nitroglycerin's Reviews (952)

Well, this was classic King. Slow start, slight build up, and then powerful climax. Excellent character building, even if using character tropes or types that he uses often, especially with the adults. The kids were great though and reminded me of what I like about his work, and that I should read IT and Firestarter soon!

The most relatable manga to someone who works customer service. Honda might be describing the quirks of working in a large bookshop in Tokyo, and I might work in a health food shop in the UK, but I can 100% relate. I enjoy the fun spin the author puts on their experiences. I have already watched the anime, and the manga is telling the same stories, but it’s worth buying for the bonus extras at the end and the charm of seeing the original.

My first Hendrix, and I can safely say it won’t be my last.
When Abbie’s best friend Gretchen (could you get a more cliche 80’s American name than that?!), begins to act weirdly and unusual things keep happening around her, Abbie takes it upon herself to investigate and get to the bottom of her friends change.
Firstly I really liked the way the story was told, from Abbie’s perspective, as if looking back, including flashbacks to their youth and early friendship. The story unfolds at a decent pace. You’re not left bored and waiting, but it isn’t a fast rush to the end either.
There is an element of mocking the decade, in a way similar to The Goldbergs does (or Friends flashbacks

This is described as a novella about loneliness and malaise. Taro lives alone, divorced, in an apartment complex about to be torn down. He wants nothing more than to live an uncomplicated life. Then he meets Nishi, one of the few neighbours left in the building and things become a little less simple.
Japanese fiction is often a simple affair, exploring the day to day. It’s what I like about them.

I listened to this over audiobook, and I struggle with ‘new to me’ stories over audiobook. I thought that was why it took me a while to get into it (almost 50%), but from reading other reviews it is a slow start. Once it k irked into gear though I couldn’t stop listening. I couldn’t listen to it to fall asleep to anymore cause I’d just stay awake listening. I was rooting for the Gentleman Bastards. I did have a problem with the amount of swearing in the book, which is odd as I’m no prude when it comes to cursing. That could be down to the narration however, as sometimes it did feel a bit off in general.

I always find it harder to talk about non-fiction. Mostly because I can find any subject interesting if it’s teaching me new things in a way that isn’t just a list of facts.
The book chronicles the authors mission to see all of the native orchids to the British isles. In truth, I didn’t even know there were orchids native to Britain, assuming they were more tropical, or found in Marks and Spencer’s plant section. I enjoyed the weaving of the history of specific species in with the travels and encounters with them. It’s a shame the book doesn’t have the photos in them, however you can view them on his website, which I did, along side reading them. It helped give the descriptions context for me. I’d recommend it if you think it’s your thing.

I put off reading this for so long and I don’t know why. It is well and truly a story you can get behind and root for the MC. I probably preferred the parts from earth than the parts from Watneys perspective on Mars though, in that there was less pure science and more human impact. But Waneys story is still enjoyable, and you can relate to him well. I like that he was sarcastic, it made him more believable somehow, as in more resilient and less likely to give up. I could well and truly imagine being one of those people who would be watching on TV to find out if the rescue was successful. I can watch the film now yay!

I read this the other evening, in one short sitting as it is very short. However what it lacks in length it makes up for in sweetness. This is basically an ode to loving ones significant other, with some of the weirdest superheroes along the way.

I devoured this almost all in one sitting. Haig uses a fictional story of an alien impersonating a human man to point out the weird and often pointless things humans do in order to make sense of the world we live in. It also points out all the stupid things we do to one another personally and on a larger scale, the world, the planet, other animals, and ourselves. It was funny and heartwarming.

I started reading this book in March. Finally finished it in June. Now this is what I do with non-fiction. They’re much more pick-up-put-down-at-leisure-able than fiction.

Matt Haig writes from a personal point of view, on how the modern world is essentially moving too fast for our primitive brains, and this disconnection is one of the things that’s impacting our collective mental health. It leaves a lot to think about. Especially with regard to just flicking between apps and webpages and WhatsApp. I only use one social media, and have one other social community that I use, but I can find myself flicking between the two waiting for replies. Instead I could and should use that time to do other things. So the first things I’ve done, is turn all notifications off, except WhatsApp. I put my phone on Do not Disturb while I’m reading. I figure the less I’m bombarded with notifications the, the sooner ill get used to not needing to pick up my phone 100 times a day.