Scan barcode
oofym's reviews
99 reviews
Ghost Stories by M.R. James
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
Man, this started so strong and then just gradually wore on me untill It eventually became one of the dullest things I've had to sit through.
This might be the most repetitive short story collection I've read; and that's a shame because the few times M.R James tries to write something unique it's typically pretty good. But my good lord, the monotonous nature of these stories, the repeating elements really wears on you.
Almost every story involves a rich educated man either studying/exploring something or being told a spooky story by a colleague. The story will inevitably feature a church, a stupid "lower class" person and a vaguely human ghost or creature that appears at the end.
The few times M.R James deviates from this structure,the stories are much better, and that's why this gets a 3 instead of anything lower, there were some really enjoyable parts to this.
Here's my ranking of the stories:
●Lost hearts: 4●
●Casting the runes: 3.5●
●Count magnus: 3●
●The mezzotint: 3.5●
●The stalls of barchester cathedral: 2.5●
●Oh whistle and I'll come to you: 3.5●
●The treasure of abbot Thomas: 2.5 ●
●A view from a hill: 3●
●The story of a disappearance and an appearance: 3.5●
●The Ash tree: 3●
●The tractate middoth: 4●
●Martin's close: 3.5●
●Mr Humphreys and his inheritance: 2.5●
●Canon Alberics scrap-book: 3●
●Number 13: 3●
●An episode of cathedral history: 2.5●
●A warning to the curious: 3●
This might be the most repetitive short story collection I've read; and that's a shame because the few times M.R James tries to write something unique it's typically pretty good. But my good lord, the monotonous nature of these stories, the repeating elements really wears on you.
Almost every story involves a rich educated man either studying/exploring something or being told a spooky story by a colleague. The story will inevitably feature a church, a stupid "lower class" person and a vaguely human ghost or creature that appears at the end.
The few times M.R James deviates from this structure,the stories are much better, and that's why this gets a 3 instead of anything lower, there were some really enjoyable parts to this.
Here's my ranking of the stories:
●Lost hearts: 4●
●Casting the runes: 3.5●
●Count magnus: 3●
●The mezzotint: 3.5●
●The stalls of barchester cathedral: 2.5●
●Oh whistle and I'll come to you: 3.5●
●The treasure of abbot Thomas: 2.5 ●
●A view from a hill: 3●
●The story of a disappearance and an appearance: 3.5●
●The Ash tree: 3●
●The tractate middoth: 4●
●Martin's close: 3.5●
●Mr Humphreys and his inheritance: 2.5●
●Canon Alberics scrap-book: 3●
●Number 13: 3●
●An episode of cathedral history: 2.5●
●A warning to the curious: 3●
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
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? Yes
3.5
I think Jane Austen just might not really be for me, don't get me wrong I enjoyed this story (And Emma) but I think the more I read of her works the less interested I am in them.
To me the main problem is that the stakes are so incredibly low, there is no fear of death, harm or horrible event, the worst that might happen is a minor social scandal.
The protagonis is (always) a heroine who has strong morals and she inevitably falls in love with and marries the older love interest who seems to be perfect in all ways.
It's a fun story, it's character's are well done and the social commentary is written with finesse. The issue is that I am simply starting to find the lack of "more" boring.
To me the main problem is that the stakes are so incredibly low, there is no fear of death, harm or horrible event, the worst that might happen is a minor social scandal.
The protagonis is (always) a heroine who has strong morals and she inevitably falls in love with and marries the older love interest who seems to be perfect in all ways.
It's a fun story, it's character's are well done and the social commentary is written with finesse. The issue is that I am simply starting to find the lack of "more" boring.
The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
This was definitely a more enjoyable reading experience than your average history book. Some parts of this book, where Mortimer really tries to put you in the time and place he's describing are excellent; easily the funnest parts of the book. However there are also parts where it considerably drags, long lists of the inventory of a person's house, pages of descriptions of furniture and etc.
Apart from that one complaint (And Mortimer having the hugest Literary crush on Geoffrey Chaucer I've ever seen) this was a great and informative read.
I think this quote towards the end really sums up the authors intentions and what you'll get out of reading this:
Apart from that one complaint (And Mortimer having the hugest Literary crush on Geoffrey Chaucer I've ever seen) this was a great and informative read.
