"Ikigai" || Book Review

 

I saw this book at a bookstore and loved the cover. It stayed on my mind for a while and when the book got in my hands and I read the synopsis, I decided to read it. This book is a "collection" of advice on how to live a better, longer life mostly based on Japanese culture and Asian practices.

The book does offer some insight and a different point of view on life than what we in the West have been used to. The ideas are mostly mildly interesting but nothing new or grand either. Some of the advice is pretty basic and shared amongst many people worldwide: sleep well, eat well, exercise moderately... Nothing new there... The parts that do have something to offer are the ones talking about less practical, more abstract concepts, like how to approach problems in life, how a sense of community contributes to a better life,

Something that bothered me about the book is that the writer keeps contradicting himself. He will make a statement at the beginning and try to prove it and a few pages later he will make another statement that directly opposes the first one. I can't tell if he realizes he did it and just happens to carry a few contradicting opinions, or if he hadn't realized. 

He also tends to repeat the same ideas - as if to fill pages - but doesn't really put an effort into a more detailed, more in-depth, and more nuanced discussion.

Overall, there are some good bits in the book but it was mostly boring. It offers quick overviews of various concepts but doesn't delve deep into any one topic. It felt like the intent was right but the execution was lost midway. The book may be a good choice for someone new to the self-help genre, but it wouldn't be of much value to someone who has read other similar books before.

I rated this book 2/5* as it was nothing great, but not terrible either. 

I hope you found my review useful and that you have enjoyed the post. I'd love to read your opinions of the book if you've read it and also any recommendations you may have!

"Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens || Book Review

"Oliver Twist" is one of these books that I've wanted to read for a long time, but never got around to it. I'm very happy I finally read it and even more excited to write a review about it!

The writing is simple, clear, and easy to understand, yet well-structured and concise. It makes sense why it would be a recommended read for school for young students and English learners. The plot, while fairly simple, is tight and solid. The plot points are tied seamlessly with strong narration and beautiful prose, thus making the story even more compelling. The language is easy to understand and beautiful as well.

The characters are well-written, distinct, and memorable. You can clearly see the symbolism and connections between characters and the themes/morals they represent. Oliver represents kindness, pureness, and hope. In short, he represents everything good and positive, trying to survive in this dark and negative world, full of bad and negative people trying to take you down and full of hard circumstances. 

However, as likable and good as Oliver's character was throughout the story, my favorite character has to be Nancy. Nancy starts in a bad place in the story, life has brought her there to survive and she has become cruel herself. She manages, however, to see the error in her ways, to understand what's right, and even to stand up against all evil forces. I loved her character development, I loved how she changed the course of events with her actions/decisions and I was really sad about her ending. To me, she represents all the people who - even in the hardest, darkest of circumstances - make the choice to stand up and make a difference.

The villains were all really disgusting, each one of them representing different bad qualities and all of them equally well-portrayed.

There's some mystery in the story regarding Oliver's real identity and it's interesting how it slowly unravels with each page. The outcome of the story is not the most unpredictable or surprising but it does have quite a bit of suspense and holds your interest well.

I guess, the main message of the story is that goodness, kindness, and mercy can survive through every kind of hardship and will, in the end, prevail. Life is unfair and cruel but Oliver stays strong, grows out of humiliation and abuse, and holds on to his virtues. 

I rated this book 4/5*. It's not hard to see why this book is so widely loved and recommended. It's one of these books that are not only worth your time and attention but one of the books that one ought to read within their lifetime... 

"Rage", by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) || Book Review

"Rage" is one of the first of King's novels that was published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The book is apparently not available anymore, as Stephen King decided to take it off the market due to its subject and the fear of the implications it might have caused. And while this is a legit reason, I can't help but wonder if the book's poor quality was also considered in this decision. If I had one phrase to sum up how I feel about this book it would be "it's just not very good".

The book is about Charlie Decker, a student who kills his teacher in school and takes several of his classmates as hostages. The reader gets to spend a lot of time in Charlies's head, exploring his thoughts and inner turmoil. 

