Isaac
It’s a very simple introduction to Cuba, that I honestly think I could’ve found from Wikipedia, but I really enjoyed reading it. Gave me a basic introduction to Cuba.
”You revolting creature. I was a daisy-fresh girl, and look what you’ve done to me. I ought to call the police and tell them you raped me. Oh, you dirty, dirty old man.”
Lolita is one of most devastating books I have ever read, very unique where it’s written so beautifully while portraying a monster. At first, I was confused why anyone would ever misinterpret Lolita. But, by the last 50 pages, I understood the possibility of misinterpreting it, but those readers are really getting manipulated by Hubert’s poeticness, and thinking the author, who is an SA victim, endorses his actions. There are so many lines that had me in awe. Most definitely one of the best books I have ever read.
Oh fuck yes. Classic lit has been so hit or miss for me but man this is the real deal. I've also heard mixed things about H.P. Lovecraft, but he really didn't disappoint.
Not quite as good as I was expecting, after the first book of the heroes of Olympus series not having Percy, and then this one just being about him regaining his memory back, seems a little repetitive. Just a reason to have another book. But, despite that, this is still great. But I'm really excited for the plot to get going in Mark of Athena.
Good, enjoyable book. I didn't expect much, but the first quarter or so of this book is pretty rough. The problem with memoirs, sometimes, is specifically celebrities, just think anything about their lives is more interesting than anyone else. That's not automatically true. Tina struggling with awkward friend relationships between gay guys, and basically anything in this book before she got into the comedy business, just isn't interesting. My favorite autobiographies, Bob Cranstons and Malcolm X's, both understand that they aren't going to be interesting just because of who they are. Their lives have to be interesting. And Tina Fey's caterer is interesting, so does her personal life during her career, but you gotta kind of choose what is interesting about your life and what isn't. I think this book is too much of a diary, than memoir at times. But, Tina Fey is funny. And even though I'm an avid SNL hater (but 30 Rock fan), the SNL stuff is very interesting. And when she dives into motherhood and sexism in the last part of the book, it has very little to do with her career, and manages to be interesting.
Another fantastic Lovecraft novel, but the racism is a bit difficult to ignore, although his works were a product of his time, it did affect my enjoyment.
The Hobbit is definitely better. The Frodo and Sam stuff is great, everything else is kind of mediocre. I feel the same about the movie, but there's much more Frodo and Sam in the movie. But, there is enough in here for me to enjoy most of it. I'm kind of scared to read Two Towers, because I expect there to be even less Frodo.
For being nearly a decade old, The Hobbit has aged very well, it's probably one of the biggest inspirations for the hero's journey. I'm very familiar with the Lord of the Rings movies, but that's it. I also listened to Andy Serkis's narration which, honestly is THE way to read this. He's not just a narrator, he's a voice actor, and every single character in this novel has their own unique voice. This was a fun novel, and I can't wait to read the Lord of the Rings books.
Not one of the greatest memoirs I've read, but this is really interesting, especially the second half.
I wasn't expecting too much going into this book, I was really hoping it would be just as good as the movie or not a complete copy of the movie, but if it was I wouldn't be upset. But, fortunately this was much more than that. It adds so much to each character, Tarantino also does a fantastic job at keeping the same atmosphere as the film. Characters like Charles Manson, which only had once scene in the film, had a lot more to do in this novel. And “pussycat” became a much darker character than I thought she was from the movie, even though I knew she's a part of the Manson family. And, the biggest depth is definitely to Cliff Booth. They add so much to his character that he feels like a brand new character even though all of it makes complete sense. I would love this novel, everything that is in it, to be adapted into a mini series. But, this novel definitely isn't going to appeal to everyone. If you thought the film was good but didn't like it until the final 30 minutes, this novel won't do much for you, other than the insight it puts on Cliff Booth and the Manson family, which doesn't take up nearly as much as the entire novel. Also, if you don't have love for cinema, like really, really love this novel also won't be for you. There are many chapters where the characters just go on tangents about different actors, films, or directors that doesn't really relate to the story of the novel. But I personally loved that stuff. So, if you loved the atmosphere, the entire film from beginning to end, loved the characters or were interested by them, and love cinema, this novel is definitely for you. I am excited for what Tarantino decides to write next.
