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Played Judas · Lady GagaJudas · Lady GagaLast rideKarl’s in town 🌁 · 10.9 miKarl’s in town 🌁 · 10.9 miSan Francisco12:30 PM
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Played Judas · Lady GagaJudas · Lady GagaLast rideKarl’s in town 🌁 · 10.9 miKarl’s in town 🌁 · 10.9 mi
My gut reaction was negativity - too much religion, too much God, too much woo woo. But I stepped back and thought more deeply about the message and not the medium. Oprah pulled together some diverse, intelligent people and crafted a simple yet profound statement of compassion and positivity. The quotes and her thoughts wove a beautiful statement to life and living it righteously. Loved the read. Be happy, be positive, and be the best you can be. It’s all in your hands!
Inspiring and heartwarming. Theo was a lovely human, full of care for others and giving to the world around him. Love the twist at the end but kinda saw it coming. I loved the vignettes of each life he touched. Only downside was being able to tell that a male author was writing some of the female descriptors but not a significant detractor.
A lovely read about nature and the city and urban development over time. Quite fascinating to read about how parks came to be, how Victorians thought about nature, why Bangalore is so green, etc. I’d highly recommend, despite a lack of clear thesis beyond all the snapshots of urban greenery.
Too much like a podcast transcription to enjoy this incredibly. The concept was intriguing and examples informative but the arguments throughout kept returning to the same tropes and themes without adding much new. Enjoyed the read but felt myself wanting it to be over before I reached the end. Simplistic language didn’t help.
Wow, what an epic. The scale of the universe Frank Herbert crafted into one novel is incredible. Couldn’t put it down. Rich with meaning, metaphor, and complexities of being human, I loved the dialogue and descriptions of how people noticed those around them, picked up hidden meanings, and communicated through more than just their words. Ready to read the next one.
Entertaining, colorful in description and character development, and quite funny. I loved the underworld metaphors, learning about Maali and his flaws and deep passion for lifting up the unseen. And I learned far more than I ever thought I would about Sri Lanka and the wars its endured. A clever, easy-to-read book, I'd recommend.
This was a slog. I'd heard such great things about Yanagihara's writing but it was impossible to get interested in the characters, the writing, or the plot. The three separate sections spanning lifetimes and alternate worlds held minimal connections beyond the confusingly, similarly-named characters. The dialogue was complex and uninteresting. I'm not sure why people like this book.
Entertaining story, but wow was it over-sexualized. The internal dialogue and conversations were as stereotypical as you can get with an awkward dude writing what he thinks women are thinking. Cringey as it gets. Unfortunately, it detracted from an interesting premise and somewhat engaging if implausible plot. Much of the writing and dialogue felt childish and basic too. The jokes in the Martian were at least thematic with the geekiness of Watney, but here they didn’t match Jazz’s personality at all. You also had all the standard tropes - tough Marine, hard on his daughter but loving immigrant father, awkward budding love interest, etc. And Jazz was the town tramp. Really? So unimaginative and sexist. Overall, entertaining, but shockingly poorly written. Weir should stick to writing men’s internal dialogues, not women’s.
What a page turner! I love the concept, the way the characters interact, multiple stories becoming one, and the lush detail. There’s something about how the mundane details (like “he grabbed the mug, wiping the rivulets of morning dew off the slick wall”) paint a very conceivable picture. I couldn’t put it down. Very up on current events, how tech takes over our lives in this decade, and knowledgeable about cultivation and horticulture. And yet there was always something surface level - I don’t feel like we knew the characters on a deep level. And the ending was meh compared to the creative beginnings.
I don’t know what to write about this fascinating novel. I so enjoyed the magical realism, the way the story wove and ran throughout the world, the darkness threatening all that was good, life and death as the currents of the world. Just a magical experience. A very enjoyable read with a satisfying albeit predictable conclusion.
Cellie’s resilience and grace against the vast abuse she suffered from pretty much every man in her life (and quite a few women too) made me tear up. Poor Cellie. But she didn’t need pity. Her strength was incredible to bear. And Shug, her sister, the missionaries, all developed in such deep detail. I won’t spoil it but I’m glad she became the person she became. I was rooting for her so hard. Beautifully written.
