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poisonenvy's reviews
840 reviews
The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton by Daniel Defoe
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
There are many things that I recognize are a product of the fact that this book was written in 1720, before the form of the novel really became popular. Things like the inconsistency of the tense, which switches from present tense to past tense without rhyme or reason, or the fact that I have rarely read a book that was paced so inconsistently (in the first seven pages of the book, our protagonist has been kidnapped, and then taken on by someone else, and then press ganged, and then taken by Portuguese sailors and then marooned on Madagascar, and then then next 130 pages are spent with the driest overland journey across Africa that I have ever read in my life). I can also recognize that for a book written in 1720, this book probably could have been <i>more</i> racists, but that doesn't change the the fact that it was still extremely racist.
I can recognize that a lot of this is because it was written in 1720. That doesn't mean that that knowledge made this book at all more enjoyable.
(Though I will say I appreciated how extremely gay the end of this narrative is. But alas, even that couldn't save it.)
I can recognize that a lot of this is because it was written in 1720. That doesn't mean that that knowledge made this book at all more enjoyable.
(Though I will say I appreciated how extremely gay the end of this narrative is. But alas, even that couldn't save it.)
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I have read Frankenstein before, but that a long time ago, and I have certainly never read the 1818 version of the book (which was the first published; Shelley rewrote and added to the book twice, and the version which is most often read was the last version, published sometime in the 1830s).
Its been way too long since I read that final version to say for sure that I prefer this version, the first one that she wrote and published. I can't say for sure that I feel like the other version has been bloated a little by additions. But this one is streamlined and very clean, and was an excellent one-day read which I enjoyed very much.
Its been way too long since I read that final version to say for sure that I prefer this version, the first one that she wrote and published. I can't say for sure that I feel like the other version has been bloated a little by additions. But this one is streamlined and very clean, and was an excellent one-day read which I enjoyed very much.
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The prose is engaging and spectacularly engaging. Very uncanny, and the slow reveal was well done. Definitely one of those novels that has you considering specific topics (in this case religious control and humanity in comparison with animals).
I don't know that I've ever really heard of The Island of Dr Moreau before, and I certainly didn't know what to expect when I started reading it, but it's pretty easy to see that it's influenced a lot of body horror that's come after it.
I don't know that I've ever really heard of The Island of Dr Moreau before, and I certainly didn't know what to expect when I started reading it, but it's pretty easy to see that it's influenced a lot of body horror that's come after it.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While I finished read Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde earlier this month, I have read it again for Paper Writing Purposes, and this time read my Penguin Clothbound Classic version instead of listening to it on audiobook.
Once again, I very much enjoyed the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and am once again wishing that I could have read it without the cultural knowledge of the mystery of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde's relationship.
This edition also contained the short stories The Body Snatchers (which I read last year as part of my Classic Tales of Horror anthology), Olalla (which was new to me), a section of an essay Stevenson wrote about his dreams, and Robert Mighall's essay Diagnosing Dr Jekyll.
The Body Snatchers was based on current events of his time, and was quite entertaining. Olalla is a Gothic tale that lightly criticises the aristocracy, and was also very enjoyable. Stevenson's dream essay I guess was fine but didn't engage me overmuch, and Mighall's essay was both interesting and informative.
Overall a very short anthology of Stevenson, but a solid one which I enjoyed quite a bit.
Once again, I very much enjoyed the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and am once again wishing that I could have read it without the cultural knowledge of the mystery of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde's relationship.
This edition also contained the short stories The Body Snatchers (which I read last year as part of my Classic Tales of Horror anthology), Olalla (which was new to me), a section of an essay Stevenson wrote about his dreams, and Robert Mighall's essay Diagnosing Dr Jekyll.
The Body Snatchers was based on current events of his time, and was quite entertaining. Olalla is a Gothic tale that lightly criticises the aristocracy, and was also very enjoyable. Stevenson's dream essay I guess was fine but didn't engage me overmuch, and Mighall's essay was both interesting and informative.
Overall a very short anthology of Stevenson, but a solid one which I enjoyed quite a bit.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Whelp, I loved this. I loved this a lot.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet follows a mix-species crew of Space Tunnellers (people who make it so that people can travel quickly from one end of the universe to the other), as they make their long way to a new contract, making a tunnel to a planet that has been largely isolationist until now.
The found family vibes are strong, and the crew is really fantastic. Getting to follow them through their troubles and their triumphs, and watching them learn how to navigate through the different definitions of family and figure out different cultures amongst each other.
I am not often a fan of episodic narratives and this narrative really is pretty episodic -- we get snapshots of their life aboard ship as they make their long journey -- but honestly it worked for this story really well, and I was extremely glad for each little snapshot that we got.
The audiobook took a little bit to get used to -- the narrator is a little stuff, adds inflection in places that felt awkward, and has some random pauses in the middle of sentences that I couldn't understand, but by the end of the book I was very used to her and it didn't bother me much at all.
I cannot wait to finish the rest of this series!
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet follows a mix-species crew of Space Tunnellers (people who make it so that people can travel quickly from one end of the universe to the other), as they make their long way to a new contract, making a tunnel to a planet that has been largely isolationist until now.
The found family vibes are strong, and the crew is really fantastic. Getting to follow them through their troubles and their triumphs, and watching them learn how to navigate through the different definitions of family and figure out different cultures amongst each other.
