"I hope you always keep some piece of that girl who sat by the window, hoping for the best. Life's short enough without us talking ourselves out o "I hope you always keep some piece of that girl who sat by the window, hoping for the best. Life's short enough without us talking ourselves out of hope and trying to dodge every bad feeling. Sometimes you have to push through the discomfort, instead of running."
Awwww, my heart! 'Book Lovers' is still my favorite of the three Emily Henry-novels I've read so far (the plot of that book is A+) but the chemistry and the romance between Miles and Daphne is kryptonite. They both have their own heartache and issues (and awful exes) to deal with but they are so willing to fight for each other and be open and mature; I (like Daphne) wanted to clutch Miles' face between my hands and kiss him until he accepts love.
Anyway, review to come after I return from vacation. 3,75/4 stars....more
"Uit de lucht zie ik kleine mensengestalten rondslenteren in het Hibiya-park. Tal van mensen lopen over de smalle paadjes, steken het Fonteinplein "Uit de lucht zie ik kleine mensengestalten rondslenteren in het Hibiya-park. Tal van mensen lopen over de smalle paadjes, steken het Fonteinplein over, gaan her en der door de toegangen naar buiten. Als zweetdruppels stromen mensen het park uit."
Na een toevallige ontmoeting met een vrouw in de metro, komt de ik-verteller de vrouw vaak tegen in het Hibiya-park in Tokyo. Het park is een oase van rust in de drukke stad, waar de verteller en de vrouw tijdens hun gesprekken niet alleen praten over werk en bekende park-bezoekers, maar ook over (voorbije) relaties: tussen geliefden, tussen moeder en zoon, tussen het verleden en het heden.
Park Life geeft een mooi inkijkje in de hedendaagse Japanse samenleving, met een fijne schrijfstijl (goed vertaald door Luk van Haute) en mooie reflecties op het leven. Helaas heeft het boek, wellicht door het vele uitzoomen, geen personage of plotelement waardoor het verhaal mij beklijkt. De charmante cover daarentegen is een plaatje....more
"Adem ging zitten en strekte zijn hand uit om sneeuw te pakken - dit keer greep hij er niet doorheen. Hij schepte een handvol, nam er een hap van e"Adem ging zitten en strekte zijn hand uit om sneeuw te pakken - dit keer greep hij er niet doorheen. Hij schepte een handvol, nam er een hap van en wreef de rest in zijn gezicht: koud, maar heerlijk. Alles was heerlijk! Leven was heerlijk!"
Een magisch en ontroerend kinderboek over Adem, het mogelijke kind van Zdenka en Vaclav; mogelijk, want ondanks een zinderende eerste ontmoeting lijkt de kans dat deze politieagente en politiek activist bij elkaar komen heel klein. Maar Adem geeft het niet zomaar op en trekt de wereld in, want "je moet inderdaad oppassen voor de wereld, maar de wereld moet ook oppassen voor mij!"
Veldkamp's haast filmische beschrijvingen van de stad Paznau zijn prachtig: de oude loods vol met spullen, de rivier in de dikke mist, de besneeuwde, kronkelige straatjes. Adem zelf is een slimme jongen: hoewel hij net 'geboren' is en fouten maakt, heeft hij al snel door hoe hij zichzelf moet redden. Vaclav en Zdenka zijn ook beide interessant en hebben een eigen leven en karakter, en ik vond het prettig (en realistisch) dat ze Adem's verhaal niet zomaar geloofden.
Mijn enige opmerking is dat het boek nog zeker 50 pagina's langer mocht zijn, want er zitten verschillende lijntjes of elementen in die niet worden uitgediept. De corruptie in Paznau bijvoorbeeld, het werk van Vaclav (het pistool dat hij zo in elkaar zet), Zdenka's rol als rechercheur - een complexere wereld had Adem's zoektocht niet in de weg gezeten.
Maar De jongen die van de wereld hield is absoluut een prachtig verhaal, versterkt door de mooie illustraties van Mark Janssen, en een terechte winnaar van de Woutertje Pieterse Prijs 2024....more
"Ik begon met zwemmen omdat ik iets wilde meemaken, een handeling die ik kon verbinden aan al deze herinneringen, een manier waarop ik me door het ve "Ik begon met zwemmen omdat ik iets wilde meemaken, een handeling die ik kon verbinden aan al deze herinneringen, een manier waarop ik me door het verleden kon verplaatsen, het de toekomst in kon duwen. Ik wilde iets in bewegen zetten."
