The harmlessly sounding title of the novel actually ended up being a story that isn’t for the faint of heart. As a disclaimer straight away, I’d only suggest this book to readers who feel to be in a stable state of mind. Reading up on trigger warnings would be a good idea as well since…
Category: FICTION
Within this category you can find all the fiction books that I have reviewed
Erste Hilfe – Mariana Leky
Mariana Leky schafft es durch ihre Bücher für ihre Leser eine ganz besondere Atmosphäre zu schaffen. Ich greife zu einer ihrer Geschichten, wenn ich auf der Suche nach gleichzeitig etwas leichtem, jedoch auch tiefsinnigem bin. Ihre Romane eignen sich am besten für Momente, wenn man sich in eine gemütliche Stimmung versetzt fühlen möchte. So als…
The Marriage Portrait – Maggie O’Farrell
This book was another prime example of why I love book clubs! I’m generally not a fan of historical fiction and I probably would have never voluntarily chosen to read a book set in the 1560s but I was really glad to have given this one a chance!! I was captivated from the first pages…
Elena Knows – Claudia Piñeiro
This book had everything I could have wished for from a piece of fiction and more, so this was a strong 5/5 ★ read for me! It had beautiful style, a captivating story, well developed characters (especially considering over how few pages the story stretched) and some really important themes that have been tackled. You…
The Yellow Wall-Paper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
I only came across this book because it was picked for the “difficult women book club” in Barcelona and I didn’t expect much going into it. Knowing that I was in for three short stories that were written in 1892, 1893 and 1911, I wouldn’t have guessed that I would actually enjoy them! Each of…
Mayflies – Andrew O’Hagan
I came across “Mayflies” after it was picked as the December 2023 read for the Sitges Expat Book Club. The blurb sounded promising, as the story of male friendship is not a topic I usually read about. What it ended up being, was a book that I found to be underwhelming. I didn’t enjoy reading…
The Woman Destroyed – Simone de Beauvoir
I have previously shied away from books by Simone de Beauvoir, thinking that they would be too complicated or too philosophical for me, so it was only thanks to a book club in Barcelona that I got my hands on a novel by the author. Three short stories make up the entirety of the book,…
Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead – Olga Tokarczuk
After having previously read Olga Tokarczuk’s book “Flights” with a book club in Paris and having rated it with 2/5 ★ I didn’t think that I would read anything else by the author after it. But here we are again, a book club in Barcelona having chosen “Drive your Plow over the Bones of the…
The Flaw – Antonis Samarakis
With this book I definitely had the case where I fell in love with the book cover but was disappointed with its content. Having been attracted to the beautiful edition in a bookstore in Athens, I was expecting a bit more from a book that was advertised as having been translated into more than thirty…
Outline – Rachel Cusk
You know how you sometimes come across the right book at the right time? Well this was the case for me with “Outline“. Even though it might sound crazy but I’m adding Rachel Cusk to my list of all time favorite authors upon reading just this one book of hers. I instantly fell in love…
The Beekeeper of Aleppo – Christy Lefteri
As a disclaimer in advance of the review, the reading experience of this book has been highly influenced by my personal relation to the war in Ukraine. I feel like if I would have read it about two and half years ago, I might have perceived it in a different way. With the current situation…
My Name is Red – Orhan Pamuk
This book has got to be the worst one I have read in 2023. Having started reading it in November 2022, it took me three attempts to finally finish it. When starting reading it for the third time, my only personal motivation was to prove my perseverance and my patience by fighting my way through…
Greek Lessons – Han Kang
This was the second book that I read by Han Kang, after previously reading “The Vegetarian” in 2019, which I rated with 4/5 ★. Even though I still have the author’s two other books, “The White Book” and “Human Acts” on my “to-read” list, I’m starting to think that the author might just not be…
Nastjas Tränen – Natascha Wodin
