Rat 🛸

felt like this book was edging me... I kept reading one chapter more then one chapter more thinking that at any moment there would finally be aliens but then instead that chapter would go on a thoughtful and mysterious tangent I never would have imagined. Love this as a physicist and it really won me over in terms of politics as well.

In his afterword, Cixin Liu says he focuses on the science and doesn't mean anything about the politics but I seriously can't believe that. Girl you created a series that says so much about how powerful people would rather sacrifice humanity than for for self-improvement of society!! you can't just call that non-political lol

really sweet and pleasant read, perfect for someone like me who is obsessssssed with Jackie Tyler.

I didn't always feel like it had the most analysis but I did really love how it brought it together in the end, made me cry. everybody is special and everybody matters.

Got better and better as it went along. The last three stories were really great, I really love weird conceptual sci-fi like the last story. We read Day Trip to Durmitor and Carnivore for my book club and which I thought were pretty average for the collection (I like the former but could not understand what an earth a lot of it was meant to mean).

Abby was my favourite, I would also recommend The Guest, Heading West, and The Underworld.

yesss I can really see the appeal now. once you start looking for what aspects of this are teen girl wish fulfillment it's soo full of it in a way that makes you go "good for her". We have: - Everyone being in love with Bella. seriously it's like 6-7 men. - power fantasy of being the only one who can influence a powerful man. - being extremely special and "not like other girls". Like literally being the only one who can't have her mind read. - being forcefemmed by Alice so that you can have a tasteful dress and curled hair without sullying your Not-Like-Other-Girls reputation

I love Alice so much in this. if I don't read all the other Twilight books I will at least read all the extracts about Alice and Rosalie's back stories.

The beginning in Forks where she's just vibing and it's raining and there's trees... kind of want a whole book of that.

some incredible writing in this, real insight into space and humanity and our place in the universe, and the isolation of exploration. Some other bits that to me felt tired and obvious but that's probably just because I have a degree in Astrophysics and have considered these concepts a lot more than the average person!

I think she should have given Prawn Cocktail a shout-out. all my homies love prawn cocktail.

the characters didn't really ring true to me but I also think that that doesn't matter very much in the context of the novel.

Big year for Hecate. she's got this, Hades II and the new Hekate book out. good for her

surprise Halloween read? I didn't know I was reading it at such an appropriate time.

this new series is so chill, just Percy having a terrible time doing his UCAS application and being extremely in love with his girlfriend and his bestie.

Perfect October read! The art style is incredibly beautiful, I especially love all the little creeetures following them around everywhere.

*spoilers*

The end made me cryyyy

Extremely slow and quite brilliant. The language used in this is so fantastically over-the-top in a way that made me realise how starved of description most modern books are.

Gormenghast is such a curious setting; it's stagnation captured as a character of its own. It reminds me of a potato that's been left in a cupboard too long, and so has grown it's own beard and it's own personality. I'm talking nonsense, of course. I am tired and in pain and trying to write in any kind of way that will do justice to how the book is written.

I can see why this is my mum's favourite book.

Bechdels thinks so reflectively and so deeply, her work is so interesting and really gives some other perspectives by which to look at our own relationships.

this was a little less interesting than Fun Home but I feel like I've learnt so much about Virginia Woolf and Winniecot.

Looove the time travel concept, love spotting all the different things around the house. both of Kwan's kids books are such rich and delightful reads.

Edit Review

god tier graphic novel. the fairytales are beautiful, as is the cultural connection, the queer story and story of immigration. so beautifully interwoven and drawn in such a delightful way.

I feel enriched reading this event though it's not very for me. I appreciate the way it's written rather than actually liking the way it's written - I'm currently trying to read some things with different narrative voices and this certainly delivered. I also like the little glimses at more mundane cause&effect. The description of the garden is almost very cool and out there but there's too much in the power structure that's familiar to real life for it to be revolatory to me.

makes me want to write books with my friends!!!

probably the most interesting politically of the original trilogy, although it's so weird to have a book without a hunger game (games? What's the singular?) in it.

I could have even more of Katniss and Johanna queening out. that was awesome.

super interesting collection. Some were definitely 5 star to me (straightening the shawl sticks in my mind) while other left no impression, or didn't deliver on what was set up.

the ones from cross-cultural perspectives, or from people who have unusual viewpoints (even in the gay community) really stood out. I was really thankful we saw the perspectives of Trans men in this.

no one does a story about memory quite like Ishiguro, he has that down. while this is definitely the least I've liked an Ishiguro book it's still a good read. I love the stuff about Britain's complacency, oppressive empire and general lack of regard for the life of Chinese people. Ishiguro is so good at writing people who at home with the British status quo and using their own perspectives to show them up.

