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ayla_derammelaere's reviews
162 reviews
Klikspaan: wie zal de volgende zijn? by M.J. Arlidge
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Pluk een roos by M.J. Arlidge
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Piep zei de muis by M.J. Arlidge
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Iene Miene Mutte by M.J. Arlidge
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
I read this book many years ago and looked for it for a long time. This time, it was even more impressing than the first.
The story is about the ronin Musashi (born as Takezo). When he is young, he has problems with containing himself : he lives by his own rules and only follows his own urges. He has one friend and they decide to go to war to show everyone how great they are. Their side loses. They go into hiding and Matahachi (his friend) finds another woman to live with (eventhough he is betroved to Otsu) and runs off. Takezo goes back to his hometown to explain what has happened but Osugi (Matahachi's mother) doesn't want to believe her son has no honor and decides Takezo is lying and needs to die. Takezo runs but gets caught by Takuan, a monk. This moment is what changes Takezo's life.
After running away again, Takezo is thought by Takuan what is means to be a real human being : he studies what it means to be a samurai, learns about history and morals. They then decide to give him another name : Musashi.
As Musashi, he travels to world ; learning by his surroundings, challenging other samurai and trying to become a complete human being.
By learning from all and everyone, Musashi creates a fighting style of his own : he uses swords on both hands as he came to see that 1 body has 2 arms, so 2 become 1.
The reason why this book appeals to me so much, is because it shows us that personal growth is always possible. This is a love story but in a delicate and respectful way. A story about taking responsibility but remaining forgiving to others and yourself. Musashi became a great man but always remained 'ordinary' : he didn't care about becoming rich, he cared about people. He wanted to share his knowledge and was eager to learn. He knew that the Way of the Samurai was a long way but he was devoted to walk it.
Some quotes from the book that really left a mark on me :
1. "That was Takezo's nature ; he was a creature of extremes. Even when he was a small child, there had been something primitive in his blood, something harking back to the fierce warriors of ancient Japan, something as wild as it was pure." -> Musashi learns how to control his temper while still accepting his nature, trusting his instincts. He knew there are times when he needed to be among people but understood he also needed time by himself, so he could really try and understand what he had learned.
2. "You let that one act of loyalty convince you of your righteousness. The more convinced you became, the more harm you caused yourself and everyone else." -> It is important to look at your actions and see them for what they are. Sometimes we act out of loyalty and think that that itself means our actions are good. But every action has consequences and we need to take up our responsibilities.
3. "I want to lead an important life. I want to do this because I was born a human being." -> After reading and learning for 3 years, Takezo begins to understand what Takuan has done for him, he understands that being 'human' means more than just being born as one : you need to study and become a person with morals, high standards, responsibility, love, compassion,.. Understanding this, Musashi was born and he tried his best to become great and teach this to others.
4."I will do nothing that I will regret." -> On New Years day, Musashi wants to make a resolution that he can live by. He realizes that 'only doing good' isn't something you can live up to since your vision of what is good, can change over the years. He decides that when he always does the best he can, he will not have anything to regret.
5. "He had come to see the Way of the Sword in a new light. A year or two earlier, he had wanted only to conquer all rivals, but now the idea that the sword existed for the purpose of giving him power over other people, was unsatisfying. To cut people down, to triumph over them, to display the limits of one's strength, seemed increasingly vain. He wanted to conquer himself, to make life itself submit to him, to cause people to live rather than die. The Way of the Sword should not be used merely for his own perfection. It should be a source of strength for governing people and leading them to peace and happiness." -> Musashi realizes that the world is a place for every human and he wants to take part in helping create a better world.
6. "It's only leaves and branches." -> When Musashi feels stuck in his growth, he goes searching for his sensei. He knows he will not get out of this darkness by himself. When he finds his sensei, he doesn't give him the answer. Following his sensei in desperation, he stumbles upon a poem and realizes that all and everything are part of the universe. There is no reason to be getting stuck in details since it is the whole that matters. Understanding this, he breaks through his darkness and continues his path.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read this book many years ago and looked for it for a long time. This time, it was even more impressing than the first.
The story is about the ronin Musashi (born as Takezo). When he is young, he has problems with containing himself : he lives by his own rules and only follows his own urges. He has one friend and they decide to go to war to show everyone how great they are. Their side loses. They go into hiding and Matahachi (his friend) finds another woman to live with (eventhough he is betroved to Otsu) and runs off. Takezo goes back to his hometown to explain what has happened but Osugi (Matahachi's mother) doesn't want to believe her son has no honor and decides Takezo is lying and needs to die. Takezo runs but gets caught by Takuan, a monk. This moment is what changes Takezo's life.