Dieses Buch war ein absoluter Glücksfund. Auf die Autorin bin ich gestoßen, als ich jene gesucht habe, die entweder Ukrainer sind oder ukrainische Wurzeln haben. Letzteres hat mich auf Natascha Wodin gebracht. Ihr Roman ist stark mit ihren persönlichen Hintergründen verwoben, in dem sie über das Schicksal und das Leben einer ukrainischen Frau erzählt, die…
Jägerin und Sammlerin – Lana Lux
Die Leseerfahrung von diesem Buch war eine ganz besondere. Die 304 Seiten habe ich in knapp drei Tagen verschlungen, aber wenn ich während diesen Tagen mehr Zeit gehabt hätte, hätte ich es auch an einem einzigen Tag auslesen können. Sobald man sich nach den ersten 10-15 Seiten an den Schreibstil und die Dialoge gewöhnt hat,…
Sommer in Odessa – Irina Kilimnik
Auf meiner Mission mehr ukrainische Autoren zu lesen, bin ich auf das Buch “Sommer in Odessa” gestoßen, das Anfang von 2023 veröffentlicht wurde. Mich überraschte es, das Datum zu sehen, an dem das Buch erschienen ist, da es von der Erzählung und von der Stimmung her am besten als Sommerlektüre passt. Spannend fand ich es…
The Dutch House – Ann Patchett
This book ended up being disappointing in the sense that it simply didn’t manage to live up to the hype around it for me. I’ve been seeing its cover pop up everywhere around its publication date in 2019 and 2020, whereas I finally only got to it about 3 years later myself. Having read it…
Small Worlds – Caleb Azumah Nelson
Having just recently discovered the author’s writing through his debut novel “Open Water” in the beginning of 2023, I instantly fell in love with his style. Once I heard that he would soon release a new piece of writing, I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Just about 2 months…
Everything I Know About Love – Dolly Alderton
Having chosen “Everything I Know About Love” out of my pile of “unread books” for a couple of days of a break outside the city, with some beach time planned, it ended up being the perfect setting for it. It’s written in a low key and relaxed style, which permitted me to leisurely get through…
The Sympathizer – Viet Thanh Nguyen
Having had “The Sympathizer” on my “to read” list for a couple of years already, I decided that it was the right timing to start reading it while traveling in Vietnam. If you intend on reading it too, my first suggestion would be to have at least a basic understanding of Vietnamese history, how the…
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin
Here comes the review I have been dreading writing ever since I finished reading the book over 3 months ago. I don’t think that I would have read “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” if it wasn’t for the “20- and 30-Somethings Book Club” in Paris that chose it as their book of the month. My…
Auerhaus – Bov Bjerg
Zum “Auerhaus” bin ich gekommen, weil ich nach einem sehr informativen Sachbuch etwas entspannteres zur Abwechslung lesen wollte. Diesen Zweck hat das Buch auf jeden Fall erfüllt. Meiner Meinung nach aber nicht die Erwartungen, die mit den vielversprechenden Zitaten auf dem Umschlag, die “eines der schönsten Bücher unserer Tage” bewerben, einhergingen. Es geht um eine…
Open Water – Caleb Azumah Nelson
The fact of me having read “Open Water” was once again a classic example of the positive effect book clubs can have by making you leave your comfort zone. Even though I’ve heard quite a bit about the book, I wouldn’t have necessarily picked up something that sounded to be just another love story between…
Kummer Aller Art – Mariana Leky
Mit diesem Buch hätte ich am liebsten das Jahr 2023 begonnen gehabt! Obwohl ich bisher nur ein Buch von Mariana Leky gelesen habe, “Was Man Von Hier Aus Sehen Kann“, hat mir der Stil der Autorin so gut gefallen, dass ich mir sofort das neu veröffentlichte Buch von ihr geholt habe. In dem Fall von…
Heaven – Mieko Kawakami
Having read this book for a book club in Barcelona, getting through it was a bit of a struggle. It simply didn’t draw me in to continue reading it, which might have been linked to the distant way it was written. What it did do though, was open up an intensely emotional world for the…
Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
While writing the review almost a year after I have started reading the book, I’m relying on the passages that I highlighted since I didn’t take notes back when reading it. The only phrase I noted down when I was reading “Americanah” in 2022 was, “It has soul, heart, depth, you don’t want it to…
Ich nannte ihn Krawatte – Milena Michiko Flašar
