feel good novel

It would be an injustice to say this book is anything but a 10/10. Another Matt Haig beautiful philosophical novel with a strong message to convey, teaching the importance of life. Just a definition of a feel-good novel, that uses the alien perspective to really question all that is ‘bad’ in our lives and appreciate life for what it is. The bit towards the end where he lists the notes for life is amazing, dropping so many gems and philosophical quotes, it’s something I’ll definitely revisit. Just a pure story. Writing was also amazing, this quote stuck out so much I had to save it: ‘two mirrors, opposite and facing each other at perfect parallel angles, viewing themselves through each other, the view as deep as infinity’. Class. I started reading this book in an Airbnb in Guatemala and only got halfway through in the 4 days we were there, and didn’t want to take the book with me as the host was so friendly, and I was travelling so light it would have inevitably been lost/destroyed. 10 ...

This is one of those books that don't sound interesting at all when you describe it, but reading it has you entertained throughout. It follows a family and their struggles with life and relationships they encounter, but has such an enticing flow to it where I was thoroughly engaged throughout. There aren't many bad things that come to mind about this book. A longer read, however from start to finish I connected with all of the family and was emotionally invested the whole time. Another reason why this was so unique was the writing style, Paul Murray changes tense, perspective (from 3rd to 1st person, and even 2nd? person, saying 'You went and did this etc'). There is also sections with no punctuations, which I found annoying however was done deliberately to exemplify the characters state of mind. A really cool deep dive behind a family's situation and their mind states. Author: Paul Murray 

People obviously have their preferences and their own opinions when it comes to fiction and books. This book was very much in my interest in terms of the structure and subject matter in the book. It's a very strong storyline that has philosophical gems sprinkled throughout, an unpredictable storyline arch as well as a love theme that isn't overdone. Another thing that gets on my nerves is when characters in a books/movies make illogical decisions, do things that a sane person would never do in real life. This is far from the case in this book, everything that is done seems like what a normal reaction to the situations would be. It's a cool story that has you travelling through history, giving a great perspective of the importance of valuing time and every moment you have with those you love. Author: Matt Haigh

A beautifully crafted and intricate story, Matt Haigh delivers another poetic text that delivers a strong message that can be applied to your everyday life. I’m starting to become a real fan of this author, as his style of writing is not only intriguing but purposeful, as it is clearly trying to promote a message of enjoying life and living in the moment. My only gripe is that it is written like a philosophical study more than a novel, which honestly I appreciate however it has the feel of a literary text at times, leaning to much into showing the ‘moral of the story’. I’m saying this in comparison to his other book ‘how to stop time’ where it’s a fantastic story where at the end you ‘learn the lesson’ without even realising as the story is so charming it distracts you. This was clear throughout that there was a moral point to the story. I enjoyed the ending, but it raises the question that after her suicide attempt, did things in her life become better (her brother, friend etc) or did...

 It took me a few chapters to understand what was going on with this book, but once I got the hang of things it showed to be a really interesting read. The story follows the LAPD in Hollywood, and it weaves in and out of 3 or 4 different timelines and characters at a time. Once you wrap your head around the constant changing settings and characters, a clear storyline becomes present throughout the multiple views. In my head, it was like 4 different lines spiralling around and around until eventually towards the end, they all connected and converge and the story comes to an end, solving multiple solutions at once with one action. It seems a simple book at face value, but shows to be very complex with quite a bit of humour, action, crime action and romance. It really has it all, a very entertaining read. Author: Joseph Wambaugh

A very peaceful read. It’s translated from Japanese, so some sections/phrases feel a little off, but regardless the point of the story is clear. It reads like a folk tale more than a ‘story’, but I really liked it, you’re given brief context / information on the characters but the story progresses and you pick up information along the way. It’s almost like you’re a customer in the shop, and someone is sitting next to you and describing everything that’s going on and giving context when needed. The point of the book, or at least what I got from it, is the value of a conversation, and how a brief conversation can have such a lasting impact on life. It’s a great explanation of how you should communicate, don’t hold back on having certain conversations, because living with the regret of holding your tongue can be worse than saying how you feel. A very simple and uncomplicated premise yet is complex and layered with its implications. Actually got a string message from this book that will st...

