Kudo’s books & audiobooks year-end review 🤓
(review in comments)
I’d like to thank again the Beanies who gave me book recommendations back then during the Love, February 🥰
Any reco’ is welcome 🙂
I listed the books I read this year and gave them a rating with some information
It’s organized by reading / listening chronological order for books and audiobooks,
I sometimes had a book and an audiobook ongoing at the same time ^^
I’ve made such a good use of my library card 😎
Audiobooks were the nice discovery of 2020, if it wasn’t for the audiobook format I would have never got to know some of the stories 😅
Books 1/3
▪️ The Night Circus (Le Cirque des Rêves) by Erin Morgenstern
The story was magical, romantic, mesmerizing : just lovely !
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : magicians, love story
▪️ What Alice Forgot (A la recherche d’Alive Love) by Liane Moriarty
It was such a nice use of amnesia trope compared to dramaland !
I liked the characters and how we follow the characters stories dealing with different social issues.
There are other Liane Moriarty books below, overall I’d say her books can be like a funny and thoughtful rom-com with some hints of more serious subjects.
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : humor , nice balance between serious and funny moments
▪️ Persuasion (Persuasion) by Jane Austen
Liked the story, the heroine…and the love letter omo omo might have swooned a bit too much
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : Well we can’t go wrong with Jane Austen, right ? 😋
▪️ Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (Eleanor Oliphant va très bien) by Gail Honeyman
Following the heroine journey to trust people and have more of a social life while also getting to know her painful past and how she overcomes it.
A story that made me laugh a lot but also hurt my heart before healing it.
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : inspirational, lovely, finding oneself and trusting others
▪️ Truly Madly Guilty (Un peu, beaucoup, à la folie) by Liane Moriarty
We got hints throughout the story about an accident that occured a few months before which changed the characters life ,
we also see how they’re dealing with the consequences afterwards
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : a little less good than What Alice Forgot but still a nice ride
Books 2/3
▪️ Howl’s Moving Castle (Le château de Hurle) by Diana Wynne Jones
The book that inspired Ghibli’s Howl’s moving castle, a book I wanted to read for years,
it turns out there are two different stories with the same characters and some things in common.
Loved the storytelling, the humor, the conception of magic and the world building : destabilizing and refreshing
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : magic, humor, relatable characters
▪️ Charmed Life [Chrestomanci series] (Ma sœur est une sorcière) by Diana Wynne Jones
So this is a children book but the sister was a villain that enjoy being bad, at such a young age,
it shocked me and I wondered if reading children book as an adult made me see things I wouldn’t have noticed before 😅
Like Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones has such an original approach to magic, loved the introduction to the Chrestomanci universe and series
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : parallel universes, magic, (evil sister that creeped me out lol)
▪️ The Lives of Christopher Chant [Chrestomanci series] (Les neuf vies du magicien) by Diana Wynne Jones
My favorite of the Chrestomanci series , the story, the humor, the adventures : so much love for it ^^
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : parallel universes, magic, magician with 9 lives
▪️ The Magicians of Caprona [Chrestomanci series] (Les magiciens de Caprona) by Diana Wynne Jones
The Chrestomanci only appears a few times 🙁
This was like Romeo & Juliet story between 2 magicians families
Recommendation rating 3/5 , keywords : not as original as The Lives of Christopher Chant, it really felt like a children book compared to the other ones 😅
▪️ All the Birds in the Sky (Tous les oiseaux du ciel) by Charlie Jane Anders
I’ve borrowed it since I wanted to read some SF again and this one was recommended at my library.
SF written nowadays so it includes smartphones and co. It was such a change for me since I was used to the traditional SF (e.g. by Isaac Asimov).
The storytelling was a bit all over the place, the story wasn’t that well wrapped up , a bit of a disappointment since this book won awards
Recommendation rating 2/5 , keywords : magic meets AI
there are other Ghibli movies inspired from books like EarthSea , Arrietty or When Marnie was there, I hope I could read them all one day since I liked the movies 🙂
Books 3/3
▪️ Black Water Lilies (Nymphéas noirs) by Michel Bussi
I wanted to read a crime novel and I was served with a very nice novel with Claude Monet’s paintings as background.
