Follow me here for my reading activity - follow me on @Merovius@chaos.social for everything else :)
This link opens in a pop-up window
Two time-traveling agents from warring futures, working their way through the past, begin to exchange …
Hauntingly beautiful. A love-letter to the written word.
The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of What If? and How To provides his best …
Excellent humor but also surprisingly educational. For everyone interested in science.
If you want a systematic, scientific discussion of the Dune series and/or an excellent example of a feminist critique of popular literature, this is the book for you. It makes an argument for a feminist reading of Dune using a very structured approach.
It chooses five major themes: Mind-Body Synergy, Reproduction and Motherhood, Voices, Education and Memory, and Sexuality. For each theme it then 1. explains the real-world discussion in the feminist movement during Herbert's lifetime, 2. interprets the text in that context, giving several examples of plot and characterization and 3. compares the series to the works of feminist Sci-Fi authors from the same era. It also does not shy away from pointing out and discussing parts of the text that complicate (and maybe even contradict) a feminist reading.
The target audience of this book is clearly scientifically minded, so it is probably not the easiest read for the …
If you want a systematic, scientific discussion of the Dune series and/or an excellent example of a feminist critique of popular literature, this is the book for you. It makes an argument for a feminist reading of Dune using a very structured approach.
It chooses five major themes: Mind-Body Synergy, Reproduction and Motherhood, Voices, Education and Memory, and Sexuality. For each theme it then 1. explains the real-world discussion in the feminist movement during Herbert's lifetime, 2. interprets the text in that context, giving several examples of plot and characterization and 3. compares the series to the works of feminist Sci-Fi authors from the same era. It also does not shy away from pointing out and discussing parts of the text that complicate (and maybe even contradict) a feminist reading.
The target audience of this book is clearly scientifically minded, so it is probably not the easiest read for the general public. But I found that this structure - and especially the context provided - makes it relatively easy to follow the argument and take away genuine insights, even without a firm background in women's studies (I'd call myself an interested hobbyist).
I obviously don't agree with every single argument the book makes, but by being balanced, reflected and critical in its reading of the text, it makes it easy to still respect the soundness of the argument. The author clearly did their research and is confident about their reading, while still being aware of its limitations.
Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? explores Fisher's concept of "capitalist realism," which he takes …
A scathing indictment of capitalism, by (successfully) putting the blame for several contemporary social ilks on it.
My only criticism is that while it makes a strong case both for capitalist realism existing as an ideology and it being a problem, the book does not make the case for any alternatives. It does contain some actionable suggestions for how to fight capitalism. But it falls short of providing a systemic alternative. As such, while it successfully argues that capitalist realism is a problem, it doesn't fully prove that it's wrong.
Nevertheless, a good read and well argued.
For a book that was written almost 50 years ago, it has surprisingly progressive things to say about gender and masculinity. I would argue that even today, most men could learn a lot from the child protagonist of this book. From what I heard about it, I knew it would make me cry. But I didn't quite expect that I would love everything about it.
Seriously, Lockhart is disconcertingly good at writing lovable Psychopaths. Never trust her protagonists.
A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political …
If there is on thing I expect from Lockhart, it's absurdly interesting and usually tragic protagonists. And lord, does she deliver in this book. Read it and then read everything else by her.
Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s …
Turtles All the Way Down is a book about a girl living with OCD. And while I don't think it's the best John Green book and I'm not sure it's the one you would like best, it is my favorite by far. I don't have OCD, but I am mentally ill. And I have never read a book which conveys how it is to live with mental illness as well as this one. Almost every page contains a highlight of something Aza says which I find deeply relatable. The book is almost devoid of plot, but that is a good thing. Because that's part of how it feels to live with mental illness and it gives a lot of space to depict Aza's inner monologue.
I can't praise this book enough.