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watermelleon's Reviews (254)
DNF page 88
I wanted just to pick this up now and again but I literally do not care anymore and my gym are having a book swap sale. The problem with this book is that it has too many thought experiments which are not covered in enough depth, so it feels like a fact book where you read the experiment, think "hm that's interesting" and move on.
for me, it comes across as not academic enough for those studying philosophy, and too much of a "well I could have thought that" angle for non-academics. the ideas to me are very obvious and common ones that I have heard very often, and don't really offer depth or insight. also I did actually disagree with some of the ideas presented, ironically the ones for "" which considered vegetarians as people who do not eat meat only because of the fact the animal feels pain, when really there are many other factors surrounding environmentalism, health and perhaps just not liking the taste! depth is really where this book is let down, as it just didn't feel like a critical analysis to me, just explaining the situation for what it is.
I wanted just to pick this up now and again but I literally do not care anymore and my gym are having a book swap sale. The problem with this book is that it has too many thought experiments which are not covered in enough depth, so it feels like a fact book where you read the experiment, think "hm that's interesting" and move on.
for me, it comes across as not academic enough for those studying philosophy, and too much of a "well I could have thought that" angle for non-academics. the ideas to me are very obvious and common ones that I have heard very often, and don't really offer depth or insight. also I did actually disagree with some of the ideas presented, ironically the ones for "" which considered vegetarians as people who do not eat meat only because of the fact the animal feels pain, when really there are many other factors surrounding environmentalism, health and perhaps just not liking the taste! depth is really where this book is let down, as it just didn't feel like a critical analysis to me, just explaining the situation for what it is.
Oh wow. This is really heartbreaking. I'm a little bit in shock but I think I'm going to give this a reread and then probably a 5* rating. Firstly, the descriptions of everything was so vivid; for such a short story I really felt sucked within this world. Secondly, I accidentally called my mum as I grabbed my phone to write this review because I couldn't see through the tears.
Battle Royale Slam Book: Essays on the Cult Classic by Koushun Takami
Nadia Bulkin, Steven R. Stewart, Isamu Fukui, Kostas Paradias, Kathleen Miller, Nick Mamatas, Raechel Dumas, Adam Roberts, John Skipp, Sam Hamm, Brian Keene, Toh EnJoe, Masao Higashi, Carrie Cuinn, Gregory Lamberson, Jason S. Ridler, Douglas F. Warrick
Such a simple but effective idea, that is accessible to pretty much anyone. I've recently started visiting a lovely lady with dementia, and although I have been trained I was intrigued if my language or conversation was helpful for her. With autism for example, you should give the individual as much time as they need to answer a question without asking it again because it interrupts their thought processes.
Should you remind them that their dog isn't around anymore and they can't walk very far? or is it more unethical to lie and tell them that it's a bit cold today but maybe they can walk it tomorrow? This small but informative book answered all of my questions. Offering a fictional insight of a man called Jack, the reader gets a rare opportunity to see how situations make a dementia patient feel, and how the best way to treat them is. (Spoiler: Respectfully, like any human being.)
In addition to this lovely little narrative, the back of the book has wonderful tips on how to help someone with dementia that you may be living with. It almost angered me that I've never heard some of these tips in my life! Before my grandma went to a home she was always confused about where the toilet was during the night, and I cannot believe that the solution is so blindingly simple that my grandad could have changed their cream coloured toilet seat to a bright contrasting colour that would grab her attention. Likewise with handrails and doors, this is such a cheap and easy tip!
Everyone should read this, because at some point in our lives this information will be of help. as the book states, one in six people over 80 will develop dementia in some form, so if not for you, it is worth it for your loved ones.
Should you remind them that their dog isn't around anymore and they can't walk very far? or is it more unethical to lie and tell them that it's a bit cold today but maybe they can walk it tomorrow? This small but informative book answered all of my questions. Offering a fictional insight of a man called Jack, the reader gets a rare opportunity to see how situations make a dementia patient feel, and how the best way to treat them is. (Spoiler: Respectfully, like any human being.)
