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tessieferro's reviews
168 reviews
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Started out interesting, but by the second half it was clear that Andy Weir made a mockery of sci-fi with this book and must be punished for it. If not for sci-fi, at least for using sheesh unironically.
(rocky i'm sorry you were dragged into this mess of a book, the star is for you)
(also the movie-fication of books must stop immediately. sometimes it's ok to just straight up write a script for a blockbuster)
(rocky i'm sorry you were dragged into this mess of a book, the star is for you)
(also the movie-fication of books must stop immediately. sometimes it's ok to just straight up write a script for a blockbuster)
Sex and Lies by Leïla Slimani
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
"It's not just that sexual rights are part of human rights: we know that it's by exploiting the lack of them that men have come to dominate in so many civilizations. To defend sexual rights is directly to defend women's rights. Behind the right to control our own bodies, the right to live independently of our families in order to flourish in our sex lives, it is political rights that are at stake. By legislating in these areas, we will give women the means to defend themselves against male violence and familial pressure."
3.5
By no means a perfect book, that is likely to lean on some stereotypes, this starts a very interesting conversation that a lot of us in the West have not been exposed to. Some of the testimonies are hard to read, and I particularly loved the chapters where sex and Islam are analyzed in tandem. Overall a little short, with some things being overanalyzed and others left to the background, it was an incredibly interesting read.
3.5
By no means a perfect book, that is likely to lean on some stereotypes, this starts a very interesting conversation that a lot of us in the West have not been exposed to. Some of the testimonies are hard to read, and I particularly loved the chapters where sex and Islam are analyzed in tandem. Overall a little short, with some things being overanalyzed and others left to the background, it was an incredibly interesting read.
Black No More by George S. Schuyler
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
“The great mass of white workers, however, was afraid to organize and fight for more pay because of a deep-set fear that the Negroes would take their jobs. (…) They had first read of the activities of Black-No-More, Incorporated, with a secret feeling akin to relief but after the orators of the Knights of Nordica and the editorials of The Warning began to portray the menace confronting them, they forgot about their economic ils and began to yell for the blood of Dr Crookman and his associates. Herein lay the fundamental cause of all their ills. Times were hard, they reasoned, because there were so many white Negroes in their midst taking their jobs and undermining their American standard of living. None of them had ever attained an American standard of living to be sure, but that fact never occurred to any of them.”
4.5
Fantastic satire, surprisingly modern, easy to read, and a hell of a good time. An underrated, obscure classic that deserved a lot more attention.
4.5
Fantastic satire, surprisingly modern, easy to read, and a hell of a good time. An underrated, obscure classic that deserved a lot more attention.
Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars by Charlotte Graham
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.75
I hesitated upon rating it; I think this is the sort of book that deserves a reread before I can fully grasp what I think. In a way, I thought this book was steering me in a different direction; it sometimes felt like it didn’t quite know where it was going yet (it is, after all, a debut). But it was overall incredibly interesting, and it tied up in the end. I feel like I lost a lot by having expectations. This is a take-it-as-it-goes book, but it’s a really solid piece of speculative fiction, with such strong ambience it would actually keep me up with anxiety some nights. Would very much recommend.
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"The existence of life here had already become a paradoxical joke."
Unexpected elegant subtlety, expect for a few heavy handed passages. I wasn't expecting to like this train-of-thought style of the second half, but it worked even better than the heavier first part. The more I think about the technical aspects of this book the higher I want to rate it, even if I'm only understanding its genius a few days after finishing it: it doesn't attempt to shock or horrify, it doesn't get there with the "easy" emotions. It makes you work for it, and it works when you reach the 3 last pages. She absolutely deserved the FBF award and this book deserves a reread.
Unexpected elegant subtlety, expect for a few heavy handed passages. I wasn't expecting to like this train-of-thought style of the second half, but it worked even better than the heavier first part. The more I think about the technical aspects of this book the higher I want to rate it, even if I'm only understanding its genius a few days after finishing it: it doesn't attempt to shock or horrify, it doesn't get there with the "easy" emotions. It makes you work for it, and it works when you reach the 3 last pages. She absolutely deserved the FBF award and this book deserves a reread.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
"It is no secret. All power is one in source and end, I think. Years and distances, stars and candles, water and wind and wizardry, the craft in a man's hand and the wisdom in a tree's root: they all arise together. My name, and yours, and the true name of the sun, or a spring of water, or an unborn child, all are syllables of the great word that is slowly spoken by the shining of the stars. There is no other power. No other name."
I read "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie" after finishing this, for more insight, and it gave more context to her style. Her work is less character driven, slower and pensive, but more fantastical and whimsical than most, with a clear language that seems inspired by oral tradition, and atmospherical as no other. I'm excited to try her sci-fi, where it seems she will have "more to say", but she is definitely a master of her craft.
I read "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie" after finishing this, for more insight, and it gave more context to her style. Her work is less character driven, slower and pensive, but more fantastical and whimsical than most, with a clear language that seems inspired by oral tradition, and atmospherical as no other. I'm excited to try her sci-fi, where it seems she will have "more to say", but she is definitely a master of her craft.
The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
'"Worse still, you might set an example. You might inspire other writers to produce finer books and aspire to the Orm - to write less but better. (...) What counts is the paper we sell, not the words that are printed on it."'
A really surprisingly entertaining, fun, inventive, weirdly mature read. The illustrations are an incredible touch. Sometimes it dragged a little, and it is 450 pages, but it was still a blast of unspoken creativity.
A really surprisingly entertaining, fun, inventive, weirdly mature read. The illustrations are an incredible touch. Sometimes it dragged a little, and it is 450 pages, but it was still a blast of unspoken creativity.
The House of God by Samuel Shem
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“I realized with alarm that I hadn’t learned how to save anyone at all, not Dr. Sanders or Lazarus or Jimmy or Saul or Anna O., and that what I was thrilled about was learning how to save myself.”
The right book at the right time. Does it have a lot of weird psychosexual stuff that maybe isn’s super necessary and that the author should see a therapist about? Yes. Is it also the realest I’ve seen medicine portrayed in media so far, and actually kind of disturbing and hard to read in the second half? Absolutely.
The right book at the right time. Does it have a lot of weird psychosexual stuff that maybe isn’s super necessary and that the author should see a therapist about? Yes. Is it also the realest I’ve seen medicine portrayed in media so far, and actually kind of disturbing and hard to read in the second half? Absolutely.
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
"Can there be any source of power outside of humanity? Even if God once existed, He died long ago."
New favorite genre just dropped: hard first-contact with aliens sci fi with overarching criticism of the modern world :) I will only take half a star because a person can only take so many physics, other than that it was close to genre perfection.
New favorite genre just dropped: hard first-contact with aliens sci fi with overarching criticism of the modern world :) I will only take half a star because a person can only take so many physics, other than that it was close to genre perfection.