Mooi essayistisch debuut over de diepdiepblauwe zee en haar bewoners, (queer) liefdesrelaties- en vriendschappen, en wat er van je overblijft als de oceaan (of de wereld) over je heen stroomt. In elk verhaal zet Dekker een zeedier in de spotlight en vergelijkt hun leven - gevormd door de natuur of menselijk ingrijpen - met die van de mens. Zijn wij nu echt veel beter in communiceren dan dolfijnen, meer betrouwbare liefdespartners dan een zeepaardje, of minder gedreven om onze grenzen op te zoeken dan een tiktaalik die het water uit kruipt?
Ik was het meest onder de indruk van Dekker's intelligente en intieme schrijfstijl: in elk hoofdstuk vervlecht ze mooi de wereld van onderwater en bovenwater met elkaar. Voor mij hadden niet alle verhalen verbonden te worden aan hetzelfde (naamloze) hoofdpersonage - elk hoofdstuk is al sterk genoeg op zichzelf. Tijdens het lezen moest ik denken aan (non-fictie) romans als Wormmaan en Everybody: A Book About Freedom, en ik ben heel benieuwd naar het volgende boek van de schrijfster: wat gebeurt er als ze het water achter zich laat? 3,5 sterren....more
"That’s what you find over and over again when you go looking: something else. An insight that surprises you. A connection that you would never ha "That’s what you find over and over again when you go looking: something else. An insight that surprises you. A connection that you would never have made. A new perspective."
The author enjoys finding (too) colorful metaphors and nature descriptions to say the exact same thing, but there were some words of wisdom to be found in here. 3 stars, and longer review to come!...more
"Night approaches fast, and I know it's not eternal. This blanket of darkness isn't our forever. Their evil isn't forever. Not as long as we have "Night approaches fast, and I know it's not eternal. This blanket of darkness isn't our forever. Their evil isn't forever. Not as long as we have our faith and Syria's history running in our veins."
An incredibly moving novel, heartbreaking in its pain and courage, and a must-read for teenagers. 4,5 stars, and a review to come. ...more
"...but who are the most tragic of all war's victims, whose endurance is to be tried in the hardest days, who are now half strangers among their ow"...but who are the most tragic of all war's victims, whose endurance is to be tried in the hardest days, who are now half strangers among their own people, and reluctant even to tread the long-wished-for paths of home. In medical language they are classed as "Facial and Jaw Cases."
"Who are you to say what my fate is- if I am to fail, or if I am to succeed? My fate is not yours to decide, my fate belongs to me.” "Who are you to say what my fate is- if I am to fail, or if I am to succeed? My fate is not yours to decide, my fate belongs to me.” ...more
Dichters zijn dromerige duivels met gevaarlijke gebeden Lezers zijn medeplichtig aan het verlangen om ergens in te verdrinken.
Een prachtige poëzie Dichters zijn dromerige duivels met gevaarlijke gebeden Lezers zijn medeplichtig aan het verlangen om ergens in te verdrinken.
Een prachtige poëziebundel over taal, moederschap, familie, en verschillende soorten grenzen: degene die zijn ontstaan door liefde, door de tijd, of door (ondoordacht) menselijke handelen. In haar gedichten brengt Mbarki werelden tot leven, van een ontmoeting in de metro, haar grootvader vechtend in de oorlog, tot het ontroerende en schrijnende liefdesverhaal van haar ouders.
In haar schrijven vermengt Mbarki Nederlands met Arabisch met Frans met Tamazight, wat haar gedichten een extra verdieping geeft; zelfs als je de taal niet machtig bent snap je vaak wel wat de dichter wilt vertellen. Het verleden (van een land, van je ouders) laat zijn sporen in je na, leeft door in je lichaam, en Mbarki brengt treffend onder woorden wat deze geschiedenis met een mens doet.
3,75 sterren en mijn complimenten voor de mooie omslag. Aan te raden voor fans van Warshan Shire.
Oevers zijn niet voor dromers het verstand zal zwijgplicht krijgen in stilte verzuipen wezens zullen vrij zwemmen
"But if you decide to read on, then guess what? You're my kind of time being and together we'll make magic!”
A Tale for the Time Beingis a very "But if you decide to read on, then guess what? You're my kind of time being and together we'll make magic!”