I can't say I found Charlie's character to be very well-developed and I had a hard time explaining his actions and understanding his "reasoning" for them. This is one of the main reasons I couldn't get into the story. I found it a bit annoying that King attempts to depict him as the victim in this situation, not only by the first-person narration that he has picked but also by the stance he has chosen to adopt for him. Charlie is by no means a hero or a victim of his circumstances, he is an outcast full of unaddressed issues, although he's not always portrayed that way. 

Then we have Charlie's classmates, who although may seem more normal, aren't without issues themselves. I found none of them compelling, relatable or likable. And since most of the novel is spent exploring the dynamics/backgrounds of these people, not being able to connect with them or be invested in them really hinders the story.

Honestly, for most of it, I was just bored. Although I'm usually all about character-driven stories, I just could not - and did not want to - sympathize, connect with, or appreciate the protagonist. The narrative is written in a way that's supposed to make the reader sympathize with him while he's clearly the problematic one. And while he kind of may be the victim of a traumatic past, he certainly is the perpetrator in this case and there is no way his actions could be justified or understood.

I guess that the theme of the story was supposed to be something along the lines that we all become what our backgrounds make us. If that was the case, I don't think it was very well served and I think it could have been executed much better.

"Rage" was not my cup of tea. It felt problematic and it made me feel bored. It's a quick read, the book is short, but despite its short length, it often has a hard time remaining focused. It's definitely not one of King's finest moments, despite his otherwise undeniable talent. I rated it 1* out of 5*. However, it was still interesting to get to know one of King's earlier works and even if I didn't love it, I'm still glad I got to read it.

Feel free to share your opinions in the comments below, I'd love to hear them. Once more, thank you for reading!

The Art Of War by Sun Tzu || A Book Review

I read this a while ago and it was one of the books that are completely out of my comfort zone. When it comes to books I don't usually go for, I tend to pick the audiobook, as a great chance to get more familiar with audiobooks as a medium and with different and unfamiliar subjects as well. I listened to the audiobook in a few hours and the narrator was excellent, but I have to admit that I felt weird reading it, however, in the end, it was still an interesting experience.  

This book is a guide on war, but it could as well be called "The Art of Strategy". What is interesting about it, is that despite it being a guide on war, the advice given could easily be applied to multiple other occasions outside of war or battle. It manages to give simple and still coherent today advice on dealing with conflict, and complicated, messy situations.

Another interesting fact about it is that even though it was written in a particular era, most of the rules are still of use and can apply to the modern-day world and situations. In my opinion, this gives it a sense of timelessness. I can't tell if the other intended to give this timelessness to it, or if it just occurred, but it's definitely there.

The writing style wasn't great, as I felt it was repetitive and a bit tedious at times, but the book is not so much about the wiring itself, as it's for the concepts analyzed and these concepts are worth the read. The book is short but it could have been shorter and more concise, thus helping with the repetidness as well. 

Concluding, this is a simple and accessible book that's unique and memorable in its own way. It was an interesting experience reading it and I'm glad to have read it, and even though I recognize its value, I couldn't rate it more than 2* out of 5*. I didn't love it, but it was a good read and I believe that even if you feel hesitant, you should still give it a chance.

My 2024 Reading Goals

 

2023 was not my most productive reading year, but it was nevertheless quite enjoyable. The time has come now for me to set my reading goals for 2024 in hopes that I will this time make it. I will try my best to reach these small goals and even more to enjoy this reading year.

1. Read at least 20 books
   
   
2. Read at least 2 classics
   
   
3. Listen to at least 2 audiobooks
   
   
4. Read at least 2 non-fiction books
   
   
5. Read at least 2 Stephen King books
   
   
6. Keep reviewing the books I read

My goals are exactly the same as last year, so I don't have anything extra to say about them. The logic behind each one of them is the same as previous years and since last year I didn't make it, I don't feel like changing any of them. 

If anything, my goal is to be more consistent with my reading, writing and blogging in general and I really hope that I'll make it.

Please, feel free to share your goals down below. I'd love to read your answers.

"Farmer Giles Of Ham" by J. R. R. Tolkien || Book Review

This is a book I read back in the summer, but for a reason I cannot fathom I completely forgot to write a review about it. I only just realized this and decided to write a review now, on the last day of the year, even if it's been quite some time since I read it. So here's my last post of 2023 and my last book review of the year...

