Adin
This book was really stellar. I'm in love with science, science-fiction, and critical-thinking/problem-solving. The Martian has all of it. The planning, characterization, and general plot is so windy and terrifying. Even though you know how the book is going to end, the journey there is amazing.
Very intensive book. Great writing style and ability. Read for the journey, not the destination.
I read this during a pandemic because I was sad about pretty much everything else I was reading. Solid book, really engaging. Not really mind-boggling or crazy intense or anything, but it makes you feel nice when Christopher begins solving problems and bummed out when he struggles. It's nice.
Ifem can definitely be a frustrating character to follow around because she so often thinks she can distill people down to a simple characterization. Nonetheless the book as a whole is filled with insight about race but also friendship and relationships in general. It explores nuance in a lot of different scenarios, giving the topics that it takes on the time that they deserve.
Patroclus is a nerd and it's not 1:1 with the Iliad but still beautiful. The ending makes the whole thing worth it.
This book was solidly incredible. It was very “teenage girl romantic” which might not be up every one's alley, but it also attacked some incredibly heavy existential insecurities. I think every teenager should read this book. It's funny and doesn't feel like a textbook, but it's just as self-actualizing.
Heartbreaking read honestly. I have only glimpsed these worlds in India from afar, but Boo makes them come alive in all their terror and hope and injustice. I'm glad I read this book because I often wondered what it was like to live in some slums in Mumbai. I have relatives who know people who survive on peanuts and I thought that that was terrible. But the wondering never turned into anything. I never learned more. I never felt any desire to help besides in the general way. The police brutality, racism, corruption, lack of job opportunity – I mean those are just problems perpetrated by the institutions that are supposed to help the people of Annawadi. There's a lot to be done and I think about this book often when I think about how I might help the world.
Short read that honestly everyone should go through, whether they like science fiction or not. Light-hearted but dives into really important questions that everyone ought to think about.