A Tale for the Time Beingis a very special and ambitious historical-fiction novel. We read about the lives of Nao - a sensible teenage girl living in Tokyo - and Ruth, a struggling novelist living on a remote island in the Pacific ocean. Worlds and years apart, the two form a connection that becomes more important as we near the end, where the devastating tsunami of 2011 looms.
Nao's story really forms the heart of the book. Her life in Tokyo - from her rundown apartment to the bullying at her highschool - is described in a bright voice, although the situation is bleak. Thankfully there is Jiko, her great Buddist nun grandmother, through which she gets to know her (dead) great-uncle Haruki #1 and her depressed father in a different way.
Ruth's life however didn't have much of a vibrant spark. She gives the reader background information to Nao's story - almost like she is a stand-in for the author - but just because Ruth's story was mostly meant to serve a purpose for the story structure, didn't mean it had to be so boring.
It's in the last quarter of the book that the author lost me by bringing all the plotlines together in a grand, time-encompassing way. From a distance (and reading other reviews) I realized what Ozeki tried to do and it's admirable, but I found it too excessive. Nao and her family's lives were powerful on their own - they didn't need to serve even a higher purpose than sharing their stories with us.
So an (too) ambitious novel, but one with a heart and a tale that stayed with me for a long time. 3,5 stars, and I really look forward to read more from Ozeki in the future....more
“No single act of generosity remains in isolation. The ripples are many.”
A slow but moving novel, one that transports you to the city of Florence duri“No single act of generosity remains in isolation. The ripples are many.”
A slow but moving novel, one that transports you to the city of Florence during the 20th century. While we see the city change, we follow our charming cast of characters - among them a passionate art historian, a pub-owner with stomach problems, and a bright African blue parrot.
filled with beautiful descriptions of Florence in the 20th century and people finding love and safety with each other.
I’d loved a stronger plot because I sometimes had to force myself to keep reading, but in current times, who doesn’t want to escape in art and friendship and the warm Italian sun? 3,5 stars, rounded up ....more
“And, for the first time in my innocent and confined life, I sensed in myself a potentiality for corruption that took my breath away.”
This was just “And, for the first time in my innocent and confined life, I sensed in myself a potentiality for corruption that took my breath away.”
This was just the perfect collection of dark fairy-tale like stories to read during winter.
Previously I had read The Magic Toyshop by Carter, so I had an idea what to expect: tales where mystery, danger and (emotional) hunger ensnare a young man or woman, who struggles to escape...but might not want to. A world painted in familiar colors - a high tower, an old castle, a little house in the forest - that constantly make you feel on guard: does the threat linger here, or within you?
"I had heard her sing Isolde. With what white-hot passion had she burned from the stage! So that you could tell she would die young."
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories was like that, but where the Toyshop had too many characters, I loved the focus in these stories on our single main character. To follow his or her emotions and thoughts as they explore their new home or their beast-like partner. And while many of their stories end happy, as in "The Tiger's Bride" or "Wolf-Alice", reality always comes knocking. You can fall asleep in the tender paws of a wolf, but it remains a wolf.
“There is a striking resemblance between the act of love and the ministrations of a torturer.”
My personal favorites are "The Tiger's Bride", "The Lady of the House of Love" and "The Erl-King", and I would recommend this collection for readers interested in discovering Carter's writing style and taste....more
"None of them are the people we thought they were."
A quiet, bitter novel about loss and survival, Unsettled Ground would've hit much stronger wit "None of them are the people we thought they were."
A quiet, bitter novel about loss and survival, Unsettled Ground would've hit much stronger with a better plot and characterization. It are the twins who carry the story, but I never grow close to either of them.
In the book, we follow the reclusive twins Jeanie and Julius (51 years old) who lose their house after the death of their mother Dot. Now having to face the modern world without many skills or money, they both go through a lot of stress and grief, but that never came across. If Fuller had told the story in first-person instead of second-person, the panic and confusion Jeanie and Julius experience would've been more heartfelt, but now we just 'witness' them make rash decisions and act stubborn, and I can only shake my head at them.
"Dot wanted a place she could call home. To have her family around her, a bit of land, feel the sun on her skin. What many of us want when it comes down to it."