I was a tiny bit upset by the reveal at the end.
Recommendation rating 4.5/5 , keywords : gripping, intertwined stories, impressionism
▪️ Castle in the Air (Le château des nuages) by Diana Wynne Jones
I liked the courtesies in use in the fictional country : they were so exuberant they sounded so fake and funny 😂.
It was a pleasure to see again some characters of Howl’s Moving Castle.
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : humor, magic, fake courtesies, many many princesses 😆
▪️ Jane Austen’s letters to her nieces (Du fond de mon coeur Lettres à ses nièces) by Jane Austen
This is a French letters collection with some annotations about the family member relationships and contemporary history, but I don’t know if there is an equivalent in English.
It is a quick read and so heartwarming : one of my fav’ this year.
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : Jane Austen as a caring aunt : a delight !
▪️ All the Light We Cannot See (Toute la lumière que nous ne pouvons voir) by Anthony Doerr
Following two teens during the Second World War : the story was gripping, sad, inspirational, heartbreaking and heartwarming : one of my fav’.
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : a book that won awards and totally deserves them
▪️ Witch Week [Chrestomanci series] (La chasse aux sorciers) by Diana Wynne Jones
I liked the humor and the fact that we followed many characters, the Chrestomanci only appears at the end but the resolution was a nice one
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : humor, a witch hunt with a happy end
▪️ Conrad’s Fate [Chrestomanci series] (Le destin de Conrad) by Diana Wynne Jones
This is a sequel set in another universe and three or five years after “The Lives of Christopher Chant”, I was glad to see Christopher and Millie 🙂 .
I liked Conrad the main character and the duo they made with Christopher.
The story was funny and interesting with a nice humor as usual.
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : parallel universes, magic, infuriating but reliable Christopher, many domestic servants
Audiobooks 1/2
(The audiobooks rating is for both the story appreciation and the audiobook experience.)
▪️ The Lord of the Rings trilogy (la trilogie du Seigneur des anneaux) by J.R.R. Tolkien
I haven’t read the books yet, only watched the movies years ago, thought of audiobooks as a way to get to know the original story.
The reader was Thierry Janssen and he’s one of the best audiobook reader out of the ones I listened to !
It was a bit confusing at first since it’s based on the latest translation where they change some of the characters names 😅
Recommendation rating 4.5/5 , keywords : a classic, different voices for each character : a treat !
▪️ Lady Susan (Lady Susan) by Jane Austen
I’ve read this story years ago , it’s not my favorite of her stories but it benefits a lot from the audiobook format.
Being read by several actors made the story much more lively !
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : a short and enjoyable audiobook
▪️ Big Little Lies (Petits secrets, grands mensonges) by Liane Moriarty
Liane Moriarty again hehe, I really like her writing style ^^.
I was looking forward knowing the truth in this story but was worried for some characters. I liked how she wrapped up the story.
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : some difficult topics balanced with Lian Moriarty humor as usual
▪️ The Hobbit (Le Hobbit) by J.R.R. Tolkien
Audiobooks became my way to “read” classic books. I’ve read the book years ago, was glad to listen to it again ^^.
Recommendation rating 3.5/5 , keywords : a nice ride but not the best I’ve read this year
▪️ The Pillars of the Earth (Les Piliers de la Terre) by Ken Follett
This is my favorite audiobook of this year, I’ve borrowed it just because and wow it was my first historical novel and I loved it a lot.
I hated the bad guy , this is set in Middle Age so his actions were terrible : not some mother-in-law dramaland level
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : gripping story about the construction of a cathedral
You listened to the whole of Lord of the Rings??? Wow. I’ve read the books a few times but I like going at a fast pace.
