byebrook's reviews
85 reviews

This is forever my favourite nonfiction book, and hearing Green read it himself added a new layer that i was so excited to peel back and experience chapter by chapter. I once again give The Anthropocene Reviewed five stars.

Not really what i expected (or wanted) this book to be - it’s not so much focused on the history of the concept and practice of ikigai and personal stories from those living in Japan who have found theirs and have advice to offer (maybe like 10% of the book), instead it’s mostly just a rehashing (over and over and over) of basic concepts of “staying active” and “eating healthy.” There was… a whole chapter dedicated to yoga? i dunno. it kind of just felt like a babies-first-ways-to-get-healthier book disguised as a book about this very interesting Japanese concept and practice. i’d heard quite a lot of good things about this book but it certainly didn’t live up to my expectations (which i guess is on me.) Also, for how short it was, it felt like an absolute slog to get through. i feel bad being harsh but man… it was just not all that enjoyable!

So utterly beautiful. Each vignette is so compelling in its own way, often making my heart ache in a new way each time i finished one.

i fear that these books are becoming a bit too repetitive. While it happened a little bit in the prior installment, far too many of the stories in this one felt like copies of stories from past books. There’s only so many times i can read about someone visiting their sick and dead husband/wife/parent/partner before it gets a little stale. This series has so much potential — perhaps going back and really speaking your mind to someone who wronged you, going back to see if you really heard what someone said right and realizing you misheard them many years later (cue a fun chaotic romp to make things right) — so why is seemingly every story just about talking to someone who’s dead? i dunno. i wanted to like this one. but it was really just meh.

dinosaurs are kind of awesome, guys. also really scary. so genuinely scary. no one should ever try to do what this book does. please. no one.

anyways, this was a fun romp as someone who really adores the film adaptation of this book. i do wish there was a bit more meat to the characters (especially Ellie and Lex… as the only female characters their only character traits seemed to be “smart human bait for dinosaurs” and “the most annoying child to ever exist in the world with zero situational awareness,” respectively). but, it was an adventurous thriller with dinosaurs, so it was still a fun read!

also, i’m a member of the we-hate-john-hammond club. that man SUCKS in EVERY adaptation!

the last story fully had me in tears by the end. these books are always such a pleasure to read.

Just read the poem and selected essays out of this collection for a class. I did, surprisingly, really enjoy it! I think there is so much to appreciate about Beowulf and its function as both poem and a greater influence on the literary world. Shoutout to the guy who pulled this manuscript out of a burning building, you are a hero in your own right.