sneha

yes, I will create a morning routine, exercise, meditate and look after my body after I stop being a sack of sad potatoes. I do feel the book is a good “how-to” guide to building a good foundation for adulting things.

• it was a free audible original, so why not *
  
  I was curious about how this collection would merge real-life “spy stories” with “self-help”.
  TL;DR It was meh.
  
  
  Apart from the chapter on “Deception” and “Self-Discipline”, the content felt like it was trying really hard to make the whole “being a spy and being a better version of you” theme work.
  Served as a decent white-noise while doing lame mindless tasks around the house. I didn't particularly enjoy this.

Few years apart, this book was more enjoyable the second read.
Prisoner of Azkaban shall always remain my most favourite Harry Potter book.
Oh, it was such a lovely journey to visit all those wonderful characters all over again.
Mischief Managed :)

usually when there is a book that builds itself on a list of other books, it feels feable or forced. this one hit all the right spots. its smart, its engaging, the mystery feels like a mystery. you've got an eerie feeling throughout in a good way. finished this in 3 days.

actual rating: 3.5/5
this book started of SO well. All the history and info being thrown at you did not feel overwhelming. The build-up felt very first-half of a heist/thriller movie . The voice was natural and breezy.

And then around half-way through, it became a bit difficult to follow. Too many new people being introduced, new links and tons of information being thrown at you w/o much direction. And with all the informational overload, it was also being quite repetitive. It felt very confusing and weird. If they'd kept up the editing and pacing of the first half through out, this would have been a 4.5 for sure.

Overall, for a non-fiction this was really fun and unique. I enjoyed the first half a lot more. It would also be nice if they included images at the end of each chapter instead of having it at the end of very book. Arthur and Konstatine's investigative bromance was <3

so casually cruel in the name of being honest.
no, but you have to read this. It's toughie but it will stay with you for a long time.

This book is a mix bag of emotions.
On one hand, it dealt with real dilemmas that book readers/lover face. Of whether it's okay to abandon a book, reading a challenging book, interacting with the classical works that feel intimidating. While on the other end, it also alienated me by going on and on about certain niche of cultural references that seem exclusive to the writer.

The memoir plus book review style was new and fun to read but there were few chapters that felt a bit too much. Nonetheless, this book had some wonderful quotable lines and a brilliant suggestions of “books to read” or as Andy would say “List of Betterment”. Worth a read, once.

I read this book several years ago for school work. On a recent revisit, I found myself enjoying this much more! It started off slow but the maturity and the clear thought process that Anne walks the reader through is truly commendable for someone her age. She truly would have come out an extraordinary woman if she would have survived past war. What a wonderful young writer got lost in this long sad war.

the kind of book you want to own a hard copy for and display it on your coffee table or a special place on the bookshelf.

whimsy and joy in paperback

3.5
the first half was really fun and interesting (the ramblings of Miranda's dad was a little weird tho but still charming in its own way)
it's when they tried to force the Elio and Oliver narrative the book felt like it was dragging.

Andre Aciman, in an event said that he didn't want to write for fans but for himself. Oddly the second half feels like a fan service. w/o giving away spoilers, how is it true to the personality and characteristics of Elio and Oli from the first book? I would have been happy if instead of a sequel it was just a spin-off.

Nonetheless, occasionally I was just wowoed by the proses.

** the american dream reality **

there are these books that you say you've heard, not because you want to sound snobbish but because you truly wish you would have read them. The Great Gatsby was that book for me. I knew about the premise, its relevance and how it was the “book that your teacher made you read”. I knew everyone in the book was a horrible human being - that Daisy Buchanan's character is iconic in all the weird ways. I'll be honest, I attempted reading this book thrice before but the long winding sentences just got me halted. This book didn't offer any solace to get you involved and get you on the ride, the first-person narrative of Nick Carraway felt distancing. But this time, I was sure to not give up! I stuck through it and 50 pages down, I was into it! Not because I wanted to see through “one of the best fictional pieces” but I was truly enjoying it. The story, the style, the symbolism and the building anticipation.

This book is just like America it talks about - young, wild and reckless but at the same time grounded and altering identity. I was repulsed by Tom, confused by Daisy, felt judged by Nick and in awe of Jay. Fitzgerald makes you feel things and by the end, I was truly invested in their universe and hurt and confused and angry. You can find a lot of reviews that provide deep meaningful literary criticism, this isn't that. I am just happy I read it and even happier that I enjoyed it. Fitzgerald, you good boy.

Also, let me take a hot second to talk about Jay Gatsby, that man knew how to dream wild and chase them daring. Dang son, you inspire me. Your reliance on love and validation from a woman who is with someone else and obsession with her is not the healthiest things but respect for the drive and vision. You were ahead of your time. :)

This was the first of Ruskin Bond's published works and that is visible. It isn't the most gripping narrative, isn't written in the style that Bond is known for but provides colourful characters and insight into a young adolescent boy. It is a strangely enjoyable, slightly tragic coming of age tale.

maybe i am just stuppid but i did not enjoy this book, kbye

okay so hear me out, there were five or six illustration that made me stop and stare at its calming beauty.
but the rest, even for a coffee table kids book type, it was very poorly written. cliché upon cliché, just not my vibe really. it felt very deep fake. you only need to look at Shel Silverstein to see how simple lovely books with great message for young and old can be written. this felt very instagrammy in the worst way.