In addition to this lovely little narrative, the back of the book has wonderful tips on how to help someone with dementia that you may be living with. It almost angered me that I've never heard some of these tips in my life! Before my grandma went to a home she was always confused about where the toilet was during the night, and I cannot believe that the solution is so blindingly simple that my grandad could have changed their cream coloured toilet seat to a bright contrasting colour that would grab her attention. Likewise with handrails and doors, this is such a cheap and easy tip!
Everyone should read this, because at some point in our lives this information will be of help. as the book states, one in six people over 80 will develop dementia in some form, so if not for you, it is worth it for your loved ones.
OH BOY OH GIRL OH WHATEVER
THIS WAS AMAZING
THIS WAS AMAZING
This book. Oh man.
I don't think anything I could write in a review would ever be enough. This is definitely a book I am going to read time and time again. the language was beautiful, the characters intriguing, and the ending just so emotional. This book is just an ode to childhood, so beautifully layered with depth and meaning.
I don't think anything I could write in a review would ever be enough. This is definitely a book I am going to read time and time again. the language was beautiful, the characters intriguing, and the ending just so emotional. This book is just an ode to childhood, so beautifully layered with depth and meaning.
writing my first ever review for a book on here of a reasonable length because I have 10,000 thoughts and nowhere to put them. spoilers should be hidden so anyone can read it!
I originally became aware of cloud atlas when the movie was released (sorry, i'm one of those). I think we found the dvd on sale in a local blockbusters when they were getting rid of excess current release stock (probably a good indicator of how long ago that was...). I believe my brother and mum watched it when I wasn't around, my brother loved it and re-watched it with me, but for whatever reason I was really tired that day and fell asleep; to be fair from what I've heard the movie is pretty long. I remember seeing a beautiful shot of a man with a piano and then waking up in some weird scene with a key (?), so my knowledge was pretty limited from the get go. But I digress, I was at a party a few days after this and someone told me the film was nothing compared to the amazingness of the book.
Few months later, I came across a copy in the charity shop so I bought it and decided to read it before watching the dvd again. 4 years later and I've actually read the thing that has been moping on my bookshelf for so long and I can legitimately say it has changed my life.
I've been pretty much a case of verbal diahorrea so far so here is a basic breakdown of my thoughts for each individual section:
The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing
1) initially disappointed with the style of this, found I was thrown into the deep end in terms of language before I had really fallen in love with any part of the book
2) initially questioned for the first third of the book why this had such an early placement in the book
3) eventually realised that the placement in the book was literally perfect
Letters from zedelghem
1) favourite character, story arc everything
2) Robert Frobisher. kind of a young but more musical Oscar Wilde. broke my heart more times than all of my own real previous lovers.
3) the use of musical language was perfect. it was beautiful.
4) interesting sense of perspective considering everything is told from one very biased point of view - I would honestly give David Mitchel my left kidney to have the writings of other characters within the same time frame.
5)"we both know in our hearts who is the true love of my life"
6) kind of an antihero thing going on and that is great.
Luisa Rey
1) Bad ass boss lady; ambitious to excel in her career. more book characters like Luisa Rey pls.
2) love love love the use of multiple perspectives in this, really adds so much depth
3) first impression: what is this boring tack
4) midway impression: this is meant to be tack. its perfect.
5) towards the end impression: LUISA YOU'D BETTER NOT BE DEAD IN THAT CAR I SWEAR TO GOD MY BABY DON'T GO OVER TO ANOTHER NARRATIVE NO NOT NOW NOOOO
Timothy Cavendish
1) this made me so happy
2) this was so cinematic, it just read like a film before I even discovered it actually was one
3) the second part just hit so heavy for me. such interesting social commentary throughout that still rings relevant.
4) just loved the time placement and location of this one too
5) I wished I could have stayed in this world so much longer, out of all the sections this was the one I just zipped through the quickest; it was just moving and funny and such a delight to read!!
an orison of sonmi-451
1) going to be honest, this sort of thing isn't my kind of genre and I found it hard to get into. also struggled with the Q&A format a bit.
2) The concepts and everything were really interesting though.
