Sarah
This was the first comic series I ever read, and it was my absolute favorite. Bill Watterson, thank you for one of the best parts of my childhood!
If you're like me, you're going to pick this up desperate for a new time management/productivity hack that will rebalance your life and fix your insane schedule. What you will find is something that will help you do that, but in a completely different way than you expect. This book is not at all what I expected it to be, but it was even better. I love that other productivity-seeking people will probably pick this up and experience the same surprise at what it's really about but also hopefully find real, lasting advice on what time management really means to us mortals. Give this book a shot because it will shift your perspective about your busy life!
This is quite possibly one of the most incredible books I have ever read. Yes, it's revolting and creepy and very disturbing, but Nabokov's writing is absolutely magical and I don't think I've ever read anything nearly as well-written as this. I wanted to hate this from the beginning when I learned what this was about and I really tried to. Don't get me wrong, I have no sympathy for Humbert Humbert at all, but I loved the experience of reading this novel. This was such an incredible piece of writing that deserves the highest appreciation. I'm not giving it 5 stars because of the topic, I'm giving it 5 stars because this is quite possibly the most beautifully written and insanely gorgeous masterpiece of literature I've experienced in my life so far. I'm just blown away by Nabokov and his mastery of this language that isn't even his native one.
I am so not a fan of Heart of Darkness but this graphic novel was a good adaptation of it. The art was absolutely perfect for the story and it was extremely well done.
This guy sounded quite narcissistic! But it was so cool to learn about the formation of the coolest part of the FBI
I've been listening to this novel in the car during my commutes to and from school. If I had known when I started just how gruesome and horribly depressing this story would be, I probably would have chosen something a little bit lighter. In the end, though, I'm so glad that I finally read this book. It was heartbreaking and infuriating, it was picturesque yet disturbing. I fell in love with Larsson's descriptions of these beautiful Swedish towns and cities yet wanted to throw up at his descriptions of the horrors that were found in them.
Larsson created two extremely unique, wonderfully memorable characters who have their obvious flaws yet are still loveable. Lisbeth Salander, in particular, was just fantastic. I've never read anything with a character with such a tragic backstory and horrifying life like hers. After coming to love Salander after the first few chapters we spent with her, it was so painfully difficult to hear the horrors of what was done to her. I don't think any scene like this that I've read has ever affected me so profoundly. I don't want to spoil it, but it was just so heartbreaking and painful and I'm still in awe of how Larsson managed to create such a magnificent character that I could feel so much for.
I also was so pleased with the way that Larsson repeatedly called attention to the unspeakable violence against women that is still a major issue in the world. The original title for the novel translates to “Men Who Hate Women,” and for some reason, needed to be changed for the American release because I guess we can't handle that sort of thing here? Anyway, I loved how he included at the beginning of each part of the book statistics on violence against women in Sweden, for example: “Forty-six percent of the women in Sweden have been subjected to violence by a man.” Larsson never lets his readers forget how serious and prevalent this issue is and should be. He writes these gut-wrenching, horrific scenes to cast a light upon just how terrible these issues are. So while a great deal of this novel was difficult to get through, I sincerely appreciated Larsson's reasons for doing what he did and the way he called attention to this serious problem. He made absolutely no excuses for these awful characters who committed violence against women and was unapologetic for it. This book is not for the faint of heart, and might definitely be too disturbing and horrific for many to handle, but it is definitely a masterpiece in its own right.
I loved Fun Home and so looked forward to reading this. But I was terribly disappointed by this. It just dragged on and on for far too long and felt like it was talking about the same tiny things. It felt too personal and like it was trying too hard to make me care about this fraught relationship of hers and how it influenced her. I just got so annoyed with the constant self-psychoanalyzing and the dream interpreting. I get it. You have issues with your mom and dad. But I just didn't feel like I needed to read this. Maybe I'm biased because my psych classes teach me that psychoanalytic theory is more outdated and out of favor, but I just felt like this was a lot of mumbo jumbo from someone who really didn't know a ton about psychology. This book ended up not really being about her mom at all and more about how she wrote this book and how her mom was uncomfortable with it. I don't know exactly why I disliked this so much and I'm sure Bechdel would have some psychoanalytic reason for why but I just don't give a crap.
