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oofym's reviews
83 reviews
Hamlet: The Oxford Shakespeare Hamlet by William Shakespeare
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
My first foray into Shakespeare. This was fun! I read the oxford edition which was a huge help in terms of understanding the text.
I get why this is well renowned and important to the history of theatre and literature, watching a performance of this back in the day would have been a blast. Definitely something I need to re read in the future though, as I feel like a fair bit went over my head, what I understood I enjoyed however.
I like the mixture of comedy,psychology,poetry and dramatics. It's a fun mix.
I get why this is well renowned and important to the history of theatre and literature, watching a performance of this back in the day would have been a blast. Definitely something I need to re read in the future though, as I feel like a fair bit went over my head, what I understood I enjoyed however.
I like the mixture of comedy,psychology,poetry and dramatics. It's a fun mix.
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
medium-paced
4.0
This was such a fun time, I read this all in one sitting and it was just so over dramatic that I couldn't put the thing down.
I had absolutely no clue what I was getting into, I bought this on a complete whim, but I did not expect the first Gothic Horror novel and nor did I expect what is essentially a Shakespearean tragedy.
This book needs to be more popular. It's short, it's fun, it's innovative and it's also got quite dark themes for the time.
Plus it's a great stepping off point to get into older stuff like the before mentioned Shakespeare.
Also Manfred is a poopy bum head stinky evil guy.
I had absolutely no clue what I was getting into, I bought this on a complete whim, but I did not expect the first Gothic Horror novel and nor did I expect what is essentially a Shakespearean tragedy.
This book needs to be more popular. It's short, it's fun, it's innovative and it's also got quite dark themes for the time.
Plus it's a great stepping off point to get into older stuff like the before mentioned Shakespeare.
Also Manfred is a poopy bum head stinky evil guy.
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Jesus, what rot. This was genuinely pretty garbage in almost every aspect.
I don't think I've ever read a boring and meandering "fast paced" novella before, but I now have.
This book can be summed up as "And then I went here, then I saw a river, to which I went down into the river, then I saw a hill so I went up the hill, but then I looked behind me and men were chasing me, and then I saw a plane which was following me, so then I found a place to hide and then fell asleep."
Some other general complaints to add:
-NONE of the characters act in a believable manner, not one. Every character in this is just stupid and ridiculous, Richard Hannay the main character most of all. There's multiple points where he comes across a random stranger, who he then tells everything that's just happened to him, and then that stranger just believes him and decides to help him in every way possible.
-Richard also seems to have narcolepsey or something, atleast he has to for this story to make sense. Richards room-mate is murdered by assassins so richard has a nap. Richard has assassins chasing him and are very close to catching him; he decides to have a nap.
-There's also a scene where Richard gets into a fist fight with the police for seemingly no reason, to which he runs off and faces no consequences and it's never brought up again, in fact about 5 pages later he's working with the police.
-Richard is a Mary Sue, or I suppose a gary stu. At multiple points in this story we have to know how smart, strong, fast and how excellent his eye sight is. Not joking, he describes his eyesight as "owl like" multiple times and says he sees things better than animals do. He also gets himself out of every dangerous situation easily and triumphs over any danger with ease.
-Everything that happens in this book is incredibly contrived, forced and unrealistic. You can tell constantly that things are happening just to push the plot forward without ever stopping to consider if it makes sense.
Richard gets locked in a Barn? Well there's dynamite in a closet in the barn and Richard knows how to use it. There are so many examples of ridiculous occurrences in this story that are treated as reasonable.
Rant over, don't read this. Also no; it being written in the early 1900's is no excuse, I've read books from the 17th and 18th century that are more coherent and exceedingly better written than this stinking turd of storytelling, a waste of paper.
I don't think I've ever read a boring and meandering "fast paced" novella before, but I now have.
This book can be summed up as "And then I went here, then I saw a river, to which I went down into the river, then I saw a hill so I went up the hill, but then I looked behind me and men were chasing me, and then I saw a plane which was following me, so then I found a place to hide and then fell asleep."
