two weird things about me listening to this book: 1- i’ve never read a single thing written by Joan Didion before. 2- i’m not currently experiencing gritwo weird things about me listening to this book: 1- i’ve never read a single thing written by Joan Didion before. 2- i’m not currently experiencing grief.
I can’t say I enjoyed this book, but it’s a book I have mentally noted to pick up once I am in a stage of grief; I think it would be comforting.
Also, i’ve determined that books about grief need to be read, not listened to. I think there is actually something lost in verbalizing written thoughts about deep pain and grieving. Perhaps the reason is something like: Audibly voicing grief gives it life when all you’re really feeling is death--a lack of. And in my experience, in periods of grieving or sickness, life and viability almost seem like an affront. ...more
I think normally i’d give this book 2 stars, but I was at a point where I really enjoyed getting to mindlessly flip pages at breakneck pace. So, that’I think normally i’d give this book 2 stars, but I was at a point where I really enjoyed getting to mindlessly flip pages at breakneck pace. So, that’s the good part.
The bad part? this book gave me super creepy incel vibes. Elliott Chase is everything that is wrong with men, and the sad thing is that it isn’t his fault (as is the case with other terrible men, i’m sure). These type of men are why I mainly shied away from letting boys buy me drinks at bars. I know it was preemptive to an extreme, but I never wanted to lead someone on and have to fight an expectations battle later. anywho, it was a weird book, the narrator was unreliable but also sometimes omniscient (??), and I could usually see the twists coming from a dozen pages away. But it was easily digestible, and amidst a tense election season, that was nice. ...more
I finally followed Hazel-rah, Fiver, and Bigwig down the rabbit hole of this book. Twas long, but oh Frith, the end battle with General Woundwort and I finally followed Hazel-rah, Fiver, and Bigwig down the rabbit hole of this book. Twas long, but oh Frith, the end battle with General Woundwort and the Efrafran Owsla was WORTH IT. Also, the story of "Rowsby Woof and the Fairy Wogdog" -- I have never ever seen a better chapter title or read a funnier story. Also, the Lapine language was 100... going to call my car a hrududu from now on.
Finally, was sitting here wondering if the Black Rabbit of Inle was inspiration for Donnie Darko, and sure enough, Wikipedia says, "Frank was to be a rabbit since the beginning, but [Richard] Kelly [the film's writer] was unsure whether the character originated from a dream or his longtime interest in the animal novel Watership Down by Richard Adams."
So, finally finally, was wondering if it also inspired the killer rabbit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_...) tells me this piece of straight-up gold:
"Killer rabbits are a medieval literary tradition, and rabbits sought justice against the hunters in the margins of illuminated manuscripts at least as early as the 1170s. A killer rabbit appears in an early tale of Roman de Renart in which a foe takes hubristic pride in defeating a ferocious hare... The idea of the rabbit in the Monty Python movie was inspired by the façade of Notre Dame de Paris, which depicts the weakness of cowardice with a knight fleeing from a rabbit."
it was ... fine? Right before I finished it, I watched a reviewer say something like, "the ending is incredible! I can't stop thinking about it!" So, it was ... fine? Right before I finished it, I watched a reviewer say something like, "the ending is incredible! I can't stop thinking about it!" So, naturally, I was disappointed in the ending. Amateur move on my part....more
when my husband and I got engaged, his very catholic aunt gave us a book titled something like, How to Have Sex, the Catholic Way. it is … i’m sure, hwhen my husband and I got engaged, his very catholic aunt gave us a book titled something like, How to Have Sex, the Catholic Way. it is … i’m sure, highly logical for catholics, but, with no offense to catholics and their strangely held premises, it is extremely funny for everyone else. in a way, Outlander reminded me of this book. in sum, it describes, with conviction, “how can you be ‘bad’ while still being ‘Good’?”
ps - that aunt opted out of attending our wedding since we didn’t get married in a catholic church. religions are so JUDGY.
i mean...i get it… I think… but... i just cannot.... abide.... by this... weird rapey misogynistic masochistic book.... Claire makes me want to bash my head in. And all the male characters are like grahhhhhh! me man! me fight! me eat meat! me want woman! she mine! me fight! me have muscles! well, except for Randall, whom we learn more about than anyone would want to know. or DO you all want to know?? I guess a lot of you do. what do I know. I only know i’m so glad I never have to read this book again. I thought it would never end. you know, like Jamie’s gd ailments and claire’s inanity. and at the end, the church abides by it all. give me a freaking break.
