Another really interesting and insightful collection of Didion essays. I particularly enjoyed 'Some Women' (a discussion of the subject represented in the work of Robert Mapplethorpe), 'The Long Distance Runner (a reflection of Didion's professional and personal relationship with director Tony Richardson) and Everywoman.com (Didion's tribute to Martha Stewart). Great stuff!!

I found Normal People by Sally Rooney to be a fairly mediocre read, landing somewhere around 2 or 2.5 stars out of 5 for me. 

The writing style, particularly the lack of quotation marks and punctuation, was a significant barrier to my enjoyment. It often felt unnecessarily pretentious and made the prose feel less accessible. That said, my experience improved somewhat when I switched to the audiobook format, which made the narrative flow a bit more naturally.

Marianne and Connell, while central to the story, struck me as rather bland characters. They lacked the depth and spark I typically look for in protagonists, making it hard to fully invest in their journey. However, I will say I was pleased with how their story wrapped up. While I’m not usually a fan of ambiguous or unsatisfactory endings, I thought the conclusion suited the tone of the book and offered a quiet sense of resolution.

One element I did enjoy was the setting. As a student at Trinity College myself, I appreciated the familiar backdrop of campus life and the surrounding areas in Dublin. It added a personal connection to the story that kept me engaged, even when other aspects fell short.

However, I found the portrayal of class dynamics a bit off. The way they were explored felt more in line with the experiences of England or the UK rather than Ireland, which I found somewhat jarring. Perhaps this is just my perspective, but it pulled me out of the narrative at times.

Overall, Normal People was a fine read—far from the groundbreaking literary masterpiece it’s often hailed as, but not entirely unenjoyable either. It had its moments, but it didn’t quite live up to the hype for me.

I didn't think this book had the same substances as Andy Warhol's other book, Popism. I found it a bit of slog to get through at times. 

I do still find Andy Warhol's outlook on life really interesting. And his sense of humour was, in equal parts, bizarre and hilarious. He's an icon for a reason, albeit not always a very likable one :) 

Poorly paced, nothing happens for the first 75% of the novel then it suddenly switches tone and becomes a lot darker and more graphic which would have been absolutely fine if it wasn't going for jarring for the sake of jarring. 

Clay wasn't that great of a main character...not because he was unlikeable (which he was) but because there was nothing really to him at all. His blandness made it difficult for me to invest in the story. 

Honestly, I liked the movie better. 

I love how bat shit bonkers Murakami's books are!! TWUPC is often heralded as the Murakami-est Murakami novel...we've got the slightly bland passive male main character, the cat obsession, the unexplained supernatural powers, the mysterious wife/love interest, the inquisitive teen, the vivid descriptions of Tokyo, the jazz records, the ear fascination...all of it!!! This was great, an absolute fever dream!!

There's something so interesting reading the early work of Patti Smith (or any other writer for that matter).

 I really enjoyed spotting some lines in this poetry book that she would later rework into whole songs later on in her career. I also picked up on quite a few  themes and images that she would later explore more deeply in her books. 

Liked this a lot :) 

Read for an exam

You know, I'm not sure if I particularly like Andy Warhol as a person after reading this book but he sure as hell wasn't boring! So far ahead of his time in so many ways, I couldn't help but think how much Andy would have revelled in the social media/vlogging/reality-tv culture of today. 

The book has a bitingly blunt sense of humour, lots of juicy sixties gossip and some properly unhinged stories!  I definitely enjoyed myself :) 

I didn't dislike it, I just prefer other Sherlock Holmes stories.