There’s something so fascinating and intriguing about a serial killer narrative. And this book exposed the harrowing and ugly truth of how the world cThere’s something so fascinating and intriguing about a serial killer narrative. And this book exposed the harrowing and ugly truth of how the world constantly obsessed over serial killers–up to the extent of even glorifying them–but never spending a second thought about their victims.
”There are millions of men out there who want to hurt women–people seem to think that Ansel Parker is extraordinary, because he actually did.”
Notes on an Execution follows the story of Ansel, a serial killer who is to be executed in 12 hours, and the lives of 3 women who were directly connected to him–his mother, who survived an abusive marriage, his wife’s twin sister, and the detective who was haunted by a traumatizing memory from her childhood.
In this novel, Kukafka posits the notion of nature versus nurture and defines one’s character as a cumulative by-product of the choices one makes. This poses a contrasting view on Ansel’s complex character because was he inherently bad or were the circumstances in his life a catalyst that led him to be a serial killer? What if his mother did not abandon him? What if he’s not haunted by his little brother’s cries? A series of what ifs and choices that might’ve changed the course of his life and his victims.
”There is no such thing as good or evil. Instead we have memory and choice, and we all live at various points on the spectrum between. We are created by what has happened to us, combined with who we choose to be.”
With such spellbinding prose and gripping plot, Kukafka ensures that there will be no room for boredom while reading this novel. Each chapter is profound, emotional and thought-provoking. I love how this book put in the limelight the survivors and the struggles of the women who were affected by Ansel. How one survived an abusive marriage, the insecurities stemming from the constant comparison between sisters, the underrepresentation of POC and women in the criminal justice, as well as the flaws in the judicial system.
Overall, this book vividly portrayed the disturbing realities of today’s world and how our strange obsession with serial killers easily proliferated into our culture.
This is one of the easiest 5 stars of my life and I'm highly recommending it to everyone....more
Obviously, I can't write a coherent review about this book because it made me speechLESS.
…..Okay, that was a bad joke.
But you know what’s incapable oObviously, I can't write a coherent review about this book because it made me speechLESS.
…..Okay, that was a bad joke.
But you know what’s incapable of making a bad joke? This book. Because Arthur Less is an effortlessly funny middle-aged American gay man who’ll make you laugh out loud at his awkwardness and witty remarks. Yet at the same time, make you feel sadness and longing over a past love.
"How can so many things become a bore by middle age — philosophy, radicalism, and other fast foods — but heartbreak keeps its sting?"
Less is a book that made me ponder about life in general—the mundanities of it, the passage of time, growing old, and finding love. The prose is beautiful, captivating, and the transitions between the past and the present were creatively written. The premise of the book itself is unique and quirky and I love how each chapter walks you through Less’ adventures in each country while focusing on different aspects of his life.
I realised I have a fascination with middle-aged fictional characters because I have not disliked a book with them as the protagonist. Authors should stop writing about overly dramatic teens who are too dumb for love and start writing more about elderly characters who are single and gay....more
It's been almost a month but I still think about this book every now and then. What's new?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OF COURSE, I'M NOT OKAY.
HANYA YANAGIHARA, YOU EIt's been almost a month but I still think about this book every now and then. What's new?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OF COURSE, I'M NOT OKAY.
HANYA YANAGIHARA, YOU EVIL PERSON.
This book scarred me. Never in my life did I imagine that I'd be grieving over fictional characters. Bawling my eyes out because I'm so emotionally distressed and just so fucking sad.
Every time I hear Jude's name (and I tell you I hear it every day at work because my boss' name is Jude), I'll remember Jude St. Francis and be sad all over again.
"It isn't only that he died, or how he died; it is what he died believing. And so I try to be kind to everything I see, and in everything I see, I see him."...more
This is the perfect dark academia mystery book to get me out of a reading slump.
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is the kind of book you struggle putting This is the perfect dark academia mystery book to get me out of a reading slump.
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is the kind of book you struggle putting down. It's riveting, fast-paced, filled with dark twists, an exceptional setting, and a wide range of innately flawed characters with superficial yet enthralling friendship.
"The East House Seven. Mint, Caro, Frankie, Coop, Heather, Jack, and me. The people responsible for the best days of my life, and the worst."
