purplegrape's reviews
46 reviews

Tao Te Ching: A New English Version by Laozi

informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

3.75

It was a nice book to listen to while working out or cooking. Between the background ambience and the narrator's voice it felt very meditative. I didn't feel like it touched on any ideas I hadn't heard of before (growing up inundated with the ideas of Buddhism). Because of this it didn't incite much reflection in me, though that might just be a me problem. I'm interested to hear what Felix has to say as this is the first book for his 2025 reading challenge. I think I will look into more nonfiction works of this nature, especially to listen to while working out.

Harry Potter a l'ecole des sorciers ; Harry Potter et la chambre des secrets ; Harry Potter et le prisonnier d'Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, Jean-François Ménard

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-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

C'était le premier livre que j'ai fini en 2025 (en fait c'est le premier livre en français que j'ai fini dans tout ma vie). Au début c'était un peu difficile a comprendre (particulièrement avec les voix des Dursleys et d'Hagrid), mais au fin c'était plus facile (mais je ne sais pas si c'était parce que je me suis améliorée ou si je me souviens mieux le fin du livre que le début lol).

J'adore le monde d'Harry Potter et je suis très contente d'avoir un excuse pour retourner. Le premier film est mon préféré, mais je ne sais pas quel livre que je préfère. Je pense que j'ai lu le premier livre le plus 🤔 mais je ne peux pas le dire certainement. Si c'est vrai c'est parce que je l'ai lu depuis que j'ai écrit mes fanfics quand j'étais petite.

J'espère que quand j'ai fini d'écouter de tous les livres d'Harry Potter je serai prête pour lire plus des livres en français (L'étranger par exemple ou Le Petit Prince).

Maintenant plus sur le livre: je n'aime pas la voix choisi pour Malfoy 😭 pourquoi il a ce voix horrible ??? Aussi je ne peux pas comprendre Hagrid 💀 c'est une chance 50/50 si je peux comprendre ce qu'il a dit. Mais généralement je suis contente avec la voix du narrateur et je suis ravi d'écouter les autres livres 😊 

The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Not as good as the other books because I wasn't as attached to the characters (Baby Jinx? I literally don't care). It was interesting learning about how vampires came to be at least. I care more for the ancient vampires than the young ones. I also don't understand Lestat's attachment to the queen and vice versa. Don't think I'll read the other books in the series, though I'll likely reread the first/second novels on paper at some point. And I want to read The Vampire Lestat before reading Interview With a Vampire.

Love Of Cloud And Rain by Moscareto

emotional lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

2.75

The art is great. The story and characters don't compare to Punch Drunk Love unfortunately.

Punch Drunk Love, Vol. 1 by Okdong, Moscareto

funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

Quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever read. Often the miscommunication trope is annoying at best and insufferable at worst, but this author's creative take made it hilariously enjoyable. I love these two characters and wish the best for them. The art style is cute, the storyline is funny, and the themes/messages hit home without being cheesy. 

11/10 would recommend.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

I wanted to switch from epub to kepub but procrastinated.

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

4.25

I intended to listen to audiobooks of books I didn't want to annotate. I chose Interview With a Vampire and then The Vampire Lestat thinking they would be along the lines of gay Twilight. What I didn't expect was a philosophical conversation on immortality, humanity, good and evil, life and death, and grief. I will definitely have to reread these on paper 😭 

Between the two, I think I prefer The Vampire Lestat, mainly because he was much more tolerable from his perspective (which is to be expected). I wasn't that hooked by the beginning, but Lestat's backstory gave me more than I could've asked for.

I never would've guessed that he was the one who founded (ish) The Vampire Theater!! I also can't believe Armand did him dirty like that wtf. And he's still alive too literally what are you doing.

And the conversations w Marius!! Wow, just wow. The highlight of the novel.

I don't know what I expected to happen at the end, but what ended up happening was not it. I wasn't intending to continue with this series right away (I want to listen to Harry Potter à L'école des Sorciers) but now it seems like I have to. Oh the horror.

I definitely want to reread IWAV now knowing Lestat's side of things. I bet I will see him differently, but I wonder to what degree. I don't understand why he did not tell Louis that he supposedly only went after evil doers. Though he didn't make an excuse for the literal children he was feeding on so there's that. 

I am curious what the next novel has to offer. I'm more interested in the past, so it being set in the age of technology is a bit of a bummer. I wonder what Louis and Catherine (nope her name is Gabrielle where tf did that come from 💀) had been doing all this time. Also whether that boy that interviewed Louis ever found Lestat.

1984 by George Orwell
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

Got halfway through the first page while waiting for Macy and Franklin to order at Mod (I'd already eaten so I didn't get anything). Never ended up picking it back up.

L'étranger by Albert Camus
Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.

Looking up French words ever other sentence disrupted my reading too much.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.75

Oh how I love to listen to a vampire audiobook as it grows cold. It reminds me of listening to Dracula for English IV as winter fell. Interview With a Vampire is a vampire novel unlike any other I've had (though, seeing as my experience is limited to Dracula and Twilight, I suppose that's to be expected).

This novel was strange in that I wasn't particularly attached to any of the characters. Of course, none of them were human enough for me to feel anything for them. It was interesting to learn about vampires alongside Louis, and the novel asked questions about immortality that I had not questioned myself. 

I, like the boy interviewing, would still like to be a vampire if provided the chance (and isn't that funny seeing as I'm vegan). So perhaps Louis would be disappointed in me, too. I don't know if my enjoyment of the novel came from the narrator or the audiobook itself. I must say the language was absolutely exquisite, and I loved the descriptions of everything. 

I don't think this is the kind of novel I will reread. Perhaps after I have gone through grief of some sort. Right now (being that I am 20 and have endured minimal hardship) it does not hit as hard as I believe it should. I think I will listen to The Vampire Lestat out of curiosity. Unrelated but when I think of him I imagine Lucius Malfoy.