I watched most of Andy Serkis’ live stream reading THE HOBBIT earlier this year… 12 hours! He did the voices really well, as expected. Here are the last two hours: https://youtu.be/QqAwou_z3JA
yep at normal speed and while jigsaw puzzling 😉 ,
I just check audible website the total trilogy = 58 hours (it’s in the same league as War & Peace below ^^’)
Audiobooks 2/2
▪️ Anna Karenina (Anna Karénine) by Leo Tolstoy
If it wasn’t for the audiobook format, I would have dropped the book.
I couldn’t warmed up to the heroine at all. The side characters were more interesting and I felt like I got a history lesson about Russian agriculture (lol).
I really appreciated Tolstoy’s writing, especially his pedagogical comparisons to explain the characters feelings or reactions.
(The musical break before starting a new part of the book was a very catchy waltz, loved it a lot)
Recommendation rating 2.5/5 , keywords : female lead I couldn’t warmed up to
▪️ The Odyssey (L’Odyssée) by Homer
Was disappointed by some of the actions of Odysseus (Ulysse)
Recommendation rating 3/5 , keywords : a classic but felt a bit dragging
▪️ The Divine Comedy (La Divine Comédie) by Dante Alighieri
I was curious about this classic book, wouldn’t have read it but audiobook made a way.
It was so long , too many tortures descriptions and so on, it’s set in hell so I should have expected that.
I’ll just wait for Along with the Gods 3 for a pleasant movie set in hell 🙃
Recommendation rating 2/5 , keywords : wondering if some of you have read the book until the end
▪️ Death on the Nile (Mort sur le Nil) by Agatha Christie
A detective novel with Hercule Poirot one of my fav’ characters ever, I remembered some things but it was still a nice ride.
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : Hercule Poirot
▪️ War and Peace (Guerre et Paix) by Leo Tolstoy
4 books – 52 hours in total (I’m at half of the third book)
I love having many characters to follow and being able to enjoy a long ride (like some historical dramas I’ve watched this year, it’s comparable in terms of hours hehe)
I also appreciate Tolstoy’s reflections about different subjects, it’s like a free lecture.
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : a long ride with many characters, Napoleon making some cameos 😆
Looks like you’ve used your time well! So many classics! Maybe I should try audiobooks to get back into reading.
I’ve read the whole INFERNO, but I got bored by the rest of Dante’s Divine Comedy. For me much of the appeal comes from the poetry in the original Italian, and the fact that each torture is related to a sin. It’s like a mix of religion, Greco-Roman mythology and medieval history. I think Odysseus is in the eighth circle of Hell right? The deepest circle of Hell is where the traitors are. Dante considers betrayal the worst sin, committed by Satan, Judas Iscariot and Brutus.
I don’t think you will find a pleasant movie set in Hell though…
“Looks like you’ve used your time well” …two lockdowns happened ^^’ .
My reading speed is quite slow so if it wasn’t for audiobooks, those classics would have stayed unknown to me ^^’.
“I’ve read the whole INFERNO” Wow that’s impressing ! I appreciated the “mix of religion, Greco-Roman mythology and medieval history” , each sin being depicted like you said but it was a lot of suffering to listen to x) .
I’m a scaredy cat , zombie movies and co aren’t my cup of tea but while listening to the Divine Comedy, I often thought of “Along with the Gods” and how I enjoyed it since there were parts set in hell…but not the whole movie *phew*
oh dear~ , after finishing the audiobook , I watched that video
“Why should you read Dante’s “Divine Comedy”? ” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbCEWSip9pQ
and checked some comments and read about Italians having to study all three books 😬
the premise is good but like you said “after the Inferno, it really gets boring and tiring…”
Wow so impressive Kudo! Added them all to my list.
Among these I’ve only read Odyssey (love it) Divine Comedy (was scarycry. I talked abt it in Discord while ago)
I’m especially impressed how you listened to all the big classics. Like woah. You must have great focus!
Wow!! Thanks for sharing! I’m so inspired by how much you’ve read (and listened to) this year. I am also a huge Hercule Poirot fan. :o) I find Agatha Christie’s writing very comforting.
