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ayla_derammelaere's reviews
162 reviews
The 120 Days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade
This is the first book I ever read written by de Sade. I was intrigued if the man on who's name sadism and masochism are based, has written the type of stories I had in my mind. There is one simple answer to that question : no, he hasn't.
The book tells the story of 4 friends (libertines) who take a number of girls, boys, women and men to a little castle who they can use as they wish. Besides that, there are a few women there to serve them food and 4 women who will tell stories based on their experiences. The stories start very 'mild' and end with stories about torture and murder.
The 4 friends want to enact on all the tales they hear but force each other to also follow the line of the stories and start with 'basic' things so they gradually can make the tortures worse.
A lot of the fantasies have to do with eating poop, which for me, is very unpleasant to read. I read someone else's review (before I read these scenes) that he/she couldn't read this book when eating and now, I do understand why.
For me, the book is written mainly to shock people : I'm not completely sure if everything that de Sade writes about, are things that he actually wanted to do or did (although some of the fantasies must be real). The reasons why I say this, are :
1. he makes sure that almost all the men in the stories are priests (or of the same sort) so that he is sure people will react when they read his book
2. women are only here to serve men and are useless ; even in such a way that there shouldn't be women at all but nature would find a way to make sure the human race doesn't get extinct
3. a lot of the stories are written in a very boring way ; he also doesn't take the time to write about what happens during the morning/afternoon but very often skips to the evening so he can start with the storytelling ; I believe that if this is what you really want to be doing / if these are strong fantasies of yours, you would write them with a lot of detail and variations (but I can be wrong in my believes)
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is the first book I ever read written by de Sade. I was intrigued if the man on who's name sadism and masochism are based, has written the type of stories I had in my mind. There is one simple answer to that question : no, he hasn't.
The book tells the story of 4 friends (libertines) who take a number of girls, boys, women and men to a little castle who they can use as they wish. Besides that, there are a few women there to serve them food and 4 women who will tell stories based on their experiences. The stories start very 'mild' and end with stories about torture and murder.
The 4 friends want to enact on all the tales they hear but force each other to also follow the line of the stories and start with 'basic' things so they gradually can make the tortures worse.
A lot of the fantasies have to do with eating poop, which for me, is very unpleasant to read. I read someone else's review (before I read these scenes) that he/she couldn't read this book when eating and now, I do understand why.
For me, the book is written mainly to shock people : I'm not completely sure if everything that de Sade writes about, are things that he actually wanted to do or did (although some of the fantasies must be real). The reasons why I say this, are :
1. he makes sure that almost all the men in the stories are priests (or of the same sort) so that he is sure people will react when they read his book
2. women are only here to serve men and are useless ; even in such a way that there shouldn't be women at all but nature would find a way to make sure the human race doesn't get extinct
3. a lot of the stories are written in a very boring way ; he also doesn't take the time to write about what happens during the morning/afternoon but very often skips to the evening so he can start with the storytelling ; I believe that if this is what you really want to be doing / if these are strong fantasies of yours, you would write them with a lot of detail and variations (but I can be wrong in my believes)
De zwarte dood by Dick Harrison
When I first started reading this book, I thought I already knew quite a bit about the plague. When I started reading it, I knew I didn't.
Dick Harrison tells the story with a lot of detail and lets us know about all of the consequences, not just for the survivors, but also for the king and his parliament, for the wealthy and the poor, when it comes to art and economics and so much more.
The book lets us know about the time when the plague hits : it pictures a view on how people lived in that time, how they understood the plague, how they responded to it and talks about all of the extreme responses and explains us why these were 'normal' responses considered the time.
The book uses it's chapters to explain how every country had a different time when the plague hits for the first time and tells us about how many times the plague returned and how that drained people.