This was not my first contact with Tolkien's work. I have tried reading some of his books in the past and while admittedly he's a masterful author and his works deserve credit and admiration, there's no doubt about their worth, I still couldn't quite get into them. Sometimes I thought they were boring, or weird, or I simply couldn't "dive" into the story, so his books I'd tried so far, while amazing in their own right, simply were not my cup of tea.

So, when I picked up this book I was reluctant, to say the least. When I finally started reading, I quite liked it and it sucked me in quickly. I bought myself flipping the pages and only pausing when my son - whom I was reading it with - couldn't follow, and by the end, I was so unexpectedly and pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it!

"Farmer Giles of Ham" is something completely different compared to Tolkien's other works (the ones I'm familiar with, at least). It's a particularly unique and well-written novella. It's a fun little tale aimed at younger and older audiences alike, which stars knights, dragons, giants, and other magical creatures. Don't expect epic battles and endless action, but an enjoyable, entertaining, light-hearted adventure with a fairy tale atmosphere, as well as a subtle sense of humor.

Giles is far from your typical hero/protagonist and while he's brave, he's also smart and cunning. He has an interesting way of dealing with his problems. Instead of taking the predictable direction of immediate action and bloody fighting, he tries to use more careful and smart approaches that border between genius and hilarious. This in itself leaves the tale going in unexpected directions which, in my opinion, is the main clue that makes his character memorable and worth reading.

The story, while short, is still rich in content. It's fast-paced, reads very easily and the ending is satisfying, fun, and pays off. There's a unique atmosphere and worldbuilding, which I couldn't tell you if it's part of some wider Tolkien universe - I suspect it might be - because I don't know for sure but I can tell it stands very well on its own in this story.

My favorite character was Garm the dog who I found hilarious and I loved every scene he was in.

Long story short, I really enjoyed this book, and I rated it 4/5*. Out of the books I read in 2023, this was the one that positively surprised me the most and left me with unexpectedly good impressions. 

My 2023 Reading Wrap-Up || Or "How I completely failed the reading goals I set for myself"

As the title states, this post will be My Reading Wrap-Up for 2023. Unfortunately, though, this has not been a very good reading year for me, and while it was a great year in all other aspects of my life, I barely got any time to read. This has consequently resulted in me failing all of my reading goals 😂. Here's how it went...

• My reading goals for 2023:

1. Read at least 20 books ✘
   
   I only managed to read 12 books this year and I'm now halfway through the 13th, but I don't think I'll be able to finish it within the year. 
   
   
2. Read at least 2 classics ✘
   
   I read 1 classic book this year; "The Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, which was a first-time read for my son and a very exciting re-read for me, since we read it together.
   
   
3. Listen to at least 2 audiobooks ✘
   
   I listened to 1 audiobook this year and it was "The Art of Always Being Right" by Arthur Schopenhauer.
   
   
4. Read at least 2 non-fiction books ✘
   
   Only one non-fiction book made it to my list this year and it's the same one I listened to as an audiobook.
   
   
5. Read at least 2 Stephen King books ✘
   
   Nope, not even one... 😂
   
   
6. Keep reviewing the books I read ✘
   
   Did I? I can't even remember, I think I may have written about 1 or 2 reviews this year...

So is there any point in me even making a post like this when I haven't made it with my goals? I do feel a pinch of guilt, especially since I was the one who set the goals for myself and I purposely set them so low so that they would be achievable. However, I still feel happy for the few books I read this year and I enjoyed some of them very much. Some of these books I expected I would enjoy, while some others were an unexpected pleasant surprise. I have concluded after the years that love of books and of stories is not necessarily measured in the number of books or pages you consume, but rather in what you get from reading. So, I'd say that there is always a point in doing a small review of your reading year however impressive or disappointing it might have been, and trying to motivate yourself to do even better - which is something I really hope to achieve next year.

So, how has your reading year been? Did you reach all of your goals or some of them? Which were your favorite books for 2023? Feel free to comment down below...