Auf das Buch bin ich Dank einer Empfehlung der österreichischen Unternehmerin und Autorin Madeleine Alizadeh, aka @dariadaria, auf ihrer Instagram-Seite aufmerksam geworden, da sie es erwähnte hatte, dass es ihr gut gefallen hat. Bei mir hinterließ es leider keinen bleibenden Eindruck, zwar war es ein netter Zeitvertrieb, als ich es gelesen habe, jedoch würde ich…
Conversations with Friends – Sally Rooney
If you have some holidays planned this year and don’t know which book(s) to bring along with you yet, I’d strongly suggest you to pack a copy of “Conversations with Friends”! This is the author’s second book that I’ve read after having been a bit disappointed by her “Normal People“, which I rated with 3/5…
Untold Day and Night – Bae Suah
My choice of this book has been influenced by “bookstagram”, having first seen it there and having been intrigued by the cover. In this case the judgement by the cover was successful! During this short read when I got through the 150 pages in just a couple of days, I was mesmerised by the writing….
Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro
Introducing, the book that I wished I would have never spent 21€ on… I picked up a copy of “Klara and the Sun” for a book club, first having started reading the physical book, then having switched over to the audio version while I was on a trip and in the end finishing it in…
To Paradise – Hanya Yanagihara
For the fans of the author’s “A Little Life” (I sure was one of them 🙋🏻♀️) the waiting finally had an end on the 11th of January 2022, when a new long awaited book of hers was released – “To Paradise”. I instantly started reading it once I picked up a copy at my local…
Shuggie Bain – Douglas Stuart
I believe that this novel will probably either be a hit or a miss for readers, you’ll either hate it or love it. I ended up landing somewhere right in between. So let’s directly get to the breakdown and the explanation of the reasoning behind my 3/5 ★ rating: The morning light was the colour…
Das Licht – T. C. Boyle
Es scheint so, als ob mir dieses Buch über den Weg gelaufen ist, um mir eine Lektion zu erteilen… Dass ich endlich aufhören sollte, in Airbnbs hinterlassene Bücher zu lesen, mit der Hoffnung dadurch über einen verborgenen 5/5 ★ Schatz zu stolpern. Es ist das zweite Buch, das ich von T. C. Boyle gelesen habe…
Strangers – Taichi Yamada
“Strangers” was one of those books that has been left behind by another traveler on the shelf of an Airbnb apartment. Me, always being curious about what kind of reads others bring along on their vacations, decided to take it along for a couple of days at the beach. As it says in the reviews…
Just Like You – Nick Hornby
Having previously read Nick Hornby’s books “A Long Way Down“, “About a Boy” and “High Fidelity”, I didn’t really have high expectations towards “Just Like You”. I have never rated any of the author’s books with more than 3 out of 5 ★ and his newest release can be classified within the same category. This…
The One Thing Worth Doing – John Pope
Having come across John Pope’s novel thanks to the Paris Anglophone Book Club, it was an extremely interesting insight into the finished product of a self-published book. Even though there were little bits and pieces of the narrative that were a bit less appealing to me, in general it was a pleasant read. There was…
Der Klang der Wälder – Natsu Miyashita
Natsu Miyashitas Buch schafft vor allem eines hervorragend – eine besondere Stimmung zu zaubern. Im Vergleich zum raschen und gestressten Alltag bietet einem die Geschichte in “Der Klang der Wälder” eine Oasis der Ruhe und des Rückzugs. Ich habe mich jedes Mal aufs Neue darauf gefreut, in das Buch einzutauchen, was auch durch die wunderschöne…
Bonjour Tristesse – Françoise Sagan
Upon finishing reading this book, I felt quite conflicted… The main character was extremely vain, superficial, privileged and spoilt. The voice it was written in took the mindless state of existence during teenagerhood to its perfection. It was full of sexist remarks, uttered by both men and women. If you take it as a snapshot…
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
“The Midnight Library” was the first one of Matt Haig’s books that I have picked up after having heard tons about his other publications and this one just having been released in 2020. It has been chosen by one of my book clubs to be read in January 2021 and I decided to join in…
Geschichten mit Marianne – Xaver Bayer
Ich bin auf Xaver Bayer’s neues Buch dank dem österreichischen Buchpreis 2020 aufmerksam geworden und auch wenn es für mich bei einer Bewertung von “nur” 3/5 ★ bleibt, war es dennoch eine sehr unterhaltsame Leseerfahrung! Das Buch ist so kurz, dass man es innerhalb eines Tages auslesen kann und es sich ideal dafür eignet, wenn…
