kyscg's reviews
249 reviews

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

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

2.75

Sure, I can see how this book is critically acclaimed in literature circles but Murakami has never appealed to me, and I don't know why. The story never flows easily, and it feels very forced. Very confused.
Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney

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

5.0

The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice--Crossing Antarctica Alone by Colin O'Brady

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adventurous challenging inspiring slow-paced

3.0

Should've been a blog post, or a series of blog posts at the most. Some parts of the book were very engaging, the rest were a slog. The writing lets the book down.
The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Super low effort writing, this. Could've been so much more. You do expect Percy to mature but not into a middle-aged man, which is what he sounds like in many places. The beloved Percy Jackson sarcasm has mellowed out, and only shows up a handful of times through the book. The ending is some of the weakest writing I've read in a long while, the chapter breaks are forced and pointless, just bad overall. Pains me to rate a Percy Jackson book anything but five stars.

Was this book just promo for the new series? Seems very much like that. The saving grace is that is not another Cursed Child.
Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within by David Goggins

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adventurous funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

Look, when I first heard Goggins came out with an other book, I was convinced it was a publicity stunt, because how can you replicate Can't Hurt Me? That book was iconic because it was authentic, will this be authentic? Or will it be another sub-par sophomore book by a famous personality that hit it big with their first book. With these doubts, I just wasn't willing to read this one, but after completing Living with a SEAL, I wanted more Goggins' stories.

This book is just as good as Can't Hurt Me in all the places where Goggins is narrating episodes from his life. It falls flat in places where he's not narrating and it's just some advice that feels placed there to complete some word count. I can never get enough of his stories, never, and for this I rate the book very well. One-time read for sure.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

How are you supposed to rate/review a man's life?

This was ridiculously difficult to read, I can't fathom how difficult it must have been to live. That is all I'm capable of saying about it. 
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

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adventurous funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Alright, alright, alright

It was super fun listening to this book. The writing is fantastic, I thought McConaughey used a ghostwriter. Superb stories, great lessons, and I learnt a lot. Greenlight.
The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership by Richard Branson

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informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

Read this once, and write down the important stuff. Not too bad imo considering how much I loathe this genre
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

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adventurous informative slow-paced

2.75

All the hype for Breitweiser completely loses substance after he starts stealing just because he can't control himself. Really throws out the entire "aesthetics are more important than ethics" theme that the author tries to sell.

What I liked about the book was the description of the artworks, and there is further reading material at the end of the book for people that are interested in literature about art.
Living with a Seal: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet by Jesse Itzler

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adventurous challenging inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.25

I will never not love a David Goggins story

"don't stop when you're tired, stop when you're done"