Everything in Ransom Rigg’s novels from the visual look to the writing style, characters and story lines is out of the ordinary, in the best possible Everything in Ransom Rigg’s novels from the visual look to the writing style, characters and story lines is out of the ordinary, in the best possible way. Even though it’s been a while since I read the original trilogy getting back into the peculiar world felt extremely familiar and comforting. I had really missed the atmosphere these stories have! In A Map of Days we get to explore the peculiar setting in America, which was really fascinating. This does however feel like an introductory installment in preparation for the later novels. None of the books in the series cover a long period of time, but in this one it was somehow highlighted. Or maybe I was just so pulled in that I wasn’t ready for it to end and that’s why I feel there wasn’t quite enough content. In any case, I’m so ready to continue on and can’t wait for the next novels! ...more
3.5/5 I’m really glad to have finally read His Dark Material and seen for myself what all the fuss is about. I enjoyed the adventure and it was perfect3.5/5 I’m really glad to have finally read His Dark Material and seen for myself what all the fuss is about. I enjoyed the adventure and it was perfect for Christmas time. Though I do still think I would have adored the story even more as a younger reader. Most people raving about His Dark Materials feel nostalgic about it from their childhood, which usually elevates the reading experience. That’s something I’ve noticed with many of my own childhood favorites. Out of the three installments my favorite is the middle one, The Subtle Knife. I feel like it doesn’t get sidetracked as much as the other two. This last one especially is a bit too long and Pullman tries to stretch the story in too many directions, which left me slightly exhausted in the end. The Book of Dust series set in the same world doesn’t interest me at least not right now, but who knows how I’ll feel later on. ...more
4.5/5 This is getting even more intense! I’m already reading the final installment and will share more of my thoughts once I’ve finished that one too. 4.5/5 This is getting even more intense! I’m already reading the final installment and will share more of my thoughts once I’ve finished that one too. ...more
His Dark Materials is one of the most highly acclaimed children's fantasy series there is, yet even though I was huge fantasy fan as a child, I never His Dark Materials is one of the most highly acclaimed children's fantasy series there is, yet even though I was huge fantasy fan as a child, I never read it. It has always stayed in the back of my mind as something I should give a chance even though I’ve been worried that as an adult I might not enjoy it. In that I was wrong. It did take me a while to get immersed in the story and the flood of information, often unexplained information, about the world felt a bit overwhelming, but the world itself is utterly fascinating. Unlike anything I’ve read of before, insanely imaginative. And for the second half I was completely absorbed in the plot and will continue on with the series straight away. I feel like this is the perfect thing to read around Christmas time too!...more
Eläintehtaat on erinomainen valokuvakirja suomalaisten eläintilojen kuvaamisesta. Itse valokuvien paljastamassa karussa todellisuudessa ei ollut minulEläintehtaat on erinomainen valokuvakirja suomalaisten eläintilojen kuvaamisesta. Itse valokuvien paljastamassa karussa todellisuudessa ei ollut minulle mitään uutta – olen vegaani ja eläinoikeusaktivisti ja tunnen eläintuotannon vähän liiankin hyvin. Mutta kertomukset kuvien taustalle, niitä en ollut kuullut ennen. Lisäksi valokuvauksellisesta näkökulmasta teos on antoisa, kuvat kertovat omaa tarinaansa ilman selityksiäkin herättäen vahvoja tunteita. Olen äärettömän kiitollinen siitä, että aitoa materiaalia eläintiloilta on olemassa, sillä ilman sitä eläinten tilasta keskustelu olisi huomattavasti vaikeampaa. Ihmiset tarvitsevat visuaalisuutta pelkkien faktojen taustalle. Tämä on ehdottomasti kirja, mitä tulen lainailemaan mahdollisimman monelle, erityisesti niille, kenen kanssa eläintilojen kuvaamisesta on tullut väiteltyä useampaankin otteeseen....more
Myrskyluodossa on ehdottomasti puutteensa, se on täynnä lähes tuskallisen hitaita elämänvaiheiden kuvauksia ja toisaalta äkillisen pitkiä harppauksia Myrskyluodossa on ehdottomasti puutteensa, se on täynnä lähes tuskallisen hitaita elämänvaiheiden kuvauksia ja toisaalta äkillisen pitkiä harppauksia ajassa. Usein saaristoelämän kuvaaminen tuntui liiankin yksityiskohtaiselta, mutta se toi eloon 1800-luvun arjen yksinkertaisuuden ja armottomuuden. Maijan ja hänen perheensä elämä tuntui todelta, ehkä osittain kerronnallisten puutteiden takia, ja heihin kiintyi syvästi. Aluksi ajattelin jättäväni lukemiseen ensimmäiseen osaan, mutta sen päättyessä en enää osannutkaan lopettaa. Opiskelukiireiden täyttämään arkeeni ja sen harmillisen harvoihin lukuhetkiin Myrskyluoto sopi täydellisesti. Luku siellä ja luku täällä, tähän oli aina ilo palata. Lisäksi saariston haasteet ja elämän kovuus saivat omat stressinlähteet tuntumaan kovin mitättömiltä....more
