dePalafox
An invaluable book to those who are interested in the “woman question” and the women throughout history who had important contributions to philosophy. It's earned a place on my shelf with that alone. Intertwined with the fascinating historical and biographical context of these women is Regan's own journey—this is less interesting, and the combination feels a bit meandering at times. But it's easy to sympathize and learn with her as she catalogs her own history and relationship with these women and their writing, so the lack of direction doesn't mar the work terribly much.
With a rich bibliography of so many other works I want to dig into, I'll be keeping this inspirational tome around for quite a while.
a genuine-feeling, encouraging little memoir.
it's a quick read. it wouldn't be the worst choice if you're someone struggling with your mental health and are looking for something to relate to for the first time. you may find it helpful.
if you've read the midnight library, you'll find similar elements between it and this memoir. no staggering insights, but it's fun to connect the dots.
he does romanticize the idea of depression and anxiety as being things that help show the true beauty of life and conductive to creativity and greatness. i think there is some truth to that. but it's also a dangerous notion, the idea that if only you could live with these terrible, dark things within you, flirting with them, you will be a stronger person.
which isn't to say it's impossible to manage your anxiety and depression on your own. but if it's severely affecting your life, if you have the resources to i highly recommend finding a therapist you're compatible with, which can be an entire ordeal by itself, and considering if medication would be helpful.
it was okay.
i listened to the audiobook which had an appropriately jovial, friendly tone.
overall, a lighthearted seafaring adventure with characters that are fun and exactly who they appear to be. except for i guess, dunya. was pleasantly surprised at the inclusion of a trans character, and the ending reveal of who the narrator is was fun. but, the trans experience is never really explored *too* much, and i didn't expect them to be for a side character in this kind of novel.
won't be something i return to, but was nice to put on in the background while attending to other things.
now i need a sexy demon husband for myself.
a frank, mostly unsurprisin' yet captivating little story about a pretentious, rude but somehow charming woman who is struggling to reconnect to the world. if you've ever been in a really dark, depressed spot in your life, you may find her inner monologue and self-criticism especially relatable.
i liked it a lot. i'd say it's overall a good, not great, book.
if you liked this, i'd pass a slight recommendation of Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (either the book, or the movie.) a less tragic story of an equally eccentric, agoraphobic woman who has lost her place in the world
i'm conflicted about how to rate this because the last quarter was really, really great but the majority of it was mostly “ok.” it does build up to a touching, cute ending that made me tear up a bit.
Bernadette, as a character, is quite compelling and fun to think about. her quirks, mannerisms, status as a failed, depressed, renowned genius architect who hates people makes her day-to-day interactions a joy to read.
the rest of the cast... are fine. Bee and Elgie really come into their own in the last quarter of the book and i wish they were more interesting earlier.
i started reading this after seeing the movie, which presents Bernadette in a more positive light, i'd say. the movie itself felt very disjointed, so after reading reviews that indicated the book pulled off the same story in a more satisfying way i just had to know for myself.
the book indeed does an overall better job with its collection of various emails, invoices, documents, dialogues, etc. of making an interesting story than the movie does. however, while it is indeed interesting, it's not enough to truly make me gush over its structure. it's cool, but i wish the book leaned way harder into things like invoices, receipts, all the different pieces of litter that one accumulates as they live live to convey narrative. a lot of the material used, like for example the documentary of people being interviewed who had associations with Bernadette, wouldn't have really been different if it was presented as a conversation between a few people. i might even say some of it is more effective in the movie.
as i mentioned in the beginning, the first three fourths of this book was ok but by itself wouldn't have been enough to keep me going through the novel had i not had an utter compulsion to compare its version of events with the movie (as well as maybe how much i related to, or liked to think i related to, Bernadette as a character). in the end i'm glad i did.
i did find this book to be weirdly inspiring.
“people like you must create. if you don't create, Bernadette, you will become a menace to society”
if you're someone who used to work on neat little projects but stopped for one reason or another, you might find a lot of yourself in Bernadette.
alright, now i'm off to go kick the shit out of life. thanks Bernadette ❤️
i really like this (audio)book.
its light and playful style makes it easy to listen to, and it's a great overview of some important philosophical figures and their ideas. and the method of relating whatever is being discussed to the challenges everyone ends up facing while going through life has an inspirational, comforting effect.
imo, it's especially good as a starting point for those who have always had a vague, unnourished interest in philosophy in the background of their minds. i re-listen to this occasionally and am always left a little happier, with a better perspective of life.
A few parts were overwrought and a little predictable, but I found it to be very relatable and overall enjoyed my time with the book.
