Nota
It's cool to see how after this book her songs became way more poetic and with stronger emotions. Some of the poems here were so freespirited that they ended too soon and made too little of a point. But the poems in here definitely were some transition in her creative journey which let her make songs later on like never before.
Listen to this with the audio, don't miss it, it's quite immersive and elevates this from a meh experience.
I made a poem video a day after reading it, I feel like it inspired me to mess around with the medium in a way Lana did. THANKS.
I feel like this book will continue changing my life for the better in the future. It argues that products and our actions should bring a nourishing effect instead of a destroying one, and that we set ourselves up for failure when we set absolutes to concepts,that the industries and enviroment can have a mutually beneficial relationship
We should not glorify nature, but seek the benefits it brings, we should not glorify the industry, but seek the benefits it brings- without destruction.
I only learned about upcycling recently, this was a neat introduction to it. Now I wonder how it is in the country I am from Lithuania, it has the highest recycling rate in Europe. Is that good? I couldn't find a word for “Upcycling” in Lithuanian, so I am a bit concerned.
I thought that I left a review, but I guess not?
This book wasn't literary and the person in it has made plenty of mistakes and bad life decisions, but they are also someone I saw on TV a lot as a child and they have been through experiences no child should be forced to have. It is relatable in certain aspects, but her abuse has also been closely linked with her mom wanting her fame which is a bit of a rarer motivation (I hope, I actually don't know). Her journey with relationships and her eating disorders is so open here and something that already, no doubt, has touched a ton of people.
I love that she can say now that the relative dying in some ways relieved her of a ton of burdens that the relative instilled in her. It may not be, again, a very detailed book or the one with beautiful prose, but it's so open and out there that it's hard to hate it in any way since so many people wouldn't be brave enough to make their life into art like this.
The book opens up with Gods being awful, killing astrologers, bullying, paying attention to appearence. All the while when they are so powerful... so numb...
What if being immortal meant being disconnected from morality? Not facing the struggles that develop one's character?
Circe experiences withdrawal from the other Gods, her father, her siblings. There is so much about her that is human, which they do not appreciate, things she learns only while away from them. Circe is willing to struggle, fix her wrongs as the golden witch of the island, to create and leave something behind, even if it means facing the depths of the sea. The gods continue being the same... even after centuries. Sometimes Circe feels that she grows up more during eventful periods of her life than in eternity of her solitude.
Her fight starts with Prometheus refusing his godhood, subjecting himself to eternal punishment. Seeing him it inspires Circe. She finds freedom while punished, and then cannot help herself, but be punished even further, why not have a child? Fight Scylla, a monster the Gods were not concerned about? Why not transform herself into a human? She thrives on the punishment, and embraces it.
Having no punishment, living forever. Does that nurture you? Does that make you alive? Is seeing an everchanging landscape after hundreds of years comforting?
She has the power to transform people, but is healthy transformation possible if the recepients aren't ready for it? She spend so much time on deciding that she already knows how she will transform before she does it.
This book makes you think about authority figures, and whether being born with everything is a thing to be envied. Well the true “everything” would include non-toxic Gods, but that's not what I mean, there is an illiusion you can catch called “I have read all the books, experienced everything there is to exprience” while that's not possible for us, and even the gods we can imagine, we can't be flawless, no flaw creates the bad in us.
Maybe the beauty comes from exploring the world by yourself, shaping who you are supposed to be even if it's within a cage. There's struggles of parenthood, finding your own voice.
The language is beautiful just like in the author's other book “The Song of Achilles”. Circe really likes the opinion of poets in this book for some reason lol. She mentions them six times while Patroclus in the song of Achilles only mentioned them once. I wonder why because I don't get the impression that Circe read poems, alto she really should have! Where's the chapter of Circe being a bookworm?
I found a ton of Circe's disappointing childhood relatable. Raising Äeetes, the solitude, feeling like a monster. Her feeling inspired by the forest and nature, the feeling of peace after being seperated from the others.
I love this book so much, that I read the author's two short stories instantly after. Very excited about the book she is writing about Persephone!! When I am writing I will definetely be thinking of the way Madeline describes the scenary.
Thank you for writing this book.
