512 ratings (3.79 avg)
333 reviews
more photos (1)

James Cooper

Add friend

https://youtube.com/user/jamesc4444

https://www.goodreads.com/jamescooper99

James’s Bookshelves

to-read‎ (406)
currently-reading‎ (19)

read‎ (516)
did-not-finish‎ (0)

j-ai-adoré‎ (39)
a-z-26-in-2026‎ (26)

23-of-2023‎ (23)
dnf‎ (22)

Stats | More…

James is Currently Reading

James Cooper is currently reading

Keedie

by Elle McNicoll (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: a-z-26-in-2026, currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

progress:

(page 51 of 207)
— May 08, 2026 07:03PM

May 08, 2026 07:02PM

James Cooper is currently reading

We Computers: A Ghazal Novel

by Hamid Ismailov (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

progress:

(page 40 of 296)
"*Confusion*" — Mar 24, 2026 06:31PM

Mar 24, 2026 04:52PM

James Cooper is currently reading

Normal People

by Sally Rooney (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: j-ai-adoré, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in May 2022

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

James Cooper said: " What a truly exceptional and captivating read. Normal People was honestly so difficult to put down, what a page turner. The novel follows the relationship between Connell and Marianne through their last year of school and university. Despite having a What a truly exceptional and captivating read. Normal People was honestly so difficult to put down, what a page turner. The novel follows the relationship between Connell and Marianne through their last year of school and university. Despite having an attraction and pull to each other at the beginning, their story is bumpy to say the least. Sometimes you just want to get inside the pages and shake them, scream at them to go for it and talk to each other. It really is so emotive.

After enjoying Rooney’s previous work ‘Conversations With Friends’, my friend said I might not like Normal People as most people apparently don’t like them both and I am so thankful for this revelation. Because I LOVED IT. My expectations were blown away. This book is just so well written with the two main characters - albeit flawed - being very likeable and you do really want what’s best for them… hint it’s for them to be together. The writing style is amazing, vivid depictions of believable situations and so relatable. As a 22 year old, I can totally see the same themes in everyday life and particularly taking the point that we really shouldn’t care/worry about what other people think of us - especially in school - because it means we don’t do what we really wanted to, we miss out, it affects our lives in possibly profound ways.

The book draws on many topics like classism, (toxic) relationships, mental health, sex, and more. I specifically liked how Rooney takes a refreshing approach by swapping the usual experiences for the male and female characters. Connell is shown to deal with mental health, his emotions and feelings are thoroughly explored, he is shown to care deeply about what people are thinking about him, his class and upbringing is discussed, struggles with toxic masculinity and male suicide, adult-minor relationships and sexual assault on men, and yes this is handled extremely well. Additionally, the sex elements are predominantly from Marianne’s point of view as such. I mean that her pleasure and desires are the main reason for the sex acts between them with little discussion on his enjoyment/needs. There are nuances and most of the topics are related to both (and peripheral) characters, so yes, a very refreshing and different take on these topics.

Normal People is such an amazing read, I really really enjoyed it so I wholeheartedly recommend it. It’s an easy read and very accessible to many people. I’d especially recommend it to those around Connell and Marianne’s age (early 20s) as it can seem very relatable but also those younger and I tell you now: take the opportunities that come your way, don’t let them go out of fear of embarrassment or what people think, it’s your life not theirs and go live it x

PS: Connell is so so cute!! Like oh my god I loved him so much, obviously he had flaws (who doesn’t??) but he was just such a lovely character. Put my faith back in straight men to be honest that they can be decent human beings. So well written I could literally write on and on about this book. ...more "

progress:

(page 34 of 266)
— Sep 23, 2024 02:25PM

Sep 23, 2024 02:25PM · see review

See all 19 books that James is reading…

James’s Quotes

“The same people that outlawed the practice of Native American Medicine (without a colonizer centric degree), outlawed the traditional practice of healing those that are hurt/ill without expecting anything in return. Free healthcare. The basis of community.”
― San Mateo, San Mateo: Proof of The Divine

tags: colonization, community, healing, healthcare, native-american

228 likes