i like a good "book that doesn't make me think" just as well as the next person, but this was NOT it. It made me THINK about all the subliminal bad messages women are absorbing in the name of "romance."...more
it's a story that's been told time and time again. but some stories need to be told time and time again. adaptation, friendship, courage, the beauty ait's a story that's been told time and time again. but some stories need to be told time and time again. adaptation, friendship, courage, the beauty and devastation of nature -- all age-old themes any kid can absorb in a real way through adventurous narrative. my 7- and 10-year-olds both loved this whole series.
secondarily but maybe more impressively, Brown embeds real philosophical questions — what is it to be conscious? what is it to be alive? how is Roz really any different than any of us? can we be replaced by robots? i’m gonna say probably… but hopefully i’ll already be gone by then considering I can barely deal with routine software updates. ...more
SCIENCE! what a beaut! Did I understand / follow all the science? No. Did I appreciate it? Yes, very much. IRL - I just got pneumonia .... probably origSCIENCE! what a beaut! Did I understand / follow all the science? No. Did I appreciate it? Yes, very much. IRL - I just got pneumonia .... probably originated from a virus from one of my kids (who also got pneumonia). It's my boring near-death experience.... Not really, but I just keep thinking about how 100 year ago, my kids and I woulda been toast. RIP. And so, I have a newfound appreciation for antibiotics and also for the way they were discovered…. in a way similar to the Astrophage/Taumoeba relationship in the book. Weir’s appreciation of and passion for science permeates this whole plot and moves it forward molecule by molecule. i’m impressed with his grasp of, er, "science facts" and the way he makes all of them work in this story. (I haven't read The Martian and have heard that that's even more "science-y".) My 10-year-old read this all on his own earlier this year over spring break (and he keeps bragging about how he "read a book that my mom read for her book club" [eye roll]). The book has just enough Marvel-movie-type humor and suspense to make it work for a younger audience....more
woof. after reading The Crossover with my 4th grader, I was excited to see another book by Kwame Alexander in the library. My bad for not reading the woof. after reading The Crossover with my 4th grader, I was excited to see another book by Kwame Alexander in the library. My bad for not reading the synopsis of the book first. This is a great book, but it is HEAVVVY. So, just be prepared when you're reading this with your kid and keep waiting and waiting for the Disney ending......more
“Loneliness is a composite feeling: ironically unable to exist alone.”
and then: “When you reach fifteen years living in new york, she faxes, they sur“Loneliness is a composite feeling: ironically unable to exist alone.”
and then: “When you reach fifteen years living in new york, she faxes, they surgically replace your heart with a bagel.”
this book is sentiments like these, back and forth. it’s like swimming in a wide open galaxy of heart and soul, unsure of themselves, trying to find out where they belong. not a normal cadence of storytelling if you can’t stand not having that. but in its place is something compellingly contemplative, sad but beautiful. ...more
I mean… I thought it was kind of fun to listen to (i’d definitely listen to it rather than read it. it’s too trite to read. somehow hearing rubin readI mean… I thought it was kind of fun to listen to (i’d definitely listen to it rather than read it. it’s too trite to read. somehow hearing rubin read it makes it sound more like those good vibes you get from your yoga teacher and less like an inspirational poster quote).
the advice itself — At best it sounds like magic. At worst it sounds like an excuse to be a really bad person. ...more
I still think Deacon King Kong was more masterful, but this book was classically arresting and unique in its perspectives and alliances. I get the senI still think Deacon King Kong was more masterful, but this book was classically arresting and unique in its perspectives and alliances. I get the sense reading McBride that this storytelling and character building all comes so easily to him — what a gift. ...more
Listen. I had a lot of exceptions with this book. (At the VERY beginning, she says, "We can have it all." Talk about getting a pragmatist rankled.) I'Listen. I had a lot of exceptions with this book. (At the VERY beginning, she says, "We can have it all." Talk about getting a pragmatist rankled.) I'm not going to list all of them; they should be fairly obvious to the reader (i.e., whatever suggestions have you scrunching up your nose like you just smelled a poopy diaper, and also the advice that seems contradictory). But I don't read/listen to a lot of parenting books, and listening to this one reminded me that it's a good thing to do every now and then. Take everything with a grain of salt. But there are so many people out there who have more expertise in child rearing than I do; it's good to hear their thoughts once in a while.