If I Had Your Face – Frances Cha
This book was the first one that I read that gave an insight into South Korean life and its culture. By the time I was done with it though, it has left me longing for more. More depth, to be more stylistically impressive and to be able to see more development of the characters. It…
The Queen’s Gambit – Walter Tevis
Having decided to read this book before watching the Netflix series, I was more than positively surprised by it! I would even say that it ended up being one of the favourite discoveries of the year for me. My biggest hesitation (as I can imagine it being for a lot of other readers), was the…
The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
It’s quite difficult to put the reading experience of “The God of Small Things” in words because it was marked by so many ups and downs for me. To start with the positive parts first, I would describe reading “The God of Small Things” with the sensation of stepping into a mystic maze. A place…
Une simple lettre d’amour – Yann Moix
This has definitely got to be the worst book I have read this year so far… It really reminded me of my worst book of 2019, “Submission” by Michel Houellebecq. The style of the two of them really resembled, the story being told from the point of view of a despicable, misogynist and racist guy….
Night Boat to Tangier – Kevin Barry
This is one of those books where I actually really feel sorry about giving it a low rating… There were some parts that I found really enjoyable, the language was absolutely beautiful at times, the descriptions were almost tangible, but… It just wasn’t a story for my taste. If it wouldn’t have been for my…
The Discomfort of Evening – Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
I have recently been quite spoiled by 5/5 ★ books and “The Discomfort of Evening” was a very welcome addition into that category! It was a well deserved winner of the International Booker Prize in 2020, in my point of view, and I was really glad to have come across it thanks to that award….
Was Man Von Hier Aus Sehen Kann – Mariana Leky
Wäre es nicht für “Bookstagram” (= Buchempfehlungen auf Instagram), hätte ich wahrscheinlich “Was Man Von Hier Aus Sehen Kann” niemals gelesen! Die Inhaltsangabe an sich sprach mich nicht besonders an, aber umso glücklicher war ich darüber, dank dem Hype um das Buch herum es entdeckt zu haben. Die Autorin nimmt einen auf eine emotionale Achterbahn…
Kindred – Octavia E. Butler
Going into a novel identified within the sci-fi genre written in the 1970s, I didn’t have any expectations since it’s not my typical kind of read. The last sci-fi I had to struggle my way through was Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and I still feel traumatised by it to this…
Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng
Celeste Ng’s novel “Little Fires Everywhere” was the book I rated the highest during the month of June 2020, so that’s why I was curious to tackle her debut novel. With “Everything I Never Told You”, I wasn’t disappointed either and settled on a 4/5 ★ rating, just like for the other book. The first…
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
4 reasons why “Where the Crawdads Sing” isn’t as amazing as the huge hype around it is suggesting. Above the roar of the pounding waves, Kya called to the birds, The ocean sang bass, the gulls sang soprano. Shrieking and crying, they circled over the marsh and above the sand […]. p. 31 At late…
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng
Diving into my first Celeste Ng book, I luckily wasn’t disappointed! I devoured up “Little Fires Everywhere” in just about a day and a half and I now completely understand why Reese Witherspoon jumped on the opportunity of getting the rights to film a series based on this book. It’s all you could wish for…
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree – Shokoofeh Azar
The choice in order to purchase this book and to suggest it to my local book club was a personal one. Ever since having traveled to Iran and having heard about people’s experiences living there after the Revolution, I was curious to read more about it. What I’ve been repeatedly confronted with, were the views…
Normal People – Sally Rooney
The moment has come when I have finally given in to the hype around the book of “Normal People”, simply because I couldn’t help my curiosity anymore (and because I wanted to have a direct comparison between the book and the series). From my perception, this book is made for a target group of readers…