The audiobook is an absolute GEM. Anne Hathaway was fantastic! This book was even funnier and more relatable than I remembered.
Soooo many thoughts about this book. I recently watched Harry & Meghan's docuseries on Netflix and was floored by how much it changed my mind about them. I had already planned on reading Spare, but now I went into it even more open-minded than I might have before. And now, I'm a total convert. Listening to Harry read the book was a game changer - just reading it wouldn't have felt quite the same. He sounded so raw and genuine and earnest in getting his story out there.
I liked the beginning and the end, but part II about his military career was a bit too long and drawn out. I appreciate how much the military shaped him and such but I got the point after a while.
Clearly, a huge takeaway that you could get within the first few pages is the profound effect two things had on him - his mother's death and the paps. This is heavily repeated throughout to the point where I was like yes, okay, I get it Harry. But, this book is clearly therapeutic for him and who am I to judge that? As someone who grew up with loads of exposure to the royals from my British side of the family, I am invested in Harry and his happiness and am so happy to see him finally figuring things out and getting to a place where he can be happy.
This book made me nostalgic for the career I contemplated but ultimately didn't choose. I loved listening to Epstein read this himself and detail various sessions he had that were infused with buddhist wisdom.
I got an ARC of this from NetGalley for work. Not my usual ~cup of tea~ but I think I did enjoy this! I think the stuff with the ex hit a little too close to home for me - Harrison got the toxic ex down to a T. And when the protagonist finally realized she was over him I liked it a whole lot more. So, yeah, I appreciated this for being just different enough than I expected and also full of some surprisingly dark humor that made me laugh out loud at times. And gosh, what a perfect book to theme a book release party around.
I'm a sucker for graphic novels dealing with mental health, what can I say? I love seeing how artists choose to illustrate their experiences with mental health and this one was unique in focusing on what would probably be a diagnosis of seasonal affective disorder.
I will always have a tremendous appreciation for graphic memoirs. I love being able to visualize the creator's story through their own art. This might be one of the most effective ones I've read yet. The little personal details throughout were wonderful — the inclusion of actual letters between him and his mom, snippets of his art over time, and how he used his grandmother's favorite pineapple wallpaper and the burnt orange of his grandfather's pocket squares — amazing. And I'm hardly ever a cryer when reading, unless we are revisiting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, or, apparently, this book. The love Jarrett has for his grandparents is so palpable, and even after all the stuff he went through as a child with his mother, you could feel his love for her too. I can't say enough how amazingly well crafted and full of love this book is. If you've ever wanted to try reading a graphic memoir, this is a great place to start!
I love Bullet Journaling so I'm glad I got to read this and own it for reference. I didn't think the philosophy section was that necessary, though. At times it felt preachy and somewhat looking-down-upon people's fancier methods of Bullet Journaling.
This book was not what I was led to believe it would be. The blurb made it sound like a guide for noticing people's tells for when lying and stuff like that. But instead, it was about tells for things like early detection of autism in infants, which candidate is more likely to win an election, and which CEOs are going to be more successful. It was definitely an interesting read; it just was made out to be completely different.
Had to read this for a Step Forward Leadership conference at work and I gotta say, I'm so glad they picked this over Lean In!
This is easily one of the greatest pieces of writing I've ever had the privilege to read. I'm at a loss for how to write about this because I'm feeling so profoundly moved and can't think. Just read it and you'll see!
Harris' first book changed my life completely. This one, meh. I did like the cheat sheets and guided meditations but the story of the road trip wasn't that great or necessary.
A fascinating and thorough history of gaming. A bit hard to follow at times and I felt like I needed more explanation of all of the relevant terms and such.
The organization and structure felt a tad wonky at times but I absolutely loved her analysis of these women.