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williamgideon's reviews
166 reviews
We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan by Lou Sullivan
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.75
Rating someone's diary feels wrong, so I'm solely rating my own reading experience. That being said, this experience was so incredible. I wanted to take my time with it, since it is like 30 yrs comprised into 400-ish pages. Lou Sullivan is a figure I've always felt drawn to and had a gratitude for the work he did. After having read this book, I feel like I really know him, and through him, me. The experience of reading this is hard to put into words, so I suggest you just read the book lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Medical content
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
Lesbiska ligan: En sann kriminalhistoria by Mian Lodalen
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Hmm I don't really feel either positive or negative about this book. It was engaging enough to keep my attention, and covered an interesting era in history. But I found all of the characters to be extremely unlikeable, especially Eva, who comes off as clingy, controlling, tone-deaf and disrespecting of others' boundaries. Similarly to Lodalen's other book, Lisa och Lilly, it mentions street name upon street name that are totally uninteresting to anyone not from/familiar with Stockholm. And the dialogue felt a little stiff to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Medical content, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Howards End by E.M. Forster
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I found this book incredible. Forster's is a master at dialogue, which makes this book very fun to read. The book is also rich in themes, metaphors and symbols. It's about reconciling the opposites in our lives. Different classes, temperaments, sexes, materialism vs idealism etc. It also describes a beautiful sisterly bond that really tugged at my heartstrings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Näst efter en hund by Agatha Christie
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
4.0
💔
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
Did not finish book. Stopped at 72%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 72%.
My libby loan ran out :( but honestly wasn't liking it enough to keep reading
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Suicide
Mitt ibland oss by Evin Cetin
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Spy x Family, Vol. 3 by Tatsuya Endo
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The best way to describe this book is honest. It's honest in the way that the narrator's life unfolds, the way he experiences the world differently at different stages of life. Honest in the way it describes the bad descisions he makes and how it affects him. And honest in the way it talks about bodies and relationships. I really enjoyed that about it. It feels like it's not a novel meant to be enjoyed and be engaging, but one that wants to tell it like it is, and for that, it did a great job.
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I really had to push through this one. The writing is hard to follow, and really, really bland. I don't vibe at all with Hemingway's writing style. The characters were extremely flat and uninteresting, the only remotely likeable ones were side characters. Our narrator has no personality, and the same goes for his love interest, who is barely her own person and is just there to please the narrator. Not at one point did I care what was happening to the characters or if they were gonna be okay. The one thing I did enjoy was the part where they live in the Swiss mountains but that's just because of the setting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Gun violence