This was fun, just like the first one. The perfect thing to read after an exhausting day when I didn't have energy for anything more demanding. This was fun, just like the first one. The perfect thing to read after an exhausting day when I didn't have energy for anything more demanding. ...more
Convenience Store Woman is such a quirky and thought provoking novel about Keiko, a 36-year-old woman who against the norms of society is unmarried anConvenience Store Woman is such a quirky and thought provoking novel about Keiko, a 36-year-old woman who against the norms of society is unmarried and keeps working at a convenience store – the one place where she feels confident about acting 'normally'. Pretty early on it’s clear to the reader that Keiko has some level of a mental disorder that has gone undiagnosed and I found it fascinating to read about how she carefully imitates others' expressions, looks and emotions to come across as ‘normal’. The story appears fun, but it goes deep as well describing how strongly we can react to anything that doesn’t fit the norm, and I think everyone can at least to some degree relate to Keiko’s feelings of peculiarity. The novel can be read in a matter of couple of hours, but it doesn’t feel too short at all. And all the details about the convenience store were delightful to read about....more
Metsänpeitto on kaunis rakkaudenosoitus suomalaisille metsille, aiheeltaan kovin ajankohtainen ja tärkeä. Tarinoiden sisältö jäi kuitenkin aika mitäänMetsänpeitto on kaunis rakkaudenosoitus suomalaisille metsille, aiheeltaan kovin ajankohtainen ja tärkeä. Tarinoiden sisältö jäi kuitenkin aika mitäänsanomattomaksi eikä tekstiosuudetkaan työntyneet pintaraapaisua syvemmälle - tässä suhteessa odotin enemmän. Taide sen sijaan ylitti toiveeni moninkertaisesti. ...more
'One' is the first book written in verse that I’ve read and I enjoyed the writing style more than I thought I would. It made the pacing of the story p'One' is the first book written in verse that I’ve read and I enjoyed the writing style more than I thought I would. It made the pacing of the story perfect and it felt like through verse Sarah Crossan was able to transmit emotions in completely new ways compared to traditional prose. However, the best thing about this extraordinary novel is the subject, exploring the lives of conjoined twins. I hadn't thought much at all what it might be like for people such as Grace and Tippi before reading this, so I don’t know how accurate Crossan’s description is, but it completely convinced me. And it does look like she really did some thorough research. I find it especially important that a book like this is targeted towards young adults, because too often their literature seems to lack in meaning. Although my biggest complain about One is the overwhelming amount of ‘meaning’ – conjoined twins with an anorectic sister, an alcoholic father and a friend with HIV was a bit much and took away some of the credibility. I also found the ending predictable as Crossan was trying too hard to make the reader believe in another outcome. Despite all this, One is definitely worth the read especially if the perspective of conjoined twins sounds intriguing to you....more
4.5/5 It’s scary times we’re living at the moment and Naomi Klein’s excellently written No Is Not Enough brings light on how we ended up here and what 4.5/5 It’s scary times we’re living at the moment and Naomi Klein’s excellently written No Is Not Enough brings light on how we ended up here and what could be most effective courses of action in the future. I learned a lot about politics, capitalism and activism. The main focus is America and Trump, with good reason, but as the problems we’re facing are global, Klein does leave room for global examples as well. No Is Not Enough truly is an important and such an actual book, so if you find yourself confused about the current political atmosphere I can’t recommend this enough! ...more
2.5/5 Elmet is in every way ‘an alright book’; the prose, characters, plot, themes and setting were all fine, but fine is all they were. I didn’t feel 2.5/5 Elmet is in every way ‘an alright book’; the prose, characters, plot, themes and setting were all fine, but fine is all they were. I didn’t feel moved by the story or connected to the characters. The best aspect in my opinion is the family dynamics and I can’t deny the importance of the topics Elmet brings up, yet I really hoped it would have been more impactful, considering how much praise it’s been getting. ...more
