andy
Most stories lacked depth but can still be considered realistic, Although some of the latter part had more food for thought, the collection itself as a whole isn't very exciting or enriching. Some of the stories also seemed to be cut off abruptly but the occasional comedic bits were enjoyable. My favourite among these would be Death and Despair, The Tongue and the Egg.
3.25/5 stars
The plot points and the character design portrayed a very executable dichotomy but one of our main characters, Broti's actions which sprouted the whole plot was not explored well enough, it felt vague and didn't hold much despite how important the whole trajectory was for several people.
3.75/5
This book is quite a challenging read, blending essays on literary criticism, motherhood, and a fictional narrative following the lives of Helen and Rose. Its unique structure eschews a linear timeline, instead opting to jump around in time, much like the unpredictability of real life. This approach complements the author's fascination with the concept of time, especially in the long form of novels. While there were quite a few stunning books on motherhood published in 2023, this story stands out in its parallel exploration of the art of writing, translating into themes of motherhood and childrearing. It's a unique and genius approach, in my opinion.
Though the book can feel lengthy and chaotic at times, and I may have missed some moments of introspection, I ultimately enjoyed reading it. If you're seeking something more experimental and challenging, I recommend picking up this book!
Regarding the audiobook, I found some of the narrator's pronunciations to be a little drawn out for my taste and I wasn't particularly fond of it, But overall, it provided a satisfactory experience. Given the sporadic nature of the book and its frequent delve into topics like literary theory and philosophy, it's necessary to stay attentive while listening, otherwise you miss out on important details.
4.00 stars/5
A big thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.
I had much higher expectations from this book than it has met. The book employs an interesting but not unheard-of prose poetry structure with almost no punctuation, which was much easier to follow than other books employing a similar structure. It is also a very quiet book, which I personally appreciate, but it seems somewhat effervescent, ig? I was also somewhat dissatisfied with the lack of proper portrayal of Mai and Asta's relationship. I love reading about realistic female friendships, and I feel like I was deprived of that here. Overall, it was “fine,” I'd rate it 3.25 or 3.5 out of 4
Although I did not necessarily agree with what Sontag said for the majority, I did get important diverging perspectives which made me reevaluate my stance in some cases.
Some essays especially the ones on specific cinemas seemed too esoteric.
This is my first Faulkner(If I don't count the short story ‘ a rose for Emily'). If we get past what feels like a nonsensical ramble and connect the dots from all the POVs (yeah it has multiple narrators which made it more special because all of the emotions and perspectives are conveyed with more rawness to the reader), the book is very enjoyable well more like reflective and stimulating. I love how Faulkner epitomized death and religion throughout the whole novel. Not only that it also portrays the duality and hypocrisy of many characters, especially Addie's husband Anse who acted like a hero and a great husband but in reality, he was someone who only thinks about himself and his interests . I am sure I have missed or looked past many symbolic representations and I only have understood some of them but I have very much enjoyed Faulkner's symbolic representations it introduces a whole another level to the premise.
I would suggest you read it if you like a deep, depressing and somewhat challenging read.
4 stars out of 5
With its non-linear structure, poetic prose, and dreamlike fragmented (literally) recollection of people and the memories clinging to them, this book offers a fascinating observation of how the narrator's characters and life path are shaped by the circumstances and influential people in her life. It presents quotable thoughts on literature, reading, and human relations. However, it falls short of being truly impressive, lacking that special factor to make it highly memorable for the reader. Overall, I would rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I was so pumped to read this book since I love reading about siblings dynamics but so many plot holes for me to ignore.
The premise of the book is very important and the execution was marvelous but I think the story has been cut short for the length and even though the writing style is very simple and relevant, I was hoping for more versatility here. The ending has suited this book well in, adapting an open-to-interpretation ending gave the book the last touch of realism it needed. Not to mention I got to know about an obscure historical practice that involved the death of more than ten thousand innocent people. Kudos to Claire Keegan for mentioning this topic in the author's note.
4 stars/5
full time idiosyncratic, sometimes polemical, and sometimes humorous, ‘Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead' is more of a philosophical novel thinly veiled as a noir crime novel. The author maintains a whimsical narrative even while discussing the hypocrisy/double standards of society, ranging from cruelty against animals to the stigmatization of individuals with differing opinions or unconventional traits not deemed acceptable by “civilized” society.
While I found the book overall pleasing, in later parts, I felt that (especially Janina spilling beetle pheromones, which felt forced and foolish, seemingly to expedite the discovery of the killer), the progression appeared somewhat artificial.
Antonia Lloyd-Jones's translation is natural and fluid, making it delightful to read.
3.75/5
a little too weird and cringe at times but the rawness associated with geological implications was very punchy in this tiny essay. The association of romance, identity and growing-up themes seemed very well-suited.
p.s- queer volcano
The oldest book on my tbr is finally gone whew.
