Luis Ramos

One-Sentence book review
Insightful book that makes you think about your being while unraveling an interesting mystery throughout the book's story.

Summary, thoughts and notesThe book's narrative is told through a series of journal entries from the main character, Piranesi spends his days wandering through a house made up of a labyrinth of an endless amount of rooms, these rooms are usually filled with statues, all of them different, as well as some wildlife like birds. The basement of the house itself has an ocean with rising tides which on high tide floods the upper, main floors.Piranesi writes on his journal about his daily life, as well as meeting another person twice a week, a person he only calls "the Other", until one day, the Other tells Piranesi to be wary of another person that might get in contact with him. This makes Piranesi very excited, but also doesn't want to make the Other upset, since he's his only acquaintance. The third person manages to get in contact with Piranesi, and gives him clues that lead him to his oldest kept journals, where he documented how he got to where he currently is and the mystery starts unraveling while at the same time Piranesi starts struggling with coming to terms with who he really is.This book really resonated with me, I am definitely in the group of people who love this book, and it's frankly hard to put into words all of my thoughts on it, but suffice it to say that what I've read as points against the book, the repetitive descriptions, boring first half of the book, were not a problem for me. I found the descriptions interesting, they were mostly about statues, sure, but they were interesting. Additionally, I didn't think it was that slow, the second half definitely picks up the pace, but the first half is not really what I would consider slow paced. I love that it's on the shorter side, (< 300 pages in length), the author had a story in mind and didn't add any unnecessary fluff, that plus the themes that really resonated with me, make this one of my favorite reads of the last few years.I thought the book was fantastic, rarely do I read books and still think about them months after finishing them. It feels weird to say that the philosophical themes of the book have stayed with me, but they have. Thinking about who I am, and what makes me... me? Is something I've been thinking since I read this book, and I still think about it.I think the idea of pondering what defines you as a person is the main driving force of the story. Piranesi all throughout the book is enamored with the house, despite acknowledging he doesn't remember anything before the last few years. The author managed to make me think about who I am, and what makes me, me. This is something I hadn't really thought about before, and the fact that it's now been over a week since I read the book and I'm still thinking about it, is a testament to the author's success in transmitting this idea.I've read a few reviews of this book, opinions are very divided in both extremes, most either love it or absolutely hate it. For me, personally, this is a fantastic book, which I'm sure I will re-read in the future and whenever I do so, I'll probably ponder about the same things, although with a new point of view given an older age/more experience, and that's something I'm really looking forward to.I think I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a straight up mystery book, this is not it, the mystery is not the focus of the book, more an instrument that's used to delve deep into its themes, which are more psychological/philosophical in nature. Similarly, I think that anyone not too keen on somewhat repetitive descriptions will fall short for people who the book isn't "clicking with" either.

One-Sentence book review
Like other early Discworld books, it's a little rough around the edges, but you can see how Pratchett was beginning to find the identity of the series as a whole.

