chamber by chamber

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369

4 stars

A very dark read, uncomfortable throughout. Being exposed to Vanessa’s inner turmoil and how she views and tries to cope with what Strane did to her was fascinating. I really enjoyed how dark and “bad” her thoughts could get. I don’t think the book would have had a reason to exist, or had been nearly as interesting, if Vanessa fully saw the abuse for what it was

Page count: 62/422

Page count: 158/422

I know not to trust a Richard in a dark academia book

Page count: 259/422

Page count: 353/422

4.5 stars

What happened with the murder wasn't all that surprising, but I really loved seeing how the characters behaved in the last act, especially Oliver and James. Obsessed with their relationship. I think | would need to reread to take it all in

I wish Wren and Alexander had been more developed. I felt like they weren't given much attention, especially Wren. Her character was so heavily centered on Richard, I wish I knew who she was besides his cousin

Overall, this is a 4.5/5 which could easily turn into a 5/5 upon rereading. I'm missing that little something that makes me give books 5 stars, even though this book checked a loooooot of my boxes

Page count: 80/351

3 stars

I really enjoyed the book at the beginning, I like Isherwood’s style —especially the humour here and there— but I got bored by the end. I liked his tales of the vibrant queer life he lived in Berlin, but I didn’t care as much about his travels. I also really liked some of the bits when he discussed writing, it’s always cool to get some meta stuff from authors

(Ebook) Page count: 25/402

Page count: 95/402

Page count: 168/402

Oooh the performance

Page count: 251/422

The book is getting a bit repetitive and heavy-handed with its themes — get it, she only values all that traditional stuff on paper, she doesn't like to actually have it applied to her life— but I'm still interested to see where this is going

… And that’s the end of the challenge!

It was fun to time myself to see how much I could actually read in 24 hours aha. Maybe one day I’ll do it in 24 consecutive hours, who knows

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369

4 stars

A very dark read, uncomfortable throughout. Being exposed to Vanessa’s inner turmoil and how she views and tries to cope with what Strane did to her was fascinating. I really enjoyed how dark and “bad” her thoughts could get. I don’t think the book would have had a reason to exist, or had been nearly as interesting, if Vanessa fully saw the abuse for what it was

Page count: 62/422

Page count: 158/422

I know not to trust a Richard in a dark academia book

Page count: 259/422

Page count: 353/422

4.5 stars

What happened with the murder wasn't all that surprising, but I really loved seeing how the characters behaved in the last act, especially Oliver and James. Obsessed with their relationship. I think | would need to reread to take it all in

I wish Wren and Alexander had been more developed. I felt like they weren't given much attention, especially Wren. Her character was so heavily centered on Richard, I wish I knew who she was besides his cousin

Overall, this is a 4.5/5 which could easily turn into a 5/5 upon rereading. I'm missing that little something that makes me give books 5 stars, even though this book checked a loooooot of my boxes

Page count: 80/351

3 stars

I really enjoyed the book at the beginning, I like Isherwood’s style —especially the humour here and there— but I got bored by the end. I liked his tales of the vibrant queer life he lived in Berlin, but I didn’t care as much about his travels. I also really liked some of the bits when he discussed writing, it’s always cool to get some meta stuff from authors

(Ebook) Page count: 25/402

Page count: 95/402

Page count: 168/402

Oooh the performance

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369

4 stars

A very dark read, uncomfortable throughout. Being exposed to Vanessa’s inner turmoil and how she views and tries to cope with what Strane did to her was fascinating. I really enjoyed how dark and “bad” her thoughts could get. I don’t think the book would have had a reason to exist, or had been nearly as interesting, if Vanessa fully saw the abuse for what it was

Page count: 62/422

Page count: 158/422

I know not to trust a Richard in a dark academia book

Page count: 259/422

Page count: 353/422

4.5 stars

What happened with the murder wasn't all that surprising, but I really loved seeing how the characters behaved in the last act, especially Oliver and James. Obsessed with their relationship. I think | would need to reread to take it all in

I wish Wren and Alexander had been more developed. I felt like they weren't given much attention, especially Wren. Her character was so heavily centered on Richard, I wish I knew who she was besides his cousin

Overall, this is a 4.5/5 which could easily turn into a 5/5 upon rereading. I'm missing that little something that makes me give books 5 stars, even though this book checked a loooooot of my boxes