3) started randomly thinking about orwell towards the end of the 1st half, and then by the second half I really got into it and realised that this whole concept was terrifying.
4) really got seriously attatched to sonmi towards the end, was willing to fight for her even though the premise was very much indicative of the story's end.
5)the ending was literally horrifying. a lot to say about that one in terms of free will and technology.
sl'sh's cr's'n 'n' th' hor'bl' apostrp'y inv's'n
1)David Mitchell managed to invent a new language, congrats to him
2) felt like I actually achieved something after reading this
3) the first 5 half narratives took me 6 days total; this middle section alone took me 4.
4) language aside; I genuinely believe it made the second half of the book so much easier to read; I really struggled with ewing's writing but flew through the second half.
5) I would point out though that anyone who is not a fluent native speaker of english will probably have quite a bit of trouble. Audiobook is always an option which I tried, however the language sounded hillarious to me and I found it easier to read in the end, go figure.
6) I also did actually really like the content of the story; its just definitely a difficult section to process.
7) theory: "a half finished book is like a half finished love affair" was written with this section in mind.
as a whole
1) the stories do hold their own as standalones; however the power of them together as one unit is incredible. they lean on each other; at times I became more attached to a character through the connections running between the narratives.
2) I've heard a few comments about how thebirthmark/reincarnation thing is a bit silly/too obvious/whatever but I actually loved this. Instead of the characters suspiciously looking the same it was a nice use of a motif throughout for me, which also dare I say added a really nice touch of magical realism/fantastical elements.
3) the structure was great. I couldn't think of a better way for it to be done; and I understand that some may struggle with a narrative being left for some time, but the point Mitchell intended was that the narrative would be returned to and completed, unlike [b: if on a winter's night a traveller|19457742|If on a Winter's Night a Traveller Passes By|Syd Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387013630s/19457742.jpg|27544713] where the narrative never really reaches a conclusion, it is just caught up in a web of other narratives. Not necessarily a bad thing either, but I am aware in an interview Mitchell referenced this and wanted to experiment with what would happen if this wasn't the case.
I have so many other thoughts on this so please feel free to discuss this with me in the comments!! this book has become one of my favourites of all time, and I already can't wait to read it again, now it is time to [finally] watch the movie once more with my brother, I've had a coffee this time.
I originally became aware of cloud atlas when the movie was released (sorry, i'm one of those). I think we found the dvd on sale in a local blockbusters when they were getting rid of excess current release stock (probably a good indicator of how long ago that was...). I believe my brother and mum watched it when I wasn't around, my brother loved it and re-watched it with me, but for whatever reason I was really tired that day and fell asleep; to be fair from what I've heard the movie is pretty long. I remember seeing a beautiful shot of a man with a piano and then waking up in some weird scene with a key (?), so my knowledge was pretty limited from the get go. But I digress, I was at a party a few days after this and someone told me the film was nothing compared to the amazingness of the book.
Few months later, I came across a copy in the charity shop so I bought it and decided to read it before watching the dvd again. 4 years later and I've actually read the thing that has been moping on my bookshelf for so long and I can legitimately say it has changed my life.
I've been pretty much a case of verbal diahorrea so far so here is a basic breakdown of my thoughts for each individual section:
The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing
1) initially disappointed with the style of this, found I was thrown into the deep end in terms of language before I had really fallen in love with any part of the book
2) initially questioned for the first third of the book why this had such an early placement in the book
3) eventually realised that the placement in the book was literally perfect
Letters from zedelghem
1) favourite character, story arc everything
2) Robert Frobisher. kind of a young but more musical Oscar Wilde. broke my heart more times than all of my own real previous lovers.
3) the use of musical language was perfect. it was beautiful.
4) interesting sense of perspective considering everything is told from one very biased point of view - I would honestly give David Mitchel my left kidney to have the writings of other characters within the same time frame.
5)
6) kind of an antihero thing going on and that is great.
Luisa Rey
1) Bad ass boss lady; ambitious to excel in her career. more book characters like Luisa Rey pls.
2) love love love the use of multiple perspectives in this, really adds so much depth
3) first impression: what is this boring tack
4) midway impression: this is meant to be tack. its perfect.