Summary, thoughts and notesThe book is part of the Rincewind sub-series in Discworld, specifically dealing with the eight son of a wizard, who in this case is not a wizard, but a sorcerer. The plot circles around our sorcerer, a kid named Coin, being manipulated by his father, who transferred his consciousness to his son's staff, into infiltrating Unseen University, taking it over, and creating an army of wizards to do as he says and effectively rule all of Discworld. Coin himself doesn't really want any of that, but his dad is the stubborn kind, Rincewind has his own kind of side adventure as much of this is going on, and eventually sync his adventure with Coin's in the book's final act, ending with a happy ending for most, excepting those who die, of course.It's hard for me to give an opinion on this book. Most people say that the first two books in the Discworld series (The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic), aren't a great place to start because they don't represent Discworld as a whole, and both the story, writing, jokes, and basically everything gets better as you go further along. I personally have found this book to be the weakest I've read so far, and I'm reading them in chronological order as the books were released, so I've read the first two books most people say to shy away from at first and honestly I liked them better.That's not to say I didn't like this book, it's just the one I've enjoyed the least, if that makes any sense. I thought the pacing was weird, it felt like there were long stretches where nothing happened, then a bunch of action and some pretty good jokes then back to a sort of lull in the story.Like always, Death absolutely steals the show every time he appears, with just the most incredible quotes, such as:“I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?" Death thought about it. CATS, he said eventually. CATS ARE NICE.”and“And what would humans be without love?" RARE, said Death.”The book itself satirizes a bunch of fantasy tropes we all know and love, epic scale plots, magical wars, men = natural barbarians and women = natural homebodies, among other things. I think the way Pratchett manages to put so much of himself and his ideologies in the books without it feeling too in your face is an incredible skill that even to this day, not many authors can replicate.All in all, I'd say this book was good, if just average. The pacing was weird, and the plot itself I wasn't too invested in, but that's been the case with the other Rincewind-centered books I've read so far, so maybe Rincewind just isn't for me. Regardless, it did have some high points that I think make it worth it for me to revisit this book sometime in the future, maybe when I'm finally done reading all of the series.If you want to read a good old fantasy satire with some witty humor, or, alternatively, if you want a story about how wizards think they're the toughest people in the block until a smaller bully comes along, I think you'll like this book.

One-Sentence Book Review
A classic for a reason, a fantastic look into how generational trauma can have devastating consequences, along with a revenge-and-obsession-heavy plot.

Summary, Thoughts and NotesWuthering Heights is a book that mainly revolves around the lives of two families, the Lintons and Earnshaws, and the complex relationships between them after Mr. Earnshaw adopts Heathcliff and raises him as one of his children. We accompany these children throughout most of the book, starting from when they're children, all the way to adulthood and even follow the lives of their children up to a certain point. The main plot of the book revolves around Heathcliff and Catherine, who fall in love with each other, but won't have their love materialize with each other for reasons their own. This unfulfilled love turns into obsession, combined with the complex relationships between most of these characters mixed with some physical and emotional abuse makes for a very intriguing and intricate story that is both impactful and interesting.

Themes and Character NotesI've read many people describe this book as a romance novel, which I very much disagree with, this is a fantastic view into how generational trauma can be deeply ingrained into the personality of people and how difficult it can be to overcome said trauma and try to be the change you want. The characters Heathcliff and Catherine are very complex characters who are most affected by these kinds of trauma, they love each other, then torture each other for not being able to be together. Even after Catherine's death, Heathcliff constantly suffers and blames Catherine for making him suffer so, and this trauma is reflected in how poorly he treats others in turn. In addition to all of this, Heathcliff's main motivation in most of his actions is that of revenge. Revenge on Catherine's brother for making Heathcliff's life miserable when they were children, and revenge on Edgar Linton (Mr. Linton's son), who's the one that actually ended up marrying Catherine, and who Catherine chose over Heathcliff simply for his money and status, despite her admitting she actually loves Heathcliff.The main themes of obsession (not love!) and revenge are present all throughout the book, and different ways they affected even Heathcliff's and Catherine's children are made very apparent very early on. It is these children, who at first are victims of said generational trauma, and who are also seen as abusive to begin with, who break the cycle of abuse, at least from the Earnshaw and Linton side, Heathcliff's only son, unfortunately, ends up being a victim of his father's obsession, but it does make for a very powerful moment when we see that these behaviors can be broken and that each person is the owner of their own destiny and have the free will to decide how to act for themselves.

