pineconek's Reviews (816)

So I've started running (again). 

I picked this book up the week that I turned 30 as one of the many audiobooks I listen to on the treadmill, cause that's my thing now. And it was exactly what I needed. 

This is a series of essays in which Murakami talks about what running means to him, draws parallels with other endeavors (relationships, aging, writing, etc), and meditates on the passage of time and what we do with it. 

I've always seen myself as an awkward nerd, so it's odd to now think of myself as an athletic person. Someone who climbs, runs, and even goes through patches of doing nightly yoga. Listening to this book helped me reconcile some of that and also give voice to some of my own feelings about what these individual non-competitive sports for me. And this book kept me motivated to keep moving one foot in front of the other, even when my calves ached, I was a puddle of sweat, and my heart rate broke 160 bpm. 

While being a runner helps in appreciating this book, I recommend it to anyone interested in activities that involve being uncomfortable, overcoming their own limitations, and carving aside large chunks of time in ways that may be futile but are nevertheless important. 4.5 stars on SG, rounded down to 4 on GR. 

It feels so cliche to open this review with a line from that amazing Metallica song - you know the One (bah dum psht). 

The premise of the novel is simple: a soldier awakens in a hospital and is sensorily cut off from the world. He can't see, he can't hear, he can't taste or smell. All his limbs are gone. He's effectively kept alive only by machines and is trapped alone in the darkness of his mind. 

(Landmine has taken my sight taken my speech taken my hearing taken my arms taken my legs taken my soul)

Going in, I wondered if there would be enough material to fill a book where the sole character interacts with no one. While I did find that some of the descriptions of his mundane memories tedious to read, I understood that they were there as a contrast to the horror and impossibility of his situation. That said, there were also moments (that I won't spoil for you) that starkly surprised me.

Recommended if you're interested in how human minds can try to hold themselves together when in isolation and are prepared to face that kind of claustrophobia. 3.5 stars on SG rounded down to 3 on GR. 

Ever since devouring the entire Alice in Borderland series in manga format, I've been looking for something to fill the void of that perfect game of death. 

I'd heard amazing things about this classic manga and I went in knowing very little: in brief, schoolchildren suddenly are moved to a hostile world where they must fight for survival. I was hoping for more psychological trials, difficult choices, and other "moral tests" common in the death game genre, but this instead felt more aligned with lord of the flies. The plot felt familiar with few surprises, and I had trouble staying engaged while reading. While the art was good and the story coherent, there was nothing about this that compelled me to keep reading the volume, let alone to finish the series. 

Recommended if you're interested in reading more classic horror manga and don't mind the inevitable predictability of classics. 2.25 stars on SG rounded down to 2 stars on GR. 

I love fun horror books that render well on audio!! I love them!!

Things that are fun to read about: the uber-elite and their cult-like ways, mysterious building, possibly evil children, the terrors of motherhood, the terrors of your body changing suddenly, weird houses, neighbours that may be possessed, oozy gunk found on the walls of your pristine new apartment, run of the mill evil landlords, gargoyles, new york, terrible jobs, alcoholic rabbis, and a main character who makes side money by narrating vampire smut.

This book was a fun blast that tackled some serious issues (such as disability, childcare disparities in heterosexual relationships, antisemitism, class disparity, etc etc etc) with tact while also telling a fun and compelling story. As stated in my opening: I highly recommend the audiobook.

Recommended if you're into medium-fast paced horror that is both dark but also doesn't take itself too seriously. The author cites many amazing modern horror pieces as inspiration, and I definitely saw elements of Baby Teeth and Paul Tremblay books shining through, so if you're into those you should read this. 4.25 stars on SG, rounded down to 4 stars for GR.

I wish this had been taught to me alongside Brave New World & 1984.

Written well before both of those, We is hauntingly similar to both books and yet isn't canonically included as a foundational text of the political dystopian genre. But it obviously should be: we have a cold surveillance state, a frightening definition of happiness, and pressure for conformity. 

This book made me greatly reflect on the self-optimization we're being sold. I get instagram ads for an AI that'll auto-set a schedule for me, so that I can be extremely efficient in my work, social commitments, healthy habits... The characters in this book live by the clock and by a strict regimen. You do this task between these hours. You have one hour of personal time from 5 to 6pm. Everything is scheduled, filed, tracked, including permission slips for sex, which can only be planned in advanced and approved. Children are reared separately from their parents, individuals live alone, and no one is identified by a name - only a letter and some identifying numbers.

All that said, it's not a text that's aged well and it didn't always hold my interest. Once the world-building had been established, I wasn't particularly invested in the plot and nearly DNF'd the book. As always, my mid-range rating reflects my personal enjoyment of the book. 

Recommended if you enjoy reading foundational texts, like thinking about math (irrational numbers and limits are common metaphors), and don't mind reading something that now feels dry and very familiar. 2.75 stars on SG, rounded up to 3 stars on GR. 

The vibes: teenage girls and young women in the late 18th century getting up to no good. Sexuality, madness, identity, murder, brothels, and more - all set against a backdrop of class and family struggles in gloomy Montreal. 

This story starts off as that of two young women, diametrically opposed and unlikely friends. And then something terrible happens, and their circumstances unfairly dictate their fate. And the fate of those connected to them, because two sides are still not enough to tell the full story. I dont want to spoil this journey for you, so I won't say more, but trust me when I say that this is worth the ride. 

If you're into motifs of self and shadow self, dopplegangers, and deceptive appearances... You'll love this. I also really recommend the audiobook narration, which tastefully emphasized different voices and accents in a way that wasn't annoying (a feat in and of itself). 

Recommended if you're into complex and morally ambiguous characters, are charmed by theatrical cabaret such as the likes of Emilie Autumn or other Heather O'Neil books, and are not squeamish about the terrible and wonderful things young women are capable of. 

4.5 stars on SG, rounded up to 5 for GR.