Just out of curiosity, did you read all of these books in the French translation? I really enjoyed seeing some of the differences in the French and English titles (like Le Cirque des Rêves is so much better, whilst the translation is completely different for Charmed Life). I find those translation decisions very intriguing, and would love to know how it was decided. I have similar thoughts when reading subtitles in k-dramas, where the same word is translated in many different ways depending on the situation, and how a word or short phrase can have many layers. (And this is just from a very, very limited knowledge of Korean language…)
All books and audiobooks were in French ’cause it’s easier to follow the stories in my mother tongue ^^
…while all my dramas and variety shows were in Korean, Chinese or Japanese subbed in English (I gave up French subtitles many years ago, they have such a long~ delay 😆).
It took me some time to find the English titles to write this review ^^’ , Google friend helped a lot.
We depend on the subs and their quality but after some time, you get to understand the culture and grasp the situation better (but I still need my subs hehe)
Oh wow, so you have to watch kdramas whilst reading English subtitles? I mean, you come across as fluent, so maybe it’s not a big deal, but I find that so impressive! I feel very grateful for people who do the subbing – it seems that on Viki, the subs are done by volunteers? (Or maybe I’ve misunderstood!) It’s no easy task, as it’s so much more than straight up literal translation.
I read in a post from today that there’s a beanie who watches w Korean subs sometimes, to practice the Hangul and reading that they’ve learned. I might have to try that for an episode that I’m familiar with to see how I get on!
Thanks for all that extra work to include the English titles. I really really enjoyed seeing the differences. :o)
“you come across as fluent” oh thank you 🙂
I often have a tab open to check some translations before posting on DB , though ^^’
Very grateful too towards the ones providing us subtitles !
I think they are a lot of other Beanies who also do that : watching with English subtitles despite it not being their mother tongue.
Kudo, I’m so happy that you loved all the books I recommended, they got high ratings, mostly 5/5, especially The Night Circus (It being my favorite), YAY!
Liane Moriarty does have such a good way of pulling you in, her writing seems so simple but relatable at the same time and I love her humour!
Persuasion is one of my all-time favorite, can’t say more!
Eleanor Oliphant is a journey of healing, I always put it that way when recommending it, it hurts but makes you happy too.
And you read All The Lights We Cannot See, this broke my heart so bad.. I’m still really not over Werner, but all worth it!
“The Night Circus” played a huge role since it was the first book of the “let’s read again” journey ^^ , then the other ones kept the journey going on 🙂
if you have any reco’ , please feel free to drop some (hoping all or at least a few of them will be available at my library ^^)
I haven’t read anything new recently but I did get a few new books which I’m planning to read starting next weekend, I’ll tell you once I finish them if they’re worth recommending, do let me know of your recommendations, I would love to add to my never ending TBR list!
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Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 9:26 AM
Kudo’s books & audiobooks year-end review 🤓
(review in comments)
I’d like to thank again the Beanies who gave me book recommendations back then during the Love, February 🥰
Any reco’ is welcome 🙂
I listed the books I read this year and gave them a rating with some information
It’s organized by reading / listening chronological order for books and audiobooks,
I sometimes had a book and an audiobook ongoing at the same time ^^
I’ve made such a good use of my library card 😎
Audiobooks were the nice discovery of 2020, if it wasn’t for the audiobook format I would have never got to know some of the stories 😅
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 9:26 AM
Disclaimer
– my reviews are not even 1% of the quality of some books so please excuse me and don’t judge a book by my review hehe
– spoilers alert
Don’t mind the titles in French it’s useless for most Beanies but this is very useful to me since some titles aren’t literal translations
@azzo1 & @snarkyjellyfish tagging you since you’ll recognize some of your reco’ below
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 9:27 AM
Books 1/3
▪️ The Night Circus (Le Cirque des Rêves) by Erin Morgenstern
The story was magical, romantic, mesmerizing : just lovely !