(The rating is for the annotations, I do think their writer sometimes took the book too literally)
Open up goat's matrix, so we can spray a little blood around the altar, do not boil the kid in it's own mother's milk.
Might have turned me into carnist with all the sweet recipes onto God.
I see the light after God caused so many plagues, gaslighted, gatekeeped, girlbossed way too many people. The biggest manchild, you can sense he enjoys it, chaotic boy.
I stan suffering for I was born and now I will have to deal with old age, and one day die, maybe sooner than I think, aka no choice, but to slay or I am uncool and petty. I stan God's decision to limit our livespans. He slays. Too much.
Tbh seeing what a mess of a story this is and how religion lessions in school have distorted it beyond “the firmament that devides the waters” is kinda... What.
John birthed Tom birthed Simon birthed Peter birthed Jerry, etc...
No recap episodes to be found, but we have some recap books!
This book feels like such an april fools joke on it's own followers, and the respect of anyone reading it. At some point its just all about getting to the next slay because everything else is too boring.
I read this out of a masochistic urge.
Whenever something goes wrong God goes like:
Plague snap Plague snap Plague snap
Guys this is such a simbolic read! I finally get it, all the murders, rape, slavery is just lovingkindness! Spread the message of the one and only Lord, this book is correct and full of meaning because its so widely distributed! Our society is very peaceful and without any flaw, quoting the bible is truly the best way to show it!
Only christians get to experience all the VIP benefits of the apocalipse, and even then there is much strife between them. Jesus is kinda like an android killing machine and I did not know that Satan was a dragon. Would have loved to hear more about the wh0re of babylon, she seems kinda cool.
Lovely descriptions of nature in an adventure. Cool creatures, a simple plot and a simple conflict. A very pleasant read. Self-contained which I for some reason did not expect.
The main character passes out during some battles, but he is not a fighter and they get discussed later so I dont mind. The latter half of the book did not peak my interest as much as the start, I guess I dont like the epic proportion stuff personally. It seems that the goblins in this book are inherently bad which is a bit concerning, and in general I just don't like the concept of that (Maybe I will develop more thoughts on this as I read more fantasy)
I loved this book, and hope to read more fantasy, also I really want to start Lord of the rings now. The lord of the eagles
Learned a ton about American police, how people subconsiously judge others over perceived differences, in this book in particular about skin color, it made me understand systemic discriminations beyond racism as well tho, it's not that hard to imagine how a ton of other differences between people could be judged subconsiously.
It's hard to convey topics like in the book to other people for me, I hope to get better at it.
Disclaimer: I haven't read any Greek mythology before so I can't compare this book to the original myths, I have heard that Achilles was originally crueler, but I'm glad the main characters were made into better role models. The author repurposed this one side character to create a discussion on a sexual assault which I am okay with, even though it might not be accurate to the myth.
Take a dip into a reimagined ancient myth, through the sea, an olive jar storeroom, and a rose quartz cave. Reexperience an idealized childhood bond that you never had through the eyes of someone who could never forget it. A fairytale, a legend “The song of Achilles” focuses on two boys, Achilles, and Patroclus, growing up and then facing the realities of war, and the expectations of their current time period.
“I saw then how I had changed. I did not mind anymore that I lost when we raced and I lost when we swam out to the rocks and I lost when we tossed spears or skipped stones. For who can be ashamed to lose to such beauty? It was enough to watch him win, to see the soles of his feet flashing as they kicked up sand, or the rise and fall of his shoulders as he pulled through the salt. It was enough.”
You can feel how much they care for each other, a simple kind of love, noticing small things, being happy for spending time together. A fig, a lyre, a pomegranate, sandalwood, and salt. There are a ton of symbols that are tied to the characters. The book is rich in descriptions.
“I did not have time to look away before he said, softly, but distinctly, “Catch” a fig leapt from the pattern in a graceful arc towards me. It fell into the cup of my palms, soft and slightly warm. I was aware of the boys cheering.”
Knowing about Greek myth is unrequited, and there's material to reference the figures mentioned at the back of the book.
As they grow up, the book gets sadder and more brutal, the characters' flaws become more visible, and get taken advantage of. You don't get too in-depth with the characters, but the ones that need to be are rounded well enough.