Anyways so I liked reading this book because it kind of gets deeper into some famous theories which I have only read on the surface but then again the deep isn't deep enough to have a clear idea about the theory. Sometimes it felt like Dr Hakjng is skipping some parts. Well, I can't expect more from it cause it's a pop-sci book written for beginners. I think I need to pick up a more advanced book to get a clearer picture.
Even if all of these issues I have faced I think the book delivered 80% of what it promised to deliver. It's simple, enjoyable, knowledgeable and easily non-put-downable.
3.75 stars. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an easy astronomy book.
Key points from headway-
1) Write your commitments for the next year in an app. Identify your core values and goals. Pick 5 main projects out of 25 you could concentrate on this year. Apply the SMART technique to make a 3-month goal for every five projects.
2) Plan your weekly review session. Define your obligations, priority projects and time you can this week. Apply the 80/20 method. Reserve time on your calendar for your tasks, leisure, and other activities. Try days dedicated to a certain theme and concentrate on hard tasks.
3) Group your small habits into one routine and complete it every day at the same time.
4) Challenge your reasons behind procrastination tendencies.
This felt like a mixed bag of advice wrapped in one but the bad thing was that the advice lacked in terms of giving a complete primer on all of the aspects. A bunch of arguments were suited for critical thinking in daily life, while some of the others felt much more suited for formal debates and courtroom cases. The lack of good organization rendered it partly fruitless. Nevertheless, I have a much more clear idea of a bunch of legal terms now.
3.25 stars/5
Firstly, I'd like to express my gratitude to Henry Holt & Co for providing me with the ARC. I had been searching for a copy since it was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Nonfiction and out of all the books, this topic resonated with me a lot.
I've read approximately 50% up to Chapter 5 “Your Freedom” and have also read the “Epilogue” and now I have decided to DNF it.
Initially, the start was a little long-winded, with a broad narrative voice that irked me a little, but I didn't mind it that much and continued. However all of the chapters seemed to lack depth and nuance. The first chapter “Your Livelihood” was much better than the others in this aspect, providing a balanced view with pros and cons. The second chapter “Your Body” discussed the important topic of deepfake technology and how it's weaponized for promoting non-consensual pornographic content and the flimsiness of internet regulations. This chapter was interesting to read, especially because of the addition of victims' and activists' viewpoints, rather than solely focusing on commentary on the nature of internet regulation (which was discussed at quite a minute level). However, things went downhill in Chapter 3, where the author talked about the use of facial recognition. Not only did the author fail to frame the chapter in a critical point, but their points seemed to echo “facial recognition is always bad” too many times. It didn't sit well with me how someone who's supposed to be an “expert” simplified things too much. Coupled with the fact that the author cut off news on crucial parts and framed them in an ambiguous stance, such as the author's reporting on the 2021 Indian Republic Day farmers storming the Red Fort while destroying public property and hoisting the union's flag and Sikh religious flag. Chapters 4, “Your Health,” and 5, “Your Freedom,” were better than the earlier chapter but still seemed to echo the same sentiments and factual similarities with other chapters, along with dabbling in long and emotional narrative supposed to invoke empathy.
Then I peeked at the “Epilogue” where I had hoped the author would discuss some consolidated form of solutions which can supposedly be implemented to regulate AI from exploiting people, and darn it was quite the disappointment. It offered no real solution but propagated the same rhetoric the author always warned us against—wealthy big corps and individuals dictating the lives of marginalized people, but in the form of “more” corrupt religious institutions (which thrives on dogmatism, fearmongering, and economic corruption) signing a treaty for regulation of AI. Not to mention, the treaty seemed toothless and ornamental. This portion of the book seems like a huge disappointment. This would have been in the 3-4 star area if there weren't so many glaring faults in this book. I am rating it 2 stars out of 5 because this book did give me some, although a very tiny amount of food for thought and important factual information that I should care more about. You can read this book if you want a discussion only of the worst aspects of being dependent on AI.
3.5 stars, This book was quite handy for anybody who has no or very little knowledge in economics and politics. At first I was kind of irked because the authors described most reason for a a nation's failure because of extractive institutions which seemed to much oversimplified but in the last chapter they kind of addressed this issue by saying that there are many reasons for a country's failure but they kept inclusive and extractive institutions theory to be their main one to keep this book more beginner friendly which is fine I guess. Some of the parts had too much historical co text with less focus on the ultimate result, those were kind of boring to read. The things I've learned from this book are
1. Political centralization and making pluralist institutions
2.poltical circumstances are the main catalyst for economic development
So after all this bantering I would like to say that I'm glad that my sis recommended it to me , not only it has some overview basic economic problems but also I've got to know some lesser known historical contexts on world poverty and power.
Very similar to what ‘Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution' discussed in that book, although this was much more concise than [bc:Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution 75494215 Eve How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution Cat Bohannon https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1684815183l/75494215.SY75.jpg 54925785], and it has more potential to be trustworthy as nonfiction since it is written by an evolutionary geneticist.
