Dans Mon Catalogue

Nathan John Cooper reviewed Miyazakiworld by Susan Jolliffe Napier

"A thirtieth-century toxic jungle, a bathhouse for tired gods, a red-haired fish girl, and a …

Wonderfully Intellectual and Eye-Opening

4 stars

Okay I spent a little time reading this one... Although I should mention that about 75% of the book was read in the last week (4th - 11th). Miyazakiworld is a fantastically intellectual recount of the world-renowned director's life and work, told through the analysis of his many films and their connections to Miyazaki's pivotal life occurrences. Whilst the book was brilliantly intelligent and fantastically in-depth, it did occasionally feel a little disjointed or incongruous through it's structure that traverses it's readers film-by-film, through Miyazakiworld.

Nathan John Cooper finished reading Miyazakiworld by Susan Jolliffe Napier

"A thirtieth-century toxic jungle, a bathhouse for tired gods, a red-haired fish girl, and a …

Okay I spent a little time reading this one... Although I should mention that about 75% of the book was read in the last week (4th - 11th). Miyazakiworld is a fantastically intellectual recount of the world-renowned director's life and work, told through the analysis of his many films and their connections to Miyazaki's pivotal life occurrences. Whilst the book was brilliantly intelligent and fantastically in-depth, it did occasionally feel a little disjointed or incongruous through it's structure that traverses it's readers film-by-film, through Miyazakiworld.

Nathan John Cooper reviewed The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (The Complete Classics) by Haruki Murakami

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (The Complete Classics) (AudiobookFormat, 2007, Naxos Audiobooks)

Japan’s most highly regarded novelist now vaults into the first ranks of international fiction writers …

Absolute Perfection

5 stars

I am vaguely new to listening to audiobooks and just reading in general so my thoughts are not backed by much experience but from the few books that I have listened to and read in the past, this is by fast the best.

The narrators voice is incredibly soothing and calm while pronouncing every word with impeccable accuracy this makes the experiencing much easier when compared to some other narrators whose voice you have to pay an extreme amount of attention to so that you can understand the words being read.

The story is amazing and creates such a beautiful and clear view in the listeners mind as to what the world surrounding our characters is like. It's the kind of descriptions that takes a location and turns it into a character.

This book is simply incredble. The story, the characters, the beautifully described locations from 'enveloping moonlight' to the …

I am vaguely new to listening to audiobooks and just reading in general so my thoughts are not backed by much experience but from the few books that I have listened to and read in the past, this is by fast the best.

The narrators voice is incredibly soothing and calm while pronouncing every word with impeccable accuracy this makes the experiencing much easier when compared to some other narrators whose voice you have to pay an extreme amount of attention to so that you can understand the words being read.

The story is amazing and creates such a beautiful and clear view in the listeners mind as to what the world surrounding our characters is like. It's the kind of descriptions that takes a location and turns it into a character.

This book is simply incredble. The story, the characters, the beautifully described locations from 'enveloping moonlight' to the wonderful 'sand dunes' alongside freezing cold blue rivers the locations never disapoint to take you out of this often bland world and envelop you in Murakami's world, 'a world where cats with bent tails live, and there are little backyards, and alarm clocks ring in the morning.' I don't how I would like to draw this review to an end so I'll just reiterate the point that this book is incredible and if you are reading this to discover whether it is worth your time and energy. It is.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Nathan John Cooper started reading The Stranger by Albert Camus

The Stranger (Hardcover, 1993, Everyman's Library)

Thirty years after its original publication, The Stranger remains among the most influential books of …

Started listening to the audiobook of this today on my evening walk. The clouds were overcast and dark, and lighting split the moonlit sky into pieces. I only read (or listened to) one chapter, but I am enjoying the book so far. I have not read any blurbs or synopses so do not know what to expect, however, I am enjoying the introduction of characters thus far.

Nathan John Cooper reviewed The life you can save by Peter Singer

The life you can save (2009, Random House)

This is the right time to ask yourself: "What should I be doing to help?"For …

Overly Dense yet Fascinatingly Philosophical

3 stars

While I certainly enjoyed the points made in this book and thought that they were made in a concise and indisputable manner, I did find the book rather dense and as a result, rather difficult to read.

Nathan John Cooper reviewed We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

We Should All Be Feminists (Paperback, 2014, Vintage)

In this essay -- adapted from her TEDx talk of the same name -- Chimamanda …

More of an Adaptation of a Speech, but Concise and Appropriate.

5 stars

For a little while now I’ve been wanted to read more feministic literature but I hadn’t gotten round to it till today. I decided that We Should All Be Feminists should the start of my journey through feministic literature. Above all else this book started a desire within me to take up public speaking, to speak for those who have no other means of public communication, to speak to those who otherwise won’t or don’t listen, and most of all, to share, further, and develop ideals that should be globally accepted.

