Justin Monisit > Recent Status Updates

Okay there's an appendix at the end but considering I didn't love the book, I don't feel compelled to read it.

BUT it was a good book even if the ideas are a bit played out nowadays to the point I was a bit apathetic towards the whole ordeal. But that torture scene was really well written and what came after. No regrets reading, not rushing to ever reread either

the appendix really killed my reading speed good lord that was long.

the rest of the book beforehand was fine, but the ideas have been played out. Still, a good book that I enjoy mildly but it's not as compelling as I want it to be

Yeah the hype doesn't live up but it doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. I guess I must have a distaste for dystopian fiction because I was rolling my eyes at some descriptions.

More focused on concept than character which has me worried for the enjoyment of this book, but it doesn't seem like it will be insufferable to read.

I liked how it was more focused on the character's trauma than the mystery itself, I just found the ending a little rushed. The plot threads didn't wrap up as neatly as I wanted it to.

Other than that, pretty good book. Got me out of the reading slump and even though I didn't keep a steady pace, it was the fastest I've read a book in a while.

Really solid book. Don't know if it's considered amazing, but it's definitely worth binge-reading.

Love a mystery that isn't about the mystery and instead focuses on character and atmosphere.

This book is good; may be the book that gets me out of the reading slump. Really interesting setting and examining the side characters in interesting ways. Hopefully it stays this way.

Yeah no. I could finish if I tried but I have 500+ books to read and this isn't compelling enough. Didn't make it far enough to give it a firm opinion but this wasn't very interesting.

Yeah I'm not getting anything out of this, if it doesn't pull me in by the end of this chapter I am DNFing this.

Trying to take the edge off of reading classics and reading a book that interests me...

...so far this isn't it. Not really liking any of the characters and the mystery isn't engaging. But we'll see what happens. This is one hell of a reading slump

Failed the "read in one sitting" challenge badly (until I learned I read better standing up for some reason by the end).

Decent book, though the movie is ingrained in my mind that I can't help but unfavorably compare some moments of the book to the movie. Both are good, movie is slightly better.

Started reading this as I hit hour 4 of my power outage. Now I guess I'll finish it. It's fine so far, more entertaining than I expected.

Not huge on the movie, but so far I'm enjoying this (maybe even more)

Aside from the ending, I don't get what's so good about this series. Maybe it's just me but this was...kinda boring?

I feel like there is something in this book that I should find appealing but it's not there. It doesn't have the Bogart charm I was expecting or the witty narration. It just seems like a generic mystery.

Pretty good. I've had my weird experiences reading this series, but I'm glad to say this is worth reading so far. The humor is still there (though the minority treatment seems condescending and hasn't aged well).

135 page book that took a week to read? Call me illiterate...or just not interested in reading it. Everyone was an awful person (and not in a charming way) and the plot just kinda exists. Nothing special

This book hasn't aged very well. I don't know if it's the case of the book being short but its paced really quick and nothing is fleshed out.

Plus we got a case of casual racism (and sexism) on the second page. It's a product of its time sure but some stuff ages better than others

Actually read 20% more but whatever.

Seeing the South Korean Incheon airport being described was surreal.

I knew it was bad in NK but it was a lot worse than I thought. It seriously makes me thankful not to be a part of that entire mess. I just hope that more defectors make it out of North Korea safely and are able to thrive in SK.

I nearly cried reading this...not because of the overt sadness, but because of the crushing reality that every day that these all these people have to live in fear for even having an opinion that the government doesn't approve of. Even while the country is starving, no one is allowed to complain or to trade (because capitalism). Horrifying.

I knew this book was depressing, but I severely underestimated how so. North Korea is still a joke, but I find it hard to laugh at them knowing that there are thousands of people suffering and starving.

Took a bit of a detour in my reading schedule, but I'm finding this book fascinating. I used to joke about North Korea's propaganda but it is incredibly frightening to actually really read about.

Reading 38 pages in a day? Haven't done that in a while.

Trying to read more Nonfiction to balance put my research. So far, this book is gripping - describing ordinary people who do not realize the cruelty of their circumstances.

Did not finish

I wrestled with this book for a month, and even though I am ~75 pages away I have been putting off reading those pages for weeks. It's not bad but nothing about it compels me to continue and I want to read other stuff.

Apparently the last 50 pages are great. Will read those last pages on a rainy day or something. But after one long month, I am putting it to rest. Sorry.

You may be asking why I'm still reading this, but to that I say, why did McCarthy write this.

I'm way too close to quit on this book. But every time they start travelling to another village I can feel my patience being tested. This is the most difficult book I've read on account of keeping my interest.

I am straight up not having a good time reading this.

I usually like slow paced stuff but holy guacamole is this slow. It's not bad but not much happens. None of the characters aside from the judge do anything interesting - and everyone is a horrible human being which makes it hard to care about anything that goes on. Even the most brutal descriptions of violence I just sort of shrug off by the end. I'm heartless

When a massacre/murder happens every chapter, it gets kinda harder to be shocked by every event.

I am kind of struggling to see what the hype is about. It's a good book, but it drags at times trying to be violent. There is no redeemable character. The judge is an interesting character on account of how inhuman and immoral he is, but that's all that's pushing me through this book.

Welp, after a whopping 2 weeks of not reading I finally picked it up again and it's not terrible.

It's less the syntax that bothers me now but moreso the pacing. I was able to pick up where I left off because not much happened since, and the chapter I read (12) not much happened in it except for a string of BRUTAL violence - but not plot related. More tolerable than I remember, but I am struggling reading this

I have no one else but me to blame for this. This book is the epitome of "not for me." NCFOM was different, not better or worse. But the style is seriously not clicking with me...as I was told.

I thought I stopped reading 2 days ago, turns out it has been 6. Funny how time flies.

Really worried about returning to this book bc of how bored I get. The writing style is on my nerves and is like the parts I like least about Hemingway.

Yes Calib I should have listened :(

Yep this is a case of style not working for me. My read through of NCFOM was aided by watching the movie first, but here I dread the long passages and run on sentences and minimalist punctuation. I think the story is fine so far, but with long periods of nothing to be supplemented with style.

I probably should have listened to not start with this book. I will never learn.

Hemingway writes a western thriller.

Pretty decent, though I am slightly disappointed with the pacing thus far. It starts off pretty strong but the desert chapter felt like forever. It's the first act so it's more forgivable, but the book is trying to be as minimalist as possible and not give depth to any character.

Good book still and it's obviously setting up stuff