kou
This was an inspirational memoir! I don't read them, but I'm so glad I picked this one up. As an educator, it hit me really hard. Never give up on kids, and be there for them always.
TW: Suicide attempt, sexual abuse, racial slurs, substance abuse
Finished with a lot of zooming! I liked this book slightly more than [b:Red, White & Royal Blue 41150487 Red, White & Royal Blue Casey McQuiston https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566742512l/41150487.SY75.jpg 61657690]. The concept and the characters were lovely, but I think I was struggling with the writing. A lot more swearing than I'd like personally (is it just me?), but familiar feelings and things/items to make the story a whole lot more relatable.
Another book I went in blindly, only hearing good things about it, so I gave it a try! And what a ride it was.
I was only a couple of pages/minutes into the book, and it immediately peaked my interest, and I was laughing already. Continuing on, it was a lot of emotions of sadness and humor, Ryland's narration of what was going on and trying to make sense of what had happened was relatable. I didn't think he would meet an alien, let alone someone who was a teacher and be sent off to space to save Earth! Something I really enjoyed throughout the book was the progression of his relationship with Rocky, like understanding his language, habits, body language, and eventually living with him. Yes, learning a whole new language in one or two weeks seems so unreasonable, but what can you do when you're all alone in space? I loved the aspects of science, linguistics, and all the space stuff, then a sprinkle of humor; it was a good mixture of all of them! I loved the ending too. I didn't think he would ever get to teach again, but I'm glad has that opportunity, even on another planet. The narrator of the audiobook was also amazing; he made everything so much more fun.
I don't think I've read a book taking place in outer space, so I'm glad this was my first. I will definitely pick up The Martian soon!
I enjoyed the concept of how Copper shares letters with his uncle as he maneuvers through life. The connection between the movie The Boy and the Heron is visible in some parts of the story. I think I'm a little conflicted by the amount of history included, which takes up quite a lot of the story. I think I might enjoy it more in its original text as the translation was as impactful as I thought it would be.
Wow that was kind of intense lol I didn't expect a murder mystery kind of situation lol but it was fun and intense at the end! It felt a little bit slow for me in the beginning so I'm glad it picked up after they started interrogating the Targets. Another thing I'm noticing is that Murderbot has A LOT to say now, like the parentheses, and sarcastic comments lol but I think the profanity is soooooo prominent. It's not something I love, rather, I dislike it, but I understand it's a way for humans to show strong feelings, so I felt like this book really demonstrated how Murderbot *has* developed and have stronger feelings and emotions through language. Enjoyed it regardless!
I said something... He said something... And then it happened.
Nick struggles with voicing his true thoughts and emotions and eventually breaks out of his shell. While I thought it would be a little comical story, along with it came big emotions.
I chuckled throughout, the dialogue and Nick's thoughts being hilarious sometimes. The use of color and values are also very lovely, along with McPhail's art style and storytelling.
Terrifyingly brutal – I'm just horribly saddened that this is still happening.
Ending prediction: I wonder if the young woman in the second story is a reincarnation of the girl -- the image of the girl/old lady guiding her where she may have possibly died, and continuing this cycle. The continuing appearance of the dog in addition to the lingering scent of gasoline throughout this book would make sense
I can't decide if it's a 4 or 5! I loved the cast for this audiobook and I enjoyed the various actors, background sounds, and pacing! And the fact that Neil Gaiman is narrating is also a plus. Some of the episodes were more intriguing and fun than others, some more disturbing than others.
This does also include many trigger warnings, so I would suggest looking those up before entering the Sandman world.
Some episodes I commented on in BLC:
Episode 6 (24 Hours): Gosh this was a very gruesome episode.. if it gets adapted into the show, I don't think I can watch it because of all the descriptions, gore, and death. Episode 8 (The Sound of Her Wings): How hilarious it is to find Dream in "casual" wear feeding pigeons! I found it interesting that Death is so perky and their relationship to be fun!Episode 10 (Man of Good Fortune): I think this might be my favorite episode! The idea of taking death away and Dream was the one to come back every 100 years, and Gaiman narrating what the pub looked like each time was also interesting. For Dream to admit Hob is his friend was cute and heartwaming.Episode 16 (Lost Hearts): I'm happy Rose is alive, Gilbert was so sweet and for Unity to take Rose's vortex was; and ugh, to know that her friend was a victim of the killings in the diner T__T
Interesting read! Went in with just reading the first couple sentences of the synopsis, wondering what this “Sight” was (and what the title means and how it ties in with the plot!). Fun concepts of spirits, elves, wanting to belong, and some (or more like a lot? lol) romance (M/M). Jumping right into the sequel!