I am not often a fan of episodic narratives and this narrative really is pretty episodic -- we get snapshots of their life aboard ship as they make their long journey -- but honestly it worked for this story really well, and I was extremely glad for each little snapshot that we got.
The audiobook took a little bit to get used to -- the narrator is a little stuff, adds inflection in places that felt awkward, and has some random pauses in the middle of sentences that I couldn't understand, but by the end of the book I was very used to her and it didn't bother me much at all.
I cannot wait to finish the rest of this series!
Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The first Douglas Coupland book I ever read was Worst. Person. Ever. which my friends and I joked was the worst book ever. I don't think I would've picked up another Coupland book if my friend hadn't chosen this book to be read by our bookclub as one of her favourite books.
This one was much better than the aforementioned book and I'm glad I picked it up. The prose is lovely, nearly poetic at points. I had some issues with the framing devices used throughout, but they were overall minor. I've got a lot of good quotes in here highlighted. Strong themes.
Overall I just really enjoyed this book.
This one was much better than the aforementioned book and I'm glad I picked it up. The prose is lovely, nearly poetic at points. I had some issues with the framing devices used throughout, but they were overall minor. I've got a lot of good quotes in here highlighted. Strong themes.
Overall I just really enjoyed this book.
Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Did I love this? Not really. I like more character driven narratives and this felt more... Morality driven? Idk. But hey, what can you expect from a play written back when Shakespeare was still toddling around (okay google feels me Shakespeare was nearly 30 but whatever, same thing).
Anyway, discussing it in class has given me more of an appreciation for bits of it, there was some interesting supplementary material, and I'm glad to have finally read my first Marlowe play.
Anyway, discussing it in class has given me more of an appreciation for bits of it, there was some interesting supplementary material, and I'm glad to have finally read my first Marlowe play.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
There are few classical literature books that I wish I could have read blind more than The Stranger Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I wonder how the suspense and the tension would have hit had I not known what the twist at the end was since I was a small child.
This isn't my first time reading the actual story -- that was in an English class I took probably ten years ago. But I had the same question then. How would the tension and the suspense have built had I not known the final twist of the book? What theories would I have concocted? Would I have thought this whole book and the final twist ludicrous if it wasn't so built in to our public consciousness already?
Its impossible to know. But even knowing the story since I was a kid, actually reading it is a whole new experience, and I can't wait to dive immediately back in for the queer reading paper I'm going to write for it.
This isn't my first time reading the actual story -- that was in an English class I took probably ten years ago. But I had the same question then. How would the tension and the suspense have built had I not known the final twist of the book? What theories would I have concocted? Would I have thought this whole book and the final twist ludicrous if it wasn't so built in to our public consciousness already?
Its impossible to know. But even knowing the story since I was a kid, actually reading it is a whole new experience, and I can't wait to dive immediately back in for the queer reading paper I'm going to write for it.
Street Magic by Tamora Pierce
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I am once again shocked at the much darker tone The Circle Opens books have taken from the initial tetralogy, but it really works and I don't think it's too mature for children readers. Briar continues to be my favourite of the four, and so far this is my favourite of the Circle Opens books, wherein Briar begins to realize some of the flaws of his upbringing while helping teach a new young magician, Evvy, who is an excellent addition to the cast and has a much stronger presence than the students of either Sandry or Daja.
I also enjoyed Bruce Coville's narration in this one (more than I enjoy Tamora Pierce's narration in the other books. She's an excellent author; she's not such a great narrator, I'm sorry to say).
Sad Shatterglass doesn't have an audiobook and so therefore its going to take me a lot longer to get through it, but I'm hoping I"ll be able to find time throughout my semester to do so!
I also enjoyed Bruce Coville's narration in this one (more than I enjoy Tamora Pierce's narration in the other books. She's an excellent author; she's not such a great narrator, I'm sorry to say).
Sad Shatterglass doesn't have an audiobook and so therefore its going to take me a lot longer to get through it, but I'm hoping I"ll be able to find time throughout my semester to do so!
Faeries of the Celtic Lands by Nigel Suckling
informative
4.0
Nigel Suckling's book, Faeries of the Celtic Land, was a very informative read that seemed well researched (though this is one of my first forays into researching this topic myself so don't take my word for that), and was written in a way that was easy to follow and was quite enjoyable.
In terms of satisfying the reason I picked it up -- research into Celtic cryptids and monsters from Folklore --it was only so-so. Much of the book was focused on Faeries as in the Fae -- people who are much like humans, with courts and suchlike, just in other realms, and only chapter 8, "The Faerie Clans" went into some small amount of detail about creatures like Kelpies and Selkies. But going into that particular topic wasn't the goal of the book itself. The book itself wanted to speak of Celtic Folklore and Mythology, and it did an excellent job of that, keeping me reading even the sections that didn't touch on the topic of my own research.
Overall, I enjoyed this quite a lot.
In terms of satisfying the reason I picked it up -- research into Celtic cryptids and monsters from Folklore --it was only so-so. Much of the book was focused on Faeries as in the Fae -- people who are much like humans, with courts and suchlike, just in other realms, and only chapter 8, "The Faerie Clans" went into some small amount of detail about creatures like Kelpies and Selkies. But going into that particular topic wasn't the goal of the book itself. The book itself wanted to speak of Celtic Folklore and Mythology, and it did an excellent job of that, keeping me reading even the sections that didn't touch on the topic of my own research.
Overall, I enjoyed this quite a lot.