tildafin16's reviews
596 reviews

On Agoraphobia by Graham Caveney

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emotional informative reflective fast-paced

3.75

Full of interesting rabbit holes to explore about the concept of agoraphobia, and written in poetic style. Disappears into that sometimes so much it digresses, but not too much. You start to get a sense of the author in flashes throughout the book , but it’s not a traditional memoir. 
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Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

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challenging dark funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Wow. I need to go back and re read it immediately with some notes to make sure I am getting as much of it as I can, full of allusion, historical reference , layers on layers! 
The Suicide Prevention Pocket Guidebook: How to Support Someone Who is Having Suicidal Feelings by Joy Hibbins

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emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is really good, a reminder to lay folk and mental health/suicide workers alike about the power of relarionships, flexibility and caring to prevent deaths 
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Dirty Secret: A Daughter Comes Clean about Her Mother's Compulsive Hoarding by Jessie Sholl

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Othello by William Shakespeare

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challenging dark funny sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul

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informative reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I found this a strange read ; I felt as though I was being given an insight, a lesson, into a part of life and a place and that was valuable. The lesson was also into the impact of the post colonial conditions on the place and people. I kept waiting to understand more about Salim or to ‘see him’ or for a plot to unfold as such but it’s more like a diary or a relation of events over a period of time. I need to sit with this one but I suspect it will stick with me. 
Urban Worrier: Adventures in the Lost Art of Letting Go by Nick Thorpe

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funny reflective sad fast-paced

3.75

I wasn’t sure about some of where this went in terms of the experiences he picked for ‚letting go‘ but, it was a light entertaining read, I agree with much of what he said about acceptance (but I’m not a mystical or religious person) - and the bits about his adoption process melted my heart. 
Caring For Nigel: Diary of a Wife Coping With Her Husband's Dementia by Eileen Murray

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A good insight into the day to day realities of caring for someone with dementia at home, with personal care needs - simple and unsparing, 
Anna and the Beast: The true story of a young mum diagnosed with dementia, aged 37 by Christine Reddall

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This is a wonderful book written by a very special mum and nurse about her daughter , Anna, who developed frontotemporal dementia in her late thirties and sadly died in her early forties. The book is a mixture of (at times harrowing but essential) memoir, information and tips, and celebration of her daughter and all her achievements. It is far from an easy read emotionally, but is one of the best memoirs of its type I have ever read. And working and teaching in mental health for decades I’ve read a few! I have supported a few adults with this variant of dementia in the past and Anna, if the word could ever be applicable , was lucky to have a wonderful mum like Christine to advocate for her