A light palate-cleanser of a book. One where self-help/breakthroughs come in the form of a book recommendations + felted memento from the pale, giant,A light palate-cleanser of a book. One where self-help/breakthroughs come in the form of a book recommendations + felted memento from the pale, giant, reference librarian of a community resource center. Is she magical? or does she just intuit what will connect you to your own insights? It doesn't matter - we get to see four inhabitants of this Toyko ward make breakthroughs at all ages and phases of life. A delightful slice-of-life book that made me want to check out all the recommended books and sites discovered by the characters!
excellent in audio format with 3 very good narrators for Olga, her brother and their Mami. New York/Brooklyn felt alive, Olga's family was vibrant, heexcellent in audio format with 3 very good narrators for Olga, her brother and their Mami. New York/Brooklyn felt alive, Olga's family was vibrant, her relationships were messy but believable and her/her brother's trauma and growth really propel the story.
part of the 2022 Tournament of Books Bracket...more
These stories should be exactly my jam. I spent an inordinate amount of time going down quantum physics rabbit holes the minute I had my own PC and reThese stories should be exactly my jam. I spent an inordinate amount of time going down quantum physics rabbit holes the minute I had my own PC and regular access to the internets in college (there was a site I could virtually smash particles together and see what results in slow motion!) and every advanced math or physics major I've known has had an existential crisis at some point about "What is REAL?" But there is a lot of romanticizing the crazy (abusive, dirty, manipulative, broke, womanizing) genius here .... and they all happen to be men. There are a lot of bodies strewn behind these men in their paths to enlightenment but the enlightenment seems to be the end that justifies the means. And it occurs to me that no woman (or non-white person) would be allowed to go without bathing, paying their debts and behaving so erratically without ending up in jail or an asylum. Maybe that is the point... but I suspect not.
It was interesting to then read Lauren Groff's Matrix and consider the innocuous Prussion Blue of the Mother Mary paintings after reading about further developments of this chemical compound in the early chapters of this book. ...more
more like 3.5 stars but rounding up because it was lighter fare than I've been reading of late and fairly humorous (and a clever experiment).
Told entmore like 3.5 stars but rounding up because it was lighter fare than I've been reading of late and fairly humorous (and a clever experiment).
Told entirely through slack chats within an advertising company, starting on the day nearly everyone is snowed in and working from home, one chatter begs for everyone to take him seriously as his consciousness appears to be trapped inside Slack and he doesn't know how to get back to his body (and the seemingly-more-sentient-than-anticipated Slackbot isn't helping). This allows him to be a virtual fly on the wall in his co-workers lives as he suddenly can read (and interrupt) all the private channels in the system.... you can imagine the typical office drama happening under the surface. The tone could have gone many different ways, but I'd say this feels most like Office Space for the 2020's.
Perfect timing as well for our COVID-isolation, chronic WFH-days this year!...more
a frustrating novel that I quit just before things are supposed to take a turn.... however that was 100 pages in of repeated scenes of our protagonista frustrating novel that I quit just before things are supposed to take a turn.... however that was 100 pages in of repeated scenes of our protagonist in agonizing pain, not standing up for herself, not being believed/listened to, and often experiencing abuse via the medical establishment (and alternative therapies). It's not remotely funny (except perhaps the terrifying daughter-of-mega-donors theatre student who has MC-syndrome) despite the blurbs....more
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