Ultimately, this book could be seen more as trying to make YOUR life easier as a parent than as a book about raising "good" kids. And hey, I'm all about making MY life easier. I've long held the belief that some of the worst human behavior derives from fear and insecurity, and this book shares that view. If we did more to view "bad" behavior as a cry for help, especially in children, then maybe we could exhibit more empathy -- both for others and for ourselves.... and teach our kids to do the same, especially when it comes to our own flawed behavior (e.g., getting annoyed as shit about their whining). :)...more
What I'm wondering after reading this with my 10-yr-old is whether there are direct and/or indirect lines from Hatchet to people like Chris McCandlessWhat I'm wondering after reading this with my 10-yr-old is whether there are direct and/or indirect lines from Hatchet to people like Chris McCandless or to other stories like Cast Away. It feels like these survival narratives are a type of porn for men -- at worst, the gruesomeness and hardship is romanticized; at best, the stories are greedily absorbed with awe....more
"WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO WRITE ABOUT SUFFERING?" I thought the best parts of this book were in these types of contemplations -- about race, identity, cul"WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO WRITE ABOUT SUFFERING?" I thought the best parts of this book were in these types of contemplations -- about race, identity, cultural appropriation, how art exists in a capitalist market, the publishing industry, etc. -- questions that have no black and white answers.
I also thought, in June, there was a good example of how people cling most desperately to lies (in various forms) the more they are inextricably tied to identity.
But for me, what permeated through everything else was the Gen Z perspective. The Twitter obsession. The doom scrolling. Falling asleep with your phone in your hand. Waking up to immediately check social media again. The social anxiety that comes from living with this constant, unfiltered, uncensored feedback from all of the most unproductive people on the planet. We witness June's downward spiral, which is centered around all-consuming insecurity, bolstered by this social media anxiety and the lie she cannot separate her ego from.
It was a little painful to read through, honestly. Give Jonathan Haidt this book; it would buoy his premise -- that social media is nothing but a trap for developing young minds, especially girls. For all us non-Internet natives, read this book to get a glimpse into the life of an Internet native. It's not pretty.
In that vein, I wish I had seen more vulnerability in the Gen Z perspective. The doom scrolling was authentic but too myopic to be felt as anything but pitiable. At one point, Kuang writes: "It is, in fact, utterly mundane. Not every girl has a rape story. But almost every girl has an 'I'm not sure, I didn't like it, but I can't quite call it rape' story." There, I felt like we were getting somewhere. But it also felt like Kuang was uncomfortable writing this. She used the words "utterly mundane" twice in describing the incident.
This book was gripping and, besides the cringey middle part, I flew through it. I think this is an amazing book for a 28-year-old. I think we can hope to see Kuang mature and find her voice, her footing, and her confidence (that does NOT come from likes and Tweets). So many women have had the "I'm not sure, I didn't like it, but I can't quite call it rape story." And it's NOT utterly mundane. It's real that women feel like they have to qualify the feeling of being taken advantage of just because the offense wasn't a defined felony. We need people like Kuang to help define these things better for us, not to feel like they have to be hidden in apologetic words. Any shortcoming in this book feels like a reflection of the shortcomings in the way we are letting our youngest generations flounder amidst a sea of negative online energy. Let's do better....more
Perfect book to listen to on audiobook. I laughed out loud multiple times. ("Oh man, I think that sumbitch is actually dead!" Elvis Himselvis! Nipple-Perfect book to listen to on audiobook. I laughed out loud multiple times. ("Oh man, I think that sumbitch is actually dead!" Elvis Himselvis! Nipple-ripping shirts!) I love the moment-in-time approach McGee takes, recounting the circus of baseball in one short but perfect summer of 1994. McGee is a terrific, witty storyteller. I loved learning about the storied McCormick Field, home of the Asheville Tourists, a piece of NC history that I previously knew hardly anything about. I'm not a baseball fan, but I am a sports fan, so this felt like such a fun, warm introduction to the harried but enchanting world of minor league baseball. (Also, as a tennis player, I connected with the GM's Charlie Brown poster: “Into each life some rain must fall … and it’s usually on game days.”)
Above all, McGee drives home (pun intended) that this enchantment is not magical -- is not something you can just conjure up -- but instead derives from something deeper. It’s the interest on a long-term investment. I can’t go to a Charlotte Knights game tonight and feel the same thing a father and son feel who have gone to their umpteenth game together, who watch baseball together on TV, who know the players current and past, who both play baseball, whose grandfathers and great grandfathers played baseball.
