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wonderlake's reviews
29 reviews
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
adventurous
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Listened to this on audio. It was 30-hours long! I have spent over a whole day of my life listening to this book!
Bought a copy to loan to dad.
Lots of detail about the city, which you can just let wash over you on audio.
Lin!
The slake moths were truly horrifying. Mieville certainly has a way with gruesome words.
There is so much in this book! The remades, handlingers... I knew that cleaning construct was dodgy! Ah the Weaver!!
Listening to it on audio meant that once the 'main' action was over and there was still 1h30 left to go I was like??
Bought a copy to loan to dad.
Lots of detail about the city, which you can just let wash over you on audio.
Lin!
The slake moths were truly horrifying. Mieville certainly has a way with gruesome words.
There is so much in this book! The remades, handlingers... I knew that cleaning construct was dodgy! Ah the Weaver!!
Listening to it on audio meant that once the 'main' action was over and there was still 1h30 left to go I was like??
Princess Bari by Hwang Sok-yong
dark
emotional
sad
#koreanmarch 2023
Bought this on Kindle in Feb 2021 so nice to get it ticked off. Can't remember why I bought it in particular, apart from for Korean March I guess.
The story is based on the Korean folktale/myth of Princess Bari? As such I found myself struggling at times during the narrative as to whether the Bari in our book was real or an allegory.
The first section of the book, dealing with childhood in north Korean was naturally gripping and heart-wrenching. It made me think of my 11-year old.
However when the action moved to London I found the action become a lot more melodramatic. So many misfortunes continue to befall Bari that it seemed like she was a character in Eastenders.
The 15-day section where she is grieving towards the end almost felt like a video game was being described to me, with Bari using mgical items to further her path.
Bought this on Kindle in Feb 2021 so nice to get it ticked off. Can't remember why I bought it in particular, apart from for Korean March I guess.
The story is based on the Korean folktale/myth of Princess Bari? As such I found myself struggling at times during the narrative as to whether the Bari in our book was real or an allegory.
The first section of the book, dealing with childhood in north Korean was naturally gripping and heart-wrenching. It made me think of my 11-year old.
However when the action moved to London I found the action become a lot more melodramatic. So many misfortunes continue to befall Bari that it seemed like she was a character in Eastenders.
The 15-day section where she is grieving towards the end almost felt like a video game was being described to me, with Bari using mgical items to further her path.
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
- Diverse cast of characters? No
I had this book TBR via Bookcrossing since... 2007, and notes indicate that I first tried to read it in 2009!!!
I found Parts 1 & 2 enjoyable, but it lost me when the action(or not) moved to the asylum. How many times can a character try to convince a Doctor that they are not delusional, yawn.
Looking at the criticisms of the book, one is that it is over-long which I agree with. I also found the chapters very long which tends to be a pet-peeve of mine.
Glad I can finally tick it off.
I found Parts 1 & 2 enjoyable, but it lost me when the action(or not) moved to the asylum. How many times can a character try to convince a Doctor that they are not delusional, yawn.
Looking at the criticisms of the book, one is that it is over-long which I agree with. I also found the chapters very long which tends to be a pet-peeve of mine.
Glad I can finally tick it off.
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
urgh, I guess I had high hopes for this, mainly due to the Jon Klassen illustrations. I suppose the blurb - about it being a "heart-wrenching" story told a different tale. When reading kid's books, for me I don't want a 'Trigger Warning' upsetting tale.
So anyway, the story of a boy and his pet fox. Except they have to part ways at the start of the story, and Peter (the boy) then spends the rest of the book making an Incredibly Journey back to him. They both get to grow and change. "If you love someone, set them free"
Why does everyone sustain a leg injury?
Never judge a book by its cover.
So anyway, the story of a boy and his pet fox. Except they have to part ways at the start of the story, and Peter (the boy) then spends the rest of the book making an Incredibly Journey back to him. They both get to grow and change. "If you love someone, set them free"
Why does everyone sustain a leg injury?
Never judge a book by its cover.
South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
January in Japan
I can remember when reading Murakami was a snobbish badge. Maybe he was the only widely translated contemporary Japanese author at the time? Thankfully nowadays we're spolit for choice.
A series of beautiful women haunt our protagonist. He had no choice but to be unfaithful to his wife.
Will have to go back and double- check it for Murakami-bingo ;)
Are his more recent works still in the same vein? Am I that interested to find out?
I would however read his non-fiction about the subway attack
I can remember when reading Murakami was a snobbish badge. Maybe he was the only widely translated contemporary Japanese author at the time? Thankfully nowadays we're spolit for choice.
A series of beautiful women haunt our protagonist. He had no choice but to be unfaithful to his wife.
Will have to go back and double- check it for Murakami-bingo ;)
Are his more recent works still in the same vein? Am I that interested to find out?
I would however read his non-fiction about the subway attack
Rabbits by Terry Miles
adventurous
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
Novel set in the world of the podcast. To stay true I listened to it as an audiobook.
A lot of mysterious things happened and then what?
The multiverse was in danger of collapsing ... at times it went too far along this path for me. Please keep it to dead parents with mysterious jobs, coincidences and patterns
There was too much blacking out - in order to conveniently move the plot to a new location.
Maybe I'll go back and listen to S1 again. I preferred the hook to that one, a 'normal' person investigating her missing friend and uncovering spoopy shit.
This was from the POV of someone who had had weird things happen to them all their life.
I hated the phrase about "Gatewick Special sauce"
Maybe because it was on audio I disliked sweary Chloe.
Will listen to the next novel coming out later this year at some point, but it's not a preorder from me "The Quiet Room " Oct 20203
A lot of mysterious things happened and then what?
The multiverse was in danger of collapsing ... at times it went too far along this path for me. Please keep it to dead parents with mysterious jobs, coincidences and patterns
There was too much blacking out - in order to conveniently move the plot to a new location.
Maybe I'll go back and listen to S1 again. I preferred the hook to that one, a 'normal' person investigating her missing friend and uncovering spoopy shit.
This was from the POV of someone who had had weird things happen to them all their life.
I hated the phrase about "Gatewick Special sauce"
Maybe because it was on audio I disliked sweary Chloe.
Will listen to the next novel coming out later this year at some point, but it's not a preorder from me "The Quiet Room " Oct 20203
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
I read about 70per cent of this 500+ page book and thought... I don't actually have to keep on reading this.
For a story about young adults, making friends living their own lives for the first time there is remarkably little sex. I think the most that happens ever is a heated glance, one hand covers another. And I just found this laughably unrealistic, especially when there are apparent undertones to the quartet's interpersonal relationships.
I continued to complete the book via audiobook. Even then I was still in disbelief.
One of the scenes that made me laugh out loud when still reading was when the NORTHERN mill-workers came down to Babel to protest about silver putting them out of jobs. They get portrayed as only slightly better/more intelligent than animals and soon scurry away, tails between their legs.
Only towards the end of the book do they make a reappearance, only now our plucky scholars are prepared to give them the time of day... and it's like - you have been studying and learning under tutors since a tender age ... where are your criticial thinking faculties? They are spoonfed one theory after another and lap it all up
VERY young adult
Makes me wish to reread The Secret History
For a story about young adults, making friends living their own lives for the first time there is remarkably little sex. I think the most that happens ever is a heated glance, one hand covers another. And I just found this laughably unrealistic, especially when there are apparent undertones to the quartet's interpersonal relationships.
I continued to complete the book via audiobook. Even then I was still in disbelief.
One of the scenes that made me laugh out loud when still reading was when the NORTHERN mill-workers came down to Babel to protest about silver putting them out of jobs. They get portrayed as only slightly better/more intelligent than animals and soon scurry away, tails between their legs.
Only towards the end of the book do they make a reappearance, only now our plucky scholars are prepared to give them the time of day... and it's like - you have been studying and learning under tutors since a tender age ... where are your criticial thinking faculties? They are spoonfed one theory after another and lap it all up
VERY young adult
Makes me wish to reread The Secret History
A Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
Was drawn to this by the cover illustration by the ever talented Melissa Castrillon.
Initially I was drawn in by the naturalistic dialogue, and also the less-than-luxury lifestyle the girls live.
However at some point I searched the book up online and realised it was part of a series... and it dawned on me that this was just the first part of their story-- that nothing would be wrapped up neatly at the end of this book which made me feel .... cheated? I just wanted everything to make sense
Another niggle was towards the end the chapters became quite long, with no section breaks which made bedtime reading awkward just having to chose to break off at some point.
Overall I found the world bleak and depressing. What had at the start seemed refreshing (ie. not all sweetness and light) became dull and drab, with place names like Lament and Torment.
The sisters were quite 2D- pretty/ looks/boy obsessed Fliss (same name as Strangeworlds hero); longing for adventure Betty, 'baby' Charlie - they reminded me of the Powerpuff Girls
Will not be continuing the series...
Initially I was drawn in by the naturalistic dialogue, and also the less-than-luxury lifestyle the girls live.
However at some point I searched the book up online and realised it was part of a series... and it dawned on me that this was just the first part of their story-- that nothing would be wrapped up neatly at the end of this book which made me feel .... cheated? I just wanted everything to make sense
Another niggle was towards the end the chapters became quite long, with no section breaks which made bedtime reading awkward just having to chose to break off at some point.
Overall I found the world bleak and depressing. What had at the start seemed refreshing (ie. not all sweetness and light) became dull and drab, with place names like Lament and Torment.
The sisters were quite 2D- pretty/ looks/boy obsessed Fliss (same name as Strangeworlds hero); longing for adventure Betty, 'baby' Charlie - they reminded me of the Powerpuff Girls
Will not be continuing the series...
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
dark
mysterious
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
I found this quite hard to get into. The family - as they are - are all quite peculiar in their own ways and we are never given concrete facts about them (how old is Merricat?) or what happened exactly. You just have to keep reading and piece things together. Even then you don't get to the heart of WHY, or perhaps it's a "just because"?
But I did like Constance & Merricat's relationship, Constance's indulgence of Merricat's imaginary life "On the moon"
A few times I forgot who 'Jonas' was - Merricat's pet cat - being thrown by him having a 'human' name
But I did like Constance & Merricat's relationship, Constance's indulgence of Merricat's imaginary life "On the moon"
A few times I forgot who 'Jonas' was - Merricat's pet cat - being thrown by him having a 'human' name
The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma's Kitchen by Joanne Lee Molinaro
informative
slow-paced
Listened to this as an audiobook. Run time was 2h 37mins. Said it was unabridged, but each of the 9? Sections only had 1 or 2 recipes. When I searched online people were posting pics of foods/recipes that I hadn't heard about.
Recipies fell at the first hurdle somewhat for me as a rice dish called for sweet brown rice, something I've never seen and when I Googled am not sure if it's a thing in the UK? Will have to scour Oseyo next time I'm in the city
#koreanMarch
Recipies fell at the first hurdle somewhat for me as a rice dish called for sweet brown rice, something I've never seen and when I Googled am not sure if it's a thing in the UK? Will have to scour Oseyo next time I'm in the city
#koreanMarch
Content Warnings
Refugee status. Racism. Overweight/body issues. Infanticide