After the End – Clare Mackintosh
“After the End” isn’t a book I would normally reach out to myself. Somehow the name and the cover of the book screamed out kitsch, cliché and chick flick to me. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a chance, having stumbled across it through a friend of a friend on instagram, saying that it was…
Qualityland – Marc-Uwe Kling
This book had quite a unique balance to it. It was light and fun, as well as deep and meaningful, when touching on an analysis of our current world and the future we’re heading towards. I believe that your opinion on “Qualityland” will depend on how you read it and what you decide to take…
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong
“On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong has instantly become my favourite book of the year out of all the 16 I have read so far in 2020. If you were wondering, that is the author’s actual name, it was changed into Ocean by his mother after she has separated from her husband, who…
Vox – Christina Dalcher
This novel can unfortunately be shoved off to an imaginary list of disappointing bestsellers which apparently appeal to the masses. If you don’t want to fall into that trap, I’d suggest you to skip this book and rather read Margaret Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale”, if you’re looking for a dystopian feminist story. I accidentally bought the…
Mr. Gwyn – Alessandro Baricco
I read the German translation of “Mr. Gwyn” by Annette Kopetzki and I’ve got to say that after this first book as an intro to the author, I’m very curious about discovering other novels by Alessandro Baricco! I got through “Mr. Gwyn” in almost just a single day, one reason being that I was stuck…
Tyll – Daniel Kehlmann
Life is too short to be reading books that you don’t enjoy. If I’d actually be living by that mantra, I wouldn’t have finished this book. My opinion is highly subjective though, since I actually really liked one of Daniel Kehlmann’s previous books, “Ruhm“. Nevertheless, I literally had to force myself to get through “Tyll”,…
The Testaments – Margaret Atwood
I was incredibly disappointed by the “The Testaments”…It didn’t read like a Margaret Atwood book at all, it felt like it has been reduced to the genre of young adult fiction in order to reach a broader public and it didn’t do the “Handmaid’s Tale” justice as a continuation of the story.Having re-read “The Handmaid’s…
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Re-reading this book 2 years later, in preparation for starting “The Testaments”, I still agree with the rating of 4 out of 5 stars I gave back then! Brilliantly written, with a style that goes down as smoothly as butter, “The Handmaid’s Tale” was an absolute delight to read. It’s so refreshing to finally have…
American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins
This book was selected for a book club I’ll be attending and I now completely understand all the polarising opinions about it. Even to simply support the critical voices, I would’ve liked to give it 1/5 stars, but it did have 2 positive points to it, so I decided to settle on the total of…
Life for Sale – Yukio Mishima
I thought that this book was absolutely beautiful. Swaying back and forth between 4 and 5 out of 5 stars, I finally settled for the highest grade. It’s an extremely short and easy read, but nevertheless executed perfectly by the author. I loved the way it was structured with short chapters that made you want…
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Philip K. Dick
This book probably wasn’t as bad as some other 1/5 star rated ones that I have read, I still found zero enjoyment in it, so I couldn’t rate it any higher (another reasoning for the grade was that it surely didn’t measure up to Olga Tokarczuk’s “Flights”, which I read a couple of weeks ago,…
Machines Like Me – Ian McEwan
This is the first book I have read by Ian McEwan and it has definitely sparked my curiosity to discover more books by the author. I really wanted to like this one, since I’m generally a fan of AI and I have also initially given it 4/5 stars, but while going through the review, it…
Flights – Olga Tokarczuk
Having picked up the book for an upcoming book club but most of all having been curious about it because of Olga Tokarczuk having received the Nobel Prize for Literature, I’ve got to say that I was underwhelmed to say the least. Personally, getting through this book was a pain… I didn’t feel motivated to…
Delta of Venus – Anaïs Nin
