Shreya Chandwadkar
???One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them.???
~The whole book can be summed up in this one line.
Checkout this brilliant comic strip explaining this very phenomenon :
https://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe
Have started and put down this book two times. Paired it up with the audio book recorded by Steve Parker. Third time's the charm eh?
Here's the link to the first chapter, complete with sound effects :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc2wHvdW4QA
Reading/ listening to dystopia during a pandemic just hits different.
Huxley brilliantly weaves a Utopian world during the first few chapters of the book.
A world without conflict. A world where everyone's happy, and everyone belongs to everyone else.
Solves all the problems, right?
As the chapters unfold however, we see the grave injustices being carried out against those who are none the wiser. Slowly and steadily the author takes us through the murky past, mixing Shakespeare in between. (I know, that was a nice surprise)
Absolutely loved reading the chapters where the “civilized” citizens visited the “savage” citizens and the conversations with the controller.
A must read, for every dystopia lover or otherwise.
I get why a lot of people recommend reading this book.
It has some great insight into managing your finances but does not provide any means to do so.
(Of course, it doesn't. If it would, everybody would be rich.)
Although it lists the harsh realities of life and how from a young age we are conditioned to follow a certain path which so many before us have followed, the book fails to wow me.
What it did though, was make me think and look at money in a different light.
Think and grow rich is next on the list.
When did I transition from reading fiction to philosophical books?
I blame the pandemic.
???Human kindness can be found in all groups, even those which as a whole it would be easy to condemn.??????Those who have a ‘why' to live, can bear with almost any ‘how'.???
Rating this book from 5 stars doesn't seem right.
Sometimes I wonder how some books you read, are perfectly suited to your mental state or your surroundings. In a weird way, they are just what you needed at that point in time.
This book found me, not the other way around.
As I mentioned in the book thief review, for a while now, I've been looking for a first-hand account of a Holocaust survivor, but in a novel, not just a paragraph.
The atrocities that were carried out on millions of innocent people, while their fellow citizens slept peacefully, largely unaware of the injustice, haunts me.
Re-reading this for sure, every time there's an obstacle in life that I can't get through.
Just thinking about those millions who suffered, through no fault of their own, makes your problems seem insignificant.
A must-read for all those who live on this speck we call Earth.
P.S.
Reading this book lead me to deep dive into WWII and its aftermath.
Stumbled upon the Nuremberg Trials's Wikipedia page.
If you wish to see the extent of devastation and pain, watch the one hour video (from concentration camps, immediately after liberation ) that was provided as evidence during the trial.
Very graphic, watch at your own risk.Absolutely horrific.
Engaging from the first page to the last.
No wonder this is on the list of top 100 graphic novels of all time.
With complex characters, Watchmen makes us question the morality of our actions and whether what we do is worth it.
It isn't for everyone though. It does not have straight forward heroes or villains. Every character has a black and white aspect to them, just like the storyline.
Since it was first published in 1986, the artwork isn't all too great, but the plot sure as hell makes up for it.
Loved reading this!
This has left a void.
That abrupt ending was unexpected!
This series can be described in just one word: Unputdownable.
From the dead being the main threat to other communities, the main group of the series has really suffered through hell.
Not sure if it was the ongoing pandemic, but I really did connect with the characters, trying to stay safe from the obvious danger.
Would choose the graphic novel over the TV series though.
This is definitely worth the read.
P.S. Even 193 issues later, its tough to say goodbye to this fascinating world Robert Kirkman created
???To die is nothing, but it is terrible not to live.???
Was on my TBR since as long as I can remember.
Finally got my hands on the audiobook. Will have to read it someday though. Victor Hugo's writing is effortlessly beautiful.
Now that I think about it, we did have an excerpt of this in our school curriculum.
Jean Val Jean and the candlesticks with the bishop. That is why this name and the story has been stuck in my brain since forever.
Jean Val Jean's story and his life long animosity with Javert is a joy to read, or in this case, listen.
