arwenundomiel03's reviews
166 reviews

This was a very enjoyable listen - I liked that it was read by a variety of people (including Arthur Darvill and Matt Smith), so that you had a variety of portrayal for each tale. They were generally very enjoyable and interesting stories too; the writing was very hooking and engaging. Some of the stories felt somewhat relevant/potent for the time we are living through the the moment, which meant it was even more amazing I think, because it allowed you to explore (admittedly more sci-fi) versions of the scenarios that are playing out in the world. I also enjoyed the moral and ethical issues are covered in the stories, and how they work around them. 

This is an amazing book, and I am so so glad to have read it, and so grateful to Emily for having written it. Her honestly and openness about what she has been through is astounding - especially when parts of her life have been so challenging. The way she writes is beautiful - it’s so easy to picture everything that is happening and to see the colour in everything. Most of all though, I was blown away by one particular section of the book — about her diagnosis of autism - and in particular where she says that one reason that the diagnostic criteria fail autistic people is (not just because they are based on white, cis boys) because they are only diagnosing broken, struggling autistic people. Why should autistic people have to wait to the point where they are struggling so much that they *are* breaking to be diagnosed? They shouldn’t. They should receive a diagnosis and crucially *support and understanding* much earlier - before they reach the point of breaking, so that they can navigate the world with more understanding of themselves, why they are the way they are, and the fact that the struggle with some things when it feels to them that no one else does - they’re not weird, they’re not useless. They’re just autistic. And that’s amazing. 

This was a fantastic read - and I will caveat that by saying that a lot of my saying that comes from there being two dedicated chapters about sharks, and many, many other mentions of them in the book!! But, it is a really informative and frankly exciting read - hearing about Steve’s life and encounters with such a varied array of wildlife - as well as a varied array of people and cultures. There were many difficult topics covered in the book - such a whaling - exploring how things that we see as utterly horrific in the west have such huge cultural significance to them in other cultures and how too often we see the world and our beliefs from one point of view, without considering the impact of and on others. I found his explorations of these topics both interesting and very difficult at times to listen to (I listened to the audiobook), as he described the action in such detail - but I was also grateful to have a greater understanding of what each situation was. My overall take away from the book however, is that our oceans are in trouble, and unless we drastically alter our relationships with them and stop the sport and industrial fishing which are having such catastrophic affects on the oceans and the creatures that call them home; we soon won’t have any of the huge, and frankly astonishing diversity and range of life that currently exists in our planets seas. I can definitely recommend it - although it is not for the feint of heart. 

I have read this several times before, but it was really good to read it again. It clarified stuff for me - there is so much confusion at the moment in the world, and this cut through the confusion and spoke just about the climate science. And the numbers. And the black and white things. And clarified again. 

This was a hooking read, just as In The Shallows was. It was a really interesting concept - the idea of someone being a grim reaper - but it was a very compelling one. It was also brilliant to see a sapphic storyline which did actually turn out well - well sort of. It was a really engaging read and I am really glad that I came back to it to finish it, because it has very much reignited my reading streak! Tanya’s writing was once again brilliant, and I can definitely recommend it!

The main reason I bought this was because of the shark element, and sadly that was only a very small part of the story. I still got completely swept along in the story and I love Nimona and Blackheart’s relationship - it’s amazing and so sweet! I find some of the plot points and history a bit confusing and the ending felt too quick and not as wholesome and tidy as I wanted - but I guess we can’t always get what we want!!

This was an interesting little anthology. There are some really lovely poems in here, and I was very glad to read them, although a few that felt too religious for my liking. Also considering it’s supposed to be an anthology of poems which can be learnt by heart, some of them were rather long (although ironically, one of my favourites was The Lady of Shallot - which was definitely the longest there by a long shot!). It is a sweet anthology though, and I would still recommend it to read as it’s an interesting and lovely mix. 

Overall a very good listen - I found the storyline generally interesting and engaging, although there were times where I got a bit lost. I also don’t know whether this was due to the narration or not, but I found the doctor’s character to almost be the wrong doctor - he felt more like the 4th rather than the 11th, which just felt a bit off. He wasn’t sporadic and changeable enough to be the 11th doctor, and just generally felt a bit off. Other than that, the storyline was intriguing - it was very interesting to see your opinion of what was happening evolve as it went on - it was more like a whodunnit than a sci-fi novel in that way. But a good read, although I’m not sure I’d read it again. 

Absolutely a 5 star read, and one that I am going to urge everyone to read!!! It explains the trans and nonbinary experience so brilliantly, and succinctly, and beautifully. It explains why representation is important, and why being your whole and true self, is not only important for you as a person, but for other people around you - as you being you means that other people see that, and know that it is okay to be them too. It feels similar to Heartstopper in Style, which I adore, and although it is targeted at 14+ readers, I think it is definitely also a read for younger and (especially) for older readers - and definitely for those who don’t have any real prior understanding of what it means to be trans or nonbinary. I am definitely going to be telling everyone to read this!!

This was a very interesting and informative read, and a different (although in some respects similar) account and view point to Emily Katie’s. Chloé’s honestly and openness about being autistic really shines through and is what makes this book so successful. She offers information and advice whilst acknowledging that hers is just one viewpoint and that there are many others in the world, and that everyone’s experience will be different. I really loved how she included trigger/content warnings in her writing for elements which could be difficult or detrimental for some people to read about. It’s clear that she has really thought about the book’s accessibility and audience, which i think is amazing and sets a positive precedent for books in the future.