elementarymydear's Reviews (967)

 

I’m a bit confused by the marketing and release campaign for this book. The audiobook is coming out first, but it’s not coming out in hardback for another four months, and yet… it doesn’t really work as an audiobook?

As the title suggests, this book guides us through the main principles and fields of philosophy. Instead of taking a chronological view, the author instead focuses on different principles – such as ethics, politics and metaphysics – and explores each one in turn. It’s a good approach, as the field of philosophy and its main focuses have changed so much over the millennia. I definitely felt like I had a much better understanding of these different topics, although I would have been interested to know more about how they link together.

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The reason it doesn’t work particularly well as an audiobook is that this book includes lots of different elements. There are tables and diagrams, which would be incredibly useful to see, but are dry and not very informative when they’re simply read out. The benefit of visual aids is they provide an alternative way to present the information, and that is completely lost on an audiobook. Some fantasy audiobooks come with a pdf of the map and other supplementary material; perhaps that’s something that could be explored here.

What was useful, though, was the regular summaries throughout the book. At the end of each chapter there is a summary that helps lay out the key points and consolidates what has been covered.

I said this last time I reviewed a book on philosophy, but I’ll mention it again here: there was no mention at all of any non-European people or ideas. Particularly in the chapters on language and religion, this felt like a glaring omission.

This is a good introduction to the building blocks of Western philosophy. While it doesn’t go as far as it could to paint a broader picture, it does build basic understanding and interest.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

 

 

This was an incredibly moving and powerful tale of one family during the Bosnian War. Despite having lived in Europe all of my life, and the war happening just before I was born, I knew nothing about the Bosnian War going into this book, and it was a harrowing and eye-opening read into this period of history.

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The main characters are Maka and his wife Amelia, separated by the war as she becomes a refugee and he stays to fight. As the book opens, they have not had any contact for a long time and Amelia hears the first news in months about her husband. What follows is the struggle Maka goes through to return to his wife and child, and the horrors he faces on the way.

While this is undeniably a dark book, the author still brings through the themes of hope and tenacity that are essential to the characters. It’s a story about overcoming struggle, as much as the struggle itself.

The writing is incredibly engaging and atmospheric, and you can’t help but root for the characters from the get-go.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

 

 What an INCREDIBLE selection of short stories, all brilliantly read by the author!

These stories only have one thing in common: they are all about trans women. That aside, the stories are as different as the women they portray. Some are long, some are short. Some have a clear story arc, while some are witty listicles. Some are grounded, some are surreal. Yet they are all powerful, stunningly written, and unafraid of the realities of life – the good and the bad.

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It’s brutally honest – and sometimes just brutal – but that’s what makes it so excellent. These women are fully formed, with all their assets and all their flaws, and exist unapologetically in the world. Their gender means something different to each of them, and the book doesn’t shy away from the complexities involved, both emotionally and practically.

I also liked how the stories took place in the same universe, with occasional references to each other – never enough that you were missing out if you didn’t spot them, or that it took over the narrative, but enough that you could sense this wider community.

From an audiobook perspective, it was really great to have the author narrate the stories. I do wish there had been a longer pause, and perhaps even a sound effect or short snippet of music, to better distinguish the end of one and the start of another, but frankly that’s just me being very picky.

An excellent short story collection that I highly recommend!

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own. 

 

There are so many different elements at play in this book, but they were all combined brilliantly into one cohesive world. The story was gripping from the get-go, and I had such a blast going on this adventure with the characters.

Combining space travel with not just pirates, but a pirate aesthetic, is no easy feat, but Jenné made it completely seamless and natural. I’m very picky about my world-building, and this was done brilliantly here. The world was fully formed and immersive, full of brilliant details but without being overwhelming to the reader. I really liked how class dynamics were explored and used in the world, creating tensions similar but not quite the same to what we see in recent history.

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This was such a fun space adventure, taking us all across the solar system with a compelling second-chance romance driving it all. It was so easy to get stuck right in, and lose myself for a few hours in the story.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

 

 I can’t get over how well this works as an adaptation! The story – inspired by Northanger Abbey – perfectly takes the main themes and plot of Austen’s work, and takes it from gothic fiction to Southern Gothic and horror films.

The queer themes in this book are what really tie it all together, and – dare I say it – make Cade’s mistake? paranoia? more believable than Catherine’s. He doesn’t just feel the isolation and loneliness that Catherine felt, but he also feels like everyone is out to get him and that he can’t trust anyone with his secret. It made the climax of the story a very emotional one, that spoke to more than just losing yourself in fiction.

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Northranger is so atmospheric, transporting you straight to a farm in rural Texas. You can’t help but be immersed in the story, and it was such a page-turner too! Despite ‘knowing’ what would happen, I was still in for plenty of surprises along the way, and the end tugged at my heartstrings more than I ever expected.

There’s also a really interesting exploration of different family dynamics, such as between stepfather and stepson, between siblings, between grandmother and grandson, and more. All of these relationships were portrayed with so much nuance and heart, and it made the book feel so grounded.

The illustrations were absolutely stunning. The way movements and emotions were drawn is incredibly effective, and I could pore for hours over the art of this book.

This is such a fantastic addition to the ever-growing list of Jane Austen-inspired work, and it’s one I can tell I will return to again and again! 

 I have yet to read a Lex Croucher book I haven’t loved, but this might be my favourite one yet!

I was OBSESSED with this book. I read most of it in a public space grinning manically to myself, hoping no one noticed or tried to make conversation with me so I wouldn’t have to stop reading. I came to care so much for the characters by the end because they felt so real and present, and I was desperate to know that they all got their happy endings.