I walked away a little disappointed with the depth of this book compared to the fascinating premise. There just wasn’t much there, and every detail there was just focused on war outside the awesome virtual world bit. It was great disconnected ideas that didn’t mesh up into a satisfying ending. There’s also a clear bias towards China, Europe/US is painted in an overly negative light (but honestly might be accurate in the situation) and nary a mention of Africa. There's also only two female characters and one of them is described as Shirley-Temple-like. Stick to the Three Body Problem instead.
Pretty great! The dialogue was cheesy but otherwise a creative epic about a life well remembered, from the nursing home. Elephants, mystery, circus life, all of it well described and vivid in imagination. A fun read, and I wanted more.
I’m glad I read this as a followup to Eva Luna before the context escaped me. It was a bit befuddling to jump around in time and place, but the same characters and similar themes grounded the reader. Absolutely loved El Benefactor’s Summer Palace getting swallowed by the jungle. Amazing imagery and wording, as is par for the course with Isabelle Allende. Great read.
Put this down for awhile between August and October, but for no real good reason. It was a great read! Very vivid vignettes weaved together through Eva’s childhood into her teens and beyond, full of embellished fantasies and above all, good stories. It was an author writing about writing in all the best ways. One star off for not enough magical realism and too muddy a story with Rolf but overall a great read.
I’m not one to read poetry often but it was a beautiful and heart wrenching view into life in a war zone and how much you try to keep it together any way you can. More of a collection of vignettes than anything but insightful and vivid. I don’t think I have the patience for poetry.
I learned a ton - but it’s a very deep learning, hard to read a ton in one sitting.
I’m left dissatisfied with this book, despite feeling like it was an Important Read. The dialogue and philosophy was what mattered, not the exact plot, but the conclusion felt too much like “India is uncivilized and savage” for my taste. Too much imperialism, even in its overt critique of it. Maybe it was more nuanced in 1924 when written, but it felt vaguely off the whole time and was a slog of a read. Lacking energy and anything captivating. Still worthwhile somehow, but I was disappointed by the overall message. And poor Aziz, I’m glad he kept his dignity in the end.
Arcane language and tone made this super tough to get through. It felt like a strong satire of machismo government in Latin America for sure, but it was bleak and cold. I found it hard to follow individual characters, and the narration was exceedingly muddy. But maybe that’s the point. The machine of corruption and bureaucracy grinds up everyone into nothingness in service of the strongman. I think this book would be much better if read for a class/in a setting to fully dissect it. But it reads like it was written in 1924. Which it was.
Entertaining and wildly weird but it reads like a radio show, as it was originally written. Funny but trying a bit too hard. I was hoping for a bit more complexity than the simple descriptions and plots given. Looking forward to reading more of these.
Beautiful, mystical, and mysterious. I’m left not really knowing what to conclude, but it was a delight to plunge into the depths of the Halls and see the Statues in their magnificence. A read for a cozy, whimsical day.
Writing anything myself about this incredible novel will fall short, failing to capture the majesty, the emotion, the snapshot of life present in its pages. Simply put, one of the best books I’ve ever read. Impossible to put down. I felt like I was part of the crowd myself, on the streets of Nigeria, New York, New Haven, part of Ifem’s life. Adichie writes like she’s letting you in on a secret the whole time, allowing you to peek into the laid-bare minds of Ifemelu or Dike or Obinze. She makes me wish I could describe and artfully weave in dialogue half as well as her. There’s so much said, hidden behind simile and vignettes about race in America, living without belonging 100% to any culture. Characters are flawed and Ifem isn’t always likable. It just leaves me liking the story even more. Read it. It’s beautiful.
Conflicted in rating this. It felt like an amazing memoir for Michelle herself to memorialize her mother, but difficult to appreciate as an outsider to their familial relationships. The metaphors were often heavy handed and muddled (and cheapened with repetition), especially around food. Part of that being that I didn’t know what most the dishes she mentioned involved, as they were all in Korean and mentioned without explanation of their ingredients or significance beyond a memory. I appreciate that that’s kinda the point, but it felt frustrating. I took it as an invitation to look up dishes I didn’t know, at least! The emotions were raw and poignant and she well captured how I’d imagine losing a parent feels, especially with her regrets over how she treated her mother as a young adult. Overall a moving memoir but I found myself wanting to skim and just get to the end by the 200th page. I appreciate that I’m not the target audience for this book, but it really didn’t do it for me.
