pickBrief but salient; the perfect Saunders reminder that kindness is that which really brings us together. It is something that is so easy to lose sight of in the busy, ambitious world, but that is never regrettable.
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pickBrief but salient; the perfect Saunders reminder that kindness is that which really brings us together. It is something that is so easy to lose sight of in the busy, ambitious world, but that is never regrettable.
Well this is really good
A final @manbookerprize shortlist effort
pickQuichotte is a sprawling, meta-fictional, auto-fictional, absurdist, deeply real roller-coaster of a read Once/if you can surrender yourself to the, cutting yet comedic tone. what captured me most, was the breadth of social commentary that Rushdie managed to integrate in a meaningful way in this novel. I held back from five stars, because I felt that Rushdie was a bit heavy-handed with his treatment of the meta-fictional elements of the story.
All of us are in two stories at the same time.
Early days this is already quirky and prescient
pickA great, compelling, holiday read, that melds family, medical and courtroom drama together. Lots of great discussion of the complex nature of family dynamics, and how they bend and behave in extreme conditions. Although not overly challenging or original, this was well-written and I was entertained.
pickI am convinced that this is a work of genius. Yes, this is a stylistically demanding read; part info-dump, part stream of consciousness narrative. This is overwhelming most of the time, but in my reading that really is the point. Ellmann‘s novel asks big questions of its readers, most significantly how we go on in the face of personal traumas, and national and global crises. All I can really say, is wow. #indiebuddyreads
I‘m sure people haven‘t always lived in such a constant state of alarm.
It‘s time big old book.
pickGhost Wall is unsettling, claustrophobic, pitch perfect. It is about what motivates our interest in the past; a commentary on how we lay ourselves, our values and our own concerns over the top of what we know. It was at its heart, a story of social class; of different people, who lived different lives, and how hard it can be to bridge that gap and what it‘s like to live under the crushing weight of someone else‘s unhappiness and unrealised dreams.
“I do not know what my father thought I might want to do in those days but he devoted considerable attention to making sure I couldn‘t do it.”
After a long period of not reading, I‘ve determined that I haven‘t forgotten how to read and now I‘m back.
pickAt it‘s heart I felt this was an inconsistently executed novel- one that was compulsively readable, and is still one of the best books I‘ve read this year. Is it one of Atwood‘s best? Definitely not. It‘s a timely, studied analysis of how a totalitarian regime fragments from within. Certainly a story of our time, but one that lacks the gravitas of its predecessor, and in my opinion is less likely to last the distance.
“You are not unique in the universe. No one has an easy tie in life. But maybe God has effed up- as you put it- your life for a reason.” #indiebuddyreads
pickTurn of the Key is a fun play on the classic Turn of the Screw. It‘s an easy, undemanding read that plays with traditional haunted house, psychological thriller tropes. The narrative is well paced, although at times tried to do too much at once. It was a good time.
Thrillers in attempt to find reading momentum
Back on the audios and bloody loving this mates
pickThey Called Us Enemy is a compelling memoir of a childhood in Japanese American Internment Camps. This graphic novel is an important contribution to the literature about this shameful part of history, which is far too often excluded from the narrative of history. Takei‘s story, is both deeply personal, and broadly representative. It‘s a story that‘s told with sensitivity, and in an especially affecting way. A sad, but rewarding read.
pickIn this book Finchelstein presents a cogent, engaging argument about the relationship between fascism and populism in History. The ideas discussed are reasoned, and clearly illustrated with relevant case study evidence. For my purposes, this was easily the most relevant text I‘ve read on populism, and it was refreshing to read about this concept from a purely historical perspective.
Permanently in work mode #historyteacherlife
so-soIt took me a long time to read this, and I really wanted to like it more than I did. It excels as a Floridian novel, one that brings that very particular place alive. But unfortunately, in spite of being dark and visceral (things I usually love) the rest was just off the mark for me. I liked what I read, but felt there were too many missed opportunities to make this something exceptional. #indiebuddyreads
panDNF- not for me. Too didactic, oddly unreasoned for a book about reason. Fundamentally not aligned with my worldview. This is a lesson in always reading the blurb before you borrow a book!
#indiebuddyreads is back