One point in the book that really stood out to me was the mention of the differences between referring to yourself as an egalitarian rather than as a feminist. To quote Adichie, ‘to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender. It would be a way of pretending that …

For a little while now I’ve been wanted to read more feministic literature but I hadn’t gotten round to it till today. I decided that We Should All Be Feminists should the start of my journey through feministic literature. Above all else this book started a desire within me to take up public speaking, to speak for those who have no other means of public communication, to speak to those who otherwise won’t or don’t listen, and most of all, to share, further, and develop ideals that should be globally accepted.

One point in the book that really stood out to me was the mention of the differences between referring to yourself as an egalitarian rather than as a feminist. To quote Adichie, ‘to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender. It would be a way of pretending that it was not women who have, for centuries, been excluded. It would be a way of denying that the problem of gender targets women.’

Nathan John Cooper reviewed Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Never Let Me Go (2006, Vintage International)

From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were …

A Memory

4 stars

Content warning Spoiler Alert.

Apparently, when I finished this book, I never wrote a review... which is insane to think about but I'll try and write one now (despite it being around a year later). I loved this story. As a British teenager I have always loved the platonic and romantic dynamic that boarding schools encourage and, as such, thoroughly enjoyed how different relations played out throughout this tale. Furthermore, the addition of science-fiction elements allowed for the exemplification of narrative elements and enigmas ergo drawing the audience even further into the strange world of Hailsham. I will likely revisit this book many times throughout my life to feel what I felt whilst reading it for the first time; to walk the halls of Hailsham; to watch the football games on the field; to stare into the ambiguous forest across the accommodation windows.

Nathan John Cooper reviewed Atomised by Michel Houellebecq

Unbelievably Raw.

3 stars

I am incredibly torn, I truly loved the ending of this book so much and the way in which Houellebecq writes feels so honest and raw and I love it. Despite that there were definitely some aspects of the book that felt somewhat dragged out. I did adore the commentary on religion though.

Nathan John Cooper reviewed Birthday Girl by Haruki Murakami

Didn't feel like a Murakami Tale.

2 stars

Definitely not my favorites of Murakami’s. While I love the enigmatic nature of the story, it just falls a tad short with the book feeling a little uninspired and as though it was missing many of the key everyday minutiae that makes Murakami’s stories, his.

Nathan John Cooper reviewed 30 Covert Emotional Manipulation Tactics by Adelyn Birch

30 Covert Emotional Manipulation Tactics (2015)

Too Anecdotal, Not Empircal Enough.

2 stars

This book felt rather amateurish throughout the first 1/3rd, however, it definitely improved as it went on. Not a terrible read but there's much better ways to learn about manipulation.

Nathan John Cooper reviewed Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his years of pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his years of pilgrimage (2015, Vintage)

Another Brilliant Murakami Read.

4 stars

This book, like all Murakami books, managed to pick me up and remove my mind from the restrictive realms of reality and allow it to swim in the depths of hyper-awareness. During and after reading any of Murakami’s books, I feel life in a far more vivid and powerful manner; as though all the small things that I never would’ve paid overt attention to hold a true, deep, new-founded beauty. Whenever I feel as though I am losing grasp of reality, I will always return to Murakami.

Nathan John Cooper reviewed They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

They Both Die at the End (Paperback, 2017, Simon & Schuster Childrens Books)

In a near-future New York City where a service alerts people on the day they …

Incredibly Emotional and Touching Story.

5 stars

Content warning Spoiler Alert.

Wow. That was a journey and a half; the first 50 or so pages didn’t quite grab me and I was worried I would hate it but soon after, when Mateo and Rufus met, everything really started to pick up and the book got significantly better. Not mad on the ending but this was such a sweet story so I can probably forgive that.

Nathan John Cooper reviewed The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Paperback, 2009, Pocket Books)

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the …

Reccomended to me by a Friend.

5 stars

This was just so beautiful. Perfectly managed to capture what it’s like to be a teenager. Those stunning nights where you’re surrounded by friends, just laughing and eating and drinking with the stars above you and the ground below you. Perhaps it’s because of how similar all my friends are to those in this book or perhaps it’s due to the shared connection all teenagers have that was explored in this book but whatever it was, The Perks of Being a Wallflower really connected with me. I’m sure I will read this again sometime but for now, Perks gets a 5* rating from me.

Nathan John Cooper reviewed The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane

The Old Ways (Hardcover, 2012, Hamish Hamilton)

Perfect Read for a Rainy Day.

5 stars

There is not another author that I have found who describes nature as beautifully and vibrantly as MacFarlane. This book will always remain a comfort read for me and something that i will revisit time and time again.