Nicole
This should be required reading, or there should be some way to get this knowledge out to the masses so that we can collectively realize and accept the importance of sleep. It's not convenient but to deny it isn't helping anyone.
This is going to be more of just my thoughts than an actual review.
I read this at a unique time. I was approaching the end of my 3.5 month COVID-19 furlough and I had established a beautiful and fulfilling schedule of hobbies and habits. In order to maintain this healthy routine, I planned on waking up at 4 AM each work day and going to bed around 10 PM. This would allow for just six hours of sleep, and that would be if I fell asleep immediately and didn't awaken during the night, which is unrealistic.
I thought the decrease in sleep would be worth it to keep running, lifting weights, doing yoga, meditating, practicing piano, etc. as I had been during furlough. After all, these are good healthy things that are encouraged by experts. This book effectively sat me down and said, “Look. You're wrong. Here's why.”
The section about teenagers and school schedules was especially depressing. When I was in high school I stayed up late to complete assignments or IM my friends even though I had to wake up at 5:30 AM to get ready and get to the bus at 7:00 AM. I fell asleep in my classes. I fell asleep doing homework. I fell asleep hanging out with friends. I wonder what my life would've been like if I wasn't sleep deprived basically all the time and I really hope that things change by the time I have a teenager.
We really do need to stop looking down on people who prioritize sleep.
I really feel like I should've liked this book, but I didn't. I thought my ebook file was corrupted when I discovered the creative use of spacing and lack of punctuation. I can absolutely see how it could lend a more poetic vibe to the story, but that's the unfortunate thing - I don't like poetry. I usually like short stories like these but I just could not give it a fair chance. I kept trying to read faster to finish the book but the writing style forces you to read more slowly.
I rated the book based on my enjoyment of the story and it did touch on some uncomfortable truths, like any book about race should. But, I felt really iffy about the fact that it was written by a white woman. In the acknowledgments, she basically admits that no research was done to get any perspective from anyone who worked in these roles or survived the pre-civil-rights era. I think there's still a benefit to keeping these issues in the public mind regardless of the speaker, but I felt guilty about it. It's like they said about Skeeter's book, that a white woman is benefiting from the stories of black women. So, I'll now be seeking a more authentic story to round things out.
I can be kind of a gullible and woo-woo type of person. I enjoy learning about religions because I can mentally dive into anything to try it out in my mind. I can get down with versions of manifestation. But I couldn't stand most of this book. Especially, “vibrating at a higher frequency.” The only things that seemed legit were the same as The Secret. I hated what she said about basically just choosing to not have a mental illness. And, I can't help but be super skeptical of anyone trying to convince me to use a method to get rich when they are getting rich off people buying into their philosophy or way of life. It's like, if you can't definitively disprove manifestation you give the people hope and they give you money? Others have said it better but I like recording my thoughts for my own record.
It was a unique experience to find this book and read it while under a stay-at-home order due to a global pandemic. I didn't realize this was a YA novel at first though, which led to some dislike. I usually like YA novels but I was judging the book as an adult novel. I liked it better after I realized my mistake, except I found it a little too unbelievable that they actually go to Hawaii.
It was tricky to determine how I felt about this book. I did enjoy reading it, but underneath I had an unsettling feeling. I'm admittedly biased as a consequence of having been in an unhealthy relationship where suicide was threatened as a means of control. So, the thought of a significantly younger woman having to attempt to prevent a man's suicide and then falling in love with him in the process? I had trouble ignoring the alarm bells going off in my mind. That being said, I realize the story was not a manipulative scenario and the more romantic side of me could understand some aspects and go along with it.
Before reading this book, I thought the idea that each of one's possessions should spark joy was irrational. Mostly, I still feel this way. I feel no joy when I pick up any given kitchen utensil, but they sure do make my life easier and get used frequently. So, I think I should keep them. I think this message has the most value for things like clothing, books, decorations, etc. I watched the minimalist documentary before reading this book, and I thought it was interesting how they have different views towards objects, but ultimately the same goal of only owning what's most valuable - whether that value lies in usefulness or its ability to make you happy. There's a middle ground between the two and I think that's what we should strive for. One should only have items that are either useful or which make you happy. Do you need spoons? Absolutely. Should you keep that decoration you adore which has no useful purpose? Definitely.
I never read this in school and I've always wanted to. There is definite value in the meaning of this book. I couldn't help but thinking, “Why don't the animals see that the pigs are lying to them? How are they trusting the few pigs over all of their suspicions that the commandments used to be different?” And then I wondered about all the instances where we might do this in our society. It's also a little disheartening to think about the letdown of a failed rebellion that puts you right where you started.
At first, I was almost disappointed that the story strayed so far from the initial topic of murder, but then I got really into it. I felt that the language had an appropriate level of Victorian-era flourish without sounding too silly. I shouldn't have picked this as one of the three books I have to read in December to meet my goal, though. I wish I could've given it more time.
This book was not what I expected, although to be fair, the author did try to warn me in the first few pages. I am not a Wiccan, but find the religion very interesting and I've read many introductory books over the years. I was hoping for this book to offer insight into the ways being a Wiccan or Pagan influences one's life outside of rituals and magick. At times, this book did that, but I could not get used to the informal writing style. Once the author suggested that an independent person might dress up as a slave for Halloween in order to access a non-dominant personality trait, I almost put the book down for good. I see the point she was trying to make, but don't understand how she missed the red flags on that specific example.
This was the second time I read this book. The first time, it was so exciting to read something so good. It was one of the best books I had read in a while. It's written in a casual voice, which pairs well with the scientific details throughout. I'm not a science geek by any means, but it was very interesting to read his problem solving steps in what felt like real time. I appreciated the humor as well.
I almost gave up on this book. I thought the writing style was overly descriptive. It would've taken me forever to finish if I looked up every word that I had never seen before. I like books that challenge me but the vocabulary of this book just seemed unnecessary. Every once in a while though, there would be a great sentence that made you stop and re-read it, appreciating it's meaning.
It took me a little while to get into it, and for some reason I kept mixing up certain characters. But beyond that, I enjoyed it. I especially liked the parts that made me appreciate the little miracles of everyday technology that we either take for granted or consider nuisances. The author creates a captivating and emotional picture of the post-pandemic society.