I think this quote towards the end really sums up the authors intentions and what you'll get out of reading this:
"Everything changes. What does not change? Only that these people, like us, are human and have urges, needs and challenges, and that these are continually shifting. If we really want to understand what humanity is, and how adaptable we are, we must see ourselves as a constantly living, evolving race - always on the very cusp of a vast and unimaginable future, whether we live in the 14th century or the 21st"
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
dark
reflective
medium-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
4.5
Really beautiful in the most melancholic way. The dialogue and questions surrounding topics like nihilism, finding meaning in suffering, living for yourself vs living for others; it was all put to paper in a manner that would make Dostoevsky proud.
This was Intricately crafted, poetic and deeply inquisitive towards how we find our own understanding of morality. I'm excited to read more of Kawakami's work.
This read like a Murakami book without the weird fetishisastion of women.
This was Intricately crafted, poetic and deeply inquisitive towards how we find our own understanding of morality. I'm excited to read more of Kawakami's work.
This read like a Murakami book without the weird fetishisastion of women.
Chess: A Novel by Stefan Zweig
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? It's complicated
3.75
This was a fun one, but also very tricky to rate. On one hand I have zero criticisms about this story, the prose, characters and themes are all succinctly executed; on the otherhand nothing really stood out to me much either. Which in all fairness; its a very short book so it's going to be hard to leave a lasting impression, I just wish there was a little more mmm- "special sauce".
I enjoyed the dichotomy between men who are completely logical in how they go about things vs men who are more memory/creatively driven.
The story of the chess player being driven to mania through obsession with one task was fun too.
Also: excellent translation by Andrea Bell. The prose was very clear and understandable, it didn't feel choppy at all and flowed smoothly.
I enjoyed the dichotomy between men who are completely logical in how they go about things vs men who are more memory/creatively driven.
The story of the chess player being driven to mania through obsession with one task was fun too.
Also: excellent translation by Andrea Bell. The prose was very clear and understandable, it didn't feel choppy at all and flowed smoothly.
Scrublands by Chris Hammer
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
This progressively got worse as it went on, at first I was kind of into it, the tension building and mystery are definitely intriguing and I'll admit it's quite well paced, but as the story goes on the execution of how things are revealed and how the characters act becomes increasingly sloppy.
Also did not appreciate the strong "male gaze" feeling throughout this. I don't normally care about stuff like that, but it was just so obviously written by an old man. Every woman in this book is either a promiscuous cheater, a rude "fat" asshole or a weak little angel that needs a man's protection. You'll find no strong female character's in this.
There were good parts though, like I mentioned before the pacing is pretty consistent and well down and I think the suspense/intrigue building during the first 250 pages is done well enough, but that's it really.
In short, a forgettable bargin bin book.
Also did not appreciate the strong "male gaze" feeling throughout this. I don't normally care about stuff like that, but it was just so obviously written by an old man. Every woman in this book is either a promiscuous cheater, a rude "fat" asshole or a weak little angel that needs a man's protection. You'll find no strong female character's in this.
There were good parts though, like I mentioned before the pacing is pretty consistent and well down and I think the suspense/intrigue building during the first 250 pages is done well enough, but that's it really.
In short, a forgettable bargin bin book.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
emotional
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
2.5
I am so, so, so conflicted on this book. On one hand I think Tolstoy's writings is intricate and yet still flows smoothly, he's a master of showcasing human sociological behaviour through subtle techniques and he knows how to make realistic and morally complicated characters.
On the other hand, this book put me in a reading slump for about a fortnight, I DNF'd it once and then almost DNF'd it again, and ended up having to listen to the last 300 or so pages as an audio book because physically reading this felt like such a complete waste of my time.
I don't know, maybe I'm just annoyed because this book could have been 500 pages long, maybe I'm sick of reading about rich people from the 1800's who think their lives are profusely interesting, or maybe Tolstoy just needed to hire an editor that wasn't his wife. I'm glad I've read it (Actually eh, not really) but I think I'll stick to the other famous Russian classical authors from now on.
On the other hand, this book put me in a reading slump for about a fortnight, I DNF'd it once and then almost DNF'd it again, and ended up having to listen to the last 300 or so pages as an audio book because physically reading this felt like such a complete waste of my time.
I don't know, maybe I'm just annoyed because this book could have been 500 pages long, maybe I'm sick of reading about rich people from the 1800's who think their lives are profusely interesting, or maybe Tolstoy just needed to hire an editor that wasn't his wife. I'm glad I've read it (Actually eh, not really) but I think I'll stick to the other famous Russian classical authors from now on.
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.