MyReads: March

Sorry, again, for the lousy commentaries. I promise I'll try and write a review whenever I actually finish a book.


Griet op de Beeck - 'Vele hemels boven de Zevende'  (read in Dutch, no translation yet)

This debut novel by a Flemish author was hyped up a lot. I can't say I liked it that much. We follow the lifes of five people whom are all related. The main character keeps on doing everything for everyone, until one day she can't take it anymore.
The last part did grab me by the throat, but overall I didn't liked the way she wrote. I think the language she used was horrible. I don't think I'll be reading her second book, since that one is hyped up even more.

MyScore: 5/10


Haruki Murakami - '1q84, book 2' (read in Dutch, same title)

More of the same, but different. Loved it even more than the first one.

MyScore: 9/10


Lars Kepler - 'The Hypnotist' (read in Dutch; title: 'Hypnose')

Good thriller, I might check out their other books. Reads very fast, it's a pretty big book but I finished it in 2 days.

MyScore: 7/10


Joris Tulkens - 'Johanna de Waanzinnige' (read in Dutch, no translation)

Good historical novel, I loved the descriptions combined with historical facts and nice characters. I'm planning on reading hs other historical novels too.

MyScore: 7.5/10


Susan Hill - 'The Various Haunts of Men' (read in Dutch; title: 'Al wat rondwaart')

Best thriller I've read this year, so far. It has a lot of side stories which have nothing to do with the killer, they simply are there to enrich the storyline. I loved it! Luckily she wrote more books, my to-read list keeps on getting longer and longer.

MyScore: 8/10


Jeanne Kalogridis - 'The Devil's Queen: A novel of Catherine de Medici'(read in Dutch; title: 'De Duivelse koniging)

Since I'm pretty sceptical about everything I read about the De Medici, I must say Kalogridis did a great job. She just focussed on the live of Catherine, without any conspiracy stuff. Not only does she describe a lot of scenes perfectly, she also found the time to slip in some philosophical thoughts. A must-read for every historical novel fan.

MyScore: 8/10


Dave Eggers - 'The Wild Things'  (read in Dutch; title: 'Max (en de Wild Things)')

My second Eggers book. It was fun to read, but I can't say I understood much of it. It would've helped if I had read 'Where the wild things are' as a child. I'm planning on reading more Eggers tho, since 'The Circle' was brilliant.

MyScore: 6/10


Dirk De Wachter - 'Liefde, een onmogelijk verlangen?' 

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. De Wachter really keeps on rocking. Not only does he have the intellect to see what happens in this world, he is capable of putting up a mirror in front of everyone, to make us see we all are influenced by society. In a soft and gentle way, he pleads for an easier, less complex and more loving society, in which we don't just throw out everything when stuff doesn't work out.

MyScore: 9/10


Haruki Murakami - '1q84, book three'  

Can't say I didn't see the ending coming, but this trilogy really blew me away. I know the opinions differ, but for me, this is the best Murakami I've read so far.

MyScore: 9/10


Stuart MacBride - 'Cold Granite' (read in Dutch; title: 'Steenkoud')

Okay thriller, not much to say about this one.

MyScore: 6/10


Bart Koubaa - 'De Leraar' (read in Dutch; no translation)

This book was really weird. We follow a teacher who got bullied once too many at school, but in the end, he turns out to be some crazy cannibal. Although the story in itself really wasn't that great, the book did make me think about a lot. Since I have a friend who has a teachers degree, I know some first hand stories about how full of shit pupils can be. It was an insightfull book, giving more questions than it answers, which I dig.

MyScore: 7/10


Sabetha
pissedofpenguin@gmail.com