5) towards the end impression:
Timothy Cavendish
1) this made me so happy
2) this was so cinematic, it just read like a film
3) the second part just hit so heavy for me. such interesting social commentary throughout that still rings relevant.
4) just loved the time placement and location of this one too
5) I wished I could have stayed in this world so much longer, out of all the sections this was the one I just zipped through the quickest; it was just moving and funny and such a delight to read!!
an orison of sonmi-451
1) going to be honest, this sort of thing isn't my kind of genre and I found it hard to get into. also struggled with the Q&A format a bit.
2) The concepts and everything were really interesting though.
3) started randomly thinking about orwell towards the end of the 1st half, and then by the second half I really got into it and realised that this whole concept was terrifying.
4) really got seriously attatched to sonmi towards the end, was willing to fight for her even though the premise was very much indicative of the story's end.
5)
sl'sh's cr's'n 'n' th' hor'bl' apostrp'y inv's'n
1)David Mitchell managed to invent a new language, congrats to him
2) felt like I actually achieved something after reading this
3) the first 5 half narratives took me 6 days total; this middle section alone took me 4.
4) language aside; I genuinely believe it made the second half of the book so much easier to read; I really struggled with ewing's writing but flew through the second half.
5) I would point out though that anyone who is not a fluent native speaker of english will probably have quite a bit of trouble. Audiobook is always an option which I tried, however the language sounded hillarious to me and I found it easier to read in the end, go figure.
6) I also did actually really like the content of the story; its just definitely a difficult section to process.
7) theory: "a half finished book is like a half finished love affair" was written with this section in mind.
as a whole
1) the stories do hold their own as standalones; however the power of them together as one unit is incredible. they lean on each other; at times I became more attached to a character through the connections running between the narratives.
2) I've heard a few comments about how the
3) the structure was great. I couldn't think of a better way for it to be done; and I understand that some may struggle with a narrative being left for some time, but the point Mitchell intended was that the narrative would be returned to and completed, unlike [b: if on a winter's night a traveller|19457742|If on a Winter's Night a Traveller Passes By|Syd Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387013630s/19457742.jpg|27544713] where the narrative never really reaches a conclusion, it is just caught up in a web of other narratives. Not necessarily a bad thing either, but I am aware in an interview Mitchell referenced this and wanted to experiment with what would happen if this wasn't the case.
I have so many other thoughts on this so please feel free to discuss this with me in the comments!! this book has become one of my favourites of all time, and I already can't wait to read it again, now it is time to [finally] watch the movie once more with my brother, I've had a coffee this time.
I'm a big fan of Levithan, but I was a little dubious as to whether I would enjoy or relate to the content further than his usual beautiful prosey romantic flow of words.
I'm not a one for romance books, But this book left me crying the entire time. It made me think not only of previous romantic relationships, but also the strong bonds I've had with my best friends, how much I've been in a vicious cycle of loving and hating and loving again. The nameless characters just seemed so malleable to any reader and their life positions, but the places they were coming from just spoke so true. How factors such as sex, the internet and alcohol can pulled such a drive on my own relationships gave me such a bizzare moment of reflection on all the people I've known is just terrifying and affirming at the same time, and I found it just really solidified a lot of feelings for me that I've never been able to put into words.
this book is such an easy read, and its certainly one I'll look back on; in a way the novel read like a poetry book, the order of events was only alphabetical and favourite pages are easy to revisit. however the last one really offers an element of surprise that maybe you aren't expecting, but then again after reading makes perfect sense.
I'm not a one for romance books, But this book left me crying the entire time. It made me think not only of previous romantic relationships, but also the strong bonds I've had with my best friends, how much I've been in a vicious cycle of loving and hating and loving again. The nameless characters just seemed so malleable to any reader and their life positions, but the places they were coming from just spoke so true. How factors such as sex, the internet and alcohol can pulled such a drive on my own relationships gave me such a bizzare moment of reflection on all the people I've known is just terrifying and affirming at the same time, and I found it just really solidified a lot of feelings for me that I've never been able to put into words.
this book is such an easy read, and its certainly one I'll look back on; in a way the novel read like a poetry book, the order of events was only alphabetical and favourite pages are easy to revisit. however the last one really offers an element of surprise that maybe you aren't expecting, but then again after reading makes perfect sense.