“He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget you can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature.”
I have cried a ton while reading both happy, and sad scenes, this book can take you emotionally to a lot of places if you let it. I look forwards to reading more greek inspiring stories, and more from this author.
The time travel in the book works in odd ways, and it's a little hard to believe that the main character doesn't have at least a little control over it, he appears in convenient locations throughout the book which lets him bond with his wife during a time when she is way too young for him. Even if he appears in a general location near her was a coincidence, he already knows in the future that she is his wife and he seeks to meet up with her, and not avoid her.
The characters of this book are bland, and forgettable especially everyone besides the main characters Clare, and Henry. But even the stuff we find out about the main characters isn't sufficient to establish a strong bond between them and the reader. A lot of stuff you find out about them is pretty gross or shallow. They already seem to live quite comfortable lives, but the time-traveling also provides cheat codes for them (which they only use when the plot demands it). You don't get to hear a ton about their work life which you would assume would be affected by time travel at random times.
The scenario sorta seems like a setup for smut, the sex scenes we do get have quite silly descriptions, and sometimes even other scenes have an odd choice of words.
There are a lot of parts in the book where the author throws a ton of adjectives, and lists of references (one time even a very long grocery list). There are also a ton of parts where nothing of interest happens.
The main character expresses negative views toward adoption that do not make any sense—questionable romanticism of pregnancy.
It's hard to trust the words of the main character who narrates them, he lacks empathy and self-reflection. He lies throughout his life, so why would you trust whatever he wrote, and how he framed the events? It's supposed to be a semi-autobiography-suicide-note novel which is distressing when you can't trust the credibility of the one who wrote it.
He displays impulsive behaviors, constantly lies to blend in because he doesn't understand “humans”, and has severe trust issues. As a child he idealizes life, he gets discouraged really quickly and then devalues everything as long as he lives. He doesn't express emotion much in his life, there's a time he discusses control and how nobody submits to other people which I think is very telling of his priorities, he can't understand women yet holds them as miserable as himself, lol, there's a ton of mistreatment of women in this work. There's not a ton about other people than himself in this novel as he can't understand them or form healthy relations.
I think this goes beyond depression, it goes into psychopathy behaviors.
This book is a fun ride.
There are real-life issues discussed directly through hitchhikers the main character picks up, and then through fictional concepts resembling our own. Most of the characters are troubled and seen through the eyes of no mercy which is the intention. That's how we see livestock.
There are reviews stating that the overall concept makes less sense when you think about it, real-life meat farming also makes less sense when you think about it tho. Considering they only started to farm, I expect them to make many mistakes. There are other reviews being put off by sexual objectification, but that's the point, farmers objectify the livestock, in this case, themselves. There's a ton struggling to wrap their head around what's happening, it might be harder to grasp not knowing about the meat industry in the first place, it's as disgusting as in the novel.
The messy development the main character goes through is fun to witness. There's a ton of appreciation of nature.
The ending doesn't wrap it up in a satisfying way, it felt like it could have gone on for a bit more. This universe could be expanded and explored more. Overall it's a well-crafted, enjoyable read tho.
(Old review, but did not post it here.) This book has a very bleak tone throughout its entirety.
It presents gay issues through immoral characters, it stays consistent in its themes. The lack of anyone having good morals is depressing, it still makes you still feel for some characters that horrible stuff happens, but yeah.
The narration is intentionally offensive a lot of the time since it's either narrated by a serial killer or an abusive boyfriend. There's a lot of flowery language around gore and glorification of abuse (as expected when the cast includes serial killers).
I struggle with my thoughts on it, I am not very familiar with gay scenes despite being gay myself, and this book features the worst aspects of it. Makes you feel you shouldn't trust anyone ever.
A lot of sadness about drugs, and HIV.
The horror of this book is subtle and it popularized the concept of haunted house horror. Because the character exploration is its focus, it is more sad than scary.
Welcome to the Hill House, not sane, alone, might stand for another 80 years or so.
The writing style is odd and dream-like, purposefully hiding information, also it's a book from the 1950s, so in general, the way the characters interact can put people off. The novel takes away a lot of things you might want to know like character descriptions, only leaving you with the color of their sweater, the descriptions of the Hill House itself, you only vaguely understand how it is supposed to look. It sometimes jumps the scene forward, disorienting.