Some other general complaints to add:
-NONE of the characters act in a believable manner, not one. Every character in this is just stupid and ridiculous, Richard Hannay the main character most of all. There's multiple points where he comes across a random stranger, who he then tells everything that's just happened to him, and then that stranger just believes him and decides to help him in every way possible.
-Richard also seems to have narcolepsey or something, atleast he has to for this story to make sense. Richards room-mate is murdered by assassins so richard has a nap. Richard has assassins chasing him and are very close to catching him; he decides to have a nap.
-There's also a scene where Richard gets into a fist fight with the police for seemingly no reason, to which he runs off and faces no consequences and it's never brought up again, in fact about 5 pages later he's working with the police.
-Richard is a Mary Sue, or I suppose a gary stu. At multiple points in this story we have to know how smart, strong, fast and how excellent his eye sight is. Not joking, he describes his eyesight as "owl like" multiple times and says he sees things better than animals do. He also gets himself out of every dangerous situation easily and triumphs over any danger with ease.
-Everything that happens in this book is incredibly contrived, forced and unrealistic. You can tell constantly that things are happening just to push the plot forward without ever stopping to consider if it makes sense.
Richard gets locked in a Barn? Well there's dynamite in a closet in the barn and Richard knows how to use it. There are so many examples of ridiculous occurrences in this story that are treated as reasonable.
Rant over, don't read this. Also no; it being written in the early 1900's is no excuse, I've read books from the 17th and 18th century that are more coherent and exceedingly better written than this stinking turd of storytelling, a waste of paper.
The French Revolution: From Enlightenment to Tyranny by Ian Davidson
4.0
I have no clue how to rate this, how do you rate a non-fiction history book, especially considering its the only one I've ever read.
I can say though that I had a good time with this, the author's ability to remain as neutral and apolitical as possible was really nice to see, I think when it comes to an event like the french revolution people have a tendency to insert their own opinions on what was morally good and what wasn't. So yeah I enjoyed the neutrality of this book.
What I didn't enjoy was the constant untranslated french all throughout the book, yes it's a book on the "French" revolution but I shouldn't have to know french to be able to read it all. I read books to get off my phone, I don't like having to use google translate every minute. Either put a translated version of the phrase next to the french, or put all the translations of french at the back, but don't make me try to translate everything myself.
I can say though that I had a good time with this, the author's ability to remain as neutral and apolitical as possible was really nice to see, I think when it comes to an event like the french revolution people have a tendency to insert their own opinions on what was morally good and what wasn't. So yeah I enjoyed the neutrality of this book.
What I didn't enjoy was the constant untranslated french all throughout the book, yes it's a book on the "French" revolution but I shouldn't have to know french to be able to read it all. I read books to get off my phone, I don't like having to use google translate every minute. Either put a translated version of the phrase next to the french, or put all the translations of french at the back, but don't make me try to translate everything myself.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This a really excellent and finely crafted story, i was genuinely surprised by just how good the writing and characterisations of things are at certain points; especially for a young adult book. Hans Hubermann might be my new favourite Literary dad character next to Atticus finch and all in all I came to love the characters in this book, they're all so endearing.
I think the pace meanders a bit in the middle, but that's somewhat expected in a 600 page book and the authors use of language more than makes up for it.
And I don't even want to talk about the ending, what a gut punch, a real tear-jerker. Glad there was some happiness though, and the Narrator's words at the end feel right at home in my heart.
Overall I'd really recommend this book to anyone, I wish I'd read it at a younger age as I feel like it would have had an even stronger emotional impact on me, but I'm just glad I've read it anyway. Will be reading more from Markus Zusak in the future.
I think the pace meanders a bit in the middle, but that's somewhat expected in a 600 page book and the authors use of language more than makes up for it.
And I don't even want to talk about the ending, what a gut punch, a real tear-jerker. Glad there was some happiness though, and the Narrator's words at the end feel right at home in my heart.
Overall I'd really recommend this book to anyone, I wish I'd read it at a younger age as I feel like it would have had an even stronger emotional impact on me, but I'm just glad I've read it anyway. Will be reading more from Markus Zusak in the future.
