Juliette's Reading Journal

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This took FOREVER to finish. But…It does feel good being able say that I did finish it. I liked the story a lot and the concept was very interesting however, I sometimes felt like the story could have been shortened a lot if some of the descriptions were shortened. When Frankenstein’s inner thoughts were explained I often felt like it was unnecessarily complicated and long. Sometimes the over description was good, I especially liked the landscape description. I thought that Shelley made me feel sorry for the monster and I really wanted him to get his companion so that he would be happy. I was so sad when he got rejected by Felix and his family because he had spent ages watching them, wanting to be friends and they didn’t even give him a chance, they just saw how monstrous he was and were terrified. I don’t think I really understood how horrible the monster looked until Walton’s description of him: ‘Never did I behold a vision so horrible as his face, of such loathsome, yet appalling hideousness’. I really wanted Frankenstein to be happy with Elizabeth and though I understand why he couldn’t make the monster a companion I think he should have because from the monster’s perspective it seemed like he really would disappear and then Frankenstein could have been happy.

This book was an epic conclusion to this AMAZING book series. I only wish I could have more from these characters that I love (but s2 of Shadow and Bone is being filmed now!!!). This book broke my heart with David’s death, I think I cried for about 30 minutes! How could you do this Leigh Bardugo?? Him and Genya were so happy (ON THEIR WEDDING DAY MIGHT I ADD) and you killed him, whyyyyyyyy? But also Zoya’s character arc was *chef’s kiss*, amazing! I love her becoming the dragon so much it was awesome. The plot twist at the end with Hanne’s death but then not death was incredible and just saying I called it before it happened. Cried a little bit questioning why can’t my beloved Nina just get happiness but then I was like, WAIT, HOLD THE PHONE, what if she tailored herself into his body and him into her and she’s not dead? And guess what - I was right.

‘‘I can’t find him,’ she said, her voice lost, bewildered. ‘I can’t find David’’ - Genya Safin

What an absolute queen. In both ways. I LOVED how she became queen of Ravka - if I’m honest I didn’t see it coming but it fit so well! Her character development and how she opened herself up to love to become the dragon was SOOOO GOOOD. Also with the dragon how cool is that?

If I’m honest I didn’t really like Zoya in Shadow and Bone but this made me really love her! She’s so strong and fierce and powerful.

’Juris had known. Juris had seen it all. Open the door. Love was on the other side and it was terrifying. You are strong enough to survive the fall. With a wild, gasping breath, she felt her wings unfurl’

Grandma - rich and a valued member of upper class society. Is very embarrassed when her daughter gets pregnant at a young age

Mom - had a daughter at age 15/16. Dislikes parents, will always love baby daddy but not in that way

(Grand)Daughter - smart and responsible. Grandparents love her more than their daughter.

DIFFERENCES In Gilmore Girls the Dad doesn’t stay to look after the baby so they don’t really have a great relationship, whereas in Red at the Bone the Dad stays and has a really close relationship with his daughter. Furthermore, the mom and daughter are really close in Gilmore Girls, the mom raises the daughter on her own, but in Red at the Bone they’re relationship is quite tense because the mom leaves her to go to university.

THIS WAS SO GOOD!! EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST ONE! There were so many tense moments where I had to actually stop reading for a bit so that I could breathe properly. I think I liked this version better (where Antony is forced into marrying Kate) compared to when there is that whole fight between Kate and Edwina because Edwina is also in love with Anthony (that was extremely sad). In the book, Edwina is never in love with him so it just makes life so much easier.

The bits with the croquet game were hilarious and I thought that their relationship was developed really well from enemies to friends (denying their desire for each other) to lovers. But it happened very slowly which was excruciatingly painful for me. How is it that they all seem to go into their marriages very unhappy but end up being totally, madly in love? It's ridiculous. The bit where she gets stung by the bee was a little bit unrealistic and kinda weird but I guess it worked to get them trapped into marriage. 

This was quite cute. I liked seeing Maxon fall in love with America right at the start even though she explicitly told him she was a) in love with someone else and b) only there for the food. I do like the beginning of the Selection because it's funny and also Aspen isn't there to mess things up. Maxon is so sweet and innocent and just adorable, it's the way that he calls them all 'my dear' and also the way that his language contrasts with America's in that he is formal and princely whereas most of the time she is loud and angry and this is so funny. Also how nervous he is about it all! The bit about his backstory with Daphne was sort of cute but she was a bit mean about the fact that he didn't like her back, just accept it, he doesn't like you! It made me HATE King Clarkson even more because he is so controlling and mean to Maxon which is obviously unacceptable.

