Monthly Reading Report (2022/12)

淇淇

Jan 9, 2023

IPFS

Number of reads

The total number of books read in December 2022 is 23, of which 10 are text books.

Novels: 6

Prose: 3 books

Mind: 1 copy

Comics: 7 books (2 sets in total)

Picture books/picture books: 6

Topic reading

The theme of December was Lonely Island, so I watched "The Island of Prophecy" and "The Paradise Is Where the Detective Is Not".

In fact, murder on an isolated island is a common theme, and it is not easy to write it in a surprising way. I still think the previous "Visitors on an isolated island" was very successful. The special setting on the isolated island made the incident less monotonous.

"The Island of Prophecy" and "The Paradise Where the Detective Is Not There" actually also add special settings. "The Island of Prophecy" obviously adds the element of prophecy, while "The Paradise Where the Detective Is Not There" adds the element of angels. The angels here are not cute little ones with white wings. Although they also have wings, they are not beautiful at all. And as long as someone kills two people, the angel will immediately drag that person to hell. The author is probably not writing about angels, but the setting that no one can kill two people or they will go to hell, thus making it more difficult to deduce the murderer.

Comparing the two books, "The Island of Prophecy" is more interesting, especially the discussion of self-fulfillment of prophecies, while "Paradise is Where the Detective Is Not" is relatively boring. Who dies and who kills does not let the readers know from beginning to end. Take heart.

It's not that "Island Murder" can't be written well, but it has to be really exciting to satisfy people. Otherwise, it will just be a novel that passes over a duck's back.

novel

"Island of Prophecy"

Author: Ichi Sawamura

Likeability: ★★★★

Short review: This is a story about being bound by words.

Many years ago, a spiritual medium predicted that six people would die on the island on this day. Several people came to the island for various reasons. The villagers kept insisting that there were resentful spirits on the mountain and could not go up the mountain. At first, everyone did not believe in the resentful spirits nor the prophecy, but Soon the first deceased appeared...

The secret of the resentful spirit has been revealed in the middle part. At that time, I was still thinking that the secret was revealed, but there was still half of the book, what else would happen?

There is a twist in the ending, which is of course deliberately planned by the author. It is a bit surprising. You may want to go back to the previous chapters to find clues, and have some discussion and reflection on whether the prophecy will self-fulfill.

The story is actually not very attractive, but the reflection at the end is indeed interesting.

"Mora's Twins"

Author: Tess. Gleason

Likeability: ★★★★

Short review: This is my first time watching Tess. Gleeson's novel, this is the fourth in the Ridro Limora series. I haven't read the previous ones. However, except for the protagonist, the crime story is independent, so it doesn't affect reading very much. But when it comes to impact, It must be foreign names. To be honest, there are many people who I don’t remember at all who they are. I only searched for these names after key events happened, and then suddenly realized, oh, it turns out to be this person.

Okay, this is actually just a matter of me remembering foreign names. Let’s get back to the story.

This is a crime story. The prologue is very fascinating, and then the main chapter begins. When the heroine returns home, she finds that the police are searching near her home. It turns out that a woman was shot and died in the carriage, and that woman turned out to be herself... Oh , to be precise, it should be a woman who looks exactly like her...

As the story develops, it involves serial killers and multiple unsolved cases, and the life experience of the heroine is the focus of the story.

It's a good crime novel, but not very exciting.

"Silent Girl"

Author: Tess. Gleason

Likeability: ★★★★

Short comment: Continue with Tess. Gleeson's crime novel, the last one "Maura's Twin" focused on Maura, and this time it focuses on Agent Jane.

The novel begins with the case of a female corpse on a rooftop, and then traces the massacre that occurred in a Chinese restaurant twenty years ago. The police detectives concluded the case that a chef went crazy and killed someone and then committed suicide. However, the widow of one of the deceased has believed that the real culprit was for many years. With impunity, this case has extended to multiple cases of missing girls. More and more people have been killed, and creatures that look like Monkey King have always appeared at the scene. Everything is suspenseful and mysterious.

This novel is very addictive to read in the middle, and when you get closer and closer to the truth, you don't want to stop at all.

"Paint: Interviewing the Perfect Parent"

Author: Li Xirong

Likeability: ★★★★

Short review: This is a Korean novel. The author sets up a world view in which children raised by the state have the right to choose their parents after the age of 13. Many couples want to adopt children from these countries for government benefits, but the right to choose is not Those couples, but the children.

Is there such a thing as a perfect parent? Are there any perfect children? If you could choose your own parents or children, what conditions would you set?