After running away again, Takezo is thought by Takuan what is means to be a real human being : he studies what it means to be a samurai, learns about history and morals. They then decide to give him another name : Musashi.
As Musashi, he travels to world ; learning by his surroundings, challenging other samurai and trying to become a complete human being.
By learning from all and everyone, Musashi creates a fighting style of his own : he uses swords on both hands as he came to see that 1 body has 2 arms, so 2 become 1.
The reason why this book appeals to me so much, is because it shows us that personal growth is always possible. This is a love story but in a delicate and respectful way. A story about taking responsibility but remaining forgiving to others and yourself. Musashi became a great man but always remained 'ordinary' : he didn't care about becoming rich, he cared about people. He wanted to share his knowledge and was eager to learn. He knew that the Way of the Samurai was a long way but he was devoted to walk it.
Some quotes from the book that really left a mark on me :
1. "That was Takezo's nature ; he was a creature of extremes. Even when he was a small child, there had been something primitive in his blood, something harking back to the fierce warriors of ancient Japan, something as wild as it was pure." -> Musashi learns how to control his temper while still accepting his nature, trusting his instincts. He knew there are times when he needed to be among people but understood he also needed time by himself, so he could really try and understand what he had learned.
2. "You let that one act of loyalty convince you of your righteousness. The more convinced you became, the more harm you caused yourself and everyone else." -> It is important to look at your actions and see them for what they are. Sometimes we act out of loyalty and think that that itself means our actions are good. But every action has consequences and we need to take up our responsibilities.
3. "I want to lead an important life. I want to do this because I was born a human being." -> After reading and learning for 3 years, Takezo begins to understand what Takuan has done for him, he understands that being 'human' means more than just being born as one : you need to study and become a person with morals, high standards, responsibility, love, compassion,.. Understanding this, Musashi was born and he tried his best to become great and teach this to others.
4."I will do nothing that I will regret." -> On New Years day, Musashi wants to make a resolution that he can live by. He realizes that 'only doing good' isn't something you can live up to since your vision of what is good, can change over the years. He decides that when he always does the best he can, he will not have anything to regret.
5. "He had come to see the Way of the Sword in a new light. A year or two earlier, he had wanted only to conquer all rivals, but now the idea that the sword existed for the purpose of giving him power over other people, was unsatisfying. To cut people down, to triumph over them, to display the limits of one's strength, seemed increasingly vain. He wanted to conquer himself, to make life itself submit to him, to cause people to live rather than die. The Way of the Sword should not be used merely for his own perfection. It should be a source of strength for governing people and leading them to peace and happiness." -> Musashi realizes that the world is a place for every human and he wants to take part in helping create a better world.
6. "It's only leaves and branches." -> When Musashi feels stuck in his growth, he goes searching for his sensei. He knows he will not get out of this darkness by himself. When he finds his sensei, he doesn't give him the answer. Following his sensei in desperation, he stumbles upon a poem and realizes that all and everything are part of the universe. There is no reason to be getting stuck in details since it is the whole that matters. Understanding this, he breaks through his darkness and continues his path.
Verzameld werk by Franz Kafka
In all of Kafka's works, we discover the same themes : the main character thinks and feels and acts the way it feels logical to us (the readers). However, for the world that he lives in, his behaviour and thoughts are strange. K. (this is often the name of the main character) needs to figure out how this world and the people in it, work and act and then try to fit in.
In 'the trial' he's not able to do this : the wants to know what he is charged with and it starts consuming his life : he can no longer work, eat, have fun, .. the idea of the world is that the law is attracted to those who act against it, so there is no need to know what someone did, the fact that the law is interested in someone, means they are guilty of something. In the end of the story, he gets shot by the guards and can only think that they treated him 'like a dog' by killing him behind a building.
'Metamorfoses' is an amazing piece of art. I am still in awe with how Kafka was able to create a story like this.
This story is about Gregor Samsa, he is a sales-representative who wakes up one morning and finds himself being transmorfed into a bug. He tries to make the best out of it but graduallly looses a lot of his human traits : he can no longer speak, crawls around, prefers the dark and loves staying underneath a couch, climbs the walls and the ceiling, loves rotten food,.. however, the more his external behaviour changes into that of a bug, the more human his internal thought become : he tries his best to take care of his family, makes up excuses for their behaviour, feels sorry for them (for how he changed their lives), loves them more every single day.