As a whodunnit, this book has a mediocre murder plot and motive. It's not something that'll make me want to curse badly and keep me up for days. But what I love about this book is the writing and how the author made use of the dual setting (past and present POVs) to slowly uncover the skeletons in each of the characters' closets. And the East House Seven (or six) is filled with them! The characters are utterly flawed. They're insecure (don't know what for). They cheat and lie behind each other's back. Their friendship and relationships are filled with betrayal and rivalry. But despite these, their character development as the story progressed is amazing! And I definitely salute Ashley Winstead for that.
"Sometimes, you really didn’t have to lift a finger to get exactly what you wanted. Sometimes, all you had to do was sit back and do nothing."
I also love the Duquette setting and the reunion theme, which kind of reminds me of The Guest List. I love it when friends gather after a long while, only to discover that their friends are not the same person whom they think they were 10 years ago.
Honestly, I have nothing to complain about this book except maybe for Eric, who appeared to be a bit extra while trying to be Sherlock. But overall, for a debut novel, this book is exceptional and I truly enjoyed the unexpected twists and turns of this story.
Will definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a fast-paced and character-driven story to get you out of a slump, like me....more
OH. MY. GOD. I'm not kidding when I say that this book will haunt me for days.
House of Hollow is a beautifully written novel that unravels the mysterOH. MY. GOD. I'm not kidding when I say that this book will haunt me for days.
House of Hollow is a beautifully written novel that unravels the mystery of the Hollow sisters' disappearance when they were children. With its stunning book cover and hauntingly grotesque vibe, this is a book that will appeal to readers who love dark fairytales like the Grimm's Fairy Tales or the Wayward Childen series. And I promise you it won't disappoint.
“I'd realized there were scarier things in the world than the monsters that lived in my nightmares.”
Sutherland's storytelling is no doubt phenomenal and captivating. You could vividly picture what she's trying to portray with her words and it'd keep you entertained. The plot, the setting, the revelations, and the characters were perfectly written.
I am in love with the Hollow sisters and their distinct and mysterious personalities. Even the side character, Tyler, was remarkable on his own and kept the plot light-hearted. The plot twists, though some may be obvious, still kept me at the edge. The ending was bittersweet and I love how Sutherland kept some things a mystery till the end (view spoiler)[like who is the real Grey, Vivi, and Iris, or whether Tyler Yang will come back (hide spoiler)]. It was unsettling yet the perfect ending for this perfect book.
Fuck a heartbreak. Have you ever reached the last page of the book hoping it would never end, but it did?
The House in the Cerulean Sea is all the niceFuck a heartbreak. Have you ever reached the last page of the book hoping it would never end, but it did?
The House in the Cerulean Sea is all the nice things you read in the reviews, and more. It's alluring. It's magical. It's warm. It's pure happiness.
“We should always make time for the things we like. If we don't, we might forget how to be happy.”
Reading this book almost gave me the same vibes as watching a Disney animated movie (a good one!). On the surface, it appears light-hearted and comical and somewhat innocent, but the more you dig, the deeper it gets.
It has such charming and likeable characters, a great setting, phenomenal storytelling and plot, and an important message to take away. I mean, what more can I ask? T.J. Klune literally gave me everything that I want in a book.
Honestly, it was kinda daunting reading this book because of all the hype surrounding it. But for all it's worth, this book deserves it.
AND I THINK WE ALL DESERVE A SEQUEL. PLEASE....more
Nothing's more heartbreaking than loving a book so deeply and then subsequently finding out that the author is allegedly involved in a murder.
This is Nothing's more heartbreaking than loving a book so deeply and then subsequently finding out that the author is allegedly involved in a murder.
This is honestly one of my favourite books of all time and I'm kinda excited about the upcoming movie because hello it's Daisy Edgar Jones and we're getting a new Taylor Swift song? ...more
I like to believe that Salley Rooney’s books and I are fated because I could’ve been born in the 1800s and die not knowing the existence of sureread:
I like to believe that Salley Rooney’s books and I are fated because I could’ve been born in the 1800s and die not knowing the existence of such an incredible book/author. But here I am, living in the same era as her while I also get to watch the adaptation of Normal People. How blessed am I?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ first read:
I AM SO EMOTIONAL AND FRUSTRATED AND ANNOYED AND EXHAUSTED AND REALLY REALLY SAD RIGHT NOW.
"I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know why I can't be like normal people.”
There's this part in the book where Connell expressed himself as being moved by literature in a way that he's all wrapped up in the drama of fictional characters. One of his professors called it 'the pleasure of being touched by great art'. And that basically sums up my current state after reading this book. I AM TOUCHED BY GREAT ART and I'm gonna go on for days thinking about Marianne and Connell.