This novel is very thin and the story is very simple. It is easy to read, but it also contains many reflections and is worth reading.

"Paradise is Where the Detective Is Not"

Author: Slash Hall Yuki

Like level: ★★★☆

Short review: I read this novel based on the theme of the island. It has a special setting. An angel suddenly comes to this world and will drag the person who killed two people to hell. Therefore, the death penalty has been abolished all over the world because there are angels. Punish murderers.

However, why do you need to go to hell for killing two people? Is that tacit consent to kill someone? As a result, the world began to become distorted. Some people felt that it didn't matter if they killed one person, while others felt that they were going to hell anyway, so if they wanted to kill, they should kill more. As a result, there were no serial murderers in the world, but there were many more terrorist attacks.

In this special setting, the protagonist detective and a group of people came to an isolated island with many angels, and soon someone was killed, and murders occurred one after another. How did serial killings occur when two people could not be killed? case?

The setting seems interesting, but there is no sense of tension when reading it. Anyway, you know that murders will continue to happen, and there is no sense of crisis. It doesn't matter who dies and who is the murderer, and the detective's entangled emotions are a bit redundant.

To be honest, reading this book felt a bit like getting through it, so it’s okay to give up.

"The Ferryman"

Author: Claire. McFaul

Likeability: ★★★

Short comment: This can be regarded as the love version of "Along with the Gods". A girl dies in a train accident and is taken to the other side by a ferryman. After experiencing many dangers on the way, the two gradually get closer and fall in love with each other...

This is a young adult adventure novel. Originally I wanted to read about the world after death, but ended up reading a love story.

prose

"A raging female surgeon came to the village"

Author: Liu Zongyu

Likeability: ★★★★

Short review: I have not watched the TV series, nor have I read the author's other books. This is the first one.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part is about the people and things the author encountered when he moved from a large hospital to a small rural hospital, which made him laugh and cry. Just when I thought the whole book had this tone, the second part suddenly discussed the issue of the medical system very seriously. The criticism was severe and worthy of reflection. The third part is her struggle on whether to give up surgery, and then a dramatic turning point makes her change her original intention. This may be God's arrangement.

The book is very beautiful.

"I drank puffer fish soup yesterday"

Author: Miha

Likeability: ★★★★

Short review: I was attracted by the subtitle of this book, "50 Writers' 50 Responses to a Cruel World." I don't often read biographies, so this book aroused my interest in these writers and understood their lives in the shortest possible length. 12. The book introduces 50 writers, sometimes introducing short stories in their lives, sometimes introducing their works, but the main theme is the attitude towards life of these authors. Coupled with the author's life insights, this book is more impressive. sex. I admire the author of this book for organizing the lives and works of these writers so delicately.

It’s especially interesting to read about authors you know.

"Filial Son"

Author: Senior Brother

Like level: ★★★☆

Short comment: I have read three books by Senior Brother before, and I will continue to read this one. However, the main content of this book is his experience in courtship, so it is not suitable for people with moral mysophobia.

Most of the chapters are about the women he met in the small room. Each of them has a different story, and the article also has the author's consistent humor, so you can read it smoothly.

Sometimes I think that my life is so closed, and no matter how rich my imagination is, I can't come up with so many life stories.

soul

"The World After Death"

Author: Raymond. Moody's

Likeability: ★★★★

Short comment: This should be the first special book on the study of near-death experiences. The author studied one hundred and fifty cases of near-death experiences and summarized fifteen elements experienced by the soul after death, although not all cases will. All elements appear, but these elements can roughly construct what exactly will be experienced after death.

These fifteen elements include:

indescribable
heard the news
Feeling of peace and tranquility
sound
dark tunnel
out of body
meet others
being of light
Looking back on life
boundary or line
Return trip
tell others
impact on life
Changed perspective on death
evidence

Well, there is only one conclusion. The soul still exists after death. There is no such thing as death. It is just a transition from one thing to another, just like graduating from elementary school to middle school and then to university.

So, there is really no need to be afraid of death.

comics

"The Game of Baseball" 1–6

Author: Silly Yang (Yang Ningxin)

Like level: ★★★☆

Short review: Taiwanese comics, you will know the content just by looking at the title.

I've always loved telling baseball stories, even though I didn't understand the rules at all.

The story tells the story of a boy who got good pitching skills by setting up a stall and was invited to join the baseball team. From being reluctant at first to being fully committed...

In fact, it should not be difficult to guess the development of the story. For the time being, I can see that the sixth book is to be continued.