His family has a shift the other way around : they start out being very worried about him, hoping he will change back, trying to keep his stuff for the future but the longer he remains a bug, the more bestial they become : they don't want to see nor hear him, they hit him and treat him as an unwanted beast, ..
In the end, the last act of kindness and love Gregor can think of, is to die so he can release his family of this burden.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
In all of Kafka's works, we discover the same themes : the main character thinks and feels and acts the way it feels logical to us (the readers). However, for the world that he lives in, his behaviour and thoughts are strange. K. (this is often the name of the main character) needs to figure out how this world and the people in it, work and act and then try to fit in.
In 'the trial' he's not able to do this : the wants to know what he is charged with and it starts consuming his life : he can no longer work, eat, have fun, .. the idea of the world is that the law is attracted to those who act against it, so there is no need to know what someone did, the fact that the law is interested in someone, means they are guilty of something. In the end of the story, he gets shot by the guards and can only think that they treated him 'like a dog' by killing him behind a building.
'Metamorfoses' is an amazing piece of art. I am still in awe with how Kafka was able to create a story like this.
This story is about Gregor Samsa, he is a sales-representative who wakes up one morning and finds himself being transmorfed into a bug. He tries to make the best out of it but graduallly looses a lot of his human traits : he can no longer speak, crawls around, prefers the dark and loves staying underneath a couch, climbs the walls and the ceiling, loves rotten food,.. however, the more his external behaviour changes into that of a bug, the more human his internal thought become : he tries his best to take care of his family, makes up excuses for their behaviour, feels sorry for them (for how he changed their lives), loves them more every single day.
His family has a shift the other way around : they start out being very worried about him, hoping he will change back, trying to keep his stuff for the future but the longer he remains a bug, the more bestial they become : they don't want to see nor hear him, they hit him and treat him as an unwanted beast, ..
In the end, the last act of kindness and love Gregor can think of, is to die so he can release his family of this burden.
Het oneindige verhaal by Michael Ende
I have the seen the movie so many times, the first time when I was very young, and it has always left a huge mark on me. I had never read the book though and now my sister bought it for me as a Christmas present. This is one of the best books I have ever read.
Both the book and the movie tell us of the story of Bastian, who isn't happy with himself and flees into his imagination to make bareble for himself. To escape his bullies, he hides in a bookstore and finds a book 'The neverending story'. For some reason, he is drawn by the book and decides to steal it.
The story is about the world Fantasia where the Nothing is destroying it, bit by bit. A young boy, Atrejoe, is chosen to find salvation and goes through big adventures. Bastian feels connected to Atrejoe and when the answer to the question 'how to safe Fantasia' is to rename the empres, Bastian realizes that he would be able to do that.
This is where the movie ends and it is such a beautiful way of showing us how we need to keep our imagination and the child in us, alive. How it adds beauty to our lives and our world.
The book however, continues. Bastian is brought to Fantasia and is given Auryn, a magical token of the empres that will help him create a new Fantasia. Bastians first wishes are to 'improve' himself : he wants to get rid of all of his 'flaws'. When he meets Atrejou again, Atrejou has trouble recognizing him. They go on a quest to get Bastian back to the human world but every wish Bastian makes, takes away a memory.
Atrejou tries to fight for Bastian and asks him to tell him all of his stories. By the end, Bastian doesn't want to leave Fantasia anymore, he even wants to become the emperor. During a huge fight, Bastian cuts Atrejou with a blade and Atrejou is brought to safety by the luck-dragon. Bastian spirals in anger and fury and follows them to end it all.
He ends up in a town where he finds other huma men and women, who also came to Fantasia and ended up forgetting all of themselves because of all of the wishes they made. They no longer can go back to the human world since memories are needed to create wishes and wishes are needed to go back. It is only then that Bastian realizes what Atrejou was trying to safe him from. Bastian wants to go back home and needs to give up all of himself, including his name, to get the chance to go back. Luckily for him, Atrejou hasn't left his friend and helps him to go back home.
The book is so much more than the movie : the first part tells us of the importance of imagination and all of the beauty that it brings, it warns us for the danger that is present when be become an adult and might forget our inner child.