A lot of people have compared the recent COVID-pandemic with the plague but there definitely isn't a reason to do so : while COVID was widespread all over the world, the massive impact of the plague didn't happen : for COVID, every country decided to go into lock-down and take measurements to try and keep as many as the citizens safe and healthy, besides that we also didn't want to put a too big of strain on our health care. When it came to the plague, everyone tried whatever they could think of but nothing worked : parents stopped taking care of sick children, children didn't help their sick parents and everyone just kept dying without anyone being able to tell when this was going to be over. To make things even worse, when a city thought they had conquered the plague, another wave would hit it, sometimes the same year, sometimes another year, sometimes years later. I don't think we could ever imagine what it must have been like to take every possible precaution (even lock-down) and still see half of your fellow citizens die in agony.
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
When I first started reading this book, I thought I already knew quite a bit about the plague. When I started reading it, I knew I didn't.
Dick Harrison tells the story with a lot of detail and lets us know about all of the consequences, not just for the survivors, but also for the king and his parliament, for the wealthy and the poor, when it comes to art and economics and so much more.
The book lets us know about the time when the plague hits : it pictures a view on how people lived in that time, how they understood the plague, how they responded to it and talks about all of the extreme responses and explains us why these were 'normal' responses considered the time.
The book uses it's chapters to explain how every country had a different time when the plague hits for the first time and tells us about how many times the plague returned and how that drained people.
A lot of people have compared the recent COVID-pandemic with the plague but there definitely isn't a reason to do so : while COVID was widespread all over the world, the massive impact of the plague didn't happen : for COVID, every country decided to go into lock-down and take measurements to try and keep as many as the citizens safe and healthy, besides that we also didn't want to put a too big of strain on our health care. When it came to the plague, everyone tried whatever they could think of but nothing worked : parents stopped taking care of sick children, children didn't help their sick parents and everyone just kept dying without anyone being able to tell when this was going to be over. To make things even worse, when a city thought they had conquered the plague, another wave would hit it, sometimes the same year, sometimes another year, sometimes years later. I don't think we could ever imagine what it must have been like to take every possible precaution (even lock-down) and still see half of your fellow citizens die in agony.
Het uur van de ster by Clarice Lispector
In this book, the writer pictures the story of a poor woman ; poor both in finances and in emotions and knowledge.
The writer claims he is forced to write about her, even when it makes him sick but he doesn't have a way to resolve this ; something inside of him is forcing him to tell her story.
Macabea (=the woman he writes about) has a very sad and empty life : no friends, no family, no ambitions, nothing she loves. She however, doesn't consider her life as sad, that only starts happening when, at the end of her life, she is promised a good life.
The writer however, writes about her life but in such a way that we even don't feel bad for her. He tries really hard so that we feel bad for him.
The book made me think about what we consider to be a good life, what do we really need and want. The question rises if our life is still considered to be a bad one if we don't feel bad for ourselves ? It makes me wonder why we find it so difficult to accept that everyone has their own definition of a good life and why, if someone has chosen a different path, we want to point our fingers at them and judge. Doesn't that tell more about ourselves than it says about the other ?
If you leave nothing behind, if you have no legacy, did you then really exist ?
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
In this book, the writer pictures the story of a poor woman ; poor both in finances and in emotions and knowledge.
The writer claims he is forced to write about her, even when it makes him sick but he doesn't have a way to resolve this ; something inside of him is forcing him to tell her story.
Macabea (=the woman he writes about) has a very sad and empty life : no friends, no family, no ambitions, nothing she loves. She however, doesn't consider her life as sad, that only starts happening when, at the end of her life, she is promised a good life.
The writer however, writes about her life but in such a way that we even don't feel bad for her. He tries really hard so that we feel bad for him.
The book made me think about what we consider to be a good life, what do we really need and want. The question rises if our life is still considered to be a bad one if we don't feel bad for ourselves ? It makes me wonder why we find it so difficult to accept that everyone has their own definition of a good life and why, if someone has chosen a different path, we want to point our fingers at them and judge. Doesn't that tell more about ourselves than it says about the other ?
If you leave nothing behind, if you have no legacy, did you then really exist ?
Archetypen by C.G. Jung
I have a bachelor degree in psychology (specialized in psycho-analysis) but this is the first book by Jung that I've ever read and I found it difficult.
I've been reading books written by Freud for a long time and since Jung, at a certain point, had been a student of his, I assumed I would be able to read Jung 'just as easy' as I've been reading books written by Freud.