Finishing up this book, I’ve had a bit of mixed feelings about it. All in a all, I think I’m just generally not really into reading erotica. I’d rather do it myself than read about it 🤷🏻♀️🤭 Nevertheless, it can be said that it is written in such a way that it would be appealing…
Lullaby – Leïla Slimani
The story instantly whips you up into hyper awareness with the way that it starts, announcing the tragic ending on the first couple of pages. The fact that it still makes you want to read on and understand the whole story, is definitely a sign of great writing! The style was simply impeccable, simple, yet…
Submission – Michel Houellebecq
This is definitely the worst book I have read this year (and it also comes close to probably being one of the worst books I’ve ever read in my entire life). To start off, I absolutely don’t understand the hype and the buzz around Michel Houellebecq. To me, he comes off as a completely arrogant…
The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga
From the very beginning of the book, I simply wasn’t a fan of the main character. More than that, 118 pages in, I’ve noted down that I couldn’t care less about what would happen to him. There’s no connection I’ve felt towards him whatsoever and no matter how well the story would’ve been written, it…
Stoner – John Williams
This book left a really strong impression on me, even though it is once again one of those that I wouldn’t have picked up myself. I stayed awake until 2am finishing the last 100 pages and that’s a sure sign of a well written book for me. One of the most striking things to me…
Bluebeard’s Egg and Other Stories – Margaret Atwood
Even though I wouldn’t have normally picked up a book of short stories, I was glad that I came across “Bluebeard’s Egg and Other Stories” for a book club. All in all, I’d straight ahead say that it was an enjoyable read, but for me it stays within the frame of a bit above an…
Suicide Club – Rachel Heng
I did want to give the book 3 out of 5 stars, just for the topic that it’s centred around, but I just couldn’t manage to warm up to like it more. There’s something very “pop-culture-like” about its style and writing, whereas nowhere as bad as 50 Shades of Grey, it somehow falls into a…
Sadness is a White Bird – Moriel Rothman-Zecher
I couldn’t have been happier to come across “Sadness is a White Bird” by chance, the book having been selected for a book club that I attended. I have devoured it up in no time, staying up late until the middle of the night. The language flows beautifully and I loved the way the narrative…
The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger
There was something very Woody Allen-like about the book. So if you enjoy his movies and the way the dialogues flow, you’ll surely like this story. It simply reads like the screenplay of the movie “Wonder Wheel”. Nevertheless, the main character is hardly able to build up relatability and there’s not much happening throughout the…
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
Unfortunately after finishing this book, I simply thought that it’s way too over-hyped. Yes, the idea of the story is an interesting one, the way it was executed on paper though, left a lot to be desired. Another issue I had with the printed edition, was the fact that the ending was completely spoiled within…
Hot Milk – Deborah Levy
Hot Milk is one of those books that you pick up and can’t stop reading. I’ve never experienced that the reviews (which are actually just short phrases) on the cover of the book corresponded so much with the story and the way it’s narrated. Just as it is described by previous readers/raters, it does pull…
Slaughterhouse-Five – Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Having read this book during a beach vacation, “Slaughterhouse Five” has been a perfectly short, yet impactful read. The writing style was one of a kind, which left you perplexed in the beginning and wondering what kind of a book you have stumbled across and whether it’s worth getting through it or not… As the…
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
As much as I’ve always heard about “To Kill a Mockingbird” as an absolute must-read, I haven’t been convinced into loving it. Writing the review 2 months after having finished the book, I can’t go into as many details anymore, but I do know that I’ve waited a while, hoping that I might find some…
The Giver – Lois Lowry
I have stumbled across this book through a list of “highly rated books” on the website Goodreads.com, but I’ve got to say that its target audience is and stays young adults (if not even mainly kids). The story had an interesting idea, though it lacked in execution. It reminded me a bit of “Brave New…