9/10
A lot of the reviews say “It's good but don't expect any insights about his acting career”. And... this couldn't be more untrue? Yes, the book isn't entirely about his career, but the majority of it is. I don't think he's had the most interesting acting career so where this shines is when Matthew tells stories in his life. I did like the brief insight into the McConaisance” though.
Has the common trope of ending an epic fantasy/sci-fi series with a very long and epic battle. This probably started with Lord of The Rings, and has continued with Harry Potter, and dived into film, like Avengers: Endgame. This trope can get pretty stale. Endgame being an example of that. But this series, miraculously, could never get stale. This book really defines the word “epic” from the start. It never wastes time, but still manages to have time for some great character moments. I don't remember much at all about this book from reading it as a kid, and there were so many emotionally powerful moments. Like Percy turning down being a God, and the many moments with Hermes talking about Luke. Incredible stuff and not something you would expect to see for a book for kids. I thought the mythology would be less fun with the titans taking a front seat but it really wasn't. Prometheus was one of my favorite characters of the entire series. I am very ready to read the “Heroes of Olympus”.
I wasn't convinced how good this was until those last few chapters... god damn. RIP Cormac McCarthy.
Man. I just love autobiographies. David Lynch is one of my favorite directors, probably second behind Paul Thomas Anderson. And I'm so glad he dove so deep into his life with this autobiography it is also half biography, which is very interesting. It starts from his early life and goes through everything that has happened in his career. Some autobiographies forget what we are reading for. And David doesn't forget that. Even though I could listen to him rambling on about meditation or whatever, he knows we want to hear about his films! And although I have read a lot about Lynch, I learned a lot that I didn't know. I thought it was hilarious that Anthony Hopkins hated him, how making Eraserhead literally drove him to divorce, and so much more. I hope he gets to make Ronnie Rocket someday.
So uh, ends with a reveal of Charlie Chaplin being Norma's father? Uh, cool! Very weird book. Very good book. It's probably the most interesting book I've read yet. But, I do feel like the book loses what it's going for somewhat the last 200 pages or so.
The first book since I've came back to reading consistently since I was a kid that I can confidently call a masterpiece. There's a lot to unpack, but I can basically summarize it by saying Murakami's writing is wonderful, and surreal, in a way I haven't felt by most things. It felt like going into the psyche of someone's mind. I also couldn't have imagined a better ending, when so far, endings of books I've read have been underwhelming. I'll definitely read more Murakami very soon.
Merged review:
The first book since I've came back to reading consistently since I was a kid that I can confidently call a masterpiece. There's a lot to unpack, but I can basically summarize it by saying Murakami's writing is wonderful, and surreal, in a way I haven't felt by most things. It felt like going into the psyche of someone's mind. I also couldn't have imagined a better ending, when so far, endings of books I've read have been underwhelming. I'll definitely read more Murakami very soon.
The first book of the series I really don't remember anything about other than it being about a labyrinth. And man. This is easily the best of the series yet, so many great moments that just scream adventure, maybe the most variety we've had, and although it is for 14 year olds, some pretty graphic moments, like Daedalus being a prisoner and being inferred to getting tortured, and also Daedalus almost bleeding to his death. Not much came back to refresh my memory though, other than Pan, and the ending where Poseidon shows up in a reign of jealousy. I cannot wait to read The Last Olympian, which I cannot even remember anything at all that happens.
About as good as dune, maybe not quite as good. Way too long, despite being short. But, a much better ending than Dune had.
It was certainly a choice to write a nearly 600 page!!! Book of the series without Percy Jackson, but thankfully Riordan knows how to write characters. Still not quite as good as most of the Percy Jackson series but still pretty great. About as good as I remember as a kid.
My first introduction to Lovecraft was the adaptation of Color out of Space, and it's awful. This is pretty good. But of the three Lovecraft stories I've read so far, it's definitely the worst.
Maybe I had too high expectations, but this was just a good book. It was nothing mind blowing, the writing was pretty average, it was just entertaining enough. Feels like if a teenager wrote the book Blonde. The “subplot” of the journalist was also very disinteresteding, would be cooler if they committed to being a fictional biography. But, I don't regret reading it as it was still an enjoyable time.