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : magicians, love story
▪️ What Alice Forgot (A la recherche d’Alive Love) by Liane Moriarty
It was such a nice use of amnesia trope compared to dramaland !
I liked the characters and how we follow the characters stories dealing with different social issues.
There are other Liane Moriarty books below, overall I’d say her books can be like a funny and thoughtful rom-com with some hints of more serious subjects.
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : humor , nice balance between serious and funny moments
▪️ Persuasion (Persuasion) by Jane Austen
Liked the story, the heroine…and the love letter omo omo might have swooned a bit too much
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : Well we can’t go wrong with Jane Austen, right ? 😋
▪️ Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (Eleanor Oliphant va très bien) by Gail Honeyman
Following the heroine journey to trust people and have more of a social life while also getting to know her painful past and how she overcomes it.
A story that made me laugh a lot but also hurt my heart before healing it.
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : inspirational, lovely, finding oneself and trusting others
▪️ Truly Madly Guilty (Un peu, beaucoup, à la folie) by Liane Moriarty
We got hints throughout the story about an accident that occured a few months before which changed the characters life ,
we also see how they’re dealing with the consequences afterwards
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : a little less good than What Alice Forgot but still a nice ride
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 9:27 AM
Books 2/3
▪️ Howl’s Moving Castle (Le château de Hurle) by Diana Wynne Jones
The book that inspired Ghibli’s Howl’s moving castle, a book I wanted to read for years,
it turns out there are two different stories with the same characters and some things in common.
Loved the storytelling, the humor, the conception of magic and the world building : destabilizing and refreshing
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : magic, humor, relatable characters
▪️ Charmed Life [Chrestomanci series] (Ma sœur est une sorcière) by Diana Wynne Jones
So this is a children book but the sister was a villain that enjoy being bad, at such a young age,
it shocked me and I wondered if reading children book as an adult made me see things I wouldn’t have noticed before 😅
Like Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones has such an original approach to magic, loved the introduction to the Chrestomanci universe and series
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : parallel universes, magic, (evil sister that creeped me out lol)
▪️ The Lives of Christopher Chant [Chrestomanci series] (Les neuf vies du magicien) by Diana Wynne Jones
My favorite of the Chrestomanci series , the story, the humor, the adventures : so much love for it ^^
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : parallel universes, magic, magician with 9 lives
▪️ The Magicians of Caprona [Chrestomanci series] (Les magiciens de Caprona) by Diana Wynne Jones
The Chrestomanci only appears a few times 🙁
This was like Romeo & Juliet story between 2 magicians families
Recommendation rating 3/5 , keywords : not as original as The Lives of Christopher Chant, it really felt like a children book compared to the other ones 😅
▪️ All the Birds in the Sky (Tous les oiseaux du ciel) by Charlie Jane Anders
I’ve borrowed it since I wanted to read some SF again and this one was recommended at my library.
SF written nowadays so it includes smartphones and co. It was such a change for me since I was used to the traditional SF (e.g. by Isaac Asimov).
The storytelling was a bit all over the place, the story wasn’t that well wrapped up , a bit of a disappointment since this book won awards
Recommendation rating 2/5 , keywords : magic meets AI
mmmmm
December 11, 2020 at 11:01 AM
I love Howl’s Moving Castle. 🙃
WishfulToki
December 11, 2020 at 11:52 AM
I didn’t know there was a book LOL
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 11:57 AM
there are other Ghibli movies inspired from books like EarthSea , Arrietty or When Marnie was there, I hope I could read them all one day since I liked the movies 🙂
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 9:27 AM
Books 3/3
▪️ Black Water Lilies (Nymphéas noirs) by Michel Bussi
I wanted to read a crime novel and I was served with a very nice novel with Claude Monet’s paintings as background.
I was a tiny bit upset by the reveal at the end.
Recommendation rating 4.5/5 , keywords : gripping, intertwined stories, impressionism
▪️ Castle in the Air (Le château des nuages) by Diana Wynne Jones
I liked the courtesies in use in the fictional country : they were so exuberant they sounded so fake and funny 😂.