Jung obviously is a very smart man, combing both psychology, mythology, religion and science in one sentence to come to a conclusion. Many times I needed to reread sentences (and I'm not used to needing to do that) to (partly) understand what he meant. I think I will need to reread this book once I have more knowledge of his theory since now there's a lot I don't think I completely understood.
When I started the book, I thought he was going to provide a list of archetypes that exist and give us examples of different times and places where you can find the archetypes, proving his theory but that doesn't really happen. He talks about a few archetypes and gives some examples but it's mainly an explanation of the theory (or that is what I understood of it at the moment).
I've bought some other books written by Jung and I hope that when reading/read them, I will be more able to understand his theory and come back to this book.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
I have a bachelor degree in psychology (specialized in psycho-analysis) but this is the first book by Jung that I've ever read and I found it difficult.
I've been reading books written by Freud for a long time and since Jung, at a certain point, had been a student of his, I assumed I would be able to read Jung 'just as easy' as I've been reading books written by Freud.
Jung obviously is a very smart man, combing both psychology, mythology, religion and science in one sentence to come to a conclusion. Many times I needed to reread sentences (and I'm not used to needing to do that) to (partly) understand what he meant. I think I will need to reread this book once I have more knowledge of his theory since now there's a lot I don't think I completely understood.
When I started the book, I thought he was going to provide a list of archetypes that exist and give us examples of different times and places where you can find the archetypes, proving his theory but that doesn't really happen. He talks about a few archetypes and gives some examples but it's mainly an explanation of the theory (or that is what I understood of it at the moment).
I've bought some other books written by Jung and I hope that when reading/read them, I will be more able to understand his theory and come back to this book.
Harry Potter en de Gevangene van Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.0
Thomas van Aquino, Wat maakt gelukkig? by Thomas van Aquino
When I started this book, I saw it was based (among others) on the Ethica Nicomachea by Aristotle so I read that book first and afterwards, returned to this one.
For me Thomas' book isn't as developed as Aristotle's is ; a lot of what Thomas is writing, is a rephrasing of Aristotle's words with the big exception that Aristotle isn't defining happiness as (seeing) God.
Thomas is looking for the answer on the question of happiness and divides every chapter in a group of questions that follow each other. He wants to know how we define happiness, what and/or we need in our lives to become happy and how our life should look like when we finally are happy.
In the end, for Thomas, the answer is simple : when we behold God and are one with him, we are happy. This is what we aspire to reach during our life and this is the only way how we can become happy.
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
When I started this book, I saw it was based (among others) on the Ethica Nicomachea by Aristotle so I read that book first and afterwards, returned to this one.
For me Thomas' book isn't as developed as Aristotle's is ; a lot of what Thomas is writing, is a rephrasing of Aristotle's words with the big exception that Aristotle isn't defining happiness as (seeing) God.
Thomas is looking for the answer on the question of happiness and divides every chapter in a group of questions that follow each other. He wants to know how we define happiness, what and/or we need in our lives to become happy and how our life should look like when we finally are happy.
In the end, for Thomas, the answer is simple : when we behold God and are one with him, we are happy. This is what we aspire to reach during our life and this is the only way how we can become happy.
Ethica Nicomachea by Aristotle
The Ethica Nicomachea is Aristotle's book in which he writes about what the definition is of a good man.
One of the biggest statements he takes, is saying that facts are more important than beautiful words and theories.
The book is parted in 10 chapters, each one covers a subject that is part of having a successful life. He warns us about the extremities and says we need to focus on the middle : don't feel or do too much or too little of something.
Aristotle lets us know that you can feel short moments of happiness during life, but you can only tell if someone was happy at the end of their life, when you can see all he has done and all he has become.
I write 'he' since in Aristotle's time, women couldn't become 'happy' in the way Aristotle meant since women couldn't become part of the social/political life and that is one of the necessities to become happy (meaning that children and slaves and other non-free men were also not able to become happy or succeeded in life).