The last part of the book, shows us that we need to be happy with who we are : we are unique and that is what makes us special : no one has our memories, our flaws, our strengths,..
In the end, Bastians final desire, is to be able to love others, to show compasion, forgiveness, to share stories and beauty, to be together,..
Everyting that makes us human, all values that we would ever need, are in this book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have the seen the movie so many times, the first time when I was very young, and it has always left a huge mark on me. I had never read the book though and now my sister bought it for me as a Christmas present. This is one of the best books I have ever read.
Both the book and the movie tell us of the story of Bastian, who isn't happy with himself and flees into his imagination to make bareble for himself. To escape his bullies, he hides in a bookstore and finds a book 'The neverending story'. For some reason, he is drawn by the book and decides to steal it.
The story is about the world Fantasia where the Nothing is destroying it, bit by bit. A young boy, Atrejoe, is chosen to find salvation and goes through big adventures. Bastian feels connected to Atrejoe and when the answer to the question 'how to safe Fantasia' is to rename the empres, Bastian realizes that he would be able to do that.
This is where the movie ends and it is such a beautiful way of showing us how we need to keep our imagination and the child in us, alive. How it adds beauty to our lives and our world.
The book however, continues. Bastian is brought to Fantasia and is given Auryn, a magical token of the empres that will help him create a new Fantasia. Bastians first wishes are to 'improve' himself : he wants to get rid of all of his 'flaws'. When he meets Atrejou again, Atrejou has trouble recognizing him. They go on a quest to get Bastian back to the human world but every wish Bastian makes, takes away a memory.
Atrejou tries to fight for Bastian and asks him to tell him all of his stories. By the end, Bastian doesn't want to leave Fantasia anymore, he even wants to become the emperor. During a huge fight, Bastian cuts Atrejou with a blade and Atrejou is brought to safety by the luck-dragon. Bastian spirals in anger and fury and follows them to end it all.
He ends up in a town where he finds other huma men and women, who also came to Fantasia and ended up forgetting all of themselves because of all of the wishes they made. They no longer can go back to the human world since memories are needed to create wishes and wishes are needed to go back. It is only then that Bastian realizes what Atrejou was trying to safe him from. Bastian wants to go back home and needs to give up all of himself, including his name, to get the chance to go back. Luckily for him, Atrejou hasn't left his friend and helps him to go back home.
The book is so much more than the movie : the first part tells us of the importance of imagination and all of the beauty that it brings, it warns us for the danger that is present when be become an adult and might forget our inner child.
The last part of the book, shows us that we need to be happy with who we are : we are unique and that is what makes us special : no one has our memories, our flaws, our strengths,..
In the end, Bastians final desire, is to be able to love others, to show compasion, forgiveness, to share stories and beauty, to be together,..
Everyting that makes us human, all values that we would ever need, are in this book.
De pest by Albert Camus
In this book, we follow doctor Rieux who lives in a small town where suddenly an outbreak of the plague is happening. The doctor is the realistic one, who knows what is to come, where the governement tries to remain as optimistic as possible to avoid making hard decisions.
Camus writes about the fear for the disease, the pain of being seperated from loved ones, the dispair of not knowing and the strength to do good and help others. Altruisme, for me, is the object of this book.
The book tells us how different people respond in different ways to the plague and yet, they all act the same : dispair of what is to come, pain and loss because of those who died, humanity to help who are in need and joy and relief when they are united and free again.
There are people who said that they read this book and it reminded them of covid and all of its rules. For me, that wasn't the case : Camus paints us a town that responds in an ideallic way.
When the plague starts, the people are in disbelief and they refuse to let their sick ones be taken to the hospital. They fight of the doctor and the police to try and keep their loved ones with them. During covid, we had no problems bringing our sick ones to the hospital when they needed it, we agreed with the isolation.
The longer the plague lasts, the more Camus makes them obey the rules, don't question them since they all see the necessity of them. During covid, most of us followed the rules but some of marched together to show they didn't agree, they refused to wear the masks or keep their distance to others.
When they've 'conquered' the plague (the doctor knows the plague can remain dorment for decades), they celebrate and love and are united in happiness. When covid wasn't as dangerous anymore (since it's still here, we can not say we've conquered it) and the rules were less strict, we were not grateful : we thought it was our right to be free and didn't want to be altruistic anymore.
But what struck me most in the book, is that he shows us the best side of humans : love, teamplay, helping others,.. he didn't write about people in that small town who actively tried to ruin it for others. I think covid showed us both sides of humanity : the caring and loving sides versus the condemning side.