Having watched the musical, the only Fantine I could imagine was Anne Hathaway's brilliant performance. Will have to definitely rewatch.
This particular dramatization is exactly how a story should be. Full of imagination.
Not only is the prose narrated, but the background noises add to the whole experience where you feel you are fighting in the rebellion alongside Marius.
I wish more audiobooks were produced this way. Creating your own personal movie in your mind's eye.
It touches on so many complex themes. The fact that this was written in 1862 and is still relevant to this day, blows my mind.
A classic tale of love, revenge and forgiveness. A must read.
This was on my TBR since early 2019. The wait has been worth it folks!
Writing a review for this book, when it has been reviewed by Bill Gates just feels odd.
But we're going to attempt it anyway.
Tara Westover tells her story in this brave recounting of her childhood, her upbringing and the effect it had on her behavior and understanding of the world as she grew up.
She takes us through her days living on buck's peak and working in her dad's workshop.
Her experiences as a child and teen years are unimaginable, but you do sympathize with her because of the things she was lead to believe were true.
Had Tara been just a graduate, I would have been beyond amazed at what she had achieved, without a High School Degree (she was homeschooled).
But a Graduate and a Ph.D. is unimaginable and I'll be forever grateful for Tara for penning down this disturbing, but mostly inspiring memoir of her life till now.
A must read.
First book from the previous year's Christmas gifts - done.
Ruskin Bond (or should I say Buskin Rond :p) is synonymous with nostalgia.
This collection of stories is from his time living in Mussoorie which made me frequently image search mussoorie :)
You just cannot resist chuckling every few minutes, his writing is so humorous.
It's narrated by Lin Manuel Miranda.
The review should stop right here.
Enough has already been said.
This man surprises me every damn time he opens his mouth what even is he.
The book feels like a one-hour long hug with Lin whispering in your ear.
My original plan was to listen to this and exchange for another, 5 mins in and I abandoned my plan right away and made a mental note to listen to this every night before going to sleep.
Such a sweet, funny and cute little book. It'll make you shed a tear, and laugh the next moment. Lin's way with words is a true gift to this world.
The ONLY self-help book (If you could call it that, well it does encourage you to get up and do stuff) which I would recommend fiercely to anyone who listens.
My only complaint?
How dare you make a book with Lin's voice only 47 mins long.
Just how dare you.
P.S.
Move over lullabies, am playing this to my future kids (ambitious are we?) as they slowly drift off to sleep.
Sirius's death is always difficult to deal with, through text, movies or audio.
Re-read this one after so long, had nearly forgotten how the occlumency lessons ended. Not with Harry performing the legilimens spell on Snape (As shown in the movie), but in fact seeing them in the pensive.
Dumbledore assuring Harry that Snape was trying to help, that he verified whether Sirius was at Grimmauld Place, killed me. Also, him silently correcting Harry to say Professor Snape instead of just Snape, is just heart breaking.
For a while, I was contemplating whether Sirius's death was Harry's fault. Until Dumbledore's explanation, it seemed like a viable option. But if you think about it, 6 teenagers fly to London, into the ministry of magic, get attacked by a dozen of death eaters, what was he thinking?
Sure, it was Sirius he was trying to save. Also, why avoid occlumency lessons when Sirius, Lupin, Hermione had so urgently told him to continue them.
Just so angry at Harry in this book for some reason!
Loved the fact we got to see some of Snape's memories, a crucial one at that.
As we later find out, that him calling Lilly a you - know - what, created a rift between them, causing her to get closer to James as he comforted her.
We don't deserve snape do we?
No Longer Human is a story of a young drug addict and his fight with survival.
To be honest, I haven't read this in the best of atmosphere, both physical and mental.
Would like to read it again, or rather give Osamu Dazai another chance to woo me with his metaphorical writing. Somehow, the magic of the text gets lost in translation. The same goes with Murakami, but his books are much easier to follow.
Will be reading the setting sun next.
