thevampirelestat's reviews
84 reviews

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

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adventurous funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I wish my college courses would assign more graphic novels this shit was lit
Adua by Igiaba Scego

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dark informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.25

The Drowned and the Saved by Primo Levi

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4.0

Monkey King: Journey to the West by Wu Ch'eng-En

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adventurous funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Like I’m kind of so obsessed with this & lovell’s translation was hilarious and so fun, I definitely recommend it.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

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dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

This then is my story. I have reread it. It has bits of marrow sticking to it, and blood, and beautiful bright-green flies.

a hideous freak who fancies himself to be handsomely noble. The third quarter of this book is a serious drag, but I enjoyed it over all. Riveting & beautiful prose about someone you want to put under a hydraulic press. Some shockingly funny moments in here which ultimately highlight just how essential the narrator truly is to storytelling— a character whose word we often take for granted. Whoof!
The Beautiful Summer by Cesare Pavese

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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

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

two stories tackling grief, its expressions, and how we learn to live with it-- i really liked kitchen. i actually preferred the second story, "moonlight shadow," to the first; i found the characters much more likable in that one and the plot felt more succinct, streamlined, and the prose had much more of that gut punch feel to it despite the fact it loses the "kitchen" element that the first has. 

it would have been nice to have some continuity in themes of the importance of food-- the characters are kind of always eating but to see the character in the second story speak to it a bit would have been a nice touch. also some very agonizing harping on the "actual sex" of a trans woman, persistently insisting on the "oh she's really a man" and all that but others have spoken better than me about its distinct cultural context. otherwise i really liked it. the final few pages had me tearing up at work ngl. an enjoyable read for suree
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

for itas 324, kind of tedious at times. I would even say it plods through some moments. but overall pretty good, I liked how simple the prose was
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

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challenging mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

i love to read a book that makes me gasp and close it when i am so shocked by a certain event occurring. that is what this book did to me. very good. it's kind of difficult to get into the premise at first but then once it latches onto you. oh my god. WAHHHHH
Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor

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challenging dark 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? It's complicated

3.5

I cannot say that i understood this book wholly. I will not pretend that I did. But it left me with such a hollowness in my chest. Like the kind of shit that just eats you up forever and ever i think. Yet i could not put it down. Captivating