Mari
Incredible tableau of life in the 1960s southern marshes for the first half; the parallels between nature and human society with a slow-burning tension crackling in the air. Then, my heart ached for the entire second half. What an exceptionally written book with characters that live and breathe even after the last page.
Mostly memoir with a little financial advice thrown in, the end goal is raising the the quality bar on our daily lives is essential so we're not living life in the valleys (i.e. cubicles, 9-to-5ers, etc.) waiting for peaks of decadence. The author acknowledges her privilege but also offers a helpful foundation around paying down debt, saving, and investing. Even the smallest changing around spending habits are important so we're not led by the next dopamine hit of the next hot, spendy trend. Excellent read.
Well-written and fascinating read, although the subject is almost just as hollow as her husband. I still don't completely understand Melania's mental gymnastics when it comes to politics, but when it comes to business and family, she's deceptively sharp and great and cutting people into and out of her life in a blink.
Just had my heart filled to the brim and then gutted by this book. A friend recommended it to me, so I didn't look at the summary and just dove in. What a gorgeously written book. The language is poetic and heartfelt. Seeing everything through Ana's eyes was an organic-feeling primer for the class system and the catalyst for many religious movements in Biblical times. This book felt like a sister book to Circe by Madeline Miller in many ways.
Incredible, enagaging breakdown of human history in the tradition of Bill Bryson's “A Brief History of Nearly Everything”. Tribal law, Hammurabis' code–they all buck against modern ideals of right and wrong. The second half of the book really gains momentum with a stark explanation of religion throughout the ages and its part in war, famine, and soarinng empires. Wish there was a little more on the studies of happiness, but was portrayed was a nice take on chemic or biological happiness versus individual happiness. I am putting this one of the list of physical books to own just so I can write all over it!
Where The Handmaid's Tale reads as a nuanced, almost-meditative dystopian tableau, Vox is a shinkansen barreling through character background and world-building at break-neck speeds. No time is wasted with establishing who Dr. Jean McClellan is and what's at stake—all future womankind's ability to achieve self-actualization. Exciting and satisfying read!
This book had a strong start, but Aiden was so unsympathetic that I couldn't bring myself to root for him by the end. Aiden was so dry and couldn't seem to connect with anyone on an emotional level, which made his fumbling confusion more annoying than endearing or interesting.
The repetitive framing lost my interest by the halfway point. The main reveal about why Aiden was at Blackheath was interesting enough--this is actually one of my favorite fiction genres--but I wish the book would've gotten there sooner. Too many new twists and turns were introduced in the last third of the book that I almost quit entirely.
The ending felt unfulfilling and empty.
This book is enthralling and reveals so many influential aspects surrounding woman's suffrage, birth control, women's equality, etc. that went into the creation of Wonder Woman. Women going from WW2-era Rosie the Riveter to trapped in the feminine sphere of hearth, home, and babies again was frustrating to read but necessary to understand for the 1970s women's lib movement.
This book is a captivating odyssey into the origin story of Wonder Woman from the complicated professor of psychology (and creator of the lie detector test), who was supportive of a women's lib in the 1920s through 1940s during the Hollywood Hays Code era (even a woman president depicted in Wonder Woman comics), and inclusive of the women that inspired her: Maraget Sanger (suffuragist badass), Olive Byrne (literary wit), and Elizabeth Holloway (lauded academic).
I can't say enough good things about this book! And I can't wait to read Jill Lepore's other works.
“More was never the answer. The answer, it turned out, was always less... When everything is working together it's a lot easier to find inner peace, appreciation, and gratitude for all you have. “
Yes! Words I'll try and live up to going into and low-buy (mindful-buy?) 2020 and my annual Kondo-ing closet blitz.
The beautiful language eased into a misty dark world of intrigue and magic. The Circus itself could be so many things from fantasy to love letter to nightmare. The pacing of the book was a little frustrating, since the first third did so much world-building with Celia and Marco. Then, new characters are introduced that tore me away from the story I cared about the most. The stringent rules of The Circus felt a little derailed by Tsukiko's abilities, but everything folds into each other more or less in the end.
The cultist phenomenon of Mormonism is not new or unique, and not the only religion with a minority number of terrifying fundamentalists who seek to control people's thoughts and bank accounts through fear and adapted retellings of history long ago debunked by scientists and archeologists. What an incredible book that shook me to the core.
Gripping book! I couldn't stop listening. My empathy punched me in the guy as the author's anxiety seeped through my ear buds. This scam story is just too insane for words. The New York Times pieces on Anna Delvey (“How Anna Delvey Conned New York” and “A Fake Heiress Called Anna Delvey Conned the City's Wealthy”) are also recommended side reading if you're fascination extends beyond the book.
Never have I heard such a thorough examination full of research, data, and personal stories from all ages and sexual orientations on why men and women get judged, belittled, and considered less-than for being childfree.
Women probably catch more flack because somewhere, somehow our value has been solely tied to our vaginas instead of our individuality. Dr. Blackstone puts forth such a well-researched treatise from which we can draw our knowledgable conclusions. My conclusion? We, as a society, can do better.
But this book is more than all that–it breaks down the societal roles and contributions of both parents and non-parents through a historical and scientific lense.
This book reads like Freakonomics; it's accessible and full of interesting, historical insight into the world we find ourselves today. Parenting isn't just a logical, unquestioned next step for everyone–it's a choice. End stop.
