peppypenguin's reviews
222 reviews

A Book That Takes Its Time: An Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness by Astrid Van Der Hulst, Editors of Flow Magazine, Irene Smit

Go to review page

informative lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

4.0

 A lovely compilation of simple articles covering different aspects of mindfulness. There’s a little something in there for everyone, along with some nice creative mindfulness activities and journaling prompts to give a go. 
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

Go to review page

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

It's a classic worth reading. The book does an excellent job of delving into the repercussions, politics, and horrors of war. It is the epitome of one of the best uses of science fiction: building a future world that comments heavily on past and present events and warns of what could be if we are not careful. 

I enjoyed following a character that sees so much of the war and the tumultuous changes in humanity (culture, society...). The author has created a universe in which one man can logically see a war from beginning to end. It was certainly top-notch world-building.

I couldn't connect with the main character or any other characters for that matter. Some deaths certainly hit harder than others, but there was almost a wall between getting to understand and feel for them. Perhaps that is purposeful to emulate a level of numbness that comes with being a part of war. Mandella is a somewhat blank slate for us to experience the plot and understand it and the world in full. This works very well and prevents the story from dragging, especially because there is SO MUCH packed in one novel. 

There are a lot of scenes that can be harder to digest so I don't recommend for anyone with a weak stomach for gore and murder. Otherwise, I think this should be read by as many people as possible.
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I adore the immersive layout of the printed soft cover and the unique concept of the story. I really like that it looks like a catalog and that the furniture diagrams at the beginning of each chapter are somehow relevant to the plot, even if just as a passing mention. Makes me want to keep a copy. The overall product is super creative.

The story itself is pretty solid. The pacing is interesting - it’s quite humorous until just about midway through, things suddenly escalate, and then it’s mad horror until the end. I will say there were actual times when my chest clenched in anxiety. Decent development for the main character and likable side characters, though there wasn’t really enough time spent to penetrate beyond their surface attributes. 

No big plot twists, no epic literary feats. Just a thrilling ride, filled with solid horror and a hopeful but open ending.
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was an okay read for me—solid concept, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. The idea of how invisibility works is neat - I like how Wells thought it through, how with the book's logic it would be mostly inconvenient. I enjoyed when characters began to uncover the mystery of it at the inn in the beginning, and how they chose to deal with his poor personality. 

There was plenty of tension throughout the book between understanding that the Invisible Man is a bad person and almost feeling sorry for him, but for me, he never quite crossed into being pitiable. That being said, the townspeople were just as frustrating as the Invisible Man at times, so it wasn't a satisfying balance. Even when they ganged up on him, it was more annoying than cathartic. The build-up action toward the end had some good moments, but the ending itself left me a bit underwhelmed. 

I’m glad I read it—it’s interesting and has its highlights, and I appreciate it. I understand that it's meant to be a story about isolation, power, and how society reacts to outsiders. I feel it achieved this, but it wasn't delivered in a way that was particularly enjoyable to me, or as impactful as The Time Machine.
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 
Stepping into the world of this book is both fascinating and unsettling. The plot is pretty irrelevant, it’s about exploring questions of class and society. The future posited is interesting and makes sense from when it was written. The main character is fairly bland, I think meant to be a lens for the reader to understand the world, but his human kindness and little bond with one of the beings added a tender and unexpected touch to the story, making the world feel even more alive. 

This book is pretty timeless. It's relatively short, but the ideas are huge. It's thought-provoking, wonderfully imaginative, and a little haunting. 
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You about Being Creative by Austin Kleon

Go to review page

hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

A nice short read to inspire creatives. The advice is solid and simple. This works for anyone really, as a reminder of ways to spark ideas, learn from others, and grow. It’s nothing complex but the writing flows well, is pleasant, and a touch cheeky at times. I think everyone can gain at least a little something from this. 
Misery by Stephen King

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

I can see why this is a classic. It’s an intense thriller that I had so much trouble putting down. The suspense in many scenes was incredibly painful, and I loved it. Paul's internal dialogue is great—it feels real, and it’s essential to understanding his actions as well as how the reader interprets what’s happening to him, bringing us closer to his pain. His understanding and terror of the situation make this book so good. 

Annie is an interesting character herself. King does a good job of describing her as a complete monster while also giving her an intelligence that Paul and the reader can’t help but respect. The build-up to discover more about her, and the descriptions of how she zones out into her psychotic states, add a lot to the suspense and horror. 

The pacing is perfect and while the setting is simple the goings on certainly are not. Even if it’s not a chapter moving the plot forward, each one is interesting, there’s never a lull. Strongly recommend it, though it’s not for the squeamish. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

An engaging adventure with horror, magic and mystery. The concept of film as ritual and magic is, to me, unique. I enjoyed the care the author took to explain how the magic system works through the characters and progression of the story - it could have easily gone sideways and devolved into a nonsensical mess but it felt like going through a tutorial, so by the third act we have an idea of what is happening. I loved the main characters even when I didn’t. I felt they were well developed, and at the end of the day the story is also about their friendship and love for each other. It adds some cheesiness to the plot but that wasn’t an issue for me. Overall it’s a fun read that picks up the pace as it goes. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Sheets by Brenna Thummler

Go to review page

emotional hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A very sweet coming-of-age story. The art and colours are stunning. There was just a disconnect for me between some of the very heavy themes, the pacing, and the comical villain. Overall I would love for this to have been longer for more in-depth relationship-building, and for the heavier themes to have been addressed more deeply. I think youth are more likely to enjoy the pacing and plot payoffs. Otherwise, it is a sweet read for an afternoon, and despite my less-than-stellar review, I am curious enough to read the next installment.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

Go to review page

emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Beautiful writing and storytelling. It feels like a fever dream: you have a sense of the key concepts and how the characters and their relationship are developing. I could not, for my life, visualize the time-traveling and how it worked. That’s okay because the mechanics of the time traveling for each character and their factions serve more as a way to distinguish how they move about space and time and interact with the universe. It also forced me to take my time and digest the words on the page, and in turn the story. 

This is great as a novella. Because there is so much poetic prose it helps to have the story told in fewer pages, making it move a bit faster. 

The letters between the characters are very well planned. You get a sense of their voices, understand their worlds, and watch their relationship bloom. They feel so real, and have so much depth, and seeing how they fall for each other and leave messages across time, as well as how their paths cross throughout the story is fantastically done.

As a lover of science fiction, this hit the right spot. The time traveling and manipulation of events as it’s done by each side was really interesting! The two sides of the war (the different futures fighting to win) are really unique and so vastly different. I love how they are explained just enough to have real depth and thought put into them. 

Red and Blue are wonderful characters. You never learn their real names, but that’s the point. They are opposite sides of the same coin, and to see how they start as pure enemies but eventually come together is beautiful. The genre and unique world of the book is used as a tool, masterfully so, to tell their story.

Lovers of romance and/or science fiction should give this a go.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings