Scan barcode
klor's reviews
89 reviews
The Long Walk by Stephen King, Richard Bachman
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The book absolutely takes you for a ride in this dystopian world and concept. The first half of the book was a little slow but picks up a lot in the middle and towards the end. It was hard to see friends met along the way perish one by one and even harder when you realize the amount of traume these kids hve been through within the span of days. I honestly got a little annoyed by how horny on the main everyone was but they're also teenagers so there's that. This book is very bleak but very insightful, and definitely a good introduction to some of King's works. Also, I probably should've read this while doing cardio, for extra immersion lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Murder
Direct Action & Sabotage: Three Classic IWW Pamphlets from the 1910s by Walker C. Smith, William E. Trautmann, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.0
An alright introduction to how direct action was thought of and possibly executed back in the day. It talks of the ideologies that exist with the act as well as of sabotage. It's unfortunate that a lot of the problems a hundred years ago still exist today. The text is a little dense and will take a while to digest but I really adored Walker C. Smith's essay found in the middle of the book. The posters and art from the IWW pamphlets was also a great addition to the book!
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
This book was a really good exploration of small town america, mental illness, and this mother-daughter relationship that threads through several children. I've already known the twist of this book as I was previously spoiled but it was not any less terrifying to see it unfold. The story unravels really well and some characters are so unlikable that you marvel how they're written. Beneath all the gore and vulgarity, an analysis of relationships and how trauma develops gets put on spotlight. Can't wait for Flynn's next novel, whenever that may be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Incest, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-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
3.0
The perspective of class, female friendships, and girlhood was so on point and portrayed as honest as they can be. It's sometimes violent, and petty, and vicious but it's also full of pent up emotion, and love, and devotion that makes it dynamic and complex. Ferrante's writing and imagery was gorgeous despite the very melodramatic plotline. This reminded me a lot of the telenovelas I've read growing up. While this book is highly regarded as one of the best novels/series of all time, I can't quite find anything too special in the plotline other than the instances I've mentioned. I got annoyed with like, 90% of the characters the more I progressed through the book, especially with our narrator. The pace picked back up again as the book came into a close. I'd love to check out Ferrante's other works but might take a bit before I come back to the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Classism
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Food plays such a big role in a lot of asian communities. My mother, herself, shows love by cooking (which she rarely does) or buying bulk of food that I offhandedly mentioned that I like. Michelle explores her relationship with her mother, her culture, grief, and growing up throughout the book with such heart and honesty that sometimes it hurts because of how real and often unspoken some things are. It's simultaneously painful and relieving and choking to try to connect with someone you've known your whole life, even trying to touch the marks they've left to understand them better. It's something I've always understood but never fully vocalized like this book did. Food for comfort and as a central theme to all of these things brings out a lot of ways to tie these stories into each other and I really appreciate how a lot of things tie back to each other essay by essay. After finishing this, I sit in my living room wanting the porridge that my parents make when I'd get sick and to also hug my mom.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
What My Mother and I Don't Talk about: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence by
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Picked this back up ahain after I DNF-ed earlier in the year because I wasn't quite ready for it. The book has a rich variety of stories and authors and I find myself particularly drawn to the more reflective and longform ones. I enjoyed Thesmophoria, 16 Minetta Lane, and the last three stories (Her Body/My Body, All About My Mother, and I Met Fear on the Hill). I also had a soft spot for The Same Story About my Mother. It's insightful how I can relate my relationship with my own mother spanning through various moments in various stories. A lot of these are heavy and talk well into traumas but also in how complex love and relationships are. I probably still won't recommend it to my mother, but it did make me want to get to know her more, complications and all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
The Verifiers by Jane Pek
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Under all of the technology and murder, this books, at it's heart is all about human connection and what we hide from each other. I loved the exploration of people's various relationships from Claudia and her family, our victim and everyone around her, to the employees of veracitt with each other. The technology aspect of the plot might have some truth with it looking at it's real world counterparts, and I know that the big bad is obviously bigger than our protagonist and her friends but I wish we got to see more of them working on it than the last few chapters towards the end. It felt like the pace mid-way dragged a little and when things got more interesting and the stakes were raised, the story just ends. The book definitely surprised me with its progression, albeit the mildly clunky (but full of heart) ending. The back and forth with her experiences with her mother and references to Inspector Yuan and chinese pop culture was really cool and original than just referencing Sherlock Holmes and made me think a lot about the asian media I was really inspired by when I was growing up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Stoner by John Williams
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
I had to take a few minutes of silence after I finished this book. There's a quietness to it the whole way through and a loneliness, not a bombastic one. The plot doesn't really have a lot going on, we're just following this man's life and yet the writing was so good that I just had to keep going. I honestly got so attached to our protagonist and felt for him through the various unfortunate things in his life through his failed marriage, to not being able to connect with his parents after going to college, to the shitty bureaucracy in his job, his mentally ill wife emotionally distancing his daughter from him, to not being able to be with the woman who actually loved him it's not a grand thing or events but damn they hit hard a lot once they enter the picture. Half the time, readers can see it coming and you almost wish that he should stand up for himself but that's just not his character. The love he had for literature is the same love I have for the field I'm in. This story simultaneously made my heart clench and then break and then make peace with it. It's like ribs by lorde but like as an adult lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Mental illness, and Death of parent
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A nuanced look at grief, live, and friendship. There's so much heart in this book as well as the mundanity of grieving, of existing with it. It primarily followed the train of throughts of our narrator and wherever it takes her throughout the chapters. I really appreciated the complex relationship she had with her friend, the build up and development she had with Apollo (even the switch of the second person from her friend to Apollo, I thought that was really neat and it gave the last chapter such a punch) , and the spectrum that exists within teaching and the writing world despite my not agreeing to all of the narrator's points. The plot often gets lost in the deviations that happens per chapter and while some hits more than others, I wouldn't say it's the worst thing. I feel so emotional about this, and thinking of my own pet and of my friends who I love a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal death and Infidelity
The Stranger by Albert Camus
dark
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.5
I don't think Camus has ever predicted the nihilistic gen-z humor when he wrote this. Honestly, Mersault has made me nose exhale a bunch of time throughout the book though I get that this portrayal was to make people think and not amuse or endear them of him.
That aside, the narrative was pretty slow at first then tied all of its ends together as the story unfolds in the second part of the story. Camus' words are descriptive and gorgeous and you feel like you're actually Mersault. I do think it's interesting how reflective this trial seems to be of even the modern ones going on, of having spectators assume who you are and what you've done based on how they perceive your warmth or coldness in court. I love that the story ends ambiguously, freedom but also not, a thunderous applause to a story that started slow
That aside, the narrative was pretty slow at first then tied all of its ends together as the story unfolds in the second part of the story. Camus' words are descriptive and gorgeous and you feel like you're actually Mersault.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Murder