Usually buying cheap, second-hand books is a gamble (especially from Vinnies, this one was from Manly wharf however). Most of the time they are pretty average and hard to read. This book, which I picked up for $3, was a great exception to my statement and provided a nice read of a triumphant come up story of a man of great self-belief that builds up his small store to a national emporium. This is one of those books where the concept seems really boring and simple, but the book is anything but. Great many themes touched throughout and honestly some good insight of developing and running a business. This book has a great message of believing in yourself and always taking that next step forward, no matter what the norm or what others think. A cool thing throughout the book was this positive tone and attitude from the protagonist, so even when things were bleak and not going well (his main store burning down, deaths etc) the book maintained this light-hearted feel, and you always kept fait...

 The best way I can describe this book is that is feels nostalgic. Not nostalgic to my own childhood or to past times, it just feels like the best way to describe it. This could be because of the back and forth that the novel does, as it switches between the main character as an old man in the nursing home and his time as block supervisor in the jail. The book is very unique, the touch of supernatural with the mouse, the shocking (no pun intended) execution scene that was written and described so vividly. King again creates such emotionally deep characters that are so easy to empathise with, this makes for a nice light read that is pretty feel good for the most part. Author: Stephen King

I really enjoyed this book! A very modern tale that touches on themes that I can proper relate to, even though im not bisexual. I definetly read the blurb of this book and made an assumption that it wouldn’t really be for me, but im glad I persevered because the book was very interesting. It was more of the expectations vs realities that are placed upon individuals with a bisexual girl as the protagonist than some LGBTQ book. Not conforming to social norms, or what ‘should’ be done. Enjoyed that it was short and sweet, did what it needed to do and didn’t overstay. Loses a bit because of the cringe dialogue, especially in the romance/sex scenes. No one speaks like that and if they did it would be super icky “I am so turned on by the way you smell. I want every part of you in my mouth” Gross. Anyway, still a good book. I don’t know where the author was trying to lead us in the end, but I reckon that this guy is a fuckboy. No communication for weeks, then as soon as she reaches out, he te...

 High Fidelity is a very different read, the novel follows a more unconventional structure, however I found it very interesting and a great perspective on a romance novel. The book has personality and flair, it following Rob as he give his unique, grim outlook on his life and love affairs. The bleak voice throughout the book gives an honest outlook on relationships and the challenges of dating, many parts of the book where expressed in a way where I ended up relating to in a way that I had never seen really in any other book or media. As someone who has never been in a proper relationship, this book really gave me a detailed insight into the feelings that one person can have for another, and how that makes them feel and act. This is a really good read for a different type of romance novel, one that is more set in reality. Author: Nick Hornby

I would describe this book as fake deep, and that doesn’t necessarily mean that this was not a good book, I think that it was a bit over the top with the narrative voice throughout. Like overanalysing/overthinking the situations way too much. I can’t hate too much because I did enjoy aspects of the book, I really respect the different writing style and how it switched up with the brothers and the poetic, truncated style of the older brother (really hated the no speech marks though). Really enjoyed the relevant and modern themes touched on throughout and the tensions in the relationships, especially the brothers. Didn’t really like anyone in Peter’s life, including Peter, they all seemed to be leading a naïve lifestyle, also love bombs being thrown around way too easily. My gripe with this book and it’s similar to Sally’s other book, Normal People, is that too much of the drama could’ve been avoided with a simple conversation. And I know that that’s life, that’s real and things go unsai...

A nice little story that I definitely enjoyed reading but I don’t really get the point of the story. It didn’t stick with the characters long enough for me to care about them and their stories, not enough context for me to get involved. I feel like a book like this should have some sort of message, where at the end its like the hat didn’t have any power, it’s just the people believing in themselves but its clearly not that, as the last guy dint even know he had a different hat. Translated from French, but still had some great imagery and scenes and felt like the book at times didn’t have flow or cohesion. Not a bad read, but definitely not anything special. Author: Antoine Laurain