2nd listen through: the above still encapsulates my experience, although this time fewer parts seemed unnecessarily long... maybe i was just in a more compatible headspace this time
...ok i'm pretty sure this is the fourth time i've listened to this book despite the official records on goodreads. i still don't think it's like, a really great book, but it's good. and i feel a strong connection to it. i suppose that's not surprisin', it's very relevant to the thoughts i struggle with in life. and nora is relatable and pleasant enough.
even so, i'm always left with a feelin' of slight unhappiness whenever finishin' a book like the midnight library, in a like, ‘oh things turned out really well for this fictional character but gestures at self'. but it's only a slight feelin', and in the larger picture of my life i'm happy to have the reminder that, things might be able to be better, if i work towards it.
hurray for the midnight library. i guess.
i need a list of every outfit Noemi wears in this
overall a fun little thing, it's the first time i've really read a “gothic horror” type story and it does a fine job building some intrigue in the beginning with a few twists at the end. it starts out “simple” in that it's “just” mold causing hallucinations but the sinister backstory Silvia fills in with the last third of the novel makes it so much more unnerving and creepy.
most of the prose is serviceable, standout sections include all of the dream/nightmare sequences, the gloom and the different ways it “communicates” through mold on the walls (or anywhere), descriptions of that disgusting piece of garbage known as Howard Doyle. anything relating to Virgil being a rapist was genuinely uncomfortable and scary as well.
Noemi is a fun, tenacious protagonist and has a fair amount of decent lines, some funny, some badass. the rest of the characters are OK, not bad but mostly feel unremarkable.
i found this to be such a powerful and moving collection of stories
each story offers an insightful perspective about death and the process of dying, with occasional brief, in-between chapters that helped me further examine and develop my own already held beliefs and feelings about what it means to die... and actually, what it means to be alive, too. having read this book, i am better prepared to discuss death and related topics when offering comfort to a friend.
at least every other account of a patient made me cry. the stories are so sad, and yet it's honestly an inspirational, encouraging and life-affirming book. by acknowledging and keeping in mind my impermanence in this world, i am more present, more appreciative, more alive.
a really, really great book.
I mostly started reading this after being told that it inspired one of my favorite novels, The Stranger by Albert Camus. It's easy to draw parallels between the structure, prose and events of The Postman Always Rings Twice and The Stranger; this in itself was enjoyable enough that I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand The Stranger a little bit more.
The actual plot of The Postman Always Rings Twice was decent enough. There's a few unexpected twists, at least for this reader who hasn't really delved much into Noir fiction, and it's through these twists that it kept my attention.
Having said all that, I'm not sure if this would hold up for someone reading this outside of the context of The Stranger. It does feel dated in spots, which is to be expected.
The word flimflam is used at one point which definitely needs to be brought back into regular use.
Kitchen left me quite conflicted.
I was drawn in by its simple style of prose and somewhat-absurdist attitude towards life and death which reminded me a lot of The Stranger (by Albert Camus).
I was also pushed away by its unmistakably 80s-90s development and treatment of the trans- characters involved; while it's “of its time” it doesn't wash away the sour taste that is left in your mouth.
As such, it's hard for me to nail down a rating for Kitchen. It only took a few hours to go through and I guess overall I'm happy to have experienced what is here.
i liked this a lot as another basic primer about attachment styles.
especially useful are the exercises and skills it suggests as ways to assess and heal yourself and work towards becomin' more securely attached to yourself
i get why all these books are framed as for ppl in or interested in relationships, but it makes readin' them as someone who isn't in one and only interested in addressing her own attachment style a little awkward, havin' to mentally rewrite sentences here and there. to its credit, the book doesn't entirely focus on romantic relationships (but... to be clear, a lot of it is)
still, overall it's a good book for anyone who is starting to learn about attachment styles and looking for a few ways to become more secure with the people they care about in their life
everything is ok is a candid look into debbie's struggles with depression, anxiety and the steps she takes towards being able to better manage these feelings to live a happier life.
if you've never read anything like this before and are unsure how to make things “okay” in your own life, you might get a lot out of it. it's mundane in a good, very relatable way: the pages are filled with advice, situations and positive affirmations that one would discuss lightly with their therapist.
with the above being said, for me this was mostly OK and didn't leave much of an impression. i prefer explorations of these types of topics to have a deeper, more unique perspective.
i was rec'd this book by my therapist with the caveat that it was simplistic but approachable intro into attachment theory
i agree with this assessment: it's oversimplified and very hetero- focused. but, i did walk away with some useful info about myself and the behaviors i exhibit, and a few ways and examples i can refer to to help guide my actions and emotional regulation in the future.
i'm glad to have read this as an easy startin' point, and will use other resources to gain a deeper understandin'.