2021/10/31
2021/10/29
2021/10/28
BOOK HAUL:
OCTOBER
S P O N S O R E D : O N E B O O K S E N T B Y P U B L I S H E R
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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We're at the end of spooky season, and it's time to take a look at the books I got this month! I've been loving autumn these past few weeks; we got a really pretty fall here in Oslo this year, which made me really happy.
Anyways, on to the books!
( a f f i l i a t e l i n k s + b o o k m a r k e d * s e n t b y p u b l i s h e r )
I hope you've all had a good month!
2021/10/24
2021/10/23
BOOK REVIEW:
THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU BY H. G. WELLS
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: The Island of Doctor MoreauAuthor: H. G. Wells
Published: 1896
Language: English
Pages: 143
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
A single survivor of a lost ship at sea ends up on an island in the Pacific, currently inhabited by a brilliant scientist whose experiments saw him shunned from the civilised world.
Review:
I've had this book for ages and it's one of those stories I was vaguely familiar with when I went in, but I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this!
This is a very quick read, filled with all kinds of weird stuff in it. I was very intrigued to learn more about the island and everything that went on there, and I found it very interesting to see our protagonist try to make sense of what was going on around him. I also really enjoyed the whole "mad scientist" thing we've got going on here, and I think the story raises a lot of interesting questions, like the ethics of science, and the difference and similarities between humans and animals.
I quite enjoy Wells' writing as well, and found parts of the story to be quite exciting. I do think the whole thing is probably less shocking these days than it was back then and the science bit in here is a bit over the top and hard to believe, but I still really liked it and liked that it made me think.
Really glad I read this, and it reminds me I really need to read more of Wells' work.
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2021/10/22
2021/10/21
2021/10/19
BOOK REVIEW:
THE KING OF CROWS BY LIBBA BRAY
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: The King of CrowsAuthor: Libba Bray
Published: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 560
Rating: 3/5
This is the fourth book in The Diviners series.
Summary:
In the finale of this series, we once again return to 1920's New York and meet The Diviners, a group of young people with supernatural abilities, as they face their biggest enemy yet.
Review:
I've really enjoyed reading this series, even if it was bittersweet that this is the final book and I've now finished it.
I quite liked this one and it was especially wonderful to revisit these character once again. I absolutely love the setting of these books, I love how the time period is brought to life, and it was fun to see all the Diviners come together in this one. I also always enjoy the bad guys in these books, and how creepy and dark the story gets.
I did find this to drag a bit more than the other books in this series though; I felt like it started off well, before there was a huge chunk in the middle where things really dragged out and not a lot happened, before we got to the end where things finally got exciting. It's also the most predictable of the four books, in my opinion.
That being said, my enjoyment factor for these books are always high, which is one of the reasons I like this series so much. This last one might be my least favorite of the four, but it was entertaining for the most part and I really enjoyed revisiting the characters and the setting.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2021/10/17
2021/10/15
2021/10/12
BOOK REVIEW:
THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT BY WALTER TEVIS
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: The Queen's GambitAuthor: Walter Tevis
Published: 1983
Language: English
Pages: 243
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
Sent to an orphanage at the age of eight, Beth discovers two ways of escaping her surroundings; by playing chess and by taking the little green pills given to her and the other children to subdue them. It soon becomes apparent that she has an incredible talent for chess and is able to forge a new life for herself, but struggles with the addiction that keeps following her.
Review:
I read this book because I wanted to read it before I watched the series adaptation, and although I quite enjoyed this, I didn't love it.
My favorite thing about this book is the main character; I loved following her throughout these years and see her career, her wins and her struggles. This is in big parts a coming of age story and I always love those, especially when we're following these types of characters. I was really rooting for Beth from very early on and was intrigued to see where she would end up.
I think that this book starts off stronger than it finishes; towards the end we get caught up in pages upon pages of chess games, which should be filled with tension, but really just end up being kind of dry and dull. There were also some parts, like the romantic bits, that I was not interested in and felt no connection to, and there were some things that happens in the book that are very disturbing but nothing really comes of it, which I thought was odd.
Overall though, I'm glad I read this. It was very interesting to compare it to the adaptation (which I, in the end, would say I prefer over the book, which is rare).
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2021/10/10
2021/10/08
2021/10/07
2021/10/05
BOOK REVIEW:
CARAVAGGIO BY GILLES LAMBERT
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: CaravaggioAuthor: Gilles Lambert, Gilles Néret (editor)
Published: 2015
Language: English
Pages: 96
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
This takes a look at the Caravaggio, a revolutionary painter of the Italian Baroque.
Review:
This was really interesting!
I've been wanting to get more into reading about classical art and art history, and these kinds of books are perfect for that, as they offer up a bit of insight into different artists and the work they did. I really didn't know anything about Caravaggio before going into this and I loved learning a bit more about him and the effect he had on art in his time and after.
I quite liked how this was written; it was easy to get into, took a look at different times in the artists life and how he evolved, and we got to learn both about his paintings, his life and the time he lived in. It doesn't go super deep into anything, but gives an overview, which is just what I wanted.
Overall, a great read and a great introduction!
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2021/10/02
2021/10/01
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