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Pedro

pcambra@bookwyrm.social

Joined 1 year, 6 months ago

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Toshikazu Kawaguchi: Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Paperback, 2019, Picador) 4 stars

[Fiction / Fantasy / Contemporary] What would you change if you could go back in …

Review of 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Time travel short stories based in a run down cafe in Tokyo. The stories cross path with each other naturally and the narrative flows in an interesting way. Although there are very few characters, it is complicated to grasp what’s the relationship is between them until the very last story of the book, so the reader kind of feels like time traveling too.
I think there’s an interesting concept in all the rules around the time travel process that make you reflect in whether you would do it or not. I don’t think I would.

Andy Weir: Project Hail Mary (Hardcover, 2021, Ballantine Books) 4 stars

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission--and if he fails, humanity …

Review of 'Project Hail Mary' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Original and unexpected, full of science and science fiction. It’s a really difficult book to review without spoilers but a worthwhile read, humorous and engaging. The main character is maybe a bit too entitled and on the right side of things, however is a first person narrative. I was a bit concerned on how would it end from the middle of the reading but it is very well finished, probably the most original ending of any scifi books I’ve read.

Mariko Koike: Momoko y la gata (2019, Lumen) 4 stars

Review of 'Momoko y la gata' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is a very short read, it does not get deeply into environmental and cultural descriptions, which, in my experience, is very rare on contemporary Japanese authors. The short, direct approach with barely decorations makes it a very enjoyable read.

The plot on the other hand, is very raw. And with raw I mean, it is a devastating tale, so brace yourselves. I would not tag this book as a thriller or as a mystery novel, if you read it from that perspective, it is a very predictable narrative. Characters become plain and not generally developed and there's very little explanation on motives or background.

This is, in my opinion, a pure story coming from the sadness of the heart. Anyone that has experimented the kind of loss that the story describes, will immediately understand where this comes from.

Santiago Lorenzo (1964-): Los asquerosos (Hardcover, español language, 2018, Blackie Books) 3 stars

Review of 'Los asquerosos' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Este libro trasciende su argumento. No importa Manuel, no importa el narrador, no importa el estilo en el que se escribe, tosco y pretencioso. El escenario, un pueblo de la España vaciadada tambien da igual, podria haber sido un hikikomori en una gran ciudad.

Importa la involucion, el regreso al egoismo primario, el espiritu de preservacion propia. Esta es una historia sobre nosotros mismos. Todos tenemos un asqueroso dentro, la reflexion mas interesante que podemos hacer es como intentar no ser los asquerosos de los demas.

Un poquito de Camus, un poquito de Sartre ("L'enfer, c'est les autres"), un poquito de metamorfosis (llega a comparar al protagonista con un piojo).

He disfrutado de principio a fin de la rápida lectura, he subrayado cosas, he descartado otras. Espero no ser un asqueroso.