zatannacomic's reviews
154 reviews

Het wordt spectaculair. Beloofd. by Zita Theunynck

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emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wanneer ik de helft van een boek om middernacht in een keer uitlees, dan verdient een boek vijf sterren voor mij. Ik was helemaal meegenomen in de emotie van het verhaal. Ik hou van de focus op het alledaagse en hoe kwetsbaar liefde kan zijn. Toch vond ik de personages soms wat eendimensioneel. Het concept met de brieven vond ik zeer origineel.  

De plot-twist op het einde was onverwacht en in de eerste instantie was ik er geen grote fan van, maar toen kwam er meer context door het perspectief van Anna en toen werd alles gewoon heel triest.  Verder deed dit boek mij aan Norwegian Wood van Murakami denken. 
The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World by Antony Loewenstein

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challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I’m speechless after finishing this book. I’ve learned a lot of new, upsetting information. Through this book I just kept on wondering how this could keep happening. Just read this, it’s so important to learn.
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

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dark fast-paced

4.0

This is the first piece of Edgar Allan Poe I've ever read/listened to for myself (so not a class) and I really enjoyed it. I liked the emotion portrayed throughout the poem. Certainly something everyone should check out.
Fresh Dirt From the Grave by Giovanna Rivero

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dark slow-paced

2.25

I enjoyed the first two stories, however the other stories didn't really appeal to me. They didn't really go anywhere, which was disappointing. The author likes to use language, that sees beauty in the ugly and isn't afraid describe something gross. The stories are trying to make you feel icky, but in the end I was mostly disinterested.

It might be a small thing, but I also really liked that multiple stories share themes of death and dirt. Which tied really well to the title and I have to appreciate that. 
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Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book is very heavy. It’s a book that switches from the present to the past and goes on a trip down memory lane. It’s emotional, painful but honest. It’s a book about wanting closure and asking for forgiveness, while also questioning life and god/religion. 

The writing meanders through Peri’s life as a student and as an adult, but it took a while to really get into the story. I didn’t love how certain plot points were brought up sporadically and were never really explored in depth or were mentioned too late in the book to really make an impact. 

I liked this book, but it’s not on the same level as other books by Elif Shafak. Still I’d recommend this to friends. 
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Batman: The Killing Joke (Deluxe Edition) by Alan Moore

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dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Harleen by Stjepan Šejić

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dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Sudden Traveller by Sarah Hall

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emotional slow-paced

2.5

Sadly, this was not worth the high expectations I had. I did not connect to any of these stories and I probably should have DNF’ed this after the first two stories. I found the stories a bit pointless as in i didn’t find some deeper meaning or underlying message. Which felt odd to me, since the stories share a theme of loss and/or death in a certain way. I felt like I needed a little more? In all stories I found that the ending came sudden and without reason? Overall I felt like I wasted my time.
Chess by Stefan Zweig

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informative mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A

5.0

When someone asks me what my favourite book is, I say it's 'Chess'. Because of this I was very scared to reread this one. However i loved it even more this time. The use of chess as a medium to talk about facism, torture, delusion and vulnerability makes this novella unique. When you start this book, you think it's about some amateurs playing chess against a world champion on a boat, but you also get to read this horrible experience of someone during the second world war. Particularly I enjoy Zweigs descriptions and analyses on human behaviour.

This second read heightened the experience because you notice how there are references to what happens later in the novella. I can't recommend this book enough and I will bother my friends about this book until they get it.


review from 2023 - first time reading

This was an surprisingly good book. It was an intriguing story about chess, of which I know very little. But during the whole book I was captivated by it and I could not put it down. It reads fast, has a tad of sadness and also tries to convey a message. Even during the chess games, you can feel the tension between the players. I would totally recommend this to anyone. 
Cold Enough For Snow by Jessica Au

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relaxing slow-paced

3.25

This is a short and sweet book about family, understanding and remembering each other. It's an just okay book to me. The writing was average to me, nothing stood out to me about it. The characters and their actions were interesting though. There were lots of thoughts and feelings explored and I can always appreciate that reflective element in a story.