Sun & Steel — Brutally honest and oddly inspiring

Sun & Steel by Yukio Mishima
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is such a powerful and intense read. It’s part memoir, part philosophical essay, where Mishima reflects on life, death, and the meaning of physical discipline. What really stuck with me is how he talks about the connection between mind and body, how training the body can awaken the mind. That idea really resonated with me and puts me in the mindset to train my body and build strength.. Mishima’s writing is bold and poetic, and even if you don’t agree with everything he says, the book makes you think deeply about discipline, purpose, and living fully.

Verity — Not perfect, but a page‑turner

Verity by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I hate to admit it, but despite all the mixed (and often negative) feedback about Colleen Hoover, I still gave this book a try and honestly, I kinda liked it. Verity is intense, twisted, and full of psychological tension. It follows Lowen, a struggling writer who stumbles upon a manuscript that changes everything she thought she knew about the famous author Verity Crawford and her family. From there, the story spirals into obsession, secrets, and blurred truths.

Also, surprised me how much of a page-turner it was. As a visual person, I also appreciated the cover — it feels like it really connects to the plot and vibe of the story. Sure, the book leans into drama and shock value, but that’s also what makes it so entertaining. It’s not “literary” in the traditional sense, but it knows exactly what kind of story it wants to be: dark, fast-paced, and unsettling.

Book Review #16 | Heart of a Dog — Weird, wild, and worth it

Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just finished Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov, and wow! What a ride. It’s a satirical novella about a stray dog who gets turned into a man through a bizarre experiment. Equal parts darkly funny and unsettling, it’s full of sharp social commentary on identity, human nature, and society. I especially loved Bulgakov’s dark humor, it made the book entertaining while still giving me something to think about. Short, clever, and definitely worth reading.

The Bell Jar — A look inside a fragile mind

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Done reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and honestly, it left me with a lot to think about. I really loved her metaphor about the fig tree.

"I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. ... I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet."

It’s such a powerful way to explain choices, possibilities, and the fear of missing out. At the same time, I found myself struggling with her thought process. Esther gives off a kind of “mean girl” energy at times, but I also can’t help pitying her because she’s clearly suffering mentally. It’s heartbreaking to realize how deeply her pain affected her life, and learning that Plath ended her own life in such a brutal way makes the book even heavier to process.

Overall, The Bell Jar is intense and raw. It’s poetic but unsettling, and it really makes you reflect on mental health, identity, and the pressures women face.

The Pearl — More than just a Pearl

The Pearl by John Steinbeck
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A short but powerful novella about greed, poverty, and ambition. It follows the story of Kino, a poor pearl diver whose life changes when he discovers something extraordinary. Steinbeck uses this story as a rich allegory to explore human desire, the cost of ambition, and the fragility of human values.

His simple yet vivid prose makes the novella both easy to read and deeply meaningful. The ending was shocking and haunting, a real reminder that dreams can come with unexpected costs.

Sharp Objects — Not what I expected

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I went into this with really high expectations because the author wrote Gone Girl (which I loved, and the movie was great too). Sadly, Sharp Objects isn't... It had a slow build-up that made me think it was going somewhere, but in the end it just disappointed me. The pacing dragged, the “twists” were predictable, and I honestly just wanted to get it over with or not finish at all.

What really pushed me away was how irresponsibly this was written. There’s a point where the narrator basically says if very young girls put themselves in risky situations (yes, these undeveloped frontal lobe kids), it’s ‘their fault’. Add to that the disturbing depiction of 13-year-olds drinking, using drug$, and getting r@p3d by six men.. That’s not edgy, it’s gross.. And don’t even get me started on the main character, a 30-year-old, from being reserved to banging a teenager boy, and doing drug$ with her 13-year-old sister?? What a character development. Are you okay, Gillian? Realistically, ages, actions, morals, none of it lines up. I could rant forever, but I’m not wasting another second on this disaster; I’ve suffered enough already.

I originally rated this 2 stars, but the more I thought about it the more frustrated I got, so I dropped it to 1. Maybe it’s because I expected the same level of brilliance as Gone Girl, but this felt flat, disturbing for the wrong reasons, and not worth the time I put into it. Honestly, I wish I had just DNF’d.

White Nights — A Bittersweet Tale of Yearning

White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

White Nights totally zoned me out in the best way. Dostoevsky is way too good for making this bittersweet little masterpiece about yearning, hope, and unrequited love. There’s a poetic cruelty in Dostoevsky’s storytelling. He invites you to dwell in hope and fantasy, only to remind you of life’s impermanence. Sure, some will slap labels like ‘nice guy syndrome’ or ‘incel’ on it, but that misses the point. This isn’t a dating manual... it’s an exploration of the universal human condition: the hunger for connection and the art of letting go. For those who get it… congratulations, you’re officially emotionally evolved.