Sara's reading log

I am a book hoarder and reader. My main genre is SF, but I also love magic realism, fantasy and general fiction. Favorite authors are Iain M. Banks, Ursula K. LeGuin, Haruki Murakami, José Saramago, Isaac Asimov, Ben Aaronovitch and more. My rating system is based on five stars. I rate books based on my expectations and what a books aims to be. This means that the brilliant 'Fahrenheit 451' gets five stars because I thought it would be good, people said it was good, and it was good, but 'A Closed and Common Orbit' also gets five stars because in its series, in its style, I really enjoyed it and was not disappointed.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

  • Started on: 2013-05-10
  • Finished on: 2013-05-14
  • Read in: English
  • Rating: ***–
  • Genre(s): General Fiction

I’ve had “The Great Gatsby” on my shelves for a while now, I got it because it is on the “1001 books you must read before you die list”. I hadn’t read it yet, but I had to now (even putting down the book I was reading to read this one quickly). Why? Because Stephen Colbert’s book club has it as its first book. I did not want the book to get spoiled by the show, and I did want to understand the jokes, so I read it.

It is the story of Jay Gatsby, living near New York in the 1920’s. Told by his neighbor Nick, it takes place one summer in which Gatsby’s life takes a dramatic turn, and Nick is sobered up to what life in the 1920’s means for him, and for other people (I’m really trying not to give anything away here).

The book is pretty short, and the story is told pretty quickly. It is a pretty nice story to read, and the descriptions of (wealthy) life in the 1920s are detailed, but for me, this book wasn’t that special. Maybe it is better when compared to other books written in that period, but for me, reading it now, it was just ok. I give it three out of five stars.

  • Started on: 2013-05-10
  • Finished on: 2013-05-14
  • Read in: English
  • Rating: ***–
  • Genre(s): General Fiction

I’ve had “The Great Gatsby” on my shelves for a while now, I got it because it is on the “1001 books you must read before you die list”. I hadn’t read it yet, but I had to now (even putting down the book I was reading to read this one quickly). Why? Because Stephen Colbert’s book club has it as its first book. I did not want the book to get spoiled by the show, and I did want to understand the jokes, so I read it.

It is the story of Jay Gatsby, living near New York in the 1920’s. Told by his neighbor Nick, it takes place one summer in which Gatsby’s life takes a dramatic turn, and Nick is sobered up to what life in the 1920’s means for him, and for other people (I’m really trying not to give anything away here).

The book is pretty short, and the story is told pretty quickly. It is a pretty nice story to read, and the descriptions of (wealthy) life in the 1920s are detailed, but for me, this book wasn’t that special. Maybe it is better when compared to other books written in that period, but for me, reading it now, it was just ok. I give it three out of five stars.