I loved reading the book, it was written in such a gentle way, easy words but still with a lot of different emotions. I could feel the love for other people, the exhaustion, all of the steps of grief in different people and different times. Such a strong and delicate work.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
In this book, we follow doctor Rieux who lives in a small town where suddenly an outbreak of the plague is happening. The doctor is the realistic one, who knows what is to come, where the governement tries to remain as optimistic as possible to avoid making hard decisions.
Camus writes about the fear for the disease, the pain of being seperated from loved ones, the dispair of not knowing and the strength to do good and help others. Altruisme, for me, is the object of this book.
The book tells us how different people respond in different ways to the plague and yet, they all act the same : dispair of what is to come, pain and loss because of those who died, humanity to help who are in need and joy and relief when they are united and free again.
There are people who said that they read this book and it reminded them of covid and all of its rules. For me, that wasn't the case : Camus paints us a town that responds in an ideallic way.
When the plague starts, the people are in disbelief and they refuse to let their sick ones be taken to the hospital. They fight of the doctor and the police to try and keep their loved ones with them. During covid, we had no problems bringing our sick ones to the hospital when they needed it, we agreed with the isolation.
The longer the plague lasts, the more Camus makes them obey the rules, don't question them since they all see the necessity of them. During covid, most of us followed the rules but some of marched together to show they didn't agree, they refused to wear the masks or keep their distance to others.
When they've 'conquered' the plague (the doctor knows the plague can remain dorment for decades), they celebrate and love and are united in happiness. When covid wasn't as dangerous anymore (since it's still here, we can not say we've conquered it) and the rules were less strict, we were not grateful : we thought it was our right to be free and didn't want to be altruistic anymore.
But what struck me most in the book, is that he shows us the best side of humans : love, teamplay, helping others,.. he didn't write about people in that small town who actively tried to ruin it for others. I think covid showed us both sides of humanity : the caring and loving sides versus the condemning side.
I loved reading the book, it was written in such a gentle way, easy words but still with a lot of different emotions. I could feel the love for other people, the exhaustion, all of the steps of grief in different people and different times. Such a strong and delicate work.
Anatomia: de ontdekking van het menselijk lichaam in de Lage Landen (16de-18de eeuw) by Paul Broos
I always had a big interest in anatomy, though I didn't study anything that had to do with it. When I saw this book, I was instantly intruiged.
I had read about the life of Vesalius prior to reading this book. I was in awe with him : how, as a young man, he dared to think for himself, challenge the ideas and believes of that time and take the opportunity to see with his own eyes how a human body is made. Even when he was met with disbelief and angry people who didn't want to belief that he was telling the truth, Vesalius stayed true to himself and continued doing dissections of people. It was the start of real knowledge of the human body.
The chapter about Vesalius is the biggest chapter in the book. I didn't mind that since a lot of the next names, based (a part of) their theory on Vesalius' work.
The book also contains so many drawings, it just makes it beautiful to watch as well.
The only 'negative' thing is, that it's probably easier to read the book when you already have some knowledge about anatomy : the book refers to structures in the drawings but doesn't point them out, the drawings contain numbers but there is no legend to say what they refer to,.. some of the Latin sentences are translated but not all of them so I sometimes felt like it missed out on things because a lack of knowledge.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I always had a big interest in anatomy, though I didn't study anything that had to do with it. When I saw this book, I was instantly intruiged.
I had read about the life of Vesalius prior to reading this book. I was in awe with him : how, as a young man, he dared to think for himself, challenge the ideas and believes of that time and take the opportunity to see with his own eyes how a human body is made. Even when he was met with disbelief and angry people who didn't want to belief that he was telling the truth, Vesalius stayed true to himself and continued doing dissections of people. It was the start of real knowledge of the human body.
The chapter about Vesalius is the biggest chapter in the book. I didn't mind that since a lot of the next names, based (a part of) their theory on Vesalius' work.
The book also contains so many drawings, it just makes it beautiful to watch as well.
The only 'negative' thing is, that it's probably easier to read the book when you already have some knowledge about anatomy : the book refers to structures in the drawings but doesn't point them out, the drawings contain numbers but there is no legend to say what they refer to,.. some of the Latin sentences are translated but not all of them so I sometimes felt like it missed out on things because a lack of knowledge.
1793 by Niklas Natt och Dag
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0