Fuller's strength lies in her atmospheric prose. With detailed descriptions she writes about the rural landscape, the local town, and the leaky rundown cottage. It's heartbreaking to see them miss this house, but it's the only place they feel safe. The more secrets about Dot are revealed, the more painful and horrifying the situation becomes, but the plot never lingers on it, which I feel is a missed opportunity. It could've given the novel the sharp edge that brought the tragedy of this story home.
A fascinating novel about family secrets, poverty and grief, written in beautiful prose, but not one that lingers. 3 stars....more
"I want him to tell me that our love shattered you. I want him to tell me that if you were alive you would have picked me eventually."
Like a stone s "I want him to tell me that our love shattered you. I want him to tell me that if you were alive you would have picked me eventually."
Like a stone stuck in my shoe, this gripping, mecurial novel stayed with me long after I finished reading. Here Is the Beehive is a story written in verse about Ana, Connor and Rebecca: after Connor's unexpected death, Ana and Rebecca are left grieving and trying to cope. Rebecca as Connor's wife, and Ana as his mistress of who no one knew.
"So you stayed returned from days of passion to nights of silence and convinced yourself it was normal and enough and at the very least what you deserved but did you ever ask yourself What I deserved?"
Although 'cheating' as a theme plays a main role, this isn't a novel that outright condems it; rather the story shows how living in a limbo of 'you love me, but not enough to leave your partner' damages Ana. She isn't a sympathic character, but her grief over Connor hit me hard: her obsession to claim anything physical - Connor's knicknacks, a connection with his wife - is so heartbreaking.
A compelling and many-layered novel, in which we get to see love and grief in its many ugly ways, captured in beautiful writing. Well told Crossan, 3,75 stars....more
"That’s what beauty often is, in nature. A warning. A disguise.”
This was exactly the dark, fairy-tale contemporary I needed right now. Three sis "That’s what beauty often is, in nature. A warning. A disguise.”
This was exactly the dark, fairy-tale contemporary I needed right now. Three sisters who definitely don't come across as human, an enemy wearing a bull's mask and burned-out doorways to another world? Sign me up.
The greatest strength of this novel is the mysterious, macabre world Sutherland creates: with every bloody rune, carrion flowers growing out of your skin, and dead body decomposing into rotting plants you only become more eager to learn the truth of the Hollow Sisters. The strong connection between those three also was well written: their possessive, furious love both is their greatest prison and greatest strength. "What a gruesome bond we shared.", indeed.
"If Grey jumped off a bridge, would you?" my mother asked me once as she splinted my broken pinkie finger. Grey had broken her pinkie hours before, so I had found a hammer in my father's pottery shed and used it to shatter my own. It was a question without answer. It was not a question at all."
Sadly, the characters weren't nearly as fascinating as the sinister atmosphere, making the whole story feel out of tune. Our main girl Iris for example was too passive for me, clinging to "I want to be normal" additude for too long while the plot needed her to move forward and take action. Talking about action, I felt we spend too long on the kidnapping-bit and too little on the battle across the door - which was all kinds of deliciously messed-up - but still, I wanted more.
So this lyrical writing and the decadent-leaning-towards-rotting world was amazing, but the characters lacking depth took a lot of energy away. Therefore, 3 stars, but I definitely had a good time....more
"We were scared, but fear doesn’t look the same as desperation."
A frightening, macabre collection of short stories, filled with dark witchcraft, "We were scared, but fear doesn’t look the same as desperation."
A frightening, macabre collection of short stories, filled with dark witchcraft, a city crowded with drunkards (are they dead or alive?), and curses hidden in a cart full of junk. We meet paranormal beings - like a persistent baby ghost and undead children in Buenos Aires - but often the people we encounter are just as mad as the beings; the line between the two is often very thin.
"She spent more and more time in the lookout tower, where she could barely hear the whisper of the living, which she knew how to imitate so well, but could not comprehend.’’
Enríquez's writing reminds me of Angela Carter: both love presenting us with characters desiring power, sex, hunger, (spiritual) release and having those wishes take possession of the reader as well. My favorite stories were "The Well", "The Lookout Tower", "Meat" and especially "Kids Who Come Back."
"They looked into the cameras with smiles that were later described as ‘terrifying’ and ‘cryptic’."
However, what made me love the author's other collection, Things We Lost in the Fire, so much is the horror there is interwoven with Argentina's own history, making it almost a dark mirror to reality. That element is missing in this collection, and so while I really enjoyed this - I especially admire that the International Booker Prize placed this on their Shortlist of 2021 - I rate this 3,5 stars....more
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