Great book - inspiring, hilarious, and all around an excellent story. Elizabeth Zott persevered through the structural sexism and male-perpetrated horrors of the 60s (and beyond). And showed strength and poise throughout it all. Fierce. I love the focus on chemistry and real hard science. She’s the role model everyone needs. Quite recommended.
Sick with the flu, so I sat down to “start” the Martian and ended up reading it all. Dorky, humorous (but sometimes a little eyeroll inducing), inspirational, and heartwarming. I’ve seen the movie and loved it, but this filled it some of the gaps and gave more detail in terms of measurements or trade offs. Less potato focused than the movie. Space sci-fi written by a software engineer done right. Definitely very similar to his other novels, but this one is executed so well. Such a page turner, as evidenced by how quickly I flew through it. Highly recommended for an adventurous, feel good read.
Poetic and beautiful. The scenes were gorgeously rendered, the story woven together artfully. Such emotion throughout. I’d like the read the comics.
A delightful (if heavy handed) book about appreciating the world around, the people who care for you, and the serendipity of a single decision altering it all. Following the story of Nora through many lifetimes felt a lot like the movie Joy as you saw her understand more of herself and erase her self-critical biases. Unfortunately, the dialogue/decision making read like a young adult novel in tone, which made it more of a 3.5 vs a 4 out of 5. And the book felt like it was hitting you over the head with the moral of the story. But it was creative, adventurous, made me think at least cursorily about my own regrets, and wove in some complex philosophy and environmental science I quite appreciated. A cute, cheesy story about banishing your regrets, worth a quick read.
This was an extraordinarily well written, true story about a series of murders of gay men in NY in the 80s/90s. Riveting read. I appreciated the focus on the victims, really knowing their lives, their motivations, their internal thoughts where possible. Through interviews and using only actual dialogue, Green generated a very familiar sense with each human in the novel, including the detectives. It’s a true crime exposé, but it’s also a lens into these people that history papered over. It made me sad and livid to know that in some regard, these gay deaths were treated as accepted/commonplace in the 90s. That’s my lifetime. Wild. In only 200 pages, Green wove a complicated web of connections, with nexuses like The Townhouse and the Five Oaks uniting the gay community. I got to know more of my history, replete with surging AIDS fear and plausible “gay panic” defenses in court that would be unthinkable today. The serene elegance of these locales as anchors for NY gays was beautiful. The world Green created was so rich and alive and real. It’s an impressive book, and I recommend it to everyone looking for either a true crime story or more insight into what it was like living homosexually in a less tolerant (yet scarily recent) age.
I found this novel tough to get through. Such horrifying depictions of very real life just but 150 years ago, presented in unflinching, stark relief. My heart aches knowing people owning people was once an accepted part of life. The parts I found most insightful were about the Black slaveholders, and their moral dilemmas or lack thereof. The beginning/middle dragged significantly but it was setting up for a satisfying, if that word can be applied to a book awash in slavery, last third that tied the rest together. I appreciate the impact it had on me, and was a good reminder that not all books need be positive. I was frustrated by the parenthetical explanations at first, in which you learn the entire lifetime of a character that’s just been introduced, occasionally spanning multiple pages of description, without even knowing why they’ve appeared. But I learned to appreciate the divergent storytelling and see more of a web of people through it. Creative, to say the least. It would have been an easier read with a map of characters and their relations somewhere accesible. Fantastic book, I recommend a read if you’re ready for sorrow and heartache, but also resilience and perseverance shining through.
A huge slog. I basically couldn’t finish it. Subject matter was fascinating but it read like the transcript of a YouTube video. I wish it were organized better and an editor has gone over it for tone.
Solid book. I enjoyed seeing Edward grow up into the son his parents would have been proud of. I also particularly liked the internal dialogue from the passengers on the plane/Edward himself. Seeing something hidden gave it depth and complexity. Weird tenses throughout, to the extent that it was confusing a few times. And for as much sadness as he went through, the writing was a bit stiff and cold. The vignettes were great, language varied, but the emotion didn’t shine through. None of the other characters we got to know were particularly… impactful? They just kind of existed. And the tropes were a little eyeroll-y. Gay closeted soldier, asshole Wall Street type, sick old rich guy, etc. Overall a good story, 3.5/5 but rounding down to 3.