4.5 rounded up; it took a bit to finish this because it is quite lengthy compared to its predecessors. I still enjoyed the story, and the reuniting of Murderbot and ART!! I forgot how sarcastic ART can be lol
I did love the ending (like all endings to every Murderbot book), I'm glad Murderbot can make its own choices, care, and want to be by Mensah, and be on good terms with ART. Friendship yay!
Trigger warnings: (attempted) suicide, depression
“Now go on, live.”
That got me teary! Maybe because Mrs. Elm had passed away in the "perfect" life universe. Flaws exist in even the perfect-looking life. I think it brings awareness to the people around us, who may look happy, but what do we actually see? Celebrities, entertainers, and people around us experience it, looking for happiness, but what is happiness?
The way Nora experienced different careers and pathways that she could have been in, shows that we can't have everything, nor can all of them satisfy us. I still love philosophy Nor though! And Molly was adorable. I love the analogy and relationship to the chess that Nora and Mrs. Elm played at the end.
Be kind. Just be kind. You never know what people are going through.
4.5 rounded up; what a story! Two opposites have to go together as they discover each other and try to survive the world of monsters and death. Such an interesting and intriguing concept! Excited for the next book!!
Just finished The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson on Audible and wow! It's such an intriguing story. I like how it ended with the different stories from different people, and how it ended with Jekyll. I'm not sure how the text version looks like, but the Audible version narrated by Richard Armitage was well done with the voices changing based on who was talking. It gave me shivers with the smooth transitions between Jekyll and Hyde at the end!
**Read on Audible
TWs: drug abuse/overdose3.5 rounded down; for now! I really enjoyed [b:Sea of Tranquility 58446227 Sea of Tranquility Emily St. John Mandel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1626710416l/58446227.SX50.jpg 92408226] and [b:Station Eleven 20170404 Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680459872l/20170404.SX50.jpg 28098716], but the concept for [b:The Glass Hotel 45754981 The Glass Hotel Emily St. John Mandel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564199892l/45754981.SX50.jpg 57817644] is quite different so it was a little difficult. I liked and continued to read the first half, but I started losing interest (probably not the best time when everything is being pieced together lol) I still enjoy Mandel's writing and prose! But I think this financial situation/plot wasn't as enjoyable. Still, I liked the concept of the counterlife and Mandel's way of rotating through timelines like a puzzle. I think I'll revisit at a later time
This was an interesting read after finishing [b:Crime and Punishment 28348 Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657562466l/28348.SY75.jpg 3393917]. The nameless narrator seems to be another “hero” (as mentioned in the Forward) with self-indulging thoughts and a high ego.. He calls himself a wicked man in the first sentence of the book, and he is, but it shows that many are with that same personality or thought. I like Dostoevsky's way of using his characters to narrate such inner thoughts because they're real and can happen in any of us. I was enjoying it up until halfway of Part 2, but then the long 2-3 page dialogues (coming from one character) happened, like C&P lol. I also wonder about the snow. It can mean death, ugly things, etc., so I also see “Apropos of Wet Snow” as the idea or parts of life/thoughts that are ugly and sad; but just an opinion.
When you get the glimpse of what reality looks like for children who live in poverty and neglect, it's shocking and sad.
“Does anyone ever know even the outer fringe of another? What are you like in there? Who are you in there?
4.25 rounded down; I will be honest I forgot what happened so it took some time to get back into it but enjoyed the second book! I think I liked the first book a little more, but I'm glad with how it ended.
“We're a book club,” Maryellen said. “What are we supposed to do? Read him to death?”
Yes, exactly that. (Just kidding, they didn't but how fun that would've been lol)
Dang, the narration was so good, and Hendrix's way of writing kind of sucks you in with all that detail that you don't need to hear but you listen anyway LOL
