Ninett
The idea that certain types of stress trigger a repair process wasn’t new to me—I’d read Exercised by Daniel Lieberman, which discusses how exercise acts as a stressor that prompts more repair than damage. This book went further, listing various stressors that can induce similar repair responses: exposure to uncomfortable temperatures, calorie restriction, fasting, and exercise, among others. It also dives into a fair amount of biology, which I expected from a scientist leading a Harvard lab. The content strikes a good balance—detailed enough to satisfy a fellow scientist’s need for rigour, yet clear enough for non-biologists like me to follow. I was somewhat sceptical about certain points, but the author does a good job of distinguishing between conjecture and established facts.
The idea that certain types of stress trigger a repair process wasn’t new to me—I’d read Exercised by Daniel Lieberman, which discusses how exercise acts as a stressor that prompts more repair than damage. This book went further, listing various stressors that can induce similar repair responses: exposure to uncomfortable temperatures, calorie restriction, fasting, and exercise, among others. It also dives into a fair amount of biology, which I expected from a scientist leading a Harvard lab. The content strikes a good balance—detailed enough to satisfy a fellow scientist’s need for rigour, yet clear enough for non-biologists like me to follow. I was somewhat sceptical about certain points, but the author does a good job of distinguishing between conjecture and established facts.
I loved the Victorian Edinburgh setting, which feels very authentic—unsurprising, as the authors are from the Central Belt of Scotland. The writing is impeccable, and the narrative flows well with well-thought-out pacing.
I've never really wondered about how abortions were handled when they weren't well developed as a medical intervention, but this novel got me thinking about it. I shudder to imagine what I would have done without contraceptives or a way to abort an unwanted pregnancy.
For me, this novel was a bit of pure, somewhat gruesome Victorian escapism, though some elements remain to be cleaned up—perhaps in the next instalment.
I loved the Victorian Edinburgh setting, which feels very authentic—unsurprising, as the authors are from the Central Belt of Scotland. The writing is impeccable, and the narrative flows well with well-thought-out pacing.
I've never really wondered about how abortions were handled when they weren't well developed as a medical intervention, but this novel got me thinking about it. I shudder to imagine what I would have done without contraceptives or a way to abort an unwanted pregnancy.
For me, this novel was a bit of pure, somewhat gruesome Victorian escapism, though some elements remain to be cleaned up—perhaps in the next instalment.
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but I wanted to read more highly acclaimed books from literary perspectives that are not strictly western. This novel was short, but so intelligently written and so emotionally deep that I found myself wishing to have seen more of the life of the protagonist. The blending of a traditional world with the modern is something I have personally seen in my own home country and find the meshing to be captivating, I'm glad someone is writing it down while it's still there.
For most of the novel, I thought that the animals really were killing people, and I felt pleased with the outcome, the real ending took me very unaware. I can't believe I didn't see it coming.
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but I wanted to read more highly acclaimed books from literary perspectives that are not strictly western. This novel was short, but so intelligently written and so emotionally deep that I found myself wishing to have seen more of the life of the protagonist. The blending of a traditional world with the modern is something I have personally seen in my own home country and find the meshing to be captivating, I'm glad someone is writing it down while it's still there.
For most of the novel, I thought that the animals really were killing people, and I felt pleased with the outcome, the real ending took me very unaware. I can't believe I didn't see it coming.
This memoir was so other from my own personal experience in its setting and depictions of daily life, and yet at the same time I felt so connected to the author through the common thread of struggling to get educated. Tara's abuse and her story are far sadder than mine, but I know how it feels to be fighting the odds as an independent adult, trying to go places in the world where there aren't many like her, and it was absorbing to read some reflection of myself in the perspectives of someone so completely different.
I found the family Tara grew up with to be very interesting, never having come across any fundamentalist christians before. It is positively baffling to me that some people choose to live like this, and I suppose that in its own right is enough to warrant this type of memoir.
This memoir was so other from my own personal experience in its setting and depictions of daily life, and yet at the same time I felt so connected to the author through the common thread of struggling to get educated. Tara's abuse and her story are far sadder than mine, but I know how it feels to be fighting the odds as an independent adult, trying to go places in the world where there aren't many like her, and it was absorbing to read some reflection of myself in the perspectives of someone so completely different.
I found the family Tara grew up with to be very interesting, never having come across any fundamentalist christians before. It is positively baffling to me that some people choose to live like this, and I suppose that in its own right is enough to warrant this type of memoir.
I got this from the library as an experiment to see how well graphic novels read on a tablet. It turns out they fare very well, but I found the graphics here to be somewhat disappointing. I didn't enjoy the art style, which I felt was at times very chaotic. The writing left a bit to be desired as well, but I think the work originally having been written to be performed on air probably caused jankiness in writing. I wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters either. The ending was at least nice enough.
I got this from the library as an experiment to see how well graphic novels read on a tablet. It turns out they fare very well, but I found the graphics here to be somewhat disappointing. I didn't enjoy the art style, which I felt was at times very chaotic. The writing left a bit to be desired as well, but I think the work originally having been written to be performed on air probably caused jankiness in writing. I wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters either. The ending was at least nice enough.
Exactly what I expected having seen the series first. I really enjoyed the author's note at the front which essentially tells the reader that this is going to go on for a very long time in order to avoid an ending. There were some elements of the story that I liked more in the version of events as written here rather than in the series, but there were some that I liked better in the series (tank). The artwork is class and the writing is top notch.
Exactly what I expected having seen the series first. I really enjoyed the author's note at the front which essentially tells the reader that this is going to go on for a very long time in order to avoid an ending. There were some elements of the story that I liked more in the version of events as written here rather than in the series, but there were some that I liked better in the series (tank). The artwork is class and the writing is top notch.
Solid work. I somehow didn't realise there would be a romance element to this novel and didn't find it very convincing. People do not start touching each other's face and hair upon first meeting. There were lots of good ideas and unique settings/ situations in the novel, but I did feel like the work was a repository of these great ideas essentially just cobbled together. More of a patchwork than a seamless story.
That said, the characters were interesting and there were enough twists to keep me reading, so I can't rate it badly :)
Solid work. I somehow didn't realise there would be a romance element to this novel and didn't find it very convincing. People do not start touching each other's face and hair upon first meeting. There were lots of good ideas and unique settings/ situations in the novel, but I did feel like the work was a repository of these great ideas essentially just cobbled together. More of a patchwork than a seamless story.
That said, the characters were interesting and there were enough twists to keep me reading, so I can't rate it badly :)