The overly complicated lives and relationships of high society people are often the focus of books that have ended up being considered as classics, anThe overly complicated lives and relationships of high society people are often the focus of books that have ended up being considered as classics, and I find myself getting a bit bored with the whole idea. I’m sure that The Age of Innocence is a truthful description of its setting, the 1870s New York, and it’s definitely skillfully written, but the characters felt quite distant and the story is extremely slow paced. I can understand why people might find this as brilliant as they do, but the omen of social change wasn’t clear enough for me. However, I did enjoy the ending....more
Fingersmith is the third novel from Sarah Waters that I’ve read and clearly the most accomplished; my enjoyment has risen with each one of them (The PFingersmith is the third novel from Sarah Waters that I’ve read and clearly the most accomplished; my enjoyment has risen with each one of them (The Paying Guests and Tipping the Velvet being the other two). The thing I've been most impressed by is how Waters describes a historical setting from an unusual view point compared to other historical fiction I’ve come across. She gives voices to queer characters through such skillful writing that I’m completely immersed in the atmosphere and the emotions that fill the pages with their intensity. In addition Waters knows how to balance plot and description without one or the other getting too overpowering. In Fingersmith my biggest ‘complaint’ has nothing to do with the book itself, but the fact that I’d seen a movie adaptation (The Handmaiden by Park Chan-Wook) and remembered the main plot twists that are the highlights of the story. They were brilliantly executed in the movie, but I still wish I could have experienced them by reading. I also think this could have been shorter. Almost everything is told twice from two different perspectives, which is crucial for the story while still feeling slightly repetitive. So it should come as no surprise that I'm eager to continue going through Waters’ production and I think I’ll pick up The Little Stranger next. I want to see the movie but I’ve learned my lesson and will read the book first. ...more
Minna Rytisalon esikoisromaani Lempi sai pari vuotta sitten häikäisevän vastaanoton, mutta itselläni oli menossa jonkinasteinen suomalaisen kirjallisuMinna Rytisalon esikoisromaani Lempi sai pari vuotta sitten häikäisevän vastaanoton, mutta itselläni oli menossa jonkinasteinen suomalaisen kirjallisuuden välttelykausi, joten en siihen tarttunut. Nyt olen sen sijaan paljon innostuneempi kotimaisesta tuotannosta ja saatuani tietää Rouva C:stä, Minna Canthin avioliittovuosiin keskittyvästä romaanista, halusin antaa sille mahdollisuuden. Canthia on tullut luettua äidinkielen tunneille jonkin verran ja nainen teosten takana on aina kiehtonut. Rouva C:n tarina alkaa Minnan ensihetkistä seminaarissa ja se veti minut mukanaan läpi avioliiton ja lapsikatraan – lukemista oli vaikea lopettaa. Kerronnassa tapahtuvat hyppäykset ajanjaksojen ja kertojien välillä tuntuivat tosin vähän yhtäkkisiltä. Kaunis, kuvaileva proosa onneksi paikkaili näitä pieniä epäkohtia. Kirjan myötä arvostukseni tätä uraa uurtanutta naista kohtaan vain kasvoi, samoin kuin haluni lukea lisää niin Rytisaloa kuin itse Canthiakin. On aina pieni riski kirjoittaa aidosta edesmenneestä henkilöstä, mutta Rytisalo tekee selväksi kyseessä olevan fiktiivinen kuvaus, eikä totuudesta poikkeaminen häirinnyt minua. En tietenkään tiedä millainen henkilö Minna Canth todellisesti oli, mutta Rytisalo maalaa hänestä hyvin uskottavan kuvan – inhimillisen ja rohkean. Kyseessä onkin tarkoituksessaan onnistunut teos, joka myös nostaa nykyhetkeen menneisyyden ongelmia, joita ei ole vieläkään ratkaistu aivan loppuun asti. *saatu arvostelukappaleena...more
Happiness for Humans does have quite a lovely romance, but the artificial intelligence aspect felt a bit unbelievable – not the fact that it exists, bHappiness for Humans does have quite a lovely romance, but the artificial intelligence aspect felt a bit unbelievable – not the fact that it exists, but the way its existence is described. The story is also predictable and too long, so I wasn’t very impressed and don’t really know why I finished this. Couple of years ago I might have loved Reizin’s novel, I just have a very different taste in literature these days. ...more