The atmosphere, the characters (the main character especially) are lovely. However, some characters that are introduced later on do not serve the plot. The ending is great, there's a build-up to it and it's bold.
There's something very familiar with the horror and sadness in this book for me, so it really worked. A lot of it is spent on the characters simply anticipating the horror and not a whole lot happening, but you also get to find out about the characters when they simply chat.
I did not write a review for this book :0?
Anyways from what I remember I really did not enjoy it, it felt like it combined veganism with a lot of themes that weren't related. It felt more like a book of anorexia and self-destruction. The fact that it's titled vegetarian and all is a bit disappointing to me. The different P.O.V.s in each section of the book are of varying quality. The first one was the most fun and promising, and had cool descriptions. The second steps into vulgarity, immorality. The third one is a bit mundane and not a high note to finish this work on.
There is a lot of artistry and imagination in this book, but to me it is used in unfortunate ways on a subject that might alienate a lot of people in the first place. Like having a belief that you hold used as a device for horror is one thing, but the belief not even feeling relevant is another.
I started reading this because my friend picked it up. I won't judge them for their choices, they probably just wanted to read a work of horror, but the book in question... ugh.
Why I hated reading this book:
1. No self-awareness coupled with bad execution -
This book contains taboo subjects and utilizes them like a toddler throwing darts of a truck. Edgy stories can be great, but this one has horrible morals that make no sense, is written like a telenovela, and then acts like it's appropriate for teens. One moment you will see something not age-appropriate and another a character saying “Golly-lolly that's terrible! Gosh!”. Why is this written? You can say it's to show how abuse works, but for that, there are far better stories. You can say that you have to consider the timeframe this book was released in, but that means, it did not stand the test of time.
2. Bad character voices -
The kids, especially in the beginning, while being aged 12 and 14, speak like the elderly trying to get up the chair. Should I assume that reading a lot of books and being locked up for a little while made them that way? No, books don't do that and they had plenty of time outside before. Their parents sound more youthful, why can't the kids?
There's plenty of contradictions and leaps of logic they make which is common in abusive relationships, but here their struggles feel more like plot devices to delay the inevitable and drag out the story. They give up their strong convictions as fast as a bullet train when they need to.
3. Dull narration -
The main character narrates the story. You can excuse her bad storytelling by saying she's 12, but regardless of the intention, the book is still dull and unenjoyable. She spends a long time on descriptions of objects, throws way too many adjectives, and tells irrelevant plot details.
Some amusing things:
She spoke with her brother and told him that this method of long narration is more immersive and made him use it, he was narrating his story fine before.In the prologue, the narrator compares herself to Charles Dickens and boasts that her craft has a lot more sweat, tears, and blood, she also calls him her favorite author, so it's hard to understand her intention, just like the intentions of this book overall.
Because of the narration, it's hard to even laugh at how horrible the writing is. If an editor looked through this book, it would become a pamphlet.
4. Terrible pacing -
Time passes and it never feels satisfying. Certain characters disappear for long stretches of time, even if they are there every day according to the story. A lot of scenes could be shorter or avoided. The drama and the quiet are not balanced, the first part of the book goes on forever with barely any drama.
5. Toxic masculinity -
The narrator just has to comment on her mom's swelling breasts, her figure, which makes her into a woman according to her. She also comments on her sister's panties in detail, I get that taking care of children can be gross, but maybe keep it to a few sentences, nobody wants to know about the ruffles on your sister's panties. Her brother can't keep hands to himself either, he wants his woman to be without a flaw, to not abandon him even when he's deep in debt and lost all his money. He can describe them as bad as her.
As the book goes along it gets worse, the peak is blaming the rape victims for being too seductive.
Redeeming points that I tried to find:
1. Not gatekeeping art -
The author is an artist and she clearly doesn't believe in talent, but skill and hard work. Most people can do it if they try long enough.
2. Somewhat trying to educate you, a little -
There are references to other books and there's random trivia that's thrown sometimes.
. . .
Ye, this is just bad djshahdhsadhashd