It was a pleasure to see again some characters of Howl’s Moving Castle.
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : humor, magic, fake courtesies, many many princesses 😆
▪️ Jane Austen’s letters to her nieces (Du fond de mon coeur Lettres à ses nièces) by Jane Austen
This is a French letters collection with some annotations about the family member relationships and contemporary history, but I don’t know if there is an equivalent in English.
It is a quick read and so heartwarming : one of my fav’ this year.
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : Jane Austen as a caring aunt : a delight !
▪️ All the Light We Cannot See (Toute la lumière que nous ne pouvons voir) by Anthony Doerr
Following two teens during the Second World War : the story was gripping, sad, inspirational, heartbreaking and heartwarming : one of my fav’.
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : a book that won awards and totally deserves them
▪️ Witch Week [Chrestomanci series] (La chasse aux sorciers) by Diana Wynne Jones
I liked the humor and the fact that we followed many characters, the Chrestomanci only appears at the end but the resolution was a nice one
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : humor, a witch hunt with a happy end
▪️ Conrad’s Fate [Chrestomanci series] (Le destin de Conrad) by Diana Wynne Jones
This is a sequel set in another universe and three or five years after “The Lives of Christopher Chant”, I was glad to see Christopher and Millie 🙂 .
I liked Conrad the main character and the duo they made with Christopher.
The story was funny and interesting with a nice humor as usual.
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : parallel universes, magic, infuriating but reliable Christopher, many domestic servants
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 9:28 AM
Audiobooks 1/2
(The audiobooks rating is for both the story appreciation and the audiobook experience.)
▪️ The Lord of the Rings trilogy (la trilogie du Seigneur des anneaux) by J.R.R. Tolkien
I haven’t read the books yet, only watched the movies years ago, thought of audiobooks as a way to get to know the original story.
The reader was Thierry Janssen and he’s one of the best audiobook reader out of the ones I listened to !
It was a bit confusing at first since it’s based on the latest translation where they change some of the characters names 😅
Recommendation rating 4.5/5 , keywords : a classic, different voices for each character : a treat !
▪️ Lady Susan (Lady Susan) by Jane Austen
I’ve read this story years ago , it’s not my favorite of her stories but it benefits a lot from the audiobook format.
Being read by several actors made the story much more lively !
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : a short and enjoyable audiobook
▪️ Big Little Lies (Petits secrets, grands mensonges) by Liane Moriarty
Liane Moriarty again hehe, I really like her writing style ^^.
I was looking forward knowing the truth in this story but was worried for some characters. I liked how she wrapped up the story.
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : some difficult topics balanced with Lian Moriarty humor as usual
▪️ The Hobbit (Le Hobbit) by J.R.R. Tolkien
Audiobooks became my way to “read” classic books. I’ve read the book years ago, was glad to listen to it again ^^.
Recommendation rating 3.5/5 , keywords : a nice ride but not the best I’ve read this year
▪️ The Pillars of the Earth (Les Piliers de la Terre) by Ken Follett
This is my favorite audiobook of this year, I’ve borrowed it just because and wow it was my first historical novel and I loved it a lot.
I hated the bad guy , this is set in Middle Age so his actions were terrible : not some mother-in-law dramaland level
Recommendation rating 5/5 , keywords : gripping story about the construction of a cathedral
WishfulToki
December 11, 2020 at 11:59 AM
You listened to the whole of Lord of the Rings??? Wow. I’ve read the books a few times but I like going at a fast pace.
I watched most of Andy Serkis’ live stream reading THE HOBBIT earlier this year… 12 hours! He did the voices really well, as expected. Here are the last two hours: https://youtu.be/QqAwou_z3JA
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 12:04 PM
yep at normal speed and while jigsaw puzzling 😉 ,
I just check audible website the total trilogy = 58 hours (it’s in the same league as War & Peace below ^^’)
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 9:28 AM
Audiobooks 2/2
▪️ Anna Karenina (Anna Karénine) by Leo Tolstoy
If it wasn’t for the audiobook format, I would have dropped the book.
