booksonmars's Reviews (670)

reminded me of the movie see how they run, and i love a murder mystery revolving around a theatre. what i didn't love was the deluge of clues given in the span of one scene very early on into the book, it made the rest of the investigating seem rather sparse. my love of murder she wrote and agatha christie is bolstering me to continue this series.

i still don’t think i have fully formulated opinions on this, but the main thing for me was the writing style, in particular peter’s pov. i found it really hard to get into, very yoda-like? but interestingly enough i loved his character, the poignant yet hidden well of sadness, the grief over his father and being in love with two women. yes i did dislike him at times, and the way he treated/viewed ivan, but he was definitely the most interesting. ivan was rather earnest, but the book made it known that he and his brother had flaws, they all did. i also really loved margaret and sylvia, even though we didn’t really get into the latter’s head as much as the former. sally rooney is so potently capable of writing the human condition in such a mesmerising way. the most accurate yet sorrowful account of siblings i have ever read, and im almost sad i read it because now there’s no more rooney. 

i liked a few but not enough to continue, although the audiobook is really good (narrated by the author) 

give authors a third chance! although i still needed to fully focus while reading this book, just the writing at times would be too verbose, which didn’t couple well with the short and snappy attempts at wit. love when an all-powerful entity adopts a human being and learns what it means to Feel and Love! 

despite the blurb suggesting vi and fox are the main characters, the book becomes very fox-centered. which was a shame, since we start off with vi, as she comes off as very likeable, with an intriguing backstory. every other supporting character is also related to fox, apart from isis. although i didn’t particularly enjoy her character, i found her to be more of a reactionary figure and with little backstory. mayra and cal were interesting from what we were given (which again, was substantially little - i still don’t get what cal’s reaper responsibilities were), but i wish their ending was a bit more fleshed out. 

there’s a lot of angst in the romantic relationships in this book, in particular with fox and brandt. i do think mayra and cal’s relationship was shown rather than told, and diminished to serve the main couple. it paid off though; the tortured betrayed heartbroken dynamic between fox and brandt kept me engaged throughout. fox came off very petulant though. 

what confused me was the switch in plot. initially i thought it would be a murder mystery with a bigger bad, but when the murder is revealed it’s a very ‘…that’s it?’ moment, and reduced tom’s importance as a character. both this and the actual plot (which tbh, was a very nothing plot) had this big buildup of tension only for it to be solved rather quickly, which left me disappointed. 

i do think i will pick up more of olivie’s books, just because i can finally withstand her writing style.

thoroughly enjoyed this quaint and cosy murder mystery. it reminded me of the agatha christie episodes i used to watch when i was younger, set in idyllic country villages and beautiful manors with a variety of colourful and particular characters. daisy, the main character, and her friend alec, a chief inspector at scotland yard, were both compelling to read and i loved their dynamic. the mystery itself was intriguing to unravel, and i would definitely pick up more from this series (i randomly picked this up from the library and i think it’s the second book out of a rather long series). 

started off really well, with a very compelling plot, and details the physical and emotional manifestations of guilt. the end did peter off in terms of repetitiveness, and the ending of the book was abrupt and fell flat, although i can't think of another way this could end. kate winslet did an amazing job as the narrator though. i think i'd recommend this for people who enjoyed dorian grey.

thank god the incest is over 

although this has been on my tbr for a while, the main reason i picked this up is because of the recent release of a report about women’s health in the uk, and the not-so shocking statistics that show how much women’s pain has been dismissed and ignored. reading this extensive research on how the health of women (mainly reproductive health) has been viewed from the roots of history shows just how systemic it is. the notions surmised by majority white male doctors of history are entrenched in misogyny and racism. the fact that women allegedly have weaker bodies, and yet every claim to illness is related to hysteria or their emotions seems hypocritical. 

reading about the ways ethnically diverse women have been exploited through gruesome experiments, all in the aim to benefit their white, richer female counterparts or the population as a whole was shocking and upsetting. the fact that this bias still permeates healthcare today just shows how little science has moved forward from these historic beliefs. 

the book itself was very US/UK centered, which i get as it was already a lengthy book. the first parts that recorded advancements from ancient history seemed repetitive and less informative compared to the modern timeline, but i can excuse that with lack of material from that time period. i think its a great launchpad into summarising how far back the stigma of unwell women goes, and encourages more reading on this topic. 

this was one of those books that i read at the perfect time of my life, now as a post-grad. it follows a bookshop, and the characters surrounding it like its owner yeonju, the barista minjun, locals and authors alike. all are going through their lives with passions, dreams and struggles that are written in such a profound way, questioning and reflecting on their lives like so many of us do. the most relatable character for me was minjun, also a post-grad who, like many right now, are struggling with their ambitions in life against the faulty job market. i loved watching him come to terms with his changing dreams, and forming relationships with the women around him. there's a particular analogy he explains to his friend about buttons and holes that really echoed the frustrations and despair our generation have about jobs and getting on the property market. minjun comes to terms with the knowledge that even if some dreams are smaller than others, it doesn't make it insignificant. 

there are many lessons i learned reading this book, not just through minjun but the other characters as well. the stories of yeonju, jungsuh and jimi taught me about taking time to heal, about choosing for yourself and not for others, about rest and the relationships that will change you for the better. additionally, you can really tell that the author has a love for books and is enthusiastic about getting people to read; there are many quotes about what makes a good book and why we should all read. definitely a book that will change your perspective on your life, make you appreciate it and reading a whole lot more.

first time reading mary oliver (aside from hearing 'wild geese' on tiktok) and i was swept away by the enchanting way which mary writes nature. listening to it as an audiobook narrated by mary herself only made the experience more magical. it comes from a deep and profound love for it, calls others to appreciate it, and speaks of a desire to not only be in nature to but be a part of it. some of my favourite poems were:

i'd like to revisit this in other seasons, preferably spring and summer, it's such a healing read.