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nadia's reviews
492 reviews
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A super solid book, with a fresh take on death, grief, identity, living a life worth living, martyrdom, love, and art. I really appreciated all of the facets of it, including the different storytelling devices (normal prose, a book within a book, poetry, etc.), the different perspectives, and the surrealist aspects, even if I didn't always fully grasp their meaning, and there were some real beautiful ideas and writing in the book too. Went into this thinking it'd be a 4.5-5-star read though, and something about it didn't pop in the way I wanted it to. But still a great book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Private Equity: A Memoir by Carrie Sun
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Was expecting something a lot juicier and drama-filled and something with new, unique insights into the billionaire lifestyle or behind-the-scenes at a hedge fund, whereas I don't think I learnt anything new here or that there was anything out of the ordinary to really mull on.
I think it's a compelling read/listen if you know nothing about the world of finance or hedge funds!
I think it's a compelling read/listen if you know nothing about the world of finance or hedge funds!
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I surprisingly really liked this! I wasn't sure when I started, but I was intrigued by all of the details. It was an insight into a life and lifestyle that's so very different to mine and I appreciated the raw and honest insights Dolly provided, even if I found myself balking at times. Listening to Dolly narrate the book herself added to the experience.
Long Division by Kiese Laymon
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What a fantastic, unique, funny, clever book!
It has a theme I often struggle with — time travel — but I got it enough to appreciate the quality of what Kiese has put together. I did spend some time trying to piece together exactly what happened when afterwards, and whether I missed something that was meant to make it all click, before realising that that's not really the important part. I got the overall gist and it was a brilliant backdrop for such important conversations.
Probably one I'd wanna reread in a couple years and I'm also excited to read more of Laymon's work.
P.S. I hear a more recent edition of this book has the book in a different structure? I've got an edition from 2013.
P.P.S. This was one of the first ever recommendations Rob's first StoryGraph rec algorithm gave to me! The model has come on a very long way since then but it's very cool to see that it was getting a lot right back then.
It has a theme I often struggle with — time travel — but I got it enough to appreciate the quality of what Kiese has put together. I did spend some time trying to piece together exactly what happened when afterwards, and whether I missed something that was meant to make it all click, before realising that that's not really the important part. I got the overall gist and it was a brilliant backdrop for such important conversations.
Probably one I'd wanna reread in a couple years and I'm also excited to read more of Laymon's work.
P.S. I hear a more recent edition of this book has the book in a different structure? I've got an edition from 2013.
P.P.S. This was one of the first ever recommendations Rob's first StoryGraph rec algorithm gave to me! The model has come on a very long way since then but it's very cool to see that it was getting a lot right back then.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Gun violence
Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
I went into this with low expectations and I really enjoyed it. A solid novella and I liked the structure!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Murder
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
dark
tense
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
3.75
This reread didn't quite hit as much as I thought it would. I'd always said The Picture of Dorian Gray was one of my fave classics, after studying it at school, but maybe it was the English teacher, and more recently the stage adaptation in London featuring Sarah Snook, that made the story really pop.
This was still a great read, with lots of philosophical musings on life to mull on, but a lil' summin' summin' was missing for me. Oh, and I got really bored during one particular section in the latter half. It started off well, and I appreciated the conceit of the segment, but then it felt like it went on for too long.
This was still a great read, with lots of philosophical musings on life to mull on, but a lil' summin' summin' was missing for me. Oh, and I got really bored during one particular section in the latter half. It started off well, and I appreciated the conceit of the segment, but then it felt like it went on for too long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Violence and Gun violence
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
emotional
funny
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
4.0
A solid, real, funny, relatable read about relationships and break-ups! Enjoyed reading this from a man's perspective, and I even noted down a couple of passages towards the end as they felt like good bits of advice to reflect back on later!
All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class by Tim Shipman
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Wow — blown away by how detailed and broad this political history was, while still remaining interesting the whole way.
I did lose focus at times while listening to this, but I think that's mostly my own fault...
I haven't done any research into what else is out there but to me this is the definitive guide to everything Brexit, including how we got there and the immediate aftermath. I'd be hard-pressed to find a book as detailed and interesting. It really covered every angle!
Loved the appendices as well, especially the Boris Johnson articles.
I did lose focus at times while listening to this, but I think that's mostly my own fault...
I haven't done any research into what else is out there but to me this is the definitive guide to everything Brexit, including how we got there and the immediate aftermath. I'd be hard-pressed to find a book as detailed and interesting. It really covered every angle!
Loved the appendices as well, especially the Boris Johnson articles.
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
challenging
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Loved the structure and "meta" nature of this book. I didn't quite grasp everything but I was very here for the whole concept of this book. I'd never given that much thought to the Asian American identity struggle and this was such an inventive way to explore it against the backdrops of White America and Black America. It definitely gave me a lot of food for thought!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and War
Minor: Gun violence
Christine by Stephen King
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed this book, but it felt like it dragged on way too much! I felt like I was at the 50-60% mark for ages!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, Murder, and Body horror