Grabbed this on a whim on libby (no I have not replaced my library card yet, hopefully this weekend) because I really liked Groff's "Fates and Furies" and I thought "You know what I need a little spinach in my reading diet" (as in: literary fiction to chew on). I like what I've read so far. But if you hate looking up words to find out the reason you don't know them is they're archaic and no longer used, you may want to try a different Groff book. Like "Fates and Furies", that's modern.
Reviews and Comments
Author, Voracious Reader, Crocheter of many things, Very Autistic
(Pronouns: they / them) Mainly reads: Young Adult (contemporary, sci-fi or fantasy), Japanese Literature, Romance, and Fantasy / Sci-fi for adults
@lapis@blogs.booktoot.club - Blog @lapis@booktoot.club - Book & Riverdale account @lapis@elekk.xyz - General Shitposting, sometimes game related
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Tsundoku started reading Matrix by Lauren Groff
Tsundoku finished reading I Think Our Son Is Gay 05 by Okura
Tsundoku wants to read I Think Our Son Is Gay 05 by Okura
Tsundoku finished reading The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang
Tsundoku stopped reading Dark Archives by Megan Rosenbloom
Tsundoku commented on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Tsundoku reviewed Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Unexpected representation in the ECT field
5 stars
Content warning Mental Health issues, sexism, post-partum issues (Ableism in reviewer's life also mentioned)
Though I don't mention it much on this site (because it doesn't really come up) I get ECTs fairly frequently, and they affect how I read (as ECTs affect memory, basically I try to either reach a good pause point or finish a piece of media a few days before one)
but at first I was charmed. In a chapter where she mentions having to fill medications in a hospital (A stressful environment) she mentioned having to do it for the ECT clinic as well (basically the special anesthesia ) and she was so tremendously not a jerk about it--she got it. And that part ALONE meant so much to me, because as part of my university accommodations I had to discuss WHY I was gone so much. And you could see it change each professor's view (at best, there's some stories that piss me off I'm not sharing) as I became "the Crazy one".
but also Jahren gets pregnant--you may not know this, but there are SO many medications you aren't allowed to take once you know you're pregnant. And so she was dealing with manic depressive episodes without any mood stabilizers. and since she got worse while pregnant, she had to undergo an ECT treatment, which, like my initial "season" left her with virtually no memories of that time.
I don't think the ECTs were the point of the book (I think the point was the beautiful observations about plants), but having this representation meant so much to me
Tsundoku finished reading Anne of West Philly by Ivy Noelle Weir
Tsundoku finished reading Sensory: Life on the Spectrum by Rebecca Ollerton
Tsundoku rated Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands: 5 stars
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
Before there was Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark A Vagrant fame, there was Katie Beaton of …
Tsundoku reviewed My Brain Is Different by MONZUSU
An anthology of Neuro-divergent people in Japan; if you are Neurodiverse, you can probably relate to this even if you have never lived in Japan
5 stars
Content warning CW: Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempts (no successful attempts), bullying by both teacher and peers, take care of yourself reading this
Basically, the only reason I am not giving 5 stars is I would have felt a trigger warning at the beginning of the book (if I find out there was one and I simply didn't see it I will update this) would have been a REALLY good idea. This is an extremely dark anthology. I recommend it, but read with care--I had to take several breaks reading this.
I will say, the people in this book are ultimately hopeful that things ARE improving / will improve.
I am jealous that Japan seems to have better occupational therapy than the place I tried lol.
Tsundoku commented on The Three pillars of Zen by Roshi Philip
Tsundoku finished reading The God of Arepo by writing-prompt-s
Read this as it's been nominated for an Ignatz. I still want to read one other nominee, but it's certainly good enough that it deserves to win imo
Tsundoku rated The God of Arepo: 5 stars
The God of Arepo by writing-prompt-s, sadoeuphemist, stu-pot, and 2 others
Temples are built for gods. Knowing this a farmer builds a small temple to see what kind of god turns …