*spoilers*

I thought the mystery was wrapped up in a satisfying way 💙

so cute. it means a lot to me to see a main character with a double chin, no matter how small that might seem. Eleanor looks a lot like me.

truly just a good time for people who love Pride and Prejudice, Bridgerton and Heartstopper. I really like that Eleanor is very flawed. George is so cool. I wish we saw more of Charlotte and Robert's romance, I love how he's clearly emphasised as being hot and fat.

I wish there was a little more variation in the faces, Sophie and Charlotte looked very similar in certain panels.

love love love the historical context at the back.

I really love how UKLG does world-building; she doesn't do it for the sake of thinking of fun character names or wondrous settings or exciting aliens. She does it to delve into the question of how another society would work, whether we could truly live beholden to each other rather than to governments and money. The society is so fleshed out with it's virtues and flaws and characters who make the world operate.

in terms of the narrative, I did enjoy, but felt that more could have happened for Shevek on Urras. The conversations were interesting but the plot was thin. I would have liked him to go to Thu, as he always generalises "this is what it's like on Urras" when he has only experienced one government there.

even with the slow plot (until the last quarter!!) I did really enjoy. I am very interested in Anarchism, I believe in some anarchist ideals, and I think that Le Guin does well to create a situation that makes anarchism work. One of the reasons I don't believe Anarchism could work within my lifetime is that no matter your form of government (or lack of government) you will still have the same people in your society; there will still be enough greedy people, cruel people and apathetic people to exploit others if they are not restrained from doing so. On Annares, there are only people who have chosen to be there, only people who believe in the cause, so this problem is solved by social pressure.

There were aspects of the descriptions of Urras that really haunted me, the beauty and brutality of a capitalist society rich in natural resources.

I was a bit unsure of the book at first - I really didn't like the idea that in every "good life" Nora had there had to be some kind of turnabout that made it a tragedy and not better than her usual life. It grew on me as it went along, though, and I'm really charmed by the librarian as she reminds me of my own high school librarian.

really love this collection. I feel like it captures the breadth of sci-fi and kehuan and has many stories that feel specific to Chinese culture. So brilliant to get to read this in China!

my favourite stories were the first and last. Starship: Library should be a recommended text for Ecudation students.

I kept back a couple stories in case I want to read them with my short story club.

so weird to be someone with very similar diagnoses to her but find so little of this relatable. There's definitely worth in this book and solace to be found for those who relate but disappointingly not for me.

there's a lot I love about this and also a lot that's frustrating. Looove the world building of the colonial history, that was so interesting to me, and I really like Mickey's relationships with Nasha and Berto.

I don't care for the plots with Cat though. Feels like it cheapens the relationship with Nasha. I wasn't 100% on board with the characterisation of Marshall in the movie but I think him and Toni Collette were more interesting than what we got here. I wish there was more stuff about the creepers because what we get is good!

I also enjoy that Bong Joon-Ho injects some anti-capitalist stuff into the film where it feels like the natural conclusion of what's going on here.

Depending on how much I connected with the stories my opinions varied hugely. I really loved Breastfeeding and The Long Braid - women's stories of resilience and autonomy always get me. I love the reoccurring theme of the sea and of women's rights, and I was very haunted by any details about relations with settlers (like in the one about grapes).

some things are really funny on reread like Finnicks seeming obsession with bread and Katniss being oblivious to everyone flirting with her.

Beetee, Wiress and Mags are Sooo good. the bit where it describes Haymitchs games is iconic. I love and hate it.

there's so much nudity in this book?? like not only is there the famous Johanna scene but she's also naked during training and at one point the main characters all lose their outer clothes and are just in underwear for the rest of the games? what??

Really sweet. Nice epilogue to the series, though I would have loved to have seen a little more from Abby's cousins.

Soooo funny rereading this now that I understand what an unreliable narrator is because the first time I read this I took it 100% at face value that Peeta was smart and manipulating the Capitol audience by having it look like they're in love but now I realise Katniss is just a cynical person and Peeta was madly in love with her the whole time. She keeps being like 'he's sooo good at manipulating everyone' meanwhile Peeta is just crying because he's saddd.

Haymitch in this hits so hard after reading SotR.