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sittingwishingreading's reviews
804 reviews
Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
4.5
What I adore about this book is it is a full book expanding on Mariame Kaba’s “Hope is a discipline.” It is a deep breath and then a full conversation about what hope actually looks like in our twisted and hopeless world, and what it means in practice to make hope a discipline.
It is gorgeous and sits with the contradictions of this world, the importance of coalition building, and the fact that incremental progress is still progress (but not in a limiting, defeatist way - more of a don’t throw the baby out with he bath water when considering change because this work is hard and we need to keep our strength and focus and this is one way to do that).
This book is a pep talk, a confidant, and a light in the dark. May we all embody the courage this book contains in the days, months, years to come.
It is gorgeous and sits with the contradictions of this world, the importance of coalition building, and the fact that incremental progress is still progress (but not in a limiting, defeatist way - more of a don’t throw the baby out with he bath water when considering change because this work is hard and we need to keep our strength and focus and this is one way to do that).
This book is a pep talk, a confidant, and a light in the dark. May we all embody the courage this book contains in the days, months, years to come.
Our Kindred Creatures: How Americans Came to Feel the Way They Do About Animals by Monica Murphy, Bill Wasik
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.75
Thanks @aaknopf for this #gifted #FinishedCopy of Our Kindred Creatures by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy.
My best descriptor of this book is White Christian Gilded Age animal rights activism history book. It’s dense, I learned why the Boston MSPCA animal hospital is named Angell, and it paints a vivid picture of how animals were present in 19th century life.
This book reads in two parts: The historical documentation of animal rights work in the 19th century, and then the conclusion. The conclusion is far more interesting and intellectually engaging than the historical documentation parts of the book. The authors only elucidate their why of writing this book (the humanitarian, current day philosophical, existential, and activist points) in the conclusion, which I think is a strange and disjointed choice. I think the authors were trying to use the history to provide evidence and persuasion for the points they made in the conclusion, but effort got lost in the dry, objective reporting of facts that was the main body of the text.
If you’re into the Christian origins of the animal rights movement in the northeastern and mid Atlantic US in the 1800’s, this is the book for you. It likely is a niche book with a niche audience.
My best descriptor of this book is White Christian Gilded Age animal rights activism history book. It’s dense, I learned why the Boston MSPCA animal hospital is named Angell, and it paints a vivid picture of how animals were present in 19th century life.
This book reads in two parts: The historical documentation of animal rights work in the 19th century, and then the conclusion. The conclusion is far more interesting and intellectually engaging than the historical documentation parts of the book. The authors only elucidate their why of writing this book (the humanitarian, current day philosophical, existential, and activist points) in the conclusion, which I think is a strange and disjointed choice. I think the authors were trying to use the history to provide evidence and persuasion for the points they made in the conclusion, but effort got lost in the dry, objective reporting of facts that was the main body of the text.
If you’re into the Christian origins of the animal rights movement in the northeastern and mid Atlantic US in the 1800’s, this is the book for you. It likely is a niche book with a niche audience.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really, really enjoyed Daughter of the Moon Goddess. It’s an imperial court high fantasy book based in Chinese mythology told in a straightforward way that wasn’t always surprising/novel, but definitely was a fun read. I would consider this a lighter read, as it is more focused on the mythology and power hierarchies than complex and nuanced character development.
I’m not usually a love triangle/romance sort of person, but I did (for the most part) like the three main characters enough to enjoy every permutations of the attraction/connection between Xingyin and the men. Their relationships are simple, their internal worlds are light-to-medium complicated, and because of this, it’s easy to follow and not as emotionally intense as it could be with more complex characters.
I hope this isn’t a spoiler for y’all, but this is a book that has a happy ending, and reads almost like YA with how things work out for Xingyin and the way the plot moves. It’s a quick-moving book with engaging characters and good world-building. I liked the magic, I liked Xingyin’s relationship with her friends, and I loved her connection with her mother.
I’m not usually a love triangle/romance sort of person, but I did (for the most part) like the three main characters enough to enjoy every permutations of the attraction/connection between Xingyin and the men. Their relationships are simple, their internal worlds are light-to-medium complicated, and because of this, it’s easy to follow and not as emotionally intense as it could be with more complex characters.
I hope this isn’t a spoiler for y’all, but this is a book that has a happy ending, and reads almost like YA with how things work out for Xingyin and the way the plot moves. It’s a quick-moving book with engaging characters and good world-building. I liked the magic, I liked Xingyin’s relationship with her friends, and I loved her connection with her mother.
My Friends: A Novel by Hisham Matar
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
My Friends by Hisham Matar is an elegant book of diaspora, exile, and political upheaval as told through the actions and thoughts of Khaled, a Libyan man who has created a life in England. Khaled’s life is juxtaposed with his two friends who also live in the liminality of exile from Libya, and the tension, love, connection, and strain between their relationships as the three of them navigate what the Arab Spring arises in each of them, and their subsequent actions (or lack thereof).