I couldn’t warmed up to the heroine at all. The side characters were more interesting and I felt like I got a history lesson about Russian agriculture (lol).
I really appreciated Tolstoy’s writing, especially his pedagogical comparisons to explain the characters feelings or reactions.
(The musical break before starting a new part of the book was a very catchy waltz, loved it a lot)
Recommendation rating 2.5/5 , keywords : female lead I couldn’t warmed up to
▪️ The Odyssey (L’Odyssée) by Homer
Was disappointed by some of the actions of Odysseus (Ulysse)
Recommendation rating 3/5 , keywords : a classic but felt a bit dragging
▪️ The Divine Comedy (La Divine Comédie) by Dante Alighieri
I was curious about this classic book, wouldn’t have read it but audiobook made a way.
It was so long , too many tortures descriptions and so on, it’s set in hell so I should have expected that.
I’ll just wait for Along with the Gods 3 for a pleasant movie set in hell 🙃
Recommendation rating 2/5 , keywords : wondering if some of you have read the book until the end
▪️ Death on the Nile (Mort sur le Nil) by Agatha Christie
A detective novel with Hercule Poirot one of my fav’ characters ever, I remembered some things but it was still a nice ride.
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : Hercule Poirot
▪️ War and Peace (Guerre et Paix) by Leo Tolstoy
4 books – 52 hours in total (I’m at half of the third book)
I love having many characters to follow and being able to enjoy a long ride (like some historical dramas I’ve watched this year, it’s comparable in terms of hours hehe)
I also appreciate Tolstoy’s reflections about different subjects, it’s like a free lecture.
Recommendation rating 4/5 , keywords : a long ride with many characters, Napoleon making some cameos 😆
WishfulToki
December 11, 2020 at 12:16 PM
Looks like you’ve used your time well! So many classics! Maybe I should try audiobooks to get back into reading.
I’ve read the whole INFERNO, but I got bored by the rest of Dante’s Divine Comedy. For me much of the appeal comes from the poetry in the original Italian, and the fact that each torture is related to a sin. It’s like a mix of religion, Greco-Roman mythology and medieval history. I think Odysseus is in the eighth circle of Hell right? The deepest circle of Hell is where the traitors are. Dante considers betrayal the worst sin, committed by Satan, Judas Iscariot and Brutus.
I don’t think you will find a pleasant movie set in Hell though…
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 12:30 PM
“Looks like you’ve used your time well” …two lockdowns happened ^^’ .
My reading speed is quite slow so if it wasn’t for audiobooks, those classics would have stayed unknown to me ^^’.
“I’ve read the whole INFERNO” Wow that’s impressing ! I appreciated the “mix of religion, Greco-Roman mythology and medieval history” , each sin being depicted like you said but it was a lot of suffering to listen to x) .
I’m a scaredy cat , zombie movies and co aren’t my cup of tea but while listening to the Divine Comedy, I often thought of “Along with the Gods” and how I enjoyed it since there were parts set in hell…but not the whole movie *phew*
Karmen ~ 🍜🏢🎭 ~ 📚☔🦋 ~ 🪂🌱💘 ~ ✨🍊💫 ~
December 11, 2020 at 1:43 PM
In Italy we have to study The Divine Comedy. Almost all the chapters, verse by verse. And after the Inferno, it really gets boring and tiring…
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 1:51 PM
oh dear~ , after finishing the audiobook , I watched that video
“Why should you read Dante’s “Divine Comedy”? ”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbCEWSip9pQ
and checked some comments and read about Italians having to study all three books 😬
the premise is good but like you said “after the Inferno, it really gets boring and tiring…”
Karmen ~ 🍜🏢🎭 ~ 📚☔🦋 ~ 🪂🌱💘 ~ ✨🍊💫 ~
December 11, 2020 at 2:41 PM
Watched 🙂 It’s an interesting video, thank you
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 10:41 PM
You’re welcome 🙂
Peony
October 27, 2021 at 11:47 AM
Wow so impressive Kudo! Added them all to my list.
