Scan barcode
nhborg's reviews
378 reviews
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
5.0
4.5
I’m at a loss for words… I was enjoying my time, intrigued by the mystery, and out of nowhere I was sobbing my heart out as I finished reading. This hit my soul in an inexplainable way; it somehow feels like I, and we all, have lost something precious, and here we were made to witness it unfold.
«Piranesi» has so many elements I love in books, while being wrapped up in a truly unique setting. Based on my expectations I’d say it’s giving less spooks, but in return a literal deep dive into the human condition. The gaps between the lines here are huge and potentially open for a lot of interesting interpretations. Really happy to have read it, but now I’m hoping I can mentally recover..
I’m at a loss for words… I was enjoying my time, intrigued by the mystery, and out of nowhere I was sobbing my heart out as I finished reading. This hit my soul in an inexplainable way; it somehow feels like I, and we all, have lost something precious, and here we were made to witness it unfold.
«Piranesi» has so many elements I love in books, while being wrapped up in a truly unique setting. Based on my expectations I’d say it’s giving less spooks, but in return a literal deep dive into the human condition. The gaps between the lines here are huge and potentially open for a lot of interesting interpretations. Really happy to have read it, but now I’m hoping I can mentally recover..
Oss mot verden. En historie om å være fattig by Kaisa Hansen-Suckow
5.0
Den her burde seriøst alle lese. En utrolig sterk, fæl og rørende historie som er fantastisk gjenfortalt av Kaisa. Tårene presset seg frem i øynene flere ganger i løpet av lesingen.
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
3.0
2.5
Nope… didn’t work for me:/ The thing is, I like what the book is trying to do, and there are many elements which made this a potential win for me: the gothic atmosphere, the language, the mystery, the cultishness. Yet it fell flat. Maybe the audiobook is somewhat to blame, but the story felt incredibly monotone and dragging. One of the POVs always failed to make an impact, amounting to ~50% of the book feeling like a waste of time. It also just didn’t feel original; every new aspect introduced was just a slightly modified version of a tale I’ve already heard before. Overall, this was very forgettable and will probably only reside in my mind as a slight annoyance over Indigo.
Nope… didn’t work for me:/ The thing is, I like what the book is trying to do, and there are many elements which made this a potential win for me: the gothic atmosphere, the language, the mystery, the cultishness. Yet it fell flat. Maybe the audiobook is somewhat to blame, but the story felt incredibly monotone and dragging. One of the POVs always failed to make an impact, amounting to ~50% of the book feeling like a waste of time. It also just didn’t feel original; every new aspect introduced was just a slightly modified version of a tale I’ve already heard before. Overall, this was very forgettable and will probably only reside in my mind as a slight annoyance over Indigo.
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
4.0
Biig exhale after a rollercoaster of a trilogy…
Hear me out: I’d rate this book 3 stars for enjoyment, but 5 for originality and the pure world-building genius we are dealing with here. This series is epic in the truest sense; the entire freaking globe is at stake, and the powers at play are dizzyingly grand. You can tell that N. K. Jemisin is 100% present in her own fictive universe, and the lore and storylines are thus beautifully crafted. On top of it all you can relate this fantasy story to relevant real-world issues such as climate change, overexploitation, unwillingness to acknowledge own responsibility, oppression and genocide, consequences of neglectful parenting, and the list goes on… In addition to the thematic depth, there is also a cleverness to the storytelling that will blow your mind by tying all aspects together in a beautiful unity. For these reasons I want to acknowledge «The Broken Earth» trilogy as quite the literary masterpiece.
However, the reason for the drop in enjoyment rating is that the books themselves had a tendency of being dry and hard to get through. Especially applicable to the 2nd and 3rd book, the first half/two thirds feel very monotonous and filler-y, while the wow-factor doesn’t hit until the finale and then makes the journey worth it. Still, I can’t ignore the fact that much of the series is quite boring to read and difficult to follow. Some of my struggles are my own fault, either by a) having forgotten parts of the story from book 1 and 2 before finishing book 3 and therefore not being fully up to date, b) being too impatient to pay close enough attention and catch all the details, or c) simply not being big brain enough. Despite this, I’ve seen several other reviews describing a similar reading experience. My impression is that the author sometimes is so caught up with the story that she writes out the explanations more to herself rather than paying attention to how it would pace out for a relatively unknowing audience. That made the books feel patchy, with some chapters being quite interesting and resparking the interest, and others just proceeding before my eyes without being fully processed.
For this book, I really liked the last third; it suddenly went back to being as dark, eerie and existential as I’d remembered the series to be. Someday in the future I might reread the whole series just to see if I’ll be able to understand even more to appreciate it fully.
Finally, I’d like to suggest listening to the «Enchanted land» fantasy ambience music (on YouTube) in the background while reading. IMHO it set the perfect tone:)
Hear me out: I’d rate this book 3 stars for enjoyment, but 5 for originality and the pure world-building genius we are dealing with here. This series is epic in the truest sense; the entire freaking globe is at stake, and the powers at play are dizzyingly grand. You can tell that N. K. Jemisin is 100% present in her own fictive universe, and the lore and storylines are thus beautifully crafted. On top of it all you can relate this fantasy story to relevant real-world issues such as climate change, overexploitation, unwillingness to acknowledge own responsibility, oppression and genocide, consequences of neglectful parenting, and the list goes on… In addition to the thematic depth, there is also a cleverness to the storytelling that will blow your mind by tying all aspects together in a beautiful unity. For these reasons I want to acknowledge «The Broken Earth» trilogy as quite the literary masterpiece.