I know at the bottom of my heart that this book is going to stay with me for such a long time.
This was my first Waters book. and this thing has been sitting on my shelf for YEARS. I didn't know much about her writing at all at the time, but picked it off a charity shop shelf. "ooh, this is the woman who wrote that lesbian book with the sex!" fifteen year old me thought. "now THIS is another book I can add to my bookshelf that doesn't look the slightest bit gay but I will know the truth without even needing to hide it in that secret back shelf next to my L word dvds."
I also discovered that the thing was signed by the author, and none of the staff had picked up on it, so I handed oxfam my £2 and off I went, deciding that if having this piece of homosexual memorabilia ever became too much for me, I could fob it off on ebay and make a bit of money. Years passed and here we are today. yikes.
I'll get the criticism out of the way. This book wasn't perfect, even though I do think Waters has some better books up her sleeve or at very least has the potential. I do also think that not everyone will have the same experience with this work. it is very heavily character driven, the tension incredibly slow burning, and can feel like a slow read. BUT. The work that can be put into understanding the characters allows for such true relationships to be formed between the reader and the pages, resulting in feelings of horrendous empathy for all involved. I say horrendous because I cannot believe how much I felt the emotions of some of these characters at times. I genuinely had moments where I felt like I was sick or bleeding. That takes talent.
a few things I loved about this book:
- The amount of research that went into this book was incredible.
- Every single character was so well thought out, fully fleshed and developed. even minor characters such as frazer and even Alec I absolutely loved.
- not everything is revealed. Indeed the true order of events makes itself clear and you get an overall picture, but little gaps are left for the reader to imagine what happened at certain points in the character's lives without making you feel frustrated. this is the best book to use if you wanted to write some sort of fanfiction.
- The narrative structure was so clever and worked SO WELL. I can imagine so many writers not pulling off what waters achieved.
- Just everything about how women were portrayed tbh. such a human portrayal of ACCURATE female characters in war time (yes, ladies in the war also got their periods).
- I actually learned something about the time it was set in. It wasn't a generic war story but something incredibly unique. still a very plausible story which historically speaking COULD have possibly happened.
my only regret with this book was the timing I read it. a lot of this book was very hard for me, firstly associating the book with exam stress. Then after my exams were over I picked this up again to cheer me up on a bad day, queue page to be one of the 3 most miserable scenes in the whole book. After another break, I picked it up on a train journey to visit my parents to leave my home in manchester for a while after the horrible incident that had just happened that week; Queue the most incredibly detailed bombing scene you will ever read. despite this, I did get over all these problems in the end, And I already want to reread it from the beginning now that I know everything that is to happen!! I found myself flicking back quite a few times while reading this to see how things matched up!
This was my first Waters book. and this thing has been sitting on my shelf for YEARS. I didn't know much about her writing at all at the time, but picked it off a charity shop shelf. "ooh, this is the woman who wrote that lesbian book with the sex!" fifteen year old me thought. "now THIS is another book I can add to my bookshelf that doesn't look the slightest bit gay but I will know the truth without even needing to hide it in that secret back shelf next to my L word dvds."
I also discovered that the thing was signed by the author, and none of the staff had picked up on it, so I handed oxfam my £2 and off I went, deciding that if having this piece of homosexual memorabilia ever became too much for me, I could fob it off on ebay and make a bit of money. Years passed and here we are today. yikes.
I'll get the criticism out of the way. This book wasn't perfect, even though I do think Waters has some better books up her sleeve or at very least has the potential. I do also think that not everyone will have the same experience with this work. it is very heavily character driven, the tension incredibly slow burning, and can feel like a slow read. BUT. The work that can be put into understanding the characters allows for such true relationships to be formed between the reader and the pages, resulting in feelings of horrendous empathy for all involved. I say horrendous because I cannot believe how much I felt the emotions of some of these characters at times. I genuinely had moments where I felt like I was sick or bleeding. That takes talent.
a few things I loved about this book:
- The amount of research that went into this book was incredible.