Among these I’ve only read Odyssey (love it) Divine Comedy (was scarycry. I talked abt it in Discord while ago)
I’m especially impressed how you listened to all the big classics. Like woah. You must have great focus!
Kudo Ran
October 29, 2021 at 11:24 AM
thank you Peony 🙂 .
“Divine Comedy (was scarycry)” lol so acccurate x)
dramadillo
December 11, 2020 at 1:43 PM
Wow!! Thanks for sharing! I’m so inspired by how much you’ve read (and listened to) this year. I am also a huge Hercule Poirot fan. :o) I find Agatha Christie’s writing very comforting.
Just out of curiosity, did you read all of these books in the French translation? I really enjoyed seeing some of the differences in the French and English titles (like Le Cirque des Rêves is so much better, whilst the translation is completely different for Charmed Life). I find those translation decisions very intriguing, and would love to know how it was decided. I have similar thoughts when reading subtitles in k-dramas, where the same word is translated in many different ways depending on the situation, and how a word or short phrase can have many layers. (And this is just from a very, very limited knowledge of Korean language…)
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 2:02 PM
All books and audiobooks were in French ’cause it’s easier to follow the stories in my mother tongue ^^
…while all my dramas and variety shows were in Korean, Chinese or Japanese subbed in English (I gave up French subtitles many years ago, they have such a long~ delay 😆).
It took me some time to find the English titles to write this review ^^’ , Google friend helped a lot.
We depend on the subs and their quality but after some time, you get to understand the culture and grasp the situation better (but I still need my subs hehe)
dramadillo
December 11, 2020 at 2:39 PM
Oh wow, so you have to watch kdramas whilst reading English subtitles? I mean, you come across as fluent, so maybe it’s not a big deal, but I find that so impressive! I feel very grateful for people who do the subbing – it seems that on Viki, the subs are done by volunteers? (Or maybe I’ve misunderstood!) It’s no easy task, as it’s so much more than straight up literal translation.
I read in a post from today that there’s a beanie who watches w Korean subs sometimes, to practice the Hangul and reading that they’ve learned. I might have to try that for an episode that I’m familiar with to see how I get on!
Thanks for all that extra work to include the English titles. I really really enjoyed seeing the differences. :o)
Kudo Ran
December 11, 2020 at 10:50 PM
“you come across as fluent” oh thank you 🙂
I often have a tab open to check some translations before posting on DB , though ^^’
Very grateful too towards the ones providing us subtitles !
I think they are a lot of other Beanies who also do that : watching with English subtitles despite it not being their mother tongue.
azzo
December 19, 2020 at 9:03 AM
Kudo, I’m so happy that you loved all the books I recommended, they got high ratings, mostly 5/5, especially The Night Circus (It being my favorite), YAY!
Liane Moriarty does have such a good way of pulling you in, her writing seems so simple but relatable at the same time and I love her humour!
Persuasion is one of my all-time favorite, can’t say more!
Eleanor Oliphant is a journey of healing, I always put it that way when recommending it, it hurts but makes you happy too.
And you read All The Lights We Cannot See, this broke my heart so bad.. I’m still really not over Werner, but all worth it!
Kudo Ran
January 8, 2021 at 8:25 AM
“The Night Circus” played a huge role since it was the first book of the “let’s read again” journey ^^ , then the other ones kept the journey going on 🙂
if you have any reco’ , please feel free to drop some (hoping all or at least a few of them will be available at my library ^^)
azzo
February 6, 2021 at 8:47 PM
I haven’t read anything new recently but I did get a few new books which I’m planning to read starting next weekend, I’ll tell you once I finish them if they’re worth recommending, do let me know of your recommendations, I would love to add to my never ending TBR list!