gillysteve22's reviews
12 reviews

The End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland by Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin

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

4.25

I read this a few weeks  after reading The City and its Uncertain Walls, the rewritten original story on which this book was based. This new translation includes about 100 pages that was edited out of the originally published book. I have to say that I prefer The City and its Uncertain Walls, the story feels warmer - the characters are more rounded, with more back story and context. This book is more of a writing challenge.  It's wackier, more fast moving, but the characters feel one dimensional to me.
Pig Iron by Benjamin Myers

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dark emotional sad 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

4.75

The writer reminds me of the  great northern voices I read growing up, Barry Hines, Alan Silitoe etc because the voice and story all feels authentic.
The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

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challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Cleverly written kind of magical realist thriller set during the Sri Lankan civil war period
Battle Ground by Jim Butcher

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adventurous tense fast-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

3.0

I think I read some early books in this series and they were quite lighthearted.  This one is one battle in 400 pages.  I felt the story was at 11 almost all the time with too much going on, names,weapons,etc. What would Terry Pratchett make of it?
Private Eye Annual 2024 by Ian Hislop

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.25

I particularly like the Whattsapp group discussions and the cartoons
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

I did have a real emotional reaction, especially as it neared the end. I was glad Murakami wrote his endnote - it does help to understand how the different parts came about. For me the underlying melancholia was too much at times.
The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks

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

4.5

An enthralling tale where the characters and their motives are gradually unearthed.
Gliff by Ali Smith

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challenging dark sad 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? N/A

3.5

The non-linear nature of the story is quite challenging and the main drivers of the plot are mentioned quite late on. I wasn't able to really connect with the main characters and so I wasn't concerned about what happened to them
Tomorrow's Here Today by Ian Broudie

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funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

How Ian's big break came about is a great opening and the closing part is really good.  The middle part is full of "Rock anecdotes". Overall a good read, especially  with the Lightning seeds on