This was a thoroughly interesting read that spans centuries of beauty ideals, racism, and body policing.

Strings shows how art history, social and cultural views, medical history, insurance companies, and much more have come together in a complex web to create and form the beauty standards and ideals of modern Western societies. 

An interesting and informative read that's sometimes repetitive and might often feel dry if you're not a fan of academic writing. 

The version I read covered the 2000s as well.

This was probably my most challenging read in recent years. I found myself having to constantly stop and unpack my negative responses to what the authors were saying. Not because of the subject matter or intent but due to the language that they used.

I found I automatically started to dismiss things because they used terms like "radicalized" and "comrade."

I realised that I was responding automatically to much of the very valid things being said in a negative way because of biases around the words being used and not the message being shared.

It took me longer to read through this book than expected, and it was mentally exhausting having to constantly combat word biases, but it was definitely worth the effort.

The main premise - how BIPOC are underrepresented and portrayed in fantasy - is an important and undeniable issue, and I found the initial discussion on this very thought-provoking and enlightening.

That said, I struggled with many other aspects of the book. It didn't feel like the arguments were backed up with strong evidence or examples. In fact, a lot of the time, it felt like a single comment by a fan or observer acted as the entire basis for the author's argument. This made what is otherwise an important subject feel weak and less relevant than it is.

Also, a LOT of the author's thoughts and opinions felt heavily influenced by their own personal experience with Harry Potter fanfic and, what it seemed like to me, trying to justify their plagiarism of another author's work.

The overall writing was sometimes repetitive and often felt like it lacked the nuances you would expect from an academic piece.

I really enjoyed this book. 

There was a lot of cultural and historical information included that I hadn't come across before and the fact that the author is a Black Irish woman gave a fresh perspective from all the US-centric books on the subject that I've read.

I really enjoyed this book up until the after-party when I struggled to remember who was who and how person A was connected to person B, C, D, and E etc.

As the title implies, this is an overview of the Mongol Empire from its formation to its decline.

It's a fairly comprehensive and well-edited account, and I would happily recommend it to history fans and anyone with an interest in Asian/World History.

As I read this story, there were so many subtle cues that really jumped out at me. Knowing what I know of Australian history, much of the seemingly irrelevant or trivial things mentioned really hit hard.

This is one family's story, and, whilst written decades ago, it's a story similar to those held by many Indigenous Australians today.

This is a book that deserves analysis, and I can understand why it's on a lot of school reading lists.

My only criticism is that it ends very suddenly. 

It's easy to see why this novel is a classic, and I can appreciate its role in solidifying magical realism as a literary genre, but I personally didn't find the story very interesting. I kept finding myself wanting to enjoy it and being disappointed that I didn't.

Part-memoir, part-social narrative, part-history lesson.

I learnt a lot from this book, and I really enjoyed the author's writing style and the cohesiveness of the text.