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The main character is cynical, reluctant governess Emily, who is determined to dislike everyone in her new position, make some money, steal some valuables, and get out of there. Despite her best efforts, her two charges come to rely on her in their own way, and the rest of the household start to consider her one of their own.

I loved the relationship between her and Captain Edwards. She is not interested in even the idea of him, and even though her opinion on him changes, she is just as determined to not be romantically interested. The development of their relationship, and the way they understood each other, was incredibly gripping to read.

One of my favourite things about Croucher’s books is how they write diversely, but without sacrificing historical accuracy. In this particular book, the two main love interests are both bisexual, and there is also a gay character and a transgender character. I found the trans character’s storyline particularly moving, as he realises why he has always felt out of place and is greeted with love and acceptance from those around him. There is no pretending that it will be easy, but instead the characters find a way to create a life that fits them.

I loved this book so so much, and I know it will stay with me for a long time – and chances are, I will be revisiting it before long. It’s another success from Lex Croucher for me!

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own. 

 While this is technically a re-read for me, it has been so many years since I first read Galatea that it felt like approaching something new, and I definitely appreciated it so much more now that I am a) older and b) gave this short story the time it deserved.

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Galatea is based on the story of Pygmalion, who sculpted the ‘perfect’ woman in opposition to the flaws he saw in all the real women in the town around him. Miller uses this as a springboard to explore ideas of the male gaze, incel culture, women’s healthcare, and so much more. Drawing on both Greek myth and 20th Century feminist literature, she has proven that some themes and stories really are timeless.

This is a re-release of a short story written many years ago for a collection, now being published on its own for the first time. The people picking it up will be fans of The Song of Achilles and Circe, both known as landmark mythological novels, but I think Galatea also has a place among the best feminist literature. I hope that it becomes a must-read for anyone discovering the genre over the coming decades.

There is also brilliant narration from the amazing Ruth Wilson. The whole thing is about 45 minutes long, and it’s the best use of that time you could have. I can’t recommend this short story highly enough, and I hope it gets its deserved place as a modern classic.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own. 

 This is a really great selection of myths and fairytales from all around the world. I really appreciated how instead of changing famous stories in order to make them more ‘girl power’, the author drew on existing tales that are perhaps lesser known, but portray women with much more agency.

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There will most likely be a couple of stories each reader is familiar with, and an introduction to some wonderful new tales too. The writing style that whimsical, timeless feel that is the hallmark of fairytales. There is also excellent narration from Isabel Adomakoh Young, who tells the stories in an incredibly engaging way. I can imagine they would make for great one-at-a-time bedtime stories, or be a good audiobook for the car which the whole family could enjoy.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own. 

 I’m not really sure who this book was for.

It’s about queer characters, but is almost exclusively about the trauma they face. It’s set in the early 2010s, and regularly makes fun of millennials (who, I might point out, is currently anyone aged roughly 27-40, a large part of this book’s demographic). It’s a romance in that the couple were together at the end, but otherwise rejected any of the emotional draw of romance novels. It could be literary fiction, but despite having two first-person perspectives we never once tapped into the emotional depths of either character. The cover screams romance, the blurb tells us its ‘women’s fiction’ (which we don’t have time to unpack) and I honestly don’t think it’s really either.

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So, we have a book with an identity crisis and a marketing crisis. First, let’s talk about the queer aspect of the story. The book is filled with both direct and indirect homophobia, with added biphobia on the side for extra flavour. It exclusively focuses on the negative aspects of being queer, with one character being an alcoholic and another estranged from her family, having a secret affair with a married woman. All of the layers of relationships (and I mean layers, this book is more like a love octagon than a love triangle) are so messy and convoluted, and ultimately it made the characters unlikeable. Even the most villainous character, Sophie’s manipulating husband, was handed a happy ending BY SOPHIE on a silver platter.

Both of these storylines particularly were handled especially poorly. Sophie, who is a recovering alcoholic, at one point serves everyone margaritas at a dinner party, and at another takes her underage daughter to the bar where she hit rock bottom. She dismisses Nora’s concerns about beginning a relationship while in the early stages of recovery, and the whole storyline just felt incredibly frustrating.

I really hoped that the romance itself would be the redeeming feature, but I struggled to find an emotional connection with it. They kept telling us how they’d been each other’s first and one true love, but I never got a sense of the reality of those feelings. As I mentioned before the book is in first-person with a dual perspective, so it wouldn’t have been hard to have occasional paragraphs describing how they felt when they looked or thought of the other person.

Ultimately, this book was a let-down on all fronts. It was frustrating because I desperately wanted to enjoy it, and sometimes it would look like it was coming close, but then fall short at the last minute. I might try another of the author’s books, see if I enjoy those more, but safe to say this isn’t one I will be returning to.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own. 

 This is my second of Moreno-Garcia’s books, and as much as I loved Mexican Gothic, I am OBSESSED with Silver Nitrate!

The story expertly blends horror, magical realism and mystery for a gripping read. It combines so many different threads of history, culture and the occult into a truly chilling result.

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My favourite thing though, was the two main characters. Both Montserrat and Tristán leapt off the page, as a struggling audio editor and actor respectively. They’re both such vivid characters, with a brilliant dynamic that elevates the whole story.

Moreno-Garcia is the master of atmospheric writing, and Silver Nitrate is no exception. It takes a lot of skill to make the ghost of a character we’ve never met compellingly creepy, and she manages it! The historical mystery element was also a great addition, especially given the setting, and at times it had the feel of an Indiana-Jones style adventure.

I could not put this book down, it was such a great read that drew from a number of genres and periods, and combined them all brilliantly.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.