BUT I was gifted this copy and it has lovely personal notes scribbled in the front so I'll cherish this book, if not it's story and characters.

not a single dull moment :')
I shall revisit these strange creatures again and again

This is probably the simplest yet most unique book I've read this year. There's no plot—just vibes—but the emotional depth is something you can really sink into. A lot of the experiences feel like they're pulled from the author's own life or his family's, but they hit on something universal about the immigrant experience. It's such a warm, straightforward book, full of love, sadness, and small, beautiful joys. I also love how he sticks to the screenplay style all the way through, even in the acknowledgments. I'm really curious to see how they'll bring this to life as a TV show.

** I have so many mixed feelings **

medium: audiobook

If this book was about misjudgements on Hitler made by Neville Chamberlain or the coupling effect that led to the suicide of Sylvia Plath or the spies from Cuba that tricked the CIA - I would have enjoyed it through and through, and I did.
Gladwell, as always, spins a captivating narrative-driven by thorough research and delivers a work that gives you multiple TIL feels and leaves you re-thinking about your worldview. Which is what books must do! But this book's focus was on modern issues and the way he tackled heavy, important contemporary topics in his work felt like it lacked empathy and nuance. I believe, his work at large could have talked about racial discrimination by police, college date rape cases and pedophilic mentors with more compassion and insight. The constant strive for objectivity bordered on victim shaming and “understanding” of a racist individual who abused power.

It was an interesting read but not one of his best works. I'd recommend it for the historical parts tho.

PS. I'd recommend the audiobook as I feel this book was designed with the audio medium in mind - the interview clips, the court testimonies, the songs that go with the theme, it was truly a fun experience and Gladwell has one of those wonderful voices. :)

it was a book, I guess.

as a true crime junkie, I knew of this story and how advances in DNA was used in solving the horrible crimes by a trash bag human being. this was a very well done series, felt more like a podcast than an audiobook but it was comprehensive. the product one was tasteful - not too dramatic but attention to detail was nice. this vilified the evil man & celebrated the case solvers and survivors (as true crime rightfully should!).

as someone who consumes a frightening amount of true crime, the tone and intention really matter. are you doing it for the shock factor? are you going to drone on and on about “how smart the killer was” or are you doing to talk about the impact on society, how the victims were failed by institutions, how survivors coped and how hard work and better structures can help solve (or) prevent such needless violence. the tone and intention for this series were quite well done, it was super thorough. there were parts when the survivor's descriptions really got to me (but trigger warnings were stated at the beginning of every chapter so good on them). this was not an easy listen but in the end, I am glad the survivors are living a life w/o fear and all those hours of hard work paid off and that the old shitbag is in jail fck off joseph.

this one is for paul and Michelle and all the brave strong men and women who lived a rich full life despite the horrors. for the legends in law enforcement who solved this after 40 years. and to all the other dirtbags who escaped their crimes in the 60s and 70s, they are coming for you losers.

highly recommend this <3
this is what a cozy warm book with lots of personality feels like and honestly audiobook was the perfect medium to enjoy this.

same story, new prose.
the beginning felt very promising but in the last 25%, the writing felt rushed and suddenly Sita's agency disappeared. her unique voice and thoughts that we enjoyed in the first half wasn't there in the last third. :/

So when is the movie coming out?

This was such a warm, feel-good fuzzy book. Esp when reading more about the inception of the book. Casey McQuiston started working on this transatlantic queer romance in 2016. Despite the orange man election situation, she continued to work on this. You can see her motivation, values and intentions reflected through the characters. It's one of the best YA fiction I have read in a long time. The characters are diverse, offering inclusivity but also showing the bigotry that exists in the real world. The key villain who stays off-screen throughout the book feels a bit caricaturish but honestly, it's not about them. It's about Alex and Henry and boy do you grow to adore Henry through Alex's POV.
Overall, this book is a nice parallel universe with a woman POTUS going onto a second term, biracial hero and his adorable British prince. I thought it was like glorified fanfiction but it's not. It's amazing. :) (not that fanfics are bad but you get it)

I heard 80% of the book and read the rest.
Digital Minimalism is a mix of a new gen podcast on technology use (sometimes sounding like a sermon but most of the time presenting a logical argument) and a well researched thesis on role of technology and attention economy in our lives mixed with the wisdom of out yester years.
It draws from previous works on leisure, mindful living, community building and such. It is peppered with various case studies and profiles of individuals who have strived to do something extraordinary. For this, I'd recommend digital Minimalism to anyone who might want to become more mindful of their technology usage.

PS read/listen and take some notes about the actionable steps, this book is only as useful as you'd make it.

one word review: MEH

for a short arson/murder mystery novella, this was awfully slow and unnecessarily cryptic. just very disappointed by this book. gah, could have been so much better.