Archer

3.0

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

Fantastic beginning of the year with a 5⭐ book. A feel-good book.

The story is set in a cafe that enables time travel, of course one will have to follow certain rules for that to happen with the most important rule to drink the coffee 'Before the coffee gets cold'. There are four chapters in the book with four female characters as the central character.

The story is simple, fast paced and emotional. 

The stories are written in a way that by the end of the chapter it will bring tears to the eyes of the reader. The characters have recurrent presence across the stories which makes them interconnected.

The author has conveyed the underlying emotions of each of the characters in a way that it reaches our heart in the warmest way possible.

Does this book deserve the hype it has received? 100% yes.

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

2.5

Nintaro has recently lost his grandfather, the only family he has and is planning to shut down his grandfather's second hand books' shop to move in with his aunt, who he has never seen before. Out of the blue, a talking tabby cat, Tiger shows up in the shop asking Nintaro to help him save books from people who mistreat them. And thus, this duo starts their journey, going through different labyrinths, saving books, and discovering oneself.

I felt the title isn't doing justice to the story, as  Tiger's part in the story is just taking Nintaro to another dimension to meet those people, rest all the things which save books  are said by Nintaro. Though what Nintaro tells these people are teachings from his grandfather, its nothing miraculous to suddenly change the hearts of the people mistreating books. Maybe the translation isn't doing justice to the original writing, considering how difficult the translation must have been from the translator's note.

Overall, this book is an easy read and a treat for all people who love reading. It reminds us why we fell in love with reading and books in the first place.

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

This book is about mail order brides heading from Japan To America in early 1900s, with dreams of comfortable future and loving husbands as opposed to a poor Japanese farmer's life full of misery and hardships.

The book is written in first person plural, and keeps on mentioning any given life experience in many variations of 'we' and 'us'. The author mentions many difficulties faced by these women like the cultural differences, language barrier, racism, the disrespect by their husbands, marital-rape, gender based discrimination that some of these women do with their children and a lot more. This book is dark, sad and tragic.

The writing style feels like there is a whole universe to be explored but you are on the outermost periphery forbidden from getting to know any character as there is no main character or recurring set of characters. You would want to understand them, empathize with them and console them but you wouldn't get that scope to relate with them and to feel attached. The story takes place in inter-war era and war part of the book is interesting but again too much, too quick.

Maybe the writing style didn't work for me and readers who like it might really enjoy this book a lot more. For me it lacked the depth and connection that I like in stories.