Katie
Not what I expected from “Canada's first science fiction,” but once I realized that De Mille was writing speculative fiction about recent discoveries at the time (like Antarctica and dinosaurs), I got it.
I liked the device of having a secondary plot where people are reading the story and explaining/debating the “science”.
But historical significance aside, the story is just okay.
3.6 rounded down
I decided to rate this in comparison to the original short story, The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, which is a four star short story for me.
I liked the expansion of the setting and the characters, and some of the plot changes.
One creepy scene, almost halfway in, will stick with me for a long time, more than anything in the short story. I wish there had been more of that in the second half.
I feel the ending was a real departure from the original, and while I like the change in some respects, I also feel that it was like removing the heart of The Fall of the House of Usher from the story.
Merged review:
3.6 rounded down
I decided to rate this in comparison to the original short story, The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, which is a four star short story for me.
I liked the expansion of the setting and the characters, and some of the plot changes.
One creepy scene, almost halfway in, will stick with me for a long time, more than anything in the short story. I wish there had been more of that in the second half.
I feel the ending was a real departure from the original, and while I like the change in some respects, I also feel that it was like removing the heart of The Fall of the House of Usher from the story.
4.0
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is a cozier, character-driven sci-fi exploring what it means to be human. The multi-species cast of the Wayfarer are each developed through vignette-ish subplots as the ship makes the titular long journey. I loved all the characters and I hope some of them will make appearances in the rest of the series.
I would have liked a bit more description of the different planets and ships, they didn't feel as fully realized as the characters.
Overall I enjoyed The Long Way and will read more books in this series. I'm eager to meet more characters and learn more of the history and politics of this universe.
3.9
(I read the audiobook narrated by the author and featuring the cast of The Good Place)
As an ethics novice, How to be Perfect was a great introduction to moral philosophy.
It does a great job of explaining three branches of moral philosophy and walking you through ethical questions using the framework of those branches. It's also entertaining, funny, and easy to read.
Towards the end it touches on some other topics like intersectionalism and existentialism with less depth. This might be a shortcoming but for me it has sparked an interest in exploring these topics, and philosophy in general, further.
This cozy fantasy queer romance was a delight!
(I received a digital advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)
Great cast of characters, great friendships. The plot is low stakes, but still eventful and exciting. The main characters are just lovely, and I really appreciated the dual POV.
I'm not much of a romance reader, so I don't know all the tropes, but I felt like this enemies-to-lovers relationship felt natural and sweet. It isn't a spicy book by any means. It feels like we're given just enough to feel the passion and heat, while still respecting their privacy.
All my cozy fantasy needs were met. There's tea, there's cookies, there's reading and book shopping, all in a magical world with adventurers, wands, potions, and dragons. I grew to really love this city carved into a chasm, and I want to know more. Very excited for the rest of the series!
4.8
I think this is now my favourite classic. Oscar Wilde's writing is so beautiful, and I like how the writing gradually gets darker and darker as the story progresses.
My edition also contained three shorter stories:
The Happy Prince ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Birthday of the Infanta ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4.0
I knew nothing about chaos theory prior to reading Chaos. Chaos was published in 1987 when the theory was still in its infancy and a lot of what Gleick was writing about was brand new. But it's been 25 years so I feel like I didn't get a complete picture.
The book is very well researched and written, but it's a hard concept to wrap your head around and I personally still don't feel like I understand it all that well.
I'm quite interested in chaos theory now, but I feel like it would be beneficial for me to find another, more recent book that would improve my understanding and catch me up on the developments of the last 25 years.
4.8
I loved the blend of science, indigenous teachings, and memoir. It's poetic, philopshical, and hopeful. My only small complaint was it sometimes felt a little repetitive and overall I think it was a little long.
The audiobook narrated by the author is great, and now I'm planning to add a physical copy to my collection.
5.0
I picked this up after watching and loving the (much longer) adaptation on Amazon Prime.
The novel met or exceeded those high expectations. As someone who watched the series first, the setting and characters felt familiar yet different, and the story was quite different, which I appreciated.
In particular, the book version of Juliana will live with me forever.
3.6
I enjoyed the book, but I feel like there was a missed opportunity to have really great female characters. Of course this book is of a different era, and women were treated and thought of very differently than today, but it still took away from my enjoyment of the story.
Actually I think in general the characters were lacking. I'd love to find a retelling that expands on the characters all around.
3.75
I read this as I started self-studying for a big exam. I found a lot of the principles to be very insightful and helped me to rethink my approach to studying. That said, I think the book was a little long, and I would have preferred a bit more about the science of learning and less real-life examples.