For Aristotle a man can only be named happy when he's succeeded in every part of life : he is married, has children and friends, he has enough money to be comfortable, he has an amazing character and does good to others, people look up to him and he stays humble,.. needless to say that not many people become truly happy but it's something we all need to try and achieve to the best of our possibilities.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
The Ethica Nicomachea is Aristotle's book in which he writes about what the definition is of a good man.
One of the biggest statements he takes, is saying that facts are more important than beautiful words and theories.
The book is parted in 10 chapters, each one covers a subject that is part of having a successful life. He warns us about the extremities and says we need to focus on the middle : don't feel or do too much or too little of something.
Aristotle lets us know that you can feel short moments of happiness during life, but you can only tell if someone was happy at the end of their life, when you can see all he has done and all he has become.
I write 'he' since in Aristotle's time, women couldn't become 'happy' in the way Aristotle meant since women couldn't become part of the social/political life and that is one of the necessities to become happy (meaning that children and slaves and other non-free men were also not able to become happy or succeeded in life).
For Aristotle a man can only be named happy when he's succeeded in every part of life : he is married, has children and friends, he has enough money to be comfortable, he has an amazing character and does good to others, people look up to him and he stays humble,.. needless to say that not many people become truly happy but it's something we all need to try and achieve to the best of our possibilities.
Wie liefheeft slaapt niet by Robert Schneider
This book is a fictional story of a man who is a genius when it comes to organ-music. It tells about his life, his not-knowing how to express his feelings, his strange looks and ambiguous feelings towards God and love.
Johannes Elias is born into a farmers family but isn't really like by his mother since almost immediately, he starts behaving in a stranger way.
When he is a few years old, he hears the call of nature (a rock in the middle of a small river) and whenever he gets the chance, he goes there to listen and become one with nature. At a certain time, his body literally undergoes a lot of changes (including the color of his eyes change) when he hears the heartbeat of a newborn. He instantly knows that this girl is meant for him and that he will always love her (even though she is his cousin).
When Johannes Elias is young, there is a preacher who comes to the town and preaches that love is the most important thing in the world and that sleep is a waste of time since you can not love when you're asleep. This idea stays in Johannes' mind and by the end of his life, he is convinced he will only be worthy to be loved back, if he's able to stay awake as prove of his love. It takes him a horrible week to die since he tries to no longer fall asleep and in that way, he commits suicide by exhaustion. But even in that week, music and love are what fill his mind.
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is a fictional story of a man who is a genius when it comes to organ-music. It tells about his life, his not-knowing how to express his feelings, his strange looks and ambiguous feelings towards God and love.
Johannes Elias is born into a farmers family but isn't really like by his mother since almost immediately, he starts behaving in a stranger way.
When he is a few years old, he hears the call of nature (a rock in the middle of a small river) and whenever he gets the chance, he goes there to listen and become one with nature. At a certain time, his body literally undergoes a lot of changes (including the color of his eyes change) when he hears the heartbeat of a newborn. He instantly knows that this girl is meant for him and that he will always love her (even though she is his cousin).
When Johannes Elias is young, there is a preacher who comes to the town and preaches that love is the most important thing in the world and that sleep is a waste of time since you can not love when you're asleep. This idea stays in Johannes' mind and by the end of his life, he is convinced he will only be worthy to be loved back, if he's able to stay awake as prove of his love. It takes him a horrible week to die since he tries to no longer fall asleep and in that way, he commits suicide by exhaustion. But even in that week, music and love are what fill his mind.
Harry Potter en de Geheime Kamer by J.K. Rowling
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.0
Bijbelverhalen en mythen in de schilderkunst van Giotto tot Goya by Patrick de Rynck
informative
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
This book contains a big variety of paintings and painters through a period of time, all focusing the themes of biblical images and ancient Greek-Roman mythology. You'll see an image of the complete painting and then details of it, combined with the story it depictures and what lays in the details.
The one thing I found a bit sad is that the explainations stay superficial (I would have prefered a dept-analysis but perhapse I need to read another type of book for that..). But the advantage this way, is that there a lot more paitings that can be discussed.
The one thing I found a bit sad is that the explainations stay superficial (I would have prefered a dept-analysis but perhapse I need to read another type of book for that..). But the advantage this way, is that there a lot more paitings that can be discussed.