But we reap the benefits when people can live like this, with their passions, fortified with blood, sweat, and tears (and, in McGee's case, with soft serve). Even when we may not understand the game, we can witness the heart and soul in something, and see that it is good....more
Charming, yes. But this is the book where I finally found myself asking, “Am I reading too much??” Ironic, considering the book’s title?
I was coming oCharming, yes. But this is the book where I finally found myself asking, “Am I reading too much??” Ironic, considering the book’s title?
I was coming off the heels of Lara Hardin’s memoir The Many Lives of Mama Love - a book partially about incarcerated women and guilt and forgiveness, etc., which this book is also about (“I am a person trying to face my mistakes,” is a direct quote from this book’s previously incarcerated main character) - and Kristin Hannah’s The Women - a book whose protagonist is a bit hopeless and who thus (or maybe tangentially but probably thus) falls in love with a married man in a weirdly parallel way to that of this book’s main character. Also, Bookie/Harriet’s character and relationship/romance reminded me a little bit of Louise’s character and romance in The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise, which i read in January. So, while everyone else in my book club loved this book, I was too busy thinking … no, seriously, am I reading too much chick lit??
While it could definitely be summed up as “charming” if not unique, there were gems, mainly in keeping with the book’s theme of laying pithy little literary advice eggs throughout, and in the deep dive into African grey parrots. One of my favorite things about fiction is the deep dives writers go into on the widest array of non-fiction subjects, and I love it most when they are critical but not central to the main plot. Think, radios and seashells in All the Light We Cannot See. So, I thought Wood did an excellent job with the grey parrots. An animal character that you end up falling in love with is always a win. ...more
Thoroughly enjoyed this. I read Slocumb's second book first (Symphony of Secrets), and I like this debut effort slightly better. I found it engaging, Thoroughly enjoyed this. I read Slocumb's second book first (Symphony of Secrets), and I like this debut effort slightly better. I found it engaging, and it's fun - and refreshing - to have a main character you can root for without reservation.
The only times I winced a little were when Slocumb portrayed many of his antagonists as some version of fat and slovenly... it came off a bit fatphobic, which I think is a shame considering that the most heinous racist scenes are drawn from Slocumb's lived experiences. The effect was that of prejudice, even if Slocumb doesn't actually feel that way.
Honestly, though, it's a minor thing amidst a wonderful book. Slocumb's knowledge of music and violin are given life in this book and, reciprocally, give the book life. The intricacies of becoming a world renowned musician - and the challenges specifically endured as a Black man - move the book forward even without the Stradivarius mystery. I had the Violin Conspiracy Spotify playlist (compiled by Slocumb!) playing many times while reading this book, and L'Inverno, for this music novice, is now one of my favorites. I got to hear Slocumb speak about this book during the NC Humanities NC Reads book club Zoom, and he was just delightful in every way. Can't wait for his next projects....more
Read this with my 9-year-old, and we both hung on every word with stars in our eyes. I'm a sucker for mythology, and I can't say I've ever read a wholRead this with my 9-year-old, and we both hung on every word with stars in our eyes. I'm a sucker for mythology, and I can't say I've ever read a whole book centered around Asian mythology / folk tales, which is probably pretty pitiful. The way Lin draws on Chinese folk tales for this book yields magic. It would make for such a beautiful movie, too...
Minli, her mother, her father, and Dragon are well-developed characters who evolve naturally as they weave the story together amidst a backdrop of Alice-in-Wonderland-type characters and worlds. It's a rabbit hole -- or should I say, goldfish bowl -- worth going down....more
“When you stop playing your game you’ve already lost.”
This is the 3rd book I’ve read based on a rec from my 4th grader, and he’s shooting 3 for 3.
I loved“When you stop playing your game you’ve already lost.”
This is the 3rd book I’ve read based on a rec from my 4th grader, and he’s shooting 3 for 3.
I loved everything about this book — the creative use of poetry, the easy forward motion of it, the mix of basketball, brotherhood, family, and growing up as interchangeable and interwoven dynamics. Any athlete of any sport will appreciate Alexander’s handle on the mental side of the game (and life). The character development in a relatively short span is also well done.. I definitely was feeling all the feels at the end....more
Loading...