Normal People is a love story about two complex and flawed individuals who were trying to figure out themselves and find love in this seemingly broken and fucked up world. Marianne and Connell’s relationship lacked communication. It's filled with angst and bottled up emotions, lots of sex (not graphic), and a series of unofficial breakups and getting back together a million times.
Everything about their relationship is frustrating and emotionally draining. I reached a point where I had enough and I didn’t want them to end up together. But the moment they started dating a different person, I had never felt so hurt. I realised I wanted them together after all.
”All these years, they’ve been like two little plants sharing the same plot of soil, growing around one another, contorting to make room, taking certain unlikely positions.”
This is my first Sally Rooney book and it's definitely not my last. Her writing is captivating and it drew me in immediately. The plot is fast-paced which fared for me well but might not be the case to some. The lack of quotation marks also bothered me at the start but as I read more, I got used to it and I didn’t even notice its absence.
Overall, I'm not entirely sure why I love this book because I surely did not enjoy how it played with my emotions. But I love Normal People and I might've found myself a new favourite author....more
Girl Made of Stars is one of the most empowering, heart-breaking and realistic books that I've ever read.Girl Made of Stars is one of the most empowering, heart-breaking and realistic books that I've ever read....more
Sadie is the only book I've written a proper review and now I accidentally deleted it. LOL. Bye goodreads. You've been great.Sadie is the only book I've written a proper review and now I accidentally deleted it. LOL. Bye goodreads. You've been great....more
There are only 2 books in my entire life that made me shed actual tears. In Order to Live and THIS!
THAT ENDING IS SO EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL.
The factThere are only 2 books in my entire life that made me shed actual tears. In Order to Live and THIS!
THAT ENDING IS SO EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL.
The fact that I knew beforehand how this story would end (thanks to my Greek mythology class in high school) did not prepare me completely on how tragic that ending's gonna be. IT HURTS SO FUCKING MUCH. Achilles and Patroclus' love for each other was so raw and beautiful. They deserve the entire universe.
This is, by far, the most relatable book I've ever read. It's like Alice Oseman took that microchip insi"Hello. I hope somebody is listening. . ."
This is, by far, the most relatable book I've ever read. It's like Alice Oseman took that microchip inside my brain that is responsible for my thinking and emotions, and stuffed it inside Frances' brain. The way she acts and feels about certain things makes me think that she's that other version of me existing in the multiverse.
“I'm sure you think I was complaining about nothing. You probably think I'm a whiny teenager. And yeah, it was all in my head, probably. That doesn't mean it wasn't real. So fuck you all.”
What I like about this book is that it's so millennial-ish. The music references, the memes, the fandom, the use of Twitter, Youtube, Tumblr and the likes. Plus, it talks about school life! Not your typical mean girls kind of school life. I'm talking about school grades. How society equates being in university as getting a decent job, having a successful future and being happy. But let's be real, school teaches us to do well for O'levels so we can get into a better school. Do well for A'levels so we can go to a better university. Do well in university so we can get a better job. But school didn't teach us what to do if we fail. And this book basically tells you that there are other alternatives in life. It's not just all about grades.
"I want to talk to this one, anyway."
"About what?"
"University alternatives for people who aren't good at math problems." She shrugged. "Stuff they forget to tell you at school."
I also love that this book took a turn and decided not to take the path leading to cliché contemporary plots. It's not about a girl and a boy falling in love. It's more than that. It's this deepest level of friendship where your souls connect with each other. Frances and Aled's friendship is so precious that it gives me these warm and fuzzy feelings inside. I literally fangirl over their friendship throughout this entire book!
“I couldn’t quite believe how much I seriously loved Aled Last, even if it wasn’t in the ideal way that would make it socially acceptable for us to live together until we die.”
Aside from that, the characters felt so alive as if they were my friends telling me about their own stories. Their feelings, their emotions, their conversations. Everything is so deep and real and accurate. However, I have to pinpoint one thing that I kinda didn't like personally. (view spoiler)[There's this part at the end where Frances, Raine and Daniel visited Aled in his university then Carol came and forced Aled to go to God knows where. Home, perhaps? So yeah, I think that entire scene at the platform where they were shouting for Aled not to go with his mom was too over the top dramatic? I felt that it was added so we can have this villain character who'll make the protagonist's life miserable. I just think that part didn't play out well. (hide spoiler)] But other than that, the book is so, so perfect!...more
♡ gillian⁷
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