This was fun, cute, and hilarious. I think the only thing that could make this more funny would be if I was a old person myself, and I would understand first hand the difficulties of using a computer, or Instagram or maybe even the bits about not sharing your banking details over the phone. There were loads of plot twists that were extremely unexpected and felt a bit unlikely to me but they were interesting and well explained (although for a while I did not understand the explanation of the murder of the guy who dies in the 70s). I will be honest when Karen Playfair recognised the person in the book who was there in the 70s I thought it was Joyce cause of how she had to submit that photo and I’m pretty sure that you were supposed to think that? But im so glad it wasn’t her because she is adorable, I can’t even imagine her murdering anyone.

THIS WAS AMAZING!! It was such a revelation to read a non-fiction book and actually enjoy it. I loved the way that she wrote about issues such as the male gaze and privilege and also being the best version of yourself. I think that the topic of questioning how much of my personality is me and how much of it is a result of the patriarchy was confusing in the way that now I'm not sure what parts of me are really me. However, I have been trying to 'live my best life' and care less about what other people think. I will be honest, some of the opinions seemed a little bit extreme and I sometimes felt like she was referring to a time that I was no longer living in. She talked about sexual assault and overcoming which doesn't really apply to me, however, I still found it interesting and it felt good to read about a difficult topic.

Also I’ve read some places that Dionysus goes to the underworld and rescues Ariadne and takes her to Olympus where she becomes goddess of labyrinths but I hope that didn’t happen in this version because she no longer wanted to be with Dionysus because he was awful now and she hated him so… and also goddess of labyrinths?? A constant reminder of that horrible situation she grew up with. That would not be a good life

I have the other cover but I think I like this one better. It is super pretty and I think accurately depicts Ariadne as a glowing sun which is definitely the vibe I got from her. Also she is the granddaughter of Helios, the god of the sun…

Ariadne is the child of Minos and Pasiphae and she is the sister of the Minotaur. However, instead of hating the Minotaur she actually felt some sisterly love for it compared to her sister Phaedra. But then Theseus who was the prince of Athens (thought we liked him, actually we hate him and then we hate him a whole lot more) turns up to be fed to the Minotaur and Ariadne falls in love with his green, sea eyes and helps him kill her brother. Theseus then abandons her on Naxos (plot twist he didn’t love her) and she could have died (in some versions) but is saved by Dionysus, god of wine and drunks and craziness, but he seems pretty cool so she marries him (actually it’s a lot more complex but anyway…). Then in the end Dionysus is no longer cool he goes insane for power and fame and Ariadne dies when she is turned to stone by Perseus’ shield with Medusa’s head in the war between Dionysus and Perseus (brothers am I right?). Yeah, that was the ending I didn’t really like.

This is some of her art. I love how unapologetic it is. It shouldn't be shocking but it is a bit and I like how she makes it a loud statement. I also really love the style she draws in. My one problem is how she draws women smoking as a way of empowering or something because realistically, it's just really bad for you, it shouldn't be something anyone is showing off about.

’The course of the Rhine below Mayence becomes much more picturesque. The river descends rapidly, and the winds between hills, not high, but steep, and of beautiful forms. We saw many ruined castles standing on the edges of precipices, surrounded by black woods, high and inaccessable. This part of the Rhine, indeed, presents a singularly variegated landscape. In one spot you view rugged hills, ruined castles over-looking tremendous precipices, with the dark Rhine rushing beneath; and, on the sudden turn of a promontory, flourishing vineyards with green sloping banks and a meandering river and populous towns occupy the scene.’

This made me want to go on a boat journey down the Rhine

For the first book of the year it was pretty amazing! But also heartbreaking **SPOILERS**. I really enjoyed this book, I love Nina’s new storyline, I mean she can hear the dead which is pretty cool. Zoya’s POV is super sad and depressing but she’s falling in love with Nikolai!!!! It’s great to see what has happened to Ravka since Shadow and Bone and lots of laugh out loud moments, for example ‘’Oh, David’, Genya said, taking his hand. ‘You've never theatened to murder anyone for me before.’ ‘Haven't I?’ He murmured distractedly ‘. Also the part with the saints was CRAZY! So Zoya has Juris’ powers now? And Isaak’s death was soooooo sad. Basically in summary: awesome!

‘the monster is me and I am the monster’ - Nikolai Lantsov

This was interesting… I think the conclusion of it was that the only thing you can really count on is gold because it can’t burn: ‘if you have gold, you’re good for the rest of your life so long as you hide it’, was similar to Parable of the Sower. The part about Black Wall Street was very sad but I liked how it was ingrained as part of that family’s history. I liked the generational element and it really reminded me of Gilmore Girls. I enjoyed the way that it was written in a sort of prose. It meant that they were short chapters and a short read overall.

’The money that would survive flames and water. And time’

Kit Conner and Joe Locke in the TV show. They are absolutely perfect for the roles!!

A small (and illegal… copyright Alice Oseman???) excerpt from the book. THEY’RE SO ADORABLE!!

