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spectracommunist's reviews
372 reviews
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
4.0
4.5 stars
This is the first Sherlock Holmes book I've read and it's so beautifully written.
I would call it a Victorian horror with pretty plot twists.
Sherlock is pretty much sophisticated character as I had expected, and will be my all-time favourite detective.
The most fascinating parts of the books were the scenes that took place at night in Dartmoor and Grimpen Mire also it's very suspenseful till end ..
The whole setting was amazing and nocturnal.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing style is so splendid that I'm excited to read next books of him.
This is the first Sherlock Holmes book I've read and it's so beautifully written.
I would call it a Victorian horror with pretty plot twists.
Sherlock is pretty much sophisticated character as I had expected, and will be my all-time favourite detective.
The most fascinating parts of the books were the scenes that took place at night in Dartmoor and Grimpen Mire also it's very suspenseful till end ..
The whole setting was amazing and nocturnal.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing style is so splendid that I'm excited to read next books of him.
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
5.0
“We wanderers, ever seeking the lonelier way, begin no day where we have ended another day; and no sunrise finds us where sunset left us. Even while the earth sleeps we travel. We are the seeds of the tenacious plant, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind and are scattered.”
When I started reading this book, I was so malicious to catch every single flaw in it ...
But I found None! It is a perfect piece of literature and a great beauty in itself.
The Philosophical Poetry is so Sublime! with delightful metaphors.
I can't actually quote any favourite part from it, I am speechless and I would love to read it again.
Highly Recommended!
When I started reading this book, I was so malicious to catch every single flaw in it ...
But I found None! It is a perfect piece of literature and a great beauty in itself.
The Philosophical Poetry is so Sublime! with delightful metaphors.
I can't actually quote any favourite part from it, I am speechless and I would love to read it again.
Highly Recommended!
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
5.0
When he thought of his history, what resonated with him now was not all that he had suffered but the divine love that he believed had intervened to save him."
I love WWII stories but this was the first bio I read of a war-veteran and a POW and it's magnificent.
It is a great story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption in extreme conditions of suffering.
It's written so beautifully portraying a child thief, an Olympic sprinter, a war veteran and a civilian.
So many incredible stories of close calls of near crashes or of running out of fuel over the shark infested Pacific.
During one battle, their B-24 is hit 594 times AND ALL BUT ONE of the crew survive.
Eventually, Louie's luck runs out and during a rescue mission in an ill-equipped plane, they crash into the ocean. He survives with a few other men on rafts for 47 days.
They fight hunger, thirst, aggressive sharks; they dodge bullets from Japanese pilots.
Rescue comes in the form of the Japanese Navy. So begins a long stay in and out of POW camps.
He somehow survives unspeakable tortures and after years in captivity, he is free.
While the war may have ended for the word, it continues to rage in Louie's psyche.
Freed from his cell, his mind becomes his new tormentor, disturbing his thoughts and sleep with hellish flashbacks and dreams.
He meets a woman, falls in love and gets married, yet the war haunts him and a cloud of misery hangs over his marriage.
He resolves to return to Japan, find "The Bird," the tyrant who tortured him, and kill him.
At this stage in the story, he's ugly and unlikable (though the reader understands why).
Drinking too much, he becomes abusive. His wife talks him into going to see Billy Graham speak.
He walks out one night. Another night he goes and is converted to a Christian life.
Normally, the cynic in me would moan and groan, or maybe put the book aside for fear of it getting preachy... but it is what it is. Louie finds peace and forgiveness.
He no longer is haunted by bad dreams or the desire to find and kill his Japanese tormentor.
Religion frees him from hate and he becomes a model husband, father, and citizen.
For a history lover, it's a MUST READ!
I love WWII stories but this was the first bio I read of a war-veteran and a POW and it's magnificent.
It is a great story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption in extreme conditions of suffering.
It's written so beautifully portraying a child thief, an Olympic sprinter, a war veteran and a civilian.
So many incredible stories of close calls of near crashes or of running out of fuel over the shark infested Pacific.
During one battle, their B-24 is hit 594 times AND ALL BUT ONE of the crew survive.
Eventually, Louie's luck runs out and during a rescue mission in an ill-equipped plane, they crash into the ocean. He survives with a few other men on rafts for 47 days.
They fight hunger, thirst, aggressive sharks; they dodge bullets from Japanese pilots.
Rescue comes in the form of the Japanese Navy. So begins a long stay in and out of POW camps.
He somehow survives unspeakable tortures and after years in captivity, he is free.
While the war may have ended for the word, it continues to rage in Louie's psyche.
Freed from his cell, his mind becomes his new tormentor, disturbing his thoughts and sleep with hellish flashbacks and dreams.
He meets a woman, falls in love and gets married, yet the war haunts him and a cloud of misery hangs over his marriage.
He resolves to return to Japan, find "The Bird," the tyrant who tortured him, and kill him.
At this stage in the story, he's ugly and unlikable (though the reader understands why).
Drinking too much, he becomes abusive. His wife talks him into going to see Billy Graham speak.
He walks out one night. Another night he goes and is converted to a Christian life.
Normally, the cynic in me would moan and groan, or maybe put the book aside for fear of it getting preachy... but it is what it is. Louie finds peace and forgiveness.
He no longer is haunted by bad dreams or the desire to find and kill his Japanese tormentor.
Religion frees him from hate and he becomes a model husband, father, and citizen.
For a history lover, it's a MUST READ!
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
3.0
3.5 Stars
“He was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew in that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars.”
The book is written beautifully but it's the story that's so ok ok ... There was a lot of action and much redundant character deaths, even lots of extravagant characters in it such that in the middle part it was quite difficult to distinguish dogs from people. Although Jack London's writing style is way awesome. This story is great momentarily but overall is not so fascinating.
Christopher McCandless (a.k.a 'Alexander Supertramp' - Into the Wild) inspired me to read this.
I was expecting the wanderlust part more here but the story revolves more on the struggles and survival part of Buck (i.e. the dog) and which consists of quite unnecessary violence. I enjoyed climax the most as that's when the real 'Call of the Wild' comes into the picture.
After all, the concept I believe is great, a civilized dog's struggle for existence and returning back to his primitive instincts and adaptation due to several consequences he faces. The theme of 'Alaskan Klondike' is described quite vividly.
“He was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew in that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars.”
The book is written beautifully but it's the story that's so ok ok ... There was a lot of action and much redundant character deaths, even lots of extravagant characters in it such that in the middle part it was quite difficult to distinguish dogs from people. Although Jack London's writing style is way awesome. This story is great momentarily but overall is not so fascinating.
Christopher McCandless (a.k.a 'Alexander Supertramp' - Into the Wild) inspired me to read this.
I was expecting the wanderlust part more here but the story revolves more on the struggles and survival part of Buck (i.e. the dog) and which consists of quite unnecessary violence. I enjoyed climax the most as that's when the real 'Call of the Wild' comes into the picture.
After all, the concept I believe is great, a civilized dog's struggle for existence and returning back to his primitive instincts and adaptation due to several consequences he faces. The theme of 'Alaskan Klondike' is described quite vividly.
Room by Emma Donoghue
5.0
“When I tell her what I’m thinking and she tells me what she’s thinking, our each ideas jumping into the other’s head, like colouring blue crayon on top of yellow that makes green.”
This review is for the audiobook because I think its more interesting to hear it from an 5-year old and all the emotions are actually felt more deeper.
A very warm and touching tale of unbounded mother-son love. With a 5-year old boy as the protagonist, the whole story is told in his own perspective. I have also seen the adaptation which is excellent but the book is great.
Inside the Room, Ma has created a whole universe for Jack, and she will stop at nothing to ensure that, even in this treacherous environment, Jack is able to live a complete and fulfilling life.
I suppose the most fascinating thing about it was the story altough being dark is described quite humourously by the boy. It is a tale of redemption from confinement in a Count of Monte Cristo style and then the struggle to face the big real world after being in solitude for such a long time like Plato's allegory of the cave.
Alas, it's powerful message that a mother's love is so important for a child than any other thngs in the whole universe.
This review is for the audiobook because I think its more interesting to hear it from an 5-year old and all the emotions are actually felt more deeper.
A very warm and touching tale of unbounded mother-son love. With a 5-year old boy as the protagonist, the whole story is told in his own perspective. I have also seen the adaptation which is excellent but the book is great.
Inside the Room, Ma has created a whole universe for Jack, and she will stop at nothing to ensure that, even in this treacherous environment, Jack is able to live a complete and fulfilling life.
I suppose the most fascinating thing about it was the story altough being dark is described quite humourously by the boy. It is a tale of redemption from confinement in a Count of Monte Cristo style and then the struggle to face the big real world after being in solitude for such a long time like Plato's allegory of the cave.
Alas, it's powerful message that a mother's love is so important for a child than any other thngs in the whole universe.
Night by Elie Wiesel
5.0
Night is a heartbreaking unnerving account by Eliezor as a teenager, who survived horrific concentration camps like Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Birkenau and Buna. This intense and terribly realistic narration is a painful son-father tale about fear, hatred, religion and humanity. Wiesel's description of every thought and apathetic attitude pushes the reader from his role of an observer to an active participant.
After reading this I just wanna say 'I love my mom's handmade soup!' :)
I recommend this to everyone as to forget the sacrificed would be akin to killing them a second time.
After reading this I just wanna say 'I love my mom's handmade soup!' :)
I recommend this to everyone as to forget the sacrificed would be akin to killing them a second time.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
1.0
A total disappointment
The concept of this book was utterly fascinating for me to start reading it, even the chapters framed in prime numbers was interesting and initiation was good but after few pages its so booooring... It is called a mystery novel but there's nothing mysterious about it even the case gets solved suddenly in the midst, there isn't a story here just some series of daily life events a so called sociopath boy experiences and the whole book is roaming elsewhere off-topic.
There are lots of unwanted figures and events, It's a total waste of time don't read it
The concept of this book was utterly fascinating for me to start reading it, even the chapters framed in prime numbers was interesting and initiation was good but after few pages its so booooring... It is called a mystery novel but there's nothing mysterious about it even the case gets solved suddenly in the midst, there isn't a story here just some series of daily life events a so called sociopath boy experiences and the whole book is roaming elsewhere off-topic.
There are lots of unwanted figures and events, It's a total waste of time don't read it