I read this after seeing the first two seasons of the Netflix adaption, which I think helped me enjoy it because I was already fond of the characters.I read this after seeing the first two seasons of the Netflix adaption, which I think helped me enjoy it because I was already fond of the characters.
It was a fun, sweet book. Easy to read, especially considering the time it was written in. It felt a bit long if you consider it is a children's book, but overall I liked it a lot. If you're interested in reading this book but are a bit intimidated (like I used to be), it really isn't difficult to get through.
I don't think I'll be reading the later books, but I'm glad I read this one. ...more
This is obviously a classic and it feels a little weird to give it a star rating, so I'm mostly going by my own enjoyment. I liked and appreciated theThis is obviously a classic and it feels a little weird to give it a star rating, so I'm mostly going by my own enjoyment. I liked and appreciated the story and can really understand why it's so beloved, but for me personally I feel like both the 2017 and 2019 adaptations (TV and film) help me appreciate the story more. I feel like the book sometimes has these distracting moral lessons in them (working hard is important and makes you feel good!) and it reminded me that it was written for a different audience in a different time.
Still, I really do understand the love for this book and I had a fun time diving into the world and learning more about the author and the book. I find the sisters very fun to read about and their dynamic is lovely. I loved all four sisters, but definitely have a soft spot for Amy. ...more
The only other Jane Austen book I have read so far is Pride and Prejudice, which I really enjoyed. I enjoyed Emma as well! It was nice to read about hThe only other Jane Austen book I have read so far is Pride and Prejudice, which I really enjoyed. I enjoyed Emma as well! It was nice to read about her life and see her personality grow and change throughout the book. I think the development is done beautifully, and I adore how flawed she is at the start of the novel. I really like how the writing is largely from Emma's point of view, but still manages to convey just how wrong she is on some points. It's really well done, and I definitely felt captivated by the story even if the pace was very low compared to more modern books.
I'll take a bit of a break now, but I definitely want to read more Austen in the future. It's nice to read a classic every once in a while, and I always marvel at how well these stories hold up even in the modern day....more
When I review a book and give it stars, I'm not being objective. I tend to give books star ratings that reflect my personal enjoyment of them. Am I saWhen I review a book and give it stars, I'm not being objective. I tend to give books star ratings that reflect my personal enjoyment of them. Am I saying this book is mediocre? No. But I found it hard to really enjoy it, though I'm glad I read it.
Alice in Wonderland is one of those stories I know without ever reading or seeing it, other pieces of media reference or even parody it enough that I knew exactly what the story was about. I never watched the Disney movie, but I still knew just about everything from this book. It's very whimsical and magical, in a way that I kind of felt surprised by. I think a lot of adaptions try to make it 'edgier' by making it darker. Even though there were some disturbing things in here, it never felt dark. It all very much felt like a dream, where you know you'll wake up in the safety of your bed the moment it gets too scary.
I appreciate how new and revolutionary this work was for its time, and I appreciate the way it has influenced media and culture since it has been published. But it's hard to read an original work so many other things have been based on without feeling like it lacks something. It was hard for me to keep my attention to this story, which is why I can only rate it the way I did. ...more
Pride and Prejudice was one of those classics that I wanted to read for a long time, but never managed to get through. The reason I could this time isPride and Prejudice was one of those classics that I wanted to read for a long time, but never managed to get through. The reason I could this time is largely because I tried the book in audio form instead of reading it, which made the old fashioned language easier to absorb.
I already knew the blot of this book largely from adaptions I have seen of it (most notably The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which is a fairly detailed and close retelling of the story in a moden setting) but that actually didn't take away from my enjoyment.
Once I got used to the language and way of speaking, I found the story rather easy to listen to. It was funny, which I didn't really expect, and managed to hold my attention despite me knowing the story in large parts. I can definitely see why this is a classic that is still beloved today, and I actually really want to look at Jane Austen's other books in the future. ...more
The Handmaid's Tale is one of those books I've wanted to read for a while, but felt intimidated by. I read a lot of different books, but they tend to The Handmaid's Tale is one of those books I've wanted to read for a while, but felt intimidated by. I read a lot of different books, but they tend to be on the lighter side. I knew the premise of this classic, I knew it was going to be heavy and hard to read, and I knew it was very important. The new TV show was another reason to finally pick up this book, and though it was a hard one, I'm really glad I did.
There's not much I can say about the story that hasn't been said by people smarter than me. I felt affected by it as a woman and I felt like the similarities to some things in our world today were striking and terrifying. At one point I had to double check if this book had really been written in 1985, because there were things that just felt too accurate to the state of the world today.
One thing I really appreciated about this book as well was the writing. I'm usually fairly easily pleased when it comes to writing style. It's not generally something I tend to really notice. I read books really fast, so I don't tend to linger on beautifully written sentences or quotes. But Margaret Atwood managed to make me do that with this book, and I suppose that's what signifies quality writing. Words were used in such beautiful and striking ways that I had to pause and just re-read sentences a few times.
A really good and important book to read, I think. It's definitely something I would recommend, but I wouldn't judge anyone for not being able to read it. I read fairly fast myself, after a slow start I finished most of it in a single day, but it definitely leaves an impression on you that's hard to shake....more
A while back I decided I wanted to read more classics. I decided to start with Carmilla because:
1. It's short
2. I love vampires
3. I love gay stuff
4. A while back I decided I wanted to read more classics. I decided to start with Carmilla because:
1. It's short
2. I love vampires
3. I love gay stuff
4. I watched the webseries
And while the story wasn't incredibly in depth and nothing about the plot really surprised me, I still managed to really enjoy it.
It's written very beautifully and it's very atmospheric, knowing the big twist at the end (which is common knowledge by now) doesn't ruin the story in the slightest....more
This book is very short, but it still leaves quite an impact.
I was a little skeptical about reading this book, because I've read a lot of more recent This book is very short, but it still leaves quite an impact.
I was a little skeptical about reading this book, because I've read a lot of more recent dystopia and I know that a lot of books within the genre were influenced by The Giver, which is a sign that it's a good book, but it made me worried that it wouldn't really have anything new to offer me.
And in a way, it didn't. The society described in The Giver is one I've seen before in newer books, and the big reveal near the end wasn't a surprise at all, but despite this, I still really managed to enjoy it.
This book didn't need anything new or refreshing to be good for me, the atmosphere created in the book (in such few pages) was enough to carry the story. The author described the way Jonas was influenced by the new memories and how it changed his perspective of the community really well, a good example of this is the scene where he finds his friends (view spoiler)[playing at war and it upsets him deeply (hide spoiler)]
I'm curious about the other books in this series because they don't really seem to be direct sequels. I hope that means more of the world will be explained in them, though I also hope we do find out what happened to Jonas in the end....more