I’ve been meaning to read something from the acclaimed Ian McEvan for ages and I always thought I’d start with Atonement. However, a couple of days agI’ve been meaning to read something from the acclaimed Ian McEvan for ages and I always thought I’d start with Atonement. However, a couple of days ago I realized that Saoirse Ronan is starring in a recent movie based on Ian McEvan’s novel, so naturally I immediately borrowed On Chesil Beach and planned to go to the cinema pretty much as soon as I had finished it. The reading part didn’t take long, but after turning the last page I didn’t feel like experiencing the same story through a two-hour movie (reading the book didn't take much longer than that). Though I’m sure Saoirse is brilliant, the story itself didn’t leave much of an impression on me. The prose is excellent and the themes can be considered thought provoking, I just needed something more. Everything that happens revolves around this one scene and I personally didn’t like it too much, neither did I think that the structure with plenty of flashbacks was executed fluently. I will probably see the movie someday (because of Saoirse), but as a first encounter with Ian Mc Evan, On Chesil Beach was slightly disappointing and I hope his other novels have more content....more
Yksinkertaisimmillaan Heikki Kännön Sömnö on tarina taiteilijasta, Werner H. Bergenistä, mutta se polveilee joksikin paljon laajemmaksi hänen sukunsa Yksinkertaisimmillaan Heikki Kännön Sömnö on tarina taiteilijasta, Werner H. Bergenistä, mutta se polveilee joksikin paljon laajemmaksi hänen sukunsa vaiheita seuratessa. Sitä kautta koetaan niin röntgensäteiden kehitys kuin toinen maailmansotakin, ja liikutaan ympäri Euroopan sekä usealle retkelle Afrikkaan päätyen lopulta Sömnön saarelle Ruotsiin. Tämän hahmorikkaan tarinan yhteenpunojana toimii Bergenistä elämäkertaa työstävä Isak Severin, ja taide monissa muodoissaan värittää matkaa. Kotimaisessa kirjallisuudessa tunnun nauttivan eniten monisäikeisistä sukueepoksista, ja sitä genreä Sömnö taidokkaasti edustaa. Heikki Kännö vakuutti minut tavallaan nitoa mahtipontinen tarina yhteen ja pitkä kirjoitustyö näkyy hahmojen tarkasti mietityissä taustoissa, taiteen kuvauksissa, mytologian hallinnassa ja ylipäänsä syvällisessä yksityiskohtiin paneutumisessa. On tosin pakko myöntää, että ensimmäisten lukujen aikana olin lähinnä hämmentynyt ja pohdin mitä tästä oikein tulee. Samankaltaisia irrallisilta tuntuvia lukuja tuli vastaan myöhemminkin. Lisäksi arvostamani tekstin perusteellisuus kävi paikka paikoin uuvuttavaksi. Silti kokonaisuus toimi, kunhan annoin itselleni luvan pikalukea kohdat, jotka eivät tuoneet lisäarvoa omaan kokemukseeni ja nautiskella toisista antaumuksella. Loppu on yksi teoksen parhaista puolista ja jätti nerokkuudessaan minuun todella positiivisen vaikutelman....more
Second read, 1/2024, 3/5 Luin Dead Zonen uudelleen töiden ympäristölukupiiriä varten. Jostain syystä muistin rakastaneeni sitä ensimmäisellä lukukerralSecond read, 1/2024, 3/5 Luin Dead Zonen uudelleen töiden ympäristölukupiiriä varten. Jostain syystä muistin rakastaneeni sitä ensimmäisellä lukukerralla, mutta eihän se ihan niin mennytkään - eikä mennyt nytkään. Samat ajatukset vallitsevat: tärkeitä asioita ja kiinnostavia faktoja, mutta liikaa kirjailijan henkilökohtaisia kokemuksia ja liian vähän eläintuotteiden vähentämiseen kannustavaa tekstiä. Jäi sellainen olo, että joku voisi lukea tämän, kirjan, joka paljastaa eläintuotannosta aivan kammottavia asioita, ja vaan vaihtaa osan eläintuotteista luomuun ajatellen tehneen osansa. Teoksen pääsanoma on se, että eläimet kuuluvat ulos, mistä olen samaa mieltä, mutta tuotantomäärät ovat silloin hurjasti pienemmät. Ratkaisuun täytyy sisältyä eläintuotteiden kuluttamisen dramaattinen lasku. Erityisen masentavan tästä lukukerrasta teki se, että vuosia on vierinyt kirjan kirjoittamisesta jo seitsemän, mutta tuntuu, ettei missään olla menty eteenpäin. Ja Suomessakin taaksepäin, kun perinnebiotooppeja ylläpitävien laiduneläinten tukia karsitaan eikä turkistarhauksestakaan päästä millään eroon.
First read, 9/2018, 3/5 This book has one excellent aspect and two quite annoying things. Let’s start with the positive. Dead Zone gave me heaps of information about the problems related to agriculture – new views to issues I was already familiar with and introductions to ones I hadn’t even heard of before. But I wish the book was more concise and focused on those brilliant facts. Instead, there’s a lot of personal stories and I wasn’t interested in reading about things like how Philip Lymbery and her wife celebrated their anniversary, or how Philip encountered his first Barn Owl. I feel like these parts took away some of the credibility of the actual information. The other complaint I have relates to the way Lymbery states multiple times that even though animal agriculture is causing unfathomable suffering and severe environmental problems, you still shouldn’t stop eating meat. As a vegan activist, this didn’t resonate with me. At all....more
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