sittingwishingreading's Reviews (880)

What I adore about this book is it is a full book expanding on Mariame Kaba’s “Hope is a discipline.” It is a deep breath and then a full conversation about what hope actually looks like in our twisted and hopeless world, and what it means in practice to make hope a discipline. 

It is gorgeous and sits with the contradictions of this world, the importance of coalition building, and the fact that incremental progress is still progress (but not in a limiting, defeatist way - more of a don’t throw the baby out with he bath water when considering change because this work is hard and we need to keep our strength and focus and this is one way to do that). 

This book is a pep talk, a confidant, and a light in the dark. May we all embody the courage this book contains in the days, months, years to come.

Thanks @aaknopf for this #gifted #FinishedCopy of Our Kindred Creatures by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy. 

My best descriptor of this book is White Christian Gilded Age animal rights activism history book. It’s dense, I learned why the Boston MSPCA animal hospital is named Angell, and it paints a vivid picture of how animals were present in 19th century life. 

This book reads in two parts: The historical documentation of animal rights work in the 19th century, and then the conclusion. The conclusion is far more interesting and intellectually engaging than the historical documentation parts of the book. The authors only elucidate their why of writing this book (the humanitarian, current day philosophical, existential, and activist points) in the conclusion, which I think is a strange and disjointed choice. I think the authors were trying to use the history to provide evidence and persuasion for the points they made in the conclusion, but effort got lost in the dry, objective reporting of facts that was the main body of the text. 

If you’re into the Christian origins of the animal rights movement in the northeastern and mid Atlantic US in the 1800’s, this is the book for you. It likely is a niche book with a niche audience.

I really, really enjoyed Daughter of the Moon Goddess. It’s an imperial court high fantasy book based in Chinese mythology told in a straightforward way that wasn’t always surprising/novel, but definitely was a fun read. I would consider this a lighter read, as it is more focused on the mythology and power hierarchies than complex and nuanced character development. 

I’m not usually a love triangle/romance sort of person, but I did (for the most part) like the three main characters enough to enjoy every permutations of the attraction/connection between Xingyin and the men. Their relationships are simple, their internal worlds are light-to-medium complicated, and because of this, it’s easy to follow and not as emotionally intense as it could be with more complex characters. 

I hope this isn’t a spoiler for y’all, but this is a book that has a happy ending, and reads almost like YA with how things work out for Xingyin and the way the plot moves. It’s a quick-moving book with engaging characters and good world-building. I liked the magic, I liked Xingyin’s relationship with her friends, and I loved her connection with her mother.

My Friends by Hisham Matar is an elegant book of diaspora, exile, and political upheaval as told through the actions and thoughts of Khaled, a Libyan man who has created a life in England. Khaled’s life is juxtaposed with his two friends who also live in the liminality of exile from Libya, and the tension, love, connection, and strain between their relationships as the three of them navigate what the Arab Spring arises in each of them, and their subsequent actions (or lack thereof). 

There is no doubt that this quiet novel is masterful, and holds the tension of exile, diaspora, a sense of home, and the parts of one’s culture and upbringing one can never quite escape. The character development is excellent, and the connections between the characters are intricate and tangible. I don’t know if I loved this book - my attention drifted in and out as I walked the streets with Khaled - but I do think it was very well done. 

There is an intangible quality to this book that gives it resonance and is sticking with me. It’s as if the book has a soul, and has a breathing element that is greater than the sum of its parts. I am still figuring out what gives it staying power and what my experience with the book was, and. I am glad to have read it.