In Cold Blood – Truman Capote
Having had this book suggested by a friend, I had high expectations for it, which unfortunately haven’t been met. My biggest issue with the book was the fact that it only picked up pace and became more or less captivating 150-170 pages into the story. Compared with the total length of the book, being about…
The Help – Kathryn Stockett
“The Help” was an incredibly touching, deep kind of story, for which I found that it was a pity that it ended up being one of those books that you’d need to read in as close to one sitting as possible. The way it was written is bustling with character, each chapter written by a…
The End of Eddy – Édouard Louis
I would give “The End of Eddy” a rating rating of at most 2,5 out of 5 stars. The book simply wasn’t long enough to get attached to it or to understand the characters. Somehow the story felt like it was being suffocated, that it didn’t have enough space and enough pages to unfold itself…
Killing Commendatore – Haruki Murakami
After having put two non-enjoyable books behind me, I do have to say that as usual to Murakami’s style, this story simply flowed with ease. When you sat down with the book, you were softly enveloped into a different world and the storyline unfolded with ease. Nevertheless, I do have to say that “Killing Commendatore”…
The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood
After having read “The Handmaid’s Tale” and having absolutely adored it, I was curious to dive into another work by Margaret Atwood. Unfortunately, I can’t give as much praise for “The Blind Assassin” I found the story to be extremely slow-paced (whereas that’s something that never disturbs me in other books), so that it would…
S – J. J. Abrams
Even a couple of weeks after having finished this book, I’m still at a loss for words to describe it… And not in a positive sense…I wish I could have given it a higher rating, but it’s absolutely impossible, after having struggled through this “thing” for almost two months, dragging its weight along everywhere that…
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World – Haruki Murakami
I have recently found out how I can explain Murakami’s style to people who haven’t read any of his work yet – you could compare him to Dali or Magritte in the world of artists. He’s the surrealist of the writers, constructing unbelievable worlds, at times disturbing, at others completely mesmerising. This book was no…
A Little Life – Hanya Yanagihara
This is one of the best books I’ve read in the last couple of years and it has definitely made it onto my favourites list!!! Yanagihara’s style was absolutely effortless, the story flowed so easily from chapter to chapter that you didn’t even notice yourself flipping the pages. To sum it up, I guess the…
Call Me by Your Name – André Aciman
Having just finished the book and ending it off by watching the movie to it, I’d say that the two of them compliment each other. Having read the book just before put a bit more meaning into the movie. Nevertheless, I can’t say that I have enjoyed the book. Yes, there were some parts which…
God Save la France – Stephen Clarke
Picking up “God Save la France” for the second time but in its French translation to practice my language skills has only left me disappointed. I remember rating “A Year in the Merde” as one of my favourite books after finishing it, laughing out loud while going through it and finishing it in a flash…
House of Leaves – Mark Z. Danielewski
Even weeks after I’ve finished this book, I haven’t gotten around to the review, since I couldn’t really manage to phrase what I thought about it. What I can definitely confirm now – after getting the book suggested, I was warned that it would be “an experience” rather than a simple read and I can…
Le K – Dino Buzzati
This being the first encounter with Dino Buzzati’s work, I was definitely positively surprised, judging by the fact of how I chose to buy the book. It has been standing around on my bookshelf for at least five-six years, having picked it up in a little French town from a shelf outside on the street,…
Le Livre des Étreintes – Eduardo Galeano
Reading this one in French has definitely been a challenge, so I would suggest you to read it in a language you feel at ease with. I felt a bit conflicted with my general opinion about the book: It has helped me in moments I have been feeling completely and absolutely down. I was literally…
Wonder – R. J. Palacio