I think one of the reasons this has gone crazy for the LGBTQ+ community is because it has representation. It’s not even that good, because frankly, if it was a heterosexual romance it would just be really cringy and awkward and orally not worth the watch. However, because it has LGBTQ+ representation it is very popular and people love it (including me). I have seen multiple things saying its ‘realistic’ but i disagree. I don’t think teen romances have to be awkward to be realistic and furthermore, this adorable gay romance with the cutest scenes that are obviously scripted is not realistic (much to my disappointment). I mean really - ‘I LIKE CHARLIE SPRING! IN A ROMANTIC WAY NOT JUST A FRIEND WAY’ - so scripted. Not that it’s not cute, it is very cute I just think that most of the hype is only there because it is gay, and if it was a heterosexual romance it would simply be another cringy teen romance TV show.

I had to let out little screams of enjoyment to let out the tension quite often whilst reading this. It was torture on a whole new level where they are both yearning for each other but they don't know that the other is as well and they are ignoring it in themselves because they think the other doesn't feel the same!! I feel bad for watching the TV show before reading the book but oh well. Compared to the TV show you don't really hear about anyone else whereas in the show there's the whole Marina storyline and also Anthony's relationship with the opera singer. I thought the bit after their marriage when Simon leaves her to 'visit a country estate' or something 

was very well written and the scene where he returns is so cute. The horse carriage incident was traumatizing because for a little bit I actually thought Daphne might die. But it was all good and there was a happy ending. The Duke had a different character, he was more open and a little (only a little) less brooding. Also, I felt like I got more from his point of view than I did in the TV show. The fact that Daphne wasn't the diamond was shocking (also the fact that she wasn't gorgeous) but the pact between Simon and Daphne made more sense after that.

Also definitely something going on between Nina and Hanne❤️❤️……. Don’t know whether to be happy for Nina or sad that she’s moved on from Matthias 😭😭

‘Ooh, look, blini! I haven’t had proper blini in forever.’

‘Call me Grisha. Call me zowa. Call me death, if you like.’

’you’re better than waffles, Matthais Helvar’

LIKES waffles ferdjans food flirting with matthais her friends her people

DISLIKES grisha hunters Jarl Brum

I also quite liked the bits about him being a 'rake', they were very funny, and the way he tried (and failed) to control himself after finding out that Daphne was Antony's sister. God forbid he break the oath of brotherhood.

DAVE WILLIAMS Becomes the leader of the band Plays guitar and sings Becomes a good manager

WALLI FRANCK Sings and plays very good guitar Writes songs (I miss ya' Alice) Becomes an addict German

This band goes through a lot but are super cool and I wish they were real. I feel like they were the backbone of the book and I loved how they got back together after breaking up. 

LENNY WILLIAMS Dave's cousin Gets kicked out of the band because he's too old fashioned

GEOFFRY Was the lead guitarist Got replaced by Walli because he was drunk

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was amazing. So many feels. I read all of it on Tapas in a few hours and it has made my heart want to explode (or stop) with joy. The TV show is pretty accurate so that’s good. Also I cried when it got to the bit where Charlie is struggling with his mental health because that was absolutely heartbreaking. Literally all I want in life is for everyone in this book (except for H*rry Gr**n and B*n H*pe obviously) to be happy!! Overall this book had so much representation which was great to read and see in the TV show. I liked reading a graphic novel/web toon for a change and it was really nice to be able to picture the characters. I loved the mini-series as well because of the concept of how they would find each other in any universe.

This took a very long time to read considering I started it before going to America and only finished it at the end of April. However, it was good. I liked re-reading and learning more about the Cuban Missile Crisis and also the end of Communism including Solidarity in Poland and tearing down the wall in Germany and Austria. I wish that it didn't take so long for George and Maria to get together because they were obviously meant for each other. Also, the same issue happened with Tania and Vasili. Compared to the other two books I like the politics in this one more because it's more recent and interesting. I wish that we studied history from this period in history but are still on FDR.

Meh. I don't care a whole lot about Aspen so this was just a quick read whilst I didn't have a book. I think in some ways it may have made me dislike him more. I don't even know why. I really hate him when he says that he doesn't think America could be a queen because he clearly has no idea what she's capable of. UUUGHHHHHGH! It also made me angry about how America doesn't forgive Maxon after Marlee gets caned because I think it's partly Aspen's fault. Basically, everything is his fault. It wasn't a bad book I just really don't like Aspen or his side of the story.

This was another very good mythology book. I like how it focused on how the women in Greek mythology always got punished for what the men did (Medusa - Poseidon raped her in Athena’s temple then Athena got mad and turned Medusa into a monster, Semele - Dionysus’ mother was killed because Hera was mad about Zeus cheating on her), it is similar to Daughters of Sparta. I loved the passage at the start where Ariadne is dancing to drown out all the horrible things people are saying about her mother Pasiphae (who was driven crazy by Poseidon because he was mad at her husband Minos). Also the death of Phaedra was so so sad and unexpected and I also hated (not in a ‘it wasn’t good’ way) the ending. But I guess the end was a conclusion of Greek mythology - death and pain. To be honest I’m not sure why I like it??

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