However, the reason for the drop in enjoyment rating is that the books themselves had a tendency of being dry and hard to get through. Especially applicable to the 2nd and 3rd book, the first half/two thirds feel very monotonous and filler-y, while the wow-factor doesn’t hit until the finale and then makes the journey worth it. Still, I can’t ignore the fact that much of the series is quite boring to read and difficult to follow. Some of my struggles are my own fault, either by a) having forgotten parts of the story from book 1 and 2 before finishing book 3 and therefore not being fully up to date, b) being too impatient to pay close enough attention and catch all the details, or c) simply not being big brain enough. Despite this, I’ve seen several other reviews describing a similar reading experience. My impression is that the author sometimes is so caught up with the story that she writes out the explanations more to herself rather than paying attention to how it would pace out for a relatively unknowing audience. That made the books feel patchy, with some chapters being quite interesting and resparking the interest, and others just proceeding before my eyes without being fully processed.
For this book, I really liked the last third; it suddenly went back to being as dark, eerie and existential as I’d remembered the series to be. Someday in the future I might reread the whole series just to see if I’ll be able to understand even more to appreciate it fully.
Finally, I’d like to suggest listening to the «Enchanted land» fantasy ambience music (on YouTube) in the background while reading. IMHO it set the perfect tone:)
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
3.0
3.75
I loved the portrayal of magic, found family and child fostering, and it did a good job of handling the thematics of feeling different and alone. Unfortunately I started zoning out about halfway in, but I think that’s my cue that I should move away from romance for now.
I loved the portrayal of magic, found family and child fostering, and it did a good job of handling the thematics of feeling different and alone. Unfortunately I started zoning out about halfway in, but I think that’s my cue that I should move away from romance for now.
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
3.0
3.5
That was… something. There were some aspects that really fascinated me, and I admire it for being able to give me actual nightmares from atmosphere alone, but then there were some chapters where I really struggled to stay on the horse because it was so absurd/slow/out of place? I’m somewhat tempted to continue on with the series, but I notice I get exhausted from pushing through the parts where I have little or no idea what’s going on. Overall I still enjoyed it, mostly because it is so unpredictable and has an intricate, symbol-based world-building like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And based on how my interest peaked during the most disturbing and morbid scenes I’m lowkey concerned about my own morality and mental well-being.
That was… something. There were some aspects that really fascinated me, and I admire it for being able to give me actual nightmares from atmosphere alone, but then there were some chapters where I really struggled to stay on the horse because it was so absurd/slow/out of place? I’m somewhat tempted to continue on with the series, but I notice I get exhausted from pushing through the parts where I have little or no idea what’s going on. Overall I still enjoyed it, mostly because it is so unpredictable and has an intricate, symbol-based world-building like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And based on how my interest peaked during the most disturbing and morbid scenes I’m lowkey concerned about my own morality and mental well-being.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
4.0
I loved this. It’s atmospheric, wholesome, inspiring and sad. The book gave me Ghibli vibes - not in the cozy and fantastical sense, but by taking the POV of an imaginative child in a confusing/troubling world. I picked up this book because I wanted a dark, yet light-hearted read to get into the autumn spirit, and while it definitely served that purpose, I feel like the story of Merricat and Constance has entered my repertoire of life-altering myths.
I don’t consider myself a very easily-moved person when it comes to reading. Lately, however, I’ve been tearing up from many of the books I’ve read and have started to recognize a pattern: the amount of joy and comfort a person can find in the little things they have, even when they are stuck in a despairing situation which no one would ever envy them, and the loneliness that follows from the lack of understanding thereof. I probably butchered that phrasing, but maybe you get the idea. It’s beautiful, yet heartbreaking.
I don’t consider myself a very easily-moved person when it comes to reading. Lately, however, I’ve been tearing up from many of the books I’ve read and have started to recognize a pattern: the amount of joy and comfort a person can find in the little things they have, even when they are stuck in a despairing situation which no one would ever envy them, and the loneliness that follows from the lack of understanding thereof. I probably butchered that phrasing, but maybe you get the idea. It’s beautiful, yet heartbreaking.
Kallirhoe by Chariton
3.0
3.5
Doesn’t ancient greek novel sound intimidating? So I thought, and what I got was a super fast-paced story full of strong emotions and drama queens. It basically felt like watching a condensed soap opera, with some extra additions of kidnapping, crucifixions, slave trade and war. It’s obvious that Chariton was a big fan of Homer’s works, and it was fun to see all the references to esp. the Iliad throughout the text.
Doesn’t ancient greek novel sound intimidating? So I thought, and what I got was a super fast-paced story full of strong emotions and drama queens. It basically felt like watching a condensed soap opera, with some extra additions of kidnapping, crucifixions, slave trade and war. It’s obvious that Chariton was a big fan of Homer’s works, and it was fun to see all the references to esp. the Iliad throughout the text.