The Hobbit: Illustrated Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I liked this, this was my first reread of The Hobbit since I finished it several years ago. It was about what I expected; A lovely cosy feeling, Bilbo and Gandalf are heart-warming characters and the setting is almost nostalgic feeling.
What I must admit though is that I feel like this story suffers a pacing issue, a tendency to say nothing interesting and it has a letdown of a dragon fight which is a complete shame. The story begins to drag in my opinion after they escape Mirkwood, the ordeal with smaug was such a mood killer, like I don't want to be annoying but how do you stuff up a climatic dragon sequence so badly?? And yeah thirdly, I know this is supposed to be a children's book but I wish there was a little more going on, a little more seasoning in the sauce. We pass by so many characters, Unique races and monsters in this story and yet learn practically nothing about them that isn't very one note.
I think my problems will all be remedied In the Lord of the rings books, I've got high hopes for them since I do love the fantasy setting of Middle earth (Especially as a New Zealander) but I want more complexity, better use of language and more intricate themes, aswell as a better paced plot that has a proper pay off.
3.5 : Which is my rating for "I liked it but it could have done alot more".
What I must admit though is that I feel like this story suffers a pacing issue, a tendency to say nothing interesting and it has a letdown of a dragon fight which is a complete shame. The story begins to drag in my opinion after they escape Mirkwood, the ordeal with smaug was such a mood killer, like I don't want to be annoying but how do you stuff up a climatic dragon sequence so badly?? And yeah thirdly, I know this is supposed to be a children's book but I wish there was a little more going on, a little more seasoning in the sauce. We pass by so many characters, Unique races and monsters in this story and yet learn practically nothing about them that isn't very one note.
I think my problems will all be remedied In the Lord of the rings books, I've got high hopes for them since I do love the fantasy setting of Middle earth (Especially as a New Zealander) but I want more complexity, better use of language and more intricate themes, aswell as a better paced plot that has a proper pay off.
3.5 : Which is my rating for "I liked it but it could have done alot more".
Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So this might be my favourite book I've read up untill this point. This was just such a dense and introspective book with incredibly intricate prose that gave words to concepts I've never been able to.
My main takeaway from this was that I think this story is ultimately about how as humans we are made up of a million different moving parts, and no matter how much we believe we are locked in to a specific path we have chosen in life, or how set in stone we are as a person, we can always rebuild ourselves; rebuild, choose and try again at any stage of our lives.
Another bit of philosophy in this that helped me personally; a solution to the over anxious mind: Is that to truly live we must completely give in to our senses, emotions and feelings. If you're a typical anxious individual and you let logic, rationale and reason rule you, you'll never be satisfied or content with the world, a world in which nothing is a given and everything is without proper explanation.
5/5. Will be reading more of Hesse's works after this.
My main takeaway from this was that I think this story is ultimately about how as humans we are made up of a million different moving parts, and no matter how much we believe we are locked in to a specific path we have chosen in life, or how set in stone we are as a person, we can always rebuild ourselves; rebuild, choose and try again at any stage of our lives.
Another bit of philosophy in this that helped me personally; a solution to the over anxious mind: Is that to truly live we must completely give in to our senses, emotions and feelings. If you're a typical anxious individual and you let logic, rationale and reason rule you, you'll never be satisfied or content with the world, a world in which nothing is a given and everything is without proper explanation.
5/5. Will be reading more of Hesse's works after this.
One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Glad I read this, there's that quote about how books can be windows into someone else's life or a window into a different world. This is primarily what this novella is, it's not very fun to read, nor is it entertaining or particularly engaging, hell it doesn't even have much prose that stands out.
But as the title suggests, this is a glimpse into a day in the life of a man living in a soviet prison camp. To be able to read about this situation from an author who has lived through pretty much exactly what you're seeing in the book is a very special privilege and why literature is so important.
This is fictional, but it reads somewhat as an autobiography or a memoir, my edition came with some information on the authors life (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn) and I'm very grateful that stories like this are out there.
I came out of this appreciating my very easy and untroubled modern life more. "A man who is warm will never understand the man who Is cold" so says Ivan, but this book helped me understand a fraction of that coldness.