Great insight into the Maoist resistance against corruption and deeply seated injustice in the forests of India. Capitalism at odds with the environment and humanity, once again described with dry, dark humor and deep detail from Arundhati Roy. I always enjoy her writing, even when the subject is brutal with no clear answers.
Absolutely stunning. I didn’t expect to be so entranced as I was by the beauty of the marsh and sea, described in such raw, evocative detail. It was poetic, harsh, and visually wowing in equal parts. But ugh, Kya’s life was hard. I just wanted to give her a huge hug and share some human connection the whole time I was reading. I’m glad there was some hope and acceptance woven throughout her trials. I don’t often tear up at a book, but this was one of those that made the emotions spill out. Incredible read. Cherish nature and the people in your life.
Stunning book. I was riveted throughout the whole thing. The science + humor + plausibility made it a quick, heartwarming read. Granted, I haven’t read The Martian and this seems similar to what that book would consist of. But on its own, it was easily a 5 star read.
I loved these essays, the humor and humility present throughout. It was a memoir, a creative way to dissect the human experiment, and a litany of quotes and references all combined into one. Brilliant writing. Highly recommended. Also hilarious to review a book of reviews. Five stars.
Astoundingly good. Top 5 books I’ve read. The depth and breadth of Cixin Lou’s creativity is breathtaking. There’s such a rich universe - heartbreak, hope, optimism, and surprise in equal measure. Game theory mixes in with galactic civilization and plausible future tech for an absolutely riveting ride. Despite the 600 pages, I wanted more detail. He imbued his characters with rich emotion and intricate facts that made you feel like you really knew them over the arc of their long life times. What I love most is that it all feels somewhat plausible, despite it spanning a LOT of years. He’s done enough research to make the technology understandably complex, but approachable. The outcomes of the various galactic twists and surprises aren’t always positive, but human resilience shines through with a realistic optimism. This could be us. It made me ponder what’s important in life. Incredible book, read the full series, you won’t be disappointed.
It's definitely raw and intimate, but it essentially felt like a collection of memories jumbled together. There's nothing incredibly poignant despite the very intense/sad subject matter, and there's no "grappling" between religion and science - there's clear preference for explanation of the world via religion because of her upbringing, despite her PHD work in a lab. She pushes away a bit, but there's a clear religious undertone (though it doesn't push it on the reader). There's minimal character development beyond the main character, and her brother to an extent. And I hated all the characters by the end. They felt flat, outside Gifty. Part of me thinks it was all intended and I'm not appreciating how Yaa Gyasi translated intense trauma into how Gifty thought and how the book communicated that to the reader. But part of me thinks it was just not as developed as it could have been. It's incredibly thoughtful + sad. It still gets a few stars for the intensity + beautiful quotes + expert prose. Yaa Gyasi's a phenomenal writer. Every word felt expertly inserted for maximum meaning. It was a fast read because of how well each snapshot flowed. I had a window into the spiritual I don't experience myself, and that was insightful. I'll be reading more by Yaa Gyasi. Just wouldn't recommend this book.
The lime was my favorite character, incomprehensibly. Gaiman weaves an incredibly descriptive tale of tales full of comedic relief and strong characters. It’s both a sequel to American Gods and nothing like it. I found myself laughing out loud repeatedly at the clever one liners, and cheering on the tricksters throughout. Would absolutely read again, I couldn’t put it down.
A brutal exposé of India’s adoption of the American Way of capitalism, exported through NGOs, think tanks, and international organizations more than I ever realized. Dismantling capitalism feels more foreign than ever, yet utterly necessary.
Didn’t ever understand the sinister significance of “Why don’t you swallow broken glass” but excellent read. Couldn’t put it down, and I loved the flow of characters and locations. I want to see Vincent’s videos of the ocean.
Crazy insight into the sexist slog of a world that women face in tech
Awesome story about the parallels in the immigrant experience and the life of the rich and famous. Great characters and emotion.
Depressingly familiar story of people in power systematically oppressing poor, brown bodies
Hard to rate this. Tons of amazing little snapshots of a life in transit, vignettes of a traveller's weary moments passing through the precovid hordes of Frankfurt or Dulles. Overall, the stories ranged from memorable & deeply detailed to ... passable at best. Taken together, there was no coherent narrative. I never learned what happened in the olive groves of Greece to that woman and her kiddo. I appreciated the stories, but there was no grand ending or message I walked away with other than "that was nice". I'd probably read it again, and it was beautifully written.