- Every single character was so well thought out, fully fleshed and developed. even minor characters such as frazer and even Alec I absolutely loved.
- not everything is revealed. Indeed the true order of events makes itself clear and you get an overall picture, but little gaps are left for the reader to imagine what happened at certain points in the character's lives without making you feel frustrated. this is the best book to use if you wanted to write some sort of fanfiction.
- The narrative structure was so clever and worked SO WELL. I can imagine so many writers not pulling off what waters achieved.
- Just everything about how women were portrayed tbh. such a human portrayal of ACCURATE female characters in war time (yes, ladies in the war also got their periods).
- I actually learned something about the time it was set in. It wasn't a generic war story but something incredibly unique. still a very plausible story which historically speaking COULD have possibly happened.
my only regret with this book was the timing I read it. a lot of this book was very hard for me, firstly associating the book with exam stress. Then after my exams were over I picked this up again to cheer me up on a bad day, queue page to be one of the 3 most miserable scenes in the whole book. After another break, I picked it up on a train journey to visit my parents to leave my home in manchester for a while after the horrible incident that had just happened that week; Queue the most incredibly detailed bombing scene you will ever read. despite this, I did get over all these problems in the end, And I already want to reread it from the beginning now that I know everything that is to happen!! I found myself flicking back quite a few times while reading this to see how things matched up!
Mindfulness: A Novel.
I don't even know where to begin. This book came from nowhere into my life and now it is certainly one of my favourite books of all time.
I felt so connected to so many things. Like the main protagonist, I grew up in the south with parents who grew up in Newcastle, ridiculously close to the scottish border. like the protagonist, this also caused a massive disconnect in my family. In addition, the death of princess diana served as an influence for this story, which was the day I was christened! What really shocked me about this book was how the essence of a mother/daughter relationship was captured in such painstaking truth; I have only ever seen this once in Almoldovar's latest movie, Julieta, which I highly recommend if anyone really loves this relationship accurately portrayed.
For me, reading this book felt like reading a long list of hard hitting truths, so took me a while to read for such a short novel; I half listened to the audiobook and read along and it was wonderful to listen to. For a debut novel, I am shocked with the skill and daring that McGregor applied into making this book flow in such a beautiful and interesting way. This is not something I say often but this book felt like an experience.
This was an entirely unique reading experience for me, but did let me reminisce on some favourites that I have already read; Super Naive by Erlend Loe in how the speech in the novel was captured and David Levithan-esque in terms of beautiful romantic writing style. I do think that the book is certainly not for everyone as the storyline is non-linear, and instead deep rich descriptions are offered, but for me, this is a book that I will certainly read time and time again. I cannot wait to read more of his work.
I don't even know where to begin. This book came from nowhere into my life and now it is certainly one of my favourite books of all time.
I felt so connected to so many things. Like the main protagonist, I grew up in the south with parents who grew up in Newcastle, ridiculously close to the scottish border. like the protagonist, this also caused a massive disconnect in my family. In addition, the death of princess diana served as an influence for this story, which was the day I was christened! What really shocked me about this book was how the essence of a mother/daughter relationship was captured in such painstaking truth; I have only ever seen this once in Almoldovar's latest movie, Julieta, which I highly recommend if anyone really loves this relationship accurately portrayed.
For me, reading this book felt like reading a long list of hard hitting truths, so took me a while to read for such a short novel; I half listened to the audiobook and read along and it was wonderful to listen to. For a debut novel, I am shocked with the skill and daring that McGregor applied into making this book flow in such a beautiful and interesting way. This is not something I say often but this book felt like an experience.
This was an entirely unique reading experience for me, but did let me reminisce on some favourites that I have already read; Super Naive by Erlend Loe in how the speech in the novel was captured and David Levithan-esque in terms of beautiful romantic writing style. I do think that the book is certainly not for everyone as the storyline is non-linear, and instead deep rich descriptions are offered, but for me, this is a book that I will certainly read time and time again. I cannot wait to read more of his work.