1278 ratings (3.82 avg)
948 reviews
more photos (11)

#48 top readers
#3 top reviewers

Lou Hughes

https://www.goodreads.com/arimireads

Lou’s Bookshelves

to-read‎ (940)
currently-reading‎ (2)
read‎ (1368)
to-be-read-bought‎ (17)
library-books-i-currently-have‎ (0)
so-i-can-read-classical-literature‎ (227)
childrens‎ (225)
horror‎ (141)
lgbtq‎ (129)

young-adult‎ (118)
romance‎ (110)
supernatural‎ (106)
library-books‎ (101)
fantasy‎ (92)
audiobook‎ (77)
mystery‎ (66)
historical‎ (59)
manga‎ (49)

comic‎ (45)
did-not-finish‎ (44)
straight‎ (40)
favorites‎ (33)
trans-mc‎ (24)
uncategorised‎ (24)
free-kindle-books‎ (22)
japanese-literature‎ (17)
gaming-related‎ (16)

science-fiction‎ (15)
recommended-books-to-read-not-at-my‎ (13)
korean‎ (9)
futuristic-cyberpunk‎ (6)
chinese-literature‎ (4)
manhwa‎ (4)
poetry‎ (4)
arcs‎ (3)

Stats | More…

Lou is Currently Reading

Lou Hughes is currently reading

A Botanical Daughter

by Noah Medlock (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: horror, mystery, currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Lou Hughes said: " Before thoughts
This has been one of my grail books to read (grail meaning, books I've longed wished I owned and could actually read.) Last payday I decided to treat myself to this book seeing that a copy had appeared for cheap on ebay of all places ...more "

progress:

(page 150 of 384)
"This book is killing me softly and painfully, It is dragging the pain out. And it's making me question my morality and emotions - am I even human anymore?" — 5 hours, 19 min ago

Feb 24, 2026 06:57PM · see review

Lou Hughes is currently reading

Abyssal Archive: The Mythology of Dark Souls (softcover edition)

by Lokey

bookshelves: currently-reading, gaming-related

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Lou Hughes said: " Still working through it but I'm going to cut the rubbish to let you know
- About 100 detailed illustrations of characters within the game.
- The preface is about 15-20 pages long; before you get to page 1.
- First illustration had to be sunbro, it is Still working through it but I'm going to cut the rubbish to let you know
- About 100 detailed illustrations of characters within the game.
- The preface is about 15-20 pages long; before you get to page 1.
- First illustration had to be sunbro, it is a full page illustration, gorgeously done.
- We have some empty pages, but bear with me, this is the book we wanted with our collectors editions but never got. A comprehensive exploration of the world, using all information available to us; in game items and their descriptions; npc's and narrators dialogue; which is numbered and in a small column on the same page, the link is made between where the information has been gathered from.
- The way this book has been wrote; easy to understand, explores IN WAY TOO MUCH BUT VERY MUCH APPRECIATED detail
- Stunning black and white illustrations, with reference to what inspired them in the game.
- If Dark Souls ever had a bible; this is it. This is the bible.
- Easy to follow index, contents etc.
- FROMSOFTWARE TAKE NOTES
- Softcover/paperback book, not unknown binding; it is independently published by the company listed.

Before thoughts:
I'm assuming this is the paperback version of this book, in which case, this is the most stunning book I've seen to date. This book is composed of a combination of Dark Souls lore- and we are also blessed with hundreds of gorgeous illustrations in this book- although it is not an art book. Super blessed to have been able to afford this, and to be able to read it, this will take me a long time to read due to the book being a sizeable chunk - and also because my brain struggles to maintain any infomation on souls games. Furthermore: anyone who has ever played any of the souls games; knows how ridiculously extensive the universes are, so whilst this book does indeed have a hefty price tag on it; it's worth it for what you are getting within the book.

I'm saying this as someone who's respectfully been in both book and gaming spaces, compared to whats on the market, very much worth the price tag. ...more "

progress: On page 50. "I have memory issues, and partial amnesia. It's 2026, and despite reading to page 50 the lore, it still isn't sticking. But despite the fact my brain keeps resetting on the lore and can't hold the infomation on the game, I am glad I own a book I can go back to, read and enjoy. I loved the game then, I cannot express my appreciation for this book. It's pretty packed too with infomation. Essay/Bible like." — Mar 01, 2026 08:18PM

Feb 24, 2026 08:09PM · see review

Lou’s Quotes

“... The type of loneliness where you need to keep struggling to accept a situation is fundamentally different than the sort you know you'll get through if you just hang in there”
― Ryu Murakami, In the Miso Soup

113 likes

“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”
― Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein

tags: change, human

5431 likes

“And I am bored to death with it. Bored to death with this place, bored to death with my life, bored to death with myself.”
― Charles Dickens, Bleak House

tags: lady-dedlock

201 likes

“I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you could stomp on it.”
― Gillian Flynn, Dark Places

540 likes

“As adults we choose our own reading material. Depending on our moods and needs we might read the newspaper, a blockbuster novel, an academic article, a women's magazine, a comic, a children's book, or the latest book that just about everyone is reading. No one chastises us for our choice. No one says, 'That's too short for you to read.' No one says, 'That's too easy for you, put it back.' No one says 'You couldn't read that if you tried -- it's much too difficult.'

Yet if we take a peek into classrooms, libraries, and bookshops we will notice that children's choices are often mocked, censured, and denied as valid by idiotic, interfering teachers, librarians, and parents. Choice is a personal matter that changes with experience, changes with mood, and changes with need. We should let it be.”
― Mem Fox, Radical Reflections: Passionate Opinions on Teaching, Learning, and Living

tags: education, kids, reading

63 likes

More of Lou’s quotes…