"Butt Detective: The Mystery of the Ladybug Ruins"

Author: Troll

Like level: ★★★☆

Short review: I have been exposed to this series since the first picture book of "The Butt Detective". At that time, my daughter asked me to read it to her. Watching "The Butt Detective" develop into comics, picture books, and animations is really amazing. .

I still read books in this series, although not all of them. The story is designed for children. You can read the story and play games at the same time, usually mazes, missing people, guessing puzzles, etc., so children can enjoy it.

This book "The Mystery of the Ladybug Ruins" is a treasure hunt story, with Detective Butt's Dad and Kaitou U, but the story is average and not as exciting as the previous stories.

Picture books/graphic books

"Death Takes a Vacation - Fishing for Goldfish"

Author: Brian Ray

Like level: ★★★★☆

Short comment: The God of Death, who never takes a day off, is going to take a year off. How will the God of Death use this year's leave? He started writing notes, started writing wish lists, started making friends, and went to the amusement park to catch a goldfish. After so much time, I realized how lonely I was, so I decided to grow up on my own and wanted to get to know Mrs. Death, but I ran into trouble too quickly. Go travel, time passes without you noticing, and I remember that Tom Clancy and Einstein both said that once you stop learning, you will start to die, so the God of Death decided to go to college, but going to college was too harmful to the liver, and I couldn't cope with it, so I continued to be alone. Well, think about it by the way, and develop new interests.

Oh, one year's vacation has passed. Think back on what you have learned this year, that is, life is short and you have to live it well. Also, it is important to spend happy time with others, and it is also important to smile.

Hey, what kind of book is this? I laughed all the way while watching, and then thought about my life all the way. Did I enjoy my life? Life is not just about work. If I had a year off, what would I do?

This is a picture book for adults. The drawings are simple stick figures, but they are all cute. The stories are strong, the dialogues are super interesting, and the black humor always makes people smile.

"The Wandering Bag"

Author: Grandpa Mars

Like level: ★★★★☆

Short comment: "You will not be complete without anyone; nor will you be complete without anyone. You are complete to begin with."

Is a bag without an owner still considered a complete bag?

This is a very interesting picture book. Although the story is simple, it is philosophical and full of surprises. A bag that was forgotten by its owner decided to travel by himself. He kept looking for his travel companions, but he always couldn't find them. No one needed him, so he decided to fight for it himself, but even if he had it, he couldn't keep it in the end.

Even so, he decided to live abundantly and find his own happiness.

Children will be happy to read this book, but I think it is more suitable for adults.

"The Counterattack of the Shrunken Turtle"

Author:Ton Mak

Likeability: ★★★★

Short review: This is a collection of pictures and essays about introversion. Each page contains one or two sentences. It is a book that can be read easily.

It describes the mentality of introverts through shrinking their heads. Introverts like me find it very relatable. Wow, I'm talking about me, that's how I am.

People who are not introverts can also read this book to understand the thoughts of introverts.

"The Sloth's Counterattack"

Author:Ton Mak

Likeability: ★★★★

Short comment: The sloth lives a comfortable and leisurely life, maintains mindfulness, drives away negative thoughts, relaxes, and plays a little bit, so that the mind can be calm.

Be yourself, whether you like to curl up in a ball, stand upright, or lie flat, whatever is comfortable for you.

Breathe well and feel your thoughts, but don't get too carried away. Go slowly and feel slowly.

"Hunting the Happy Witch"

Author: Lisa. Brigitte

Likeability: ★★★★

Short review: A very interesting picture book. Although the principles described are a bit cliche for adults, the techniques used are clever and still have a certain appeal for children.

The story tells that there is a bad witch living in the forest. She will hunt happiness away when she smells it. The animals in the forest hate her and try to find a way to drive her away, but all methods are unsuccessful. Finally, the badger Invitation letter, inviting witches to attend their party, and turned enemies into friends. It turns out that it is more effective to solve a difficult person and turn him into a friend than to remain an enemy all the time.

"I heard that the moon has a study"

Author: Zhang Youyu

Likeability: ★★★

Short review: Little Bear visits the study rooms of witches, owls, and floating elves. There is always an untitled book on their bookshelf. Little Bear changed the name of the book, and then decided to visit the Moon Study Room, but how to get to the moon?

This can be regarded as a kind of adventure. Although the story is not strong, it can activate children's creativity. What kind of books are suitable for witches? Where is the moon? Then guide the children to create their own stories.

More exciting reading: Read whatever you want