Page count: 80/351

3 stars

I really enjoyed the book at the beginning, I like Isherwood’s style —especially the humour here and there— but I got bored by the end. I liked his tales of the vibrant queer life he lived in Berlin, but I didn’t care as much about his travels. I also really liked some of the bits when he discussed writing, it’s always cool to get some meta stuff from authors

(Ebook) Page count: 25/402

Page count: 95/402

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369

4 stars

A very dark read, uncomfortable throughout. Being exposed to Vanessa’s inner turmoil and how she views and tries to cope with what Strane did to her was fascinating. I really enjoyed how dark and “bad” her thoughts could get. I don’t think the book would have had a reason to exist, or had been nearly as interesting, if Vanessa fully saw the abuse for what it was

Page count: 62/422

Page count: 158/422

I know not to trust a Richard in a dark academia book

Page count: 259/422

Page count: 353/422

4.5 stars

What happened with the murder wasn't all that surprising, but I really loved seeing how the characters behaved in the last act, especially Oliver and James. Obsessed with their relationship. I think | would need to reread to take it all in

I wish Wren and Alexander had been more developed. I felt like they weren't given much attention, especially Wren. Her character was so heavily centered on Richard, I wish I knew who she was besides his cousin

Overall, this is a 4.5/5 which could easily turn into a 5/5 upon rereading. I'm missing that little something that makes me give books 5 stars, even though this book checked a loooooot of my boxes

Page count: 80/351

3 stars

I really enjoyed the book at the beginning, I like Isherwood’s style —especially the humour here and there— but I got bored by the end. I liked his tales of the vibrant queer life he lived in Berlin, but I didn’t care as much about his travels. I also really liked some of the bits when he discussed writing, it’s always cool to get some meta stuff from authors

(Ebook) Page count: 25/402

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369

4 stars

A very dark read, uncomfortable throughout. Being exposed to Vanessa’s inner turmoil and how she views and tries to cope with what Strane did to her was fascinating. I really enjoyed how dark and “bad” her thoughts could get. I don’t think the book would have had a reason to exist, or had been nearly as interesting, if Vanessa fully saw the abuse for what it was

Page count: 62/422

Page count: 158/422

I know not to trust a Richard in a dark academia book

Page count: 259/422

Page count: 353/422

4.5 stars

What happened with the murder wasn't all that surprising, but I really loved seeing how the characters behaved in the last act, especially Oliver and James. Obsessed with their relationship. I think | would need to reread to take it all in

I wish Wren and Alexander had been more developed. I felt like they weren't given much attention, especially Wren. Her character was so heavily centered on Richard, I wish I knew who she was besides his cousin

Overall, this is a 4.5/5 which could easily turn into a 5/5 upon rereading. I'm missing that little something that makes me give books 5 stars, even though this book checked a loooooot of my boxes

Page count: 80/351

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369

4 stars

A very dark read, uncomfortable throughout. Being exposed to Vanessa’s inner turmoil and how she views and tries to cope with what Strane did to her was fascinating. I really enjoyed how dark and “bad” her thoughts could get. I don’t think the book would have had a reason to exist, or had been nearly as interesting, if Vanessa fully saw the abuse for what it was

Page count: 62/422

Page count: 158/422

I know not to trust a Richard in a dark academia book

Page count: 259/422

Page count: 353/422

4.5 stars

What happened with the murder wasn't all that surprising, but I really loved seeing how the characters behaved in the last act, especially Oliver and James. Obsessed with their relationship. I think | would need to reread to take it all in

I wish Wren and Alexander had been more developed. I felt like they weren't given much attention, especially Wren. Her character was so heavily centered on Richard, I wish I knew who she was besides his cousin

Overall, this is a 4.5/5 which could easily turn into a 5/5 upon rereading. I'm missing that little something that makes me give books 5 stars, even though this book checked a loooooot of my boxes

Page count: 80/351

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369

4 stars

A very dark read, uncomfortable throughout. Being exposed to Vanessa’s inner turmoil and how she views and tries to cope with what Strane did to her was fascinating. I really enjoyed how dark and “bad” her thoughts could get. I don’t think the book would have had a reason to exist, or had been nearly as interesting, if Vanessa fully saw the abuse for what it was