What Worked, What Didn'tI came into this book without knowing anything about it and with a very open mind, it turned out to be better than I could have anticipated. I felt the characters very real, and their torment and suffering was just as emotional for me at times as it was for them, the book is filled with some very powerful moments which only makes the book more impressive as the whole story takes place in the two houses each family lives in and the road that connects them, we see nothing outside of this small bubble, and that just helps create this feeling that these relationships are all that these characters have.On the other hand, I did find the book a bit too dreary at times, which could turn some readers off the novel, make no mistake, this is a dark and emotional journey. A lot of times, the book focuses too much on what the characters, Heathcliff and Catherine, mostly, would do to take their revenge, and seeing a lot of those plans come to fruition makes the novel take on a darker tone.On the topic of Catherine, she has a daughter, also called Catherine/Cathy, which makes an already complicated family tree more confusing. It's normal for parents to name their children after themselves, but in this case, I think it does make the plot and understanding who's who more complicated than it needed to be.The whole story is told from one of two perspectives - Mr. Lockwood and Nelly. Mr. Lockwood is a complete stranger to both families who comes to Wuthering Heights (originally the Earnshaw's house) to rent Thrushcross Grange (originally the Linton's house) from Heathcliff, who, as part of his plan for revenge, ended up owning both houses at the end of the story. Mr. Lockwood is, in reality, a minor and fairly forgettable character, throughout the story, which makes using him as one of the voices we learn about these families an interesting decision. The other voice we hear this story from, Nelly, is originally one of the housekeepers for the Earnshaws, and hers is the main voice we learn everything from. The issue that might arise with Nelly, is that given her role as a housekeeper, it's hard to imagine she had as clear an idea of everyone's intentions and what they were thinking as she believes she has. In this sense, she might be seen as an unreliable narrator for some readers. In my opinion, that just adds to the intricacies of the story and makes it that much more interesting, to allow us, as readers, to form our own judgements towards each of the characters, since we're learning everything from someone who would have their own biases as well.

Personal Recommendation
Given the impactful story, complex characters and relationships, this is definitely a story worth diving into, I wouldn't recommend this book for people who are sensitive to dark themes or if abuse and trauma are triggers. If, on the other hand, you can handle these things and are looking for an intense read that really looks at generational trauma and how it can stop with one's own choices, this is a definitive recommendation from me.

One-Sentence book review

A surprisingly philosophical book with many good quotes, but a bit superficial in how deep it dives into its core themes.

Summary, thoughts and notes

How to Stop Time is about Tom Hazard, a man in his 400's but that physically looks 40. The book moves back and forth between specific events in Tom's past that marked special events in his life, such as meeting and saying goodbye to loved ones, or how he met certain famous historical figures, and then going forward to the present. The "present" chapters many times serve as a sort of prelude or introduction to what the next "past" chapter will be about. The plot is very basic, Tom is trying to find his long-lost daughter, Marion, who has the same slow-aging condition he has. All while he's been changing identities and traveling all over the world with the help of Hendrichs, another long-living human, who heads a society called "The Albatross Society" (whose members are called "albas"), which serves to help anyone "afflicted" with slow aging. There is a little bit of romance sprinkled in but honestly it just felt like a quick side-note overall.

As the story progresses, Tom comes to terms with what he wants in life and what it even means to be alive, and must face the consequences of taking charge of his own life again.

Themes and Character Notes

The book's central theme is that of identity, Tom is continually made to start a new life every 8 years, since the society deems that is the maximum amount of years an alba can stay in one place before starting to draw unwanted attention, putting them at risk to be found and putting themselves in danger. The book also tends towards the philosophical, it has many good quotes and passages that would resonate with many people regarding life, identity, and how to live in the present. That being said, I also felt that the book served more as a device to present these philosophical ideas instead of them being a result of the plot. This also lead to the plot feeling very thin and sometimes as a secondary priority, while the philosophical musings took center stage.

What Worked, What Didn't

I know that it will sound like I didn't like the book, but I really did, it was entertaining and found the premise interesting. It's also a pretty quick and easy read, despite the philosophical leanings. I would have really loved the plot to be more fleshed out, the climax at the end had an outcome that felt very convenient, and everything just happened so, so fast, I didn't really have time to even feel any real tension about what was going on. This is one of those cases where the ending is satisfying, but the way we got to that ending left me wanting more, but I'd still take that over a bad ending any day of the week.