There are few words that can describe the impression “Wonder” left after reading it and I think you would see best by making your own opinion of it. It was sweet, enchanting, heart warming, extremely emotionally touching (leaving you laughing out loud or even getting teary-eyed at times) and besides all that, so so well…
À propos d’un gamin (About a Boy) – Nick Hornby
Out of the 3 Nick Hornby books that I’ve read, this was definitely the one that I hated the least 😁 The characters were better developed, in my opinion, than the ones in “A Long Way Down” or “High Fidelity”. Nevertheless, what seemed to have mainly elevated the rating, was the fact of imagining Hugh…
Vous descendez? (A Long Way Down) – Nick Hornby
The only reason why I keep on reaching out to Nick Hornby’s books is the fact that I’ve got them standing around in French on my bookshelf. In my opinion, that’s also the only plausible reason to read them – translated from English into other languages to learn those foreign language, since the style and…
Read Bottom Up – Neel Shah, Skye Chatham
A super quick read (just about one and a half hours) which I have become suspicious about while skimming through a couple of reviews on Goodreads.com before starting the book. It just seemed to have potential to be in the style of one of those cheesy rom-coms – a typical and predictable boy-meets-girl story. Was…
A Strangeness in My Mind – Orhan Pamuk
Going through my second Orhan Pamuk book, it once again had the effect of pulling you into a completely different world and making you feel as if you’ve known the characters for years. The way it’s written is absolutely effortless and the transitions of seeing the story from different people’s perspectives gave it even more…
The Dark Road – Ma Jian
Ma Jian’s story definitely gave an absolutely different perspective on China’s “one child policy” than what you would expect. The narrative proceeded in a way that felt a bit like a roller-coaster ride, which could be perceived from both a positive and a negative side. It didn’t manage to captivate your attention completely but nevertheless…
The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
I started with “The Girl on the Train” longing for a similar read to “Gone Girl” but it simply ended up being TOO similar. I even checked the publication years, whether Hawkins might have gotten some inspiration from Flynn, which might very well be possible. The way both stories developed were very much alike, the…
The Vegetarian – Han Kang
“The Vegetarian” was a short, yet an impactful read, which managed to grasp you emotionally if you opened up to the story. Regardless the name, the topic of vegetarianism, though playing a decisive role in the development of the story, was only a marginal one. It was much more of a tale of the freedom…
Sharp Objects – Gillian Flynn
After reading Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” I couldn’t wait to get my hands on another book of hers. Unfortunately the expectations couldn’t measure up for “Sharp Objects”. Though you did finally feel a bit entertained and enveloped in the events of the book upon arriving somewhere towards the middle of the story, there were too…
Scenes from Village Life – Amos Oz
Having previously read “My Michael” by Amos Oz and having immensely enjoyed it, I was excited about indulging in “Scenes from Village Life“. Even though a certain atmosphere was established through a particular warmness in the author’s style, it was a generally a disappointing read. This was a typical book which needed to be read…
The Prisoner of Heaven – Carlos Ruiz Zafón
I’ve heard a lot of praise for the works of Carlos Ruiz Zafón from friends who have read his books. “The Prisoner of Heaven” was picked up by chance at an airport, mostly because I was intrigued by the description on the back. The secret World of the Cemetery of Forgotten books, hidden in the…
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared – Jonas Jonasson
“The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared” turned out to be one of the worst books I have read in years. That’s what you get for trusting the bestseller list and giving this book with the weird title a chance. Books with 400 pages like this one I usually finish reading…
1Q84 – Haruki Murakami
This book leaves you off wanting more. It’s special. Just as so many of Haruki Murakami’s books, this one enveloped you in an extraordinary atmosphere, where you felt so close to the characters. It was a touching, but at the same time an exciting story. Once you started reading it, you simply didn’t want to…
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