Page count: 62/422

Page count: 158/422

I know not to trust a Richard in a dark academia book

Page count: 259/422

Page count: 353/422

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369

4 stars

A very dark read, uncomfortable throughout. Being exposed to Vanessa’s inner turmoil and how she views and tries to cope with what Strane did to her was fascinating. I really enjoyed how dark and “bad” her thoughts could get. I don’t think the book would have had a reason to exist, or had been nearly as interesting, if Vanessa fully saw the abuse for what it was

Page count: 62/422

Page count: 158/422

I know not to trust a Richard in a dark academia book

Page count: 259/422

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369

4 stars

A very dark read, uncomfortable throughout. Being exposed to Vanessa’s inner turmoil and how she views and tries to cope with what Strane did to her was fascinating. I really enjoyed how dark and “bad” her thoughts could get. I don’t think the book would have had a reason to exist, or had been nearly as interesting, if Vanessa fully saw the abuse for what it was

Page count: 62/422

Page count: 158/422

I know not to trust a Richard in a dark academia book

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369

4 stars

A very dark read, uncomfortable throughout. Being exposed to Vanessa’s inner turmoil and how she views and tries to cope with what Strane did to her was fascinating. I really enjoyed how dark and “bad” her thoughts could get. I don’t think the book would have had a reason to exist, or had been nearly as interesting, if Vanessa fully saw the abuse for what it was

Page count: 62/422

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369

4 stars

A very dark read, uncomfortable throughout. Being exposed to Vanessa’s inner turmoil and how she views and tries to cope with what Strane did to her was fascinating. I really enjoyed how dark and “bad” her thoughts could get. I don’t think the book would have had a reason to exist, or had been nearly as interesting, if Vanessa fully saw the abuse for what it was

Because my TBR is endless and I’m not dedicating as much time as I ought to to reading these books

I’m going to record my progress here, hour by hour, with comments/thoughts on whatever book I’m reading if I have any :)

Also, for the sake of basic human needs, I won’t do 24 hour straight, but probably 12 hours split between two days (today and tomorrow). I might even extend it to one more day if I’m too tired. The point is to have fun :)

I’m beginning hour 1 with Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Very excited to finally read this!!

Page count: 72/541

I’m really enjoying it so far! I like the humour and I’m intrigued by the characters’ journey through hell. It’s taking me back to reading House of Hades (Rick Riordan) as a teenager which is loads of fun

I like Alice’s ambition, but I also like that she’s a bit ridiculous about it. The sort of cynical view of academia is interesting to me, someone who might like to pursue a career in academia aha

Page count: 163/541

Still enjoying it! Very funny that this Hell’s version of the Pride punishment is having to research a question and defend your research. Very fitting for a story about academics

I wish they’d stayed in the Desire part of Hell a bit longer, I thought that the base, perverted representation of it that was given was interesting, but not as well thought-out as Pride. I didn’t really see how this was a punishment for the souls in that circle

It’s interesting to learn more about Alice and Peter’s relationship with the Professor. The nearly blind dedication and adoration for a man who treats them like crap… yum. It’s like the characters in The Secret History talking about Julian

Page count: 240/541

It’s getting darker and darker. I like that

Page count: 400/541

At this point I do feel like the whole hell aspect of the story is not exploited well enough… which is an issue because the journey through hell is the whole premise of the book. I really enjoy the flashbacks but I’m always expecting more from the hell parts of the story

It was starting well with Pride but then none of the other sins were used in a particularly meaningful way in the world building imo

I also think it’s a bit silly that the big bad villains of this story are a couple of academics and that the characters met other academic. they’re in HELL where all dead souls go and out of the 5 “people” they’ve met (so far) 5 are academics? come on

Page count: 485/541

Katabasis - 3 stars

My overall review is that I think I would have liked the book better if they didn’t go to hell. Which is a shame because that’s the whole plot. I really enjoy how Kuang writes pretentious, obsessive, driven academics going a little crazy, so I think I’d have preferred a book à la The Secret History from her, mostly anchored in reality

The hell sections felt weaker, I wasn’t impressed by the worldbuilding. I was actually really excited about that hell thing because I think that the different notions we have of hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it are fascinated so I felt a bit let down by the execution

Graveyard Shift - 4 stars

Pretty entertaining read. I don't read a lot of novellas so 1 was taken aback by the fast pace, but I thought the characters were surprisingly well characterised for a story so short. I really liked the changing perspectives, it kept the story going in a more engaging way

Page count: 80/369

Page count: 184/369

Page count: 254/369