The romance in the "present" timeline also didn't really land for me, in reality all we get is 2 or 3 interactions between the couple, which includes them meeting and making up, and then fast forward to their happy ending. It's just not enough for me to care about their relationship, especially when one of them is over 400 years old and those interactions are not even blimps in his lifetime.

The book overall feels like a palate cleanser, it's ok, but nothing to write home about, and none of my issues with it are so big that I would say the book fails in what it's trying to achieve, or even to say it's not worth reading or that it's bad, but I expected something deeper, more fleshed out, hence my rating of 3/5, I liked it, I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. I also acknowledge that some of my criticisms are entirely subjective and anyone reading this review is most definitely welcome to disagree with me.

Personal Recommendation

If philosophical musings about memory, time, and life, with some romance sprinkled throughout, is something that might peak your interest, definitely pick this up, with the caveat that it only touches on those themes at a superficial level, it doesn't really dive all that deep into any of them.

One-Sentence book review
A fun, interesting murder-mystery spearheaded by a bunch of retired septuagenarians and their quirky personalities.

Summary, thoughts and notesLike any murder-mystery, the plot revolves around a murder and trying to figure out who did it. What sets this book apart from the rest is the fact that our main group of crime-solving protagonists are all in their 70s and live in a retirement village. They gather every Thursday to discuss and to try to solve unsolved murders from one of the members' past work as a detective (hence the name of the group and the book). This is all fun and games until an actual murder occurs, and then a couple more, all around or relating to the retirement village. The members of the Thursday Murder Club all have their eccentricities and quirks that both set them apart from each other, but also highlight what each one bring to the table when it comes to solving crimes. Along with our elder protagonists, we also have the help of two of the city's finest detectives, who mostly dismiss the Thursday Murder Club as a quirky group of grandparents, but who also provide some interesting moments throughout the book.As for the mystery itself, it's not anything out of this world, but does provide some interesting moments. I will mention that I did expect a bit more from the way the murders were presented, in the end none of them were really connected, and I feel like it was a lost opportunity to just have a more interesting plot with more impactful discoveries. The way the book is written made me feel like I was almost reading the screenplay for a movie or a TV show, the chapters are so short, and they jump from one perspective to the next, it felt like the different cuts to different scenes we constantly see in TV shows. I do have to wonder if the this was intentional on part of the author to make easier adaptations for movies or TV shows.

Themes and Character NotesI feel that as a murder-mystery, this is pretty cookie cutter, run-of-the-mill, normal, which is not a bad thing at all. The twist here is obviously that the main crime solving group we follow are older people who combine the adorableness of grandparents with the cunning of a crime solving squad, and that does help set this book apart from others. The characters also have very distinct personalities, Elizabeth, the leader of the Thursday Murder Club, is a very cunning, straight to the point, woman. Joyce is the newest member of the group, an ex-nurse, who is more casual about the whole murder solving thing in the beginning, but grows to take it more seriously. Ibrahim, an ex-psychiatrist, whose people skills and introspection abilities also help out a lot. Finally, Ron rounds out the club as a former union leader, headstrong and belligerent. This mix of personalities make for some very interesting interactions and moments throughout the book.

What Worked, What Didn'tThere is a definite focus in the various interactions between the characters throughout the book, while the murder itself is the main driving force behind the plot, it sometimes feels like it takes a backseat to character interactions. I personally didn't mind this, but I can also see how some might be turned off from this if they are more interested in the murder itself.The super short chapters and constant, quick perspective changes can also be a jarring at times, it really clicked for me when I started viewing it as a TV show with many cuts between different scenes, but it did take me some time to get used to.

Personal Recommendation
If you want an easy read about a murder mystery, with interesting and quirky characters, and don't mind short chapters that don't dwell too much on one subject and constant changes in point of view and perspective, I'd definitely say to give this book a try, otherwise, this might not be for you. Additionally, if you want a very complex mystery with intricate connections and red herrings between many characters that keeps you on your feet guessing what might come next, you might want to avoid this book as it might fall short of those expectations. For me, personally, I like this book and will probably continue to read the rest of the series, just maybe not immediately.