There is no doubt that this quiet novel is masterful, and holds the tension of exile, diaspora, a sense of home, and the parts of one’s culture and upbringing one can never quite escape. The character development is excellent, and the connections between the characters are intricate and tangible. I don’t know if I loved this book - my attention drifted in and out as I walked the streets with Khaled - but I do think it was very well done.
There is an intangible quality to this book that gives it resonance and is sticking with me. It’s as if the book has a soul, and has a breathing element that is greater than the sum of its parts. I am still figuring out what gives it staying power and what my experience with the book was, and. I am glad to have read it.
There is no doubt that this quiet novel is masterful, and holds the tension of exile, diaspora, a sense of home, and the parts of one’s culture and upbringing one can never quite escape. The character development is excellent, and the connections between the characters are intricate and tangible. I don’t know if I loved this book - my attention drifted in and out as I walked the streets with Khaled - but I do think it was very well done.
There is an intangible quality to this book that gives it resonance and is sticking with me. It’s as if the book has a soul, and has a breathing element that is greater than the sum of its parts. I am still figuring out what gives it staying power and what my experience with the book was, and. I am glad to have read it.
Lone Women by Victor LaValle
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I love the idea of a horror book centered around intergenerational trauma, legacy burdens, and Black women homesteading in rural Montana. I think horror is an excellent genre for this to play with showing the very real fears that existed for these women. I think the dynamics of the town itself were very well done, I just had a really hard time keeping the characters straight. This might’ve been my mindset, this might have been the fact that I listen to it on audio, but I never really felt fully sucked into this story.
I’m finding that I love Victor LaValle’s imagination, but I don’t always love his execution. I liked, didn’t love, The Changeling, which only had a few central characters, and in Lone Women I felt like the characters were not distinct enough for me to fully track the actions in the book. What started off as really distinct characters ended up bleeding together because I think it was the characters’ situations that made them distinct, rather than their character development. Once they were all homesteading and in this nightmare of a homesteading town, the distinctions bled together.
I would love to hear from some people who loved this book, and the audiobook might have been getting in the way of my enjoyment of this book. I think the book has real potential, I just didn’t feel as engaged with it as I wanted to be.
I’m finding that I love Victor LaValle’s imagination, but I don’t always love his execution. I liked, didn’t love, The Changeling, which only had a few central characters, and in Lone Women I felt like the characters were not distinct enough for me to fully track the actions in the book. What started off as really distinct characters ended up bleeding together because I think it was the characters’ situations that made them distinct, rather than their character development. Once they were all homesteading and in this nightmare of a homesteading town, the distinctions bled together.
I would love to hear from some people who loved this book, and the audiobook might have been getting in the way of my enjoyment of this book. I think the book has real potential, I just didn’t feel as engaged with it as I wanted to be.
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ayad Akhtar is straight-faced in his telling about the way we change opinions and perspective as we live. This book spans the protagonist’s relationship with his father, the first Trump presidency, and the critical consciousness he has grown as he has navigated xenophobia and Islamophobia in the world.
Aktar does not aim for the protagonist to be likable in this book, but the protagonist does work to be honest in reflecting on himself and others. I found his commentary and anecdotes astute and important as Akhtar weaves a larger narrative of the protagonist’s life from singular or loosely related anecdotes and stories in his chapters. The protagonist is a man with charisma, a man who has struggled, and a man who has watched two immigrant parents and family friends grapple with the violence caused by the US to their home, Pakistan, and surrounding countries (most notably in this novel is Afghanistan).
I really appreciated the way Akhtar wove history and personal narrative together, folded past and present insights alongside each other, and really brought a book that is greater than the sum of its parts to the table. I, personally, thought the first half was stronger than the second half, but really appreciated all that Akhtar said in this book.
Aktar does not aim for the protagonist to be likable in this book, but the protagonist does work to be honest in reflecting on himself and others. I found his commentary and anecdotes astute and important as Akhtar weaves a larger narrative of the protagonist’s life from singular or loosely related anecdotes and stories in his chapters. The protagonist is a man with charisma, a man who has struggled, and a man who has watched two immigrant parents and family friends grapple with the violence caused by the US to their home, Pakistan, and surrounding countries (most notably in this novel is Afghanistan).
I really appreciated the way Akhtar wove history and personal narrative together, folded past and present insights alongside each other, and really brought a book that is greater than the sum of its parts to the table. I, personally, thought the first half was stronger than the second half, but really appreciated all that Akhtar said in this book.
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
The Parisian by Isabella Hammad
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5