Tag: Book Review

Evelyns and sevens. Sevens and Evelyns. They really shouldn’t mix. They either get stuck in very bad marriages or end up dead. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton has been on my want-to-read list for years. And this month was the time to finally read it and to answer my question of which of the Evelyns I prefer: the Hugo or the Hardcastle. Title: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Author: Stuart Turton Publication year: 2018 Length: 16 hours 41 minutes Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Time-travel Pace: Slow Story focus: Plot & Characters Set in the run-down and isolated estate of Blackheath House, the Hardcastles are throwing a party. Distinguishable guests closer to the family are staying at the house, but today, some are not themselves. At night, when the party is in full swing, Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered, just as it happened the day before, and …

When I first read My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, back in 2024, I loved it. I didn’t write a review at the time because I had no idea what to write. The only thing that occurred to me was “this is great. Read it. Period”. While that might be enough, it felt too short for me. Now that I’ve finished the second book in the series, The Story of a New Name, I think I have a better idea of how I can describe the reading experience. Title: My Brilliant Friend Author: Elena Ferrante Series: Neapolitan Novels #1 Publication year: 2011 Length: 12 hours 38 minutes Genre: Literary Fiction, Drama Pace: Medium Story focus: Character Lila is missing. The story starts in the present, when Elena discovers that her friend is missing. She quickly realises that this is just another one of Lila’s ideas. Determined not to let her …

From the author of Divergent comes another dystopian story. Not quite like the others, Poster Girl presents a quest for justice while never changing the world. Ever since I first opened the pages of Divergent, it has had a special place in my heart. It was my very first book series and my introduction to dystopian fiction. A subgenre of sci-fi that I enjoy a lot and should seriously read more of. Since then, Veronica Roth has released multiple books, mostly falling into the fantasy genre. So when she got back to sci-fi, I knew I wanted to read it. I didn’t care about the plot as long as it was sci-fi. I trusted Roth would deliver something I would like. And I wasn’t wrong. Title: Poster Girl Author: Veronica Roth Publication year: 2022 Length: 10 hours 43 minutes Genre: Mystery, Dystopian, Sci-fi Pace: Slow Story focus: Character Sonya is …

What would you do if your identity were suddenly erased? Set to publish on March 24th, Erased by Miha Mazinni shows the reader just that. A tale about how over 25,000 Slovene citizens were erased from their computer systems in 1992, leaving them all without an identity. Thank you to the publisher, Fly on the Wall Press, for an early copy of this book. Title: Erased Author: Miha Mazinni Publication year: 2026 Length: 270 pages Genre: Historical, Political, Fiction Pace: Fast Story focus: Plot & Characters Told in third person, the story follows Zala, a pregnant woman who is about to give birth. Everything during the pregnancy went normally, until her water broke and she rushed to the hospital, just to discover that her name didn’t exist in the computer database. What comes after is a succession of revelations, leaving her without an identity, like a foreigner, and her baby …

I just read one of the best books of my life. No words can truly express the magnitude and appreciation that I have for this piece of literature. I was curious to see how the story ends, and now that I have, my days are a bit empty. I want to go back to a time when I still had more chapters to read. Closing the book was like losing something. The end of a friendship before you are ready to part ways. I want it back in my life. I want it as part of my day-to-day again. Title: Wuthering Heights Author: Emily Brontë Publication year: 1847 Length: 14 hours 15 minutes Genre: Gothic, Drama, Classic Pace: Slow Story focus: Character Calling Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë a classic is doing a disservice. We should find another way to classify classic literature. Putting them all in the same bag …

The waiting is over. After raving about Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher and promising a review “soon”, that time has arrived. This is my new bible and possibly a book that I should read every year so I never forget who I am and what matters the most to me. I can’t promise you you’ll have a great connection with this book like I do, because in the realm of self-help books, everything is very subjective. However, I can share why I love it. And perhaps you’ll find there is something more to the endless list of hobbies you have than you might think. Title: Refuse to Choose: Use all of your interests, passions, and hobbies to create the life and career of your dreams Author: Barbara Sher Publication year: 2006 Length: 268 pages Genre: Non-fiction, Self-help, Psychology “Are you a scanner?” Barbara starts by asking this very simple …

In 2025, I finished reading the last book in the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown. And to celebrate, a few weeks later, the author announced the next book in the series ( I should really finish A Song of Ice and Fire to see if George R. R. Martin does the same). I was very excited to have a new book to read. And then it was announced that a female character was returning. This is a first. Robert Langdon’s female sidekicks are always new characters. Basically, the whole cast is always new from book to book, making them perfect to start at any point. While this news was exciting, what I didn’t like was discovering the character in question was Katherine Solomon. Previous co-star in The Lost Symbol, AKA the book I disliked the most in the series. Title: The Secret of Secrets Author: Dan Brown Series: Robert …

The time has come. After countless years seeing The Secret History floating around lists and online book communities like a prized possession or a rite of passage to get into a club (ironically fitting for the story), I am finally part of the group. I’ve read The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It took me 4 months to finish, but we got there eventually. And, if by any chance, you are not yet part of the club and don’t know if you even want to be, I’ve got you. Because while I picked up this book to see what all the fuss was about, I knew next to nothing about it. And now, being on the other side, I can fully grasp what this story is, and if it deserves all the hype and higher praise it receives constantly. Title: The Secret History Author: Donna Tartt Publication year: 1992 Length: …

For a while now, I wanted to find a way to bring games into this corner of the interwebs. While I don’t play as much as I used to (I also have another thousand and one hobbies I didn’t have before), from time to time, some games steal my heart and time. They are all I can think about. And so, I want to share my love for them here as I do with books. But I’m not quite sure how to do it. Showing gameplay in video form is way better to get a grasp of what the game is really like… And I’m not doing that. I’m sorry. I’m not adding video editing as yet another thing to learn. So fast forward to 2024, I discovered a little indie game called Tiny Bookshop. And it immediately reminded me of The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan. In …

From time to time, there are some books that simply catch your eye. We know nothing about them other than the cover and the title. And apparently that is enough. Mister Magic by Kiersten White was one of those cases. Well, I knew a little bit more than just the title, but still not enough to really know what I was getting myself into. Title: Mister Magic Author: Kiersten White Publication year: 2023 Length: 10 hours 33 minutes Genre: Mystery, Horror Pace: Medium Story focus: Plot & Character Thirty years ago, there was a children’s program called Mister Magic. Five children would sit around in a circle and create worlds of fun and whimsy with the help of the mysterious host, Mister Magic. It had a huge popularity among children for being fun and at the same time educational, which parents loved. Now, there’s not a single recording of that …

Celeste Ng [ing] has been on my radar for years. Probably since Little Fires Everywhere came out, in 20-something. From the synopsis of her books, I could tell she was more of a literary fiction writer with slight mystery undertones and unlikable characters. I enjoyed the prospects of a family drama-filled book, although a character-driven story isn’t exactly where I thrive. And so years went by without taking the leap and picking up one of her books. Until I came across Everything I Never Told You with a great discount price, I could never resist a bargain. Title: Everything I Never Told You Author: Celeste Ng Publication year: 2014 Length: 10 hours Genre: Literary Fiction, Mystery, Family Drama Pace: Medium Story focus: Characters Lydia is dead. Her family doesn’t know it yet. But she’s dead, not far from home, in a lake just across the street. Drown and alone. This …