But as the title suggests, this is a glimpse into a day in the life of a man living in a soviet prison camp. To be able to read about this situation from an author who has lived through pretty much exactly what you're seeing in the book is a very special privilege and why literature is so important.
This is fictional, but it reads somewhat as an autobiography or a memoir, my edition came with some information on the authors life (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn) and I'm very grateful that stories like this are out there.
I came out of this appreciating my very easy and untroubled modern life more. "A man who is warm will never understand the man who Is cold" so says Ivan, but this book helped me understand a fraction of that coldness.
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Incoming rant warning ⚠️
I hated this and I really wish I didn't, just for context: I've read Kafka on the shore and The wind up bird chronicle aswell as a collection of short stories, which I thoroughly enjoyed all of. BUT THIS, this piece of dumpster fire that somehow classifies as a novel, was one of the worst things I've read unfortunately by an author I enjoyed up untill this point.
What happens if you took a Murakami story, took out all the interesting surrealism and symbolism, turned the creepy pervertedness up to 100 and added a mixture of banal plot, sexual assualt involving minors and terrible smutty romance? You get Norwegian wood.
I wish I DNF'd this, it was not worth reading all the way through. Unfortunately this book despite all its flaws, has some good moments, that are of course all immediately ruined by the most unrealistic, juvenile and perverted sexual happenings that occur straight after. If I could choose a metaphor for what this felt like as a reading experience I'd say "It's like eating chocolate covered strawberries but then just as you finish the strawberry, someone shoves a steaming pile of cow manure down your throat. Repeat untill you want to choke and die."
I LOVE when a girls dad dies of brain cancer which is then followed by her talking about how short her skirt is and how "everything falls out" when she goes up the stairs.
I LOVE detailed descriptions of a sexual encounter between a 13 year old and 31 year old. ( I genuinely don't understand how this section was even allowed to be published)
I LOVE stripping off nude infront of a photo of my deceased father and then saying "Here daddy look at my cunt and tits"
I LOVE when my long term love interest kills herself and the first thing I think of was how she sucked my dick soooo good.
This was a disgusting read, not disgusting in a profound of moral way, not disgusting to serve a purpose or tell a story. This was disgustingly sexual just for the sake of it, and somehow people eat this shit up.
This officially goes on my "Red flag" list of books. If this is one of your favourite books, please touch grass, stop watching porn and interact with a real human.
I hated this and I really wish I didn't, just for context: I've read Kafka on the shore and The wind up bird chronicle aswell as a collection of short stories, which I thoroughly enjoyed all of. BUT THIS, this piece of dumpster fire that somehow classifies as a novel, was one of the worst things I've read unfortunately by an author I enjoyed up untill this point.
What happens if you took a Murakami story, took out all the interesting surrealism and symbolism, turned the creepy pervertedness up to 100 and added a mixture of banal plot, sexual assualt involving minors and terrible smutty romance? You get Norwegian wood.
I wish I DNF'd this, it was not worth reading all the way through. Unfortunately this book despite all its flaws, has some good moments, that are of course all immediately ruined by the most unrealistic, juvenile and perverted sexual happenings that occur straight after. If I could choose a metaphor for what this felt like as a reading experience I'd say "It's like eating chocolate covered strawberries but then just as you finish the strawberry, someone shoves a steaming pile of cow manure down your throat. Repeat untill you want to choke and die."
I LOVE when a girls dad dies of brain cancer which is then followed by her talking about how short her skirt is and how "everything falls out" when she goes up the stairs.
I LOVE detailed descriptions of a sexual encounter between a 13 year old and 31 year old. ( I genuinely don't understand how this section was even allowed to be published)
I LOVE stripping off nude infront of a photo of my deceased father and then saying "Here daddy look at my cunt and tits"
I LOVE when my long term love interest kills herself and the first thing I think of was how she sucked my dick soooo good.
This was a disgusting read, not disgusting in a profound of moral way, not disgusting to serve a purpose or tell a story. This was disgustingly sexual just for the sake of it, and somehow people eat this shit up.
This officially goes on my "Red flag" list of books. If this is one of your favourite books, please touch grass, stop watching porn and interact with a real human.