This book discomforted me a lot, part 1 was especially but it also helped me to understand/broaden my views on how art is supposed to correlate/corroborate/confront our lives, and our views. How art breaks taboos and points out the deprivation and dark corners of human nature. Our protagonist has dual nature sometimes he's unsure, apologetic but for the majority of the time he's violent, sly and manipulative to the reader and attempts to lure them into a trance where he is a tragic lover pursuing his moody one true love and surprisingly many readers fall for it, now that sounds like something a propaganda poster would do but seriously I wonder how people defended him even after reading his vague self-confession at part 2 chapter 33 and the latter, unreliable narrator at its finest.
Although I loved the wordplay and literary allusions, sometimes I found them to be too wordy other than that it's one the most perfect book I have ever read.
4 stars/5
p.s- I faced this issue many times while I talked about this book with the general public. Some people think this a literature of paedophile apologists, some think it is paedophile propaganda to decriminalize paedophilia and some peeps think Nabokov is a downright paedophile and it's loosely based on his biography.
I would like to say stop reading this book 1. If you blindly trust unreliable narrators who frequently contradict themselves 2. If you still calling her Lolita even after 100 pages(copied)
Hmmm, pretty clichéd but It felt pretty good while I was reading on my ooga booga state. I won't be continuing this series since it's highly predictable.
This little book was quite useful for understanding both the heart of darkness and An image of Africa but only the last section was mainly helpful otherwise most of the time the critic is echoing Achebe's thoughts rather than properly analysing them.
3/5
such a captivating book(for this size and without being silly) with a mysterious atmosphere all around the first 64 chapters along with enjoyable drama, laced with tons of subplots and some memorable side characters too who didn't always have their own stories to tell but the situations theirs acts all are interconnected to the main plot. The book is divided between our protagonist Esther and other third-person narration. Personally, I liked Esther's narrated chapters more as I Personally liked her character and the intimate way of storytelling. But the third person narrative was crucial and without it, the events and style of the book would've been too simple and boring. Also, Dickens's prose was descriptive like most of his contemporaries but the prose was joyous to read(for the majority of the time). The way he used metaphors and symbolism here was so delightful. He also likes most of the books that mentioned the corruption, the condition of the poor and some shady people's greed in here too.
Although sometimes I was getting bored mostly because of my own short attention span, this book has the ability to keep someone interested (even someone who is more prone to genre fiction and has limited experience with literary fiction). Not a page-turner for all obviously but I am so glad that I have finally read this book.
now some things that I was sceptical about some characters like Mr John Jarndyce, George, Mr Woodcourt was too much goody two shoes and almost unbelievable but I wouldn't say that they were bland? on the other hand I liked how the the antagonistic characters or semi antagonistic I gue? characters were portrayed although I don't think anybody was the mastermind villain hereand the irony of Jarndyce case got solved all of the court proceedings cost what they were supposed to get, it felt so similar to how my father described some of our inheritance court cases even in this era although in a developing country that's a differenceI also liked how he addedJo's situation(RIP Jo), the brickmakers wives misfortune and how the Dedlock era is coming to an end after Mr Dedlock's sudden paralysis
I'm going to give it 3.75
The prose was exquisite but not too heavy on the other hand it wasn't too simple or too common, and the flow of the language and the description were perfect. The vivid imagery of Kolkata and the immigrant experiences were so to the point, that it felt like unfolding like a picture book to me. Now onto the plot - it started very pleasant with strong promise but after chapter 10 it seemed to lose its potential and weakly developed, the ending was half baked but I do think she painted some of the mundane things very interestingly here. I would've loved to see more solid plot progression. The readability is top-notch though, I completed the whole thing in one sitting.
3. 5 stars from me.
This is so much more complex and informative than I initially thought. I read Linda Nochlin's article on ARTnews. Still, this book contained an introduction discussing the impression of this essay on the modern art movement and it also has a chapter which examined the effect of this essay on mobilising discussion on the exclusion of several marginalised groups of our society, the metamorphosis of previous instances where female artist and art historians were severally unappreciated by the famous art journals and orthodox members of the art communities. I highly recommend it to anybody who's looking for a short, inspiring and informative read.
4.5 stars out of 5
The scientific factual details discussed in the earlier chapters are very helpful and pristine. Although the historical use of alum seemed a little out of place, the rest of the contemporary politics/aluminium mining-usage especially of the Greenland part was very engaging. I am kind of disappointed with how it turned out on the middle parts (From ‘mobile metal' to ‘hydro metal nexus'), it was more of a rant and not systematic enough with the previous discussions. ‘The durability dilemma' and ‘politics behind planned obsolescence' were insightful, especially with the example of Apple, one of the biggest tech giants. I also liked that the author included the Environmental degradation of various African countries because of the unscientific and rapid extraction of several metals.