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floatinthevoid's reviews
173 reviews
I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression by Terrence Real
Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.
I think I want to read his later books instead!
The Butterfly's Burden by Mahmoud Darwish
Sometimes it's seductive and intimate, sometimes it's detached and desolate.
He got the range! It's heartbreakingly beautiful overall.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.25
God, this collections of poetry made me feel things!!
"Take me to the end
of the earth before morning rises on a moon that used
to cry blood in bed gently
as a star takes the dreamers in vain"
of the earth before morning rises on a moon that used
to cry blood in bed gently
as a star takes the dreamers in vain"
Sometimes it's seductive and intimate, sometimes it's detached and desolate.
"After your night, night of the last winter,
the soldiers pitched their camp in a faraway place and a white moon alighted on my balcony
and I sat with my freedom silently staring into our night: Who am I? Who am I after your night
night of the last winter?"
the soldiers pitched their camp in a faraway place and a white moon alighted on my balcony
and I sat with my freedom silently staring into our night: Who am I? Who am I after your night
night of the last winter?"
He got the range! It's heartbreakingly beautiful overall.
Until I Love Myself, Vol. 1: The Journey of a Nonbinary Manga Artist by Poppy Pesuyama
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
if I wasn't in public when reading this, I'm 100% sure I'd sobbed till I was out of breath.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Transphobia, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Eating disorder and Fatphobia
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Volume 1 by Eiji Otsuka, Housui Yamazaki, Bunpei Yorifuji
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Did not finish book. Stopped at 75%.
The subtlety... is that of an actual elephant in the room. This is why I avoid hyped books like a plague btw. I've heard so many positive reviews from people I usually shared a taste in books with. But man, like okay, I get it Elizabeth Zott is Woman In Science. She calls out misogynistic bullshit all the time. She dared to fight injustices. I get it she's smart and quirky and very attractive to everyone except herself. And of course her child is a Genius too. Reading Nabokov and Norman Mailer at four. Understand politics and human rights at six. Oh, they also have a dog that can understand 200 words or something. Nothing is too impossible for the Zotts, apparently. Okayyy I get it, really. So then, the story?
The actual plot minus all the quirkiness and force-fed morality messages from the author? so dragging and borderline boring. The comedy? Okay. You can make fun out of something very serious. I believe that. But you also need to execute it well. Meanwhile in this book, the author to me feels like she doesn't know how to go about it. And I imagine she said "Fuck it, we ball!" then she balled and not giving it another glance. There's some heavy topics discussed and described in the early chapters, so I got the impression that this is the kind of "serious book" layered with dark humor. Well I was promised "sparks joy with every page" but I got none. With all the exaggeration integrated in a lot of aspects in this book: the characters, plots, dialogues, etc this would do so well as a satire. Make it over the top since the start, so over the top people can't miss it's a satire. But alas this book is not a satire.
Instead of exploring nuances about women in science's struggle or women's struggle in general during the 1950s, the author instead took the girlboss archetype marketed by corporates and mainstream media path. Why is it that Elizabeth so two dimensional anyway? there's a potential to shape her into Woman In Science character with depth, if the author allows her to have vulnerabilities. There are some moments where distressing situations can cause her emotional or moral dilemma, which will be very interesting by the way. But no, nuh-uh. Only logical thinking is allowed. She seemed to always got it handled perfectly in the end.
The other characters were also put as some kind of measurement to show how much better Elizabeth is regarding to social issues, as if she's a social person herself. I only loved the part where Elizabeth and Calvin met, knowing each other then get together. Just two snobs being a couple.
The dog... doesn't necessarily give me any kind of joy. It's just not something I usually wanted to read willingly. So I don't have much to say about it.
The other men characters on the other hand, have no redeeming qualities. Either they're straight up a SA perpetrator or they're an active complicit that ends up not getting their views challenged/confronted at all.
You know, if anything I'm more interested in whatever's going on between Calvin and Wakely...
Point is, this is so disappointing and annoying.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 75%.
DNF-ED at 75%.
Warning! Rant review incoming.
Warning! Rant review incoming.
"Wait. is that rare?" Madeline piped up. "Is not believing in God one of those rare things?"
The subtlety... is that of an actual elephant in the room. This is why I avoid hyped books like a plague btw. I've heard so many positive reviews from people I usually shared a taste in books with. But man, like okay, I get it Elizabeth Zott is Woman In Science. She calls out misogynistic bullshit all the time. She dared to fight injustices. I get it she's smart and quirky and very attractive to everyone except herself. And of course her child is a Genius too. Reading Nabokov and Norman Mailer at four. Understand politics and human rights at six. Oh, they also have a dog that can understand 200 words or something. Nothing is too impossible for the Zotts, apparently. Okayyy I get it, really. So then, the story?
The actual plot minus all the quirkiness and force-fed morality messages from the author? so dragging and borderline boring. The comedy? Okay. You can make fun out of something very serious. I believe that. But you also need to execute it well. Meanwhile in this book, the author to me feels like she doesn't know how to go about it. And I imagine she said "Fuck it, we ball!" then she balled and not giving it another glance. There's some heavy topics discussed and described in the early chapters, so I got the impression that this is the kind of "serious book" layered with dark humor. Well I was promised "sparks joy with every page" but I got none. With all the exaggeration integrated in a lot of aspects in this book: the characters, plots, dialogues, etc this would do so well as a satire. Make it over the top since the start, so over the top people can't miss it's a satire. But alas this book is not a satire.
Instead of exploring nuances about women in science's struggle or women's struggle in general during the 1950s, the author instead took the girlboss archetype marketed by corporates and mainstream media path. Why is it that Elizabeth so two dimensional anyway? there's a potential to shape her into Woman In Science character with depth, if the author allows her to have vulnerabilities. There are some moments where distressing situations can cause her emotional or moral dilemma, which will be very interesting by the way. But no, nuh-uh. Only logical thinking is allowed. She seemed to always got it handled perfectly in the end.
The other characters were also put as some kind of measurement to show how much better Elizabeth is regarding to social issues, as if she's a social person herself. I only loved the part where Elizabeth and Calvin met, knowing each other then get together. Just two snobs being a couple.
The dog... doesn't necessarily give me any kind of joy. It's just not something I usually wanted to read willingly. So I don't have much to say about it.
The other men characters on the other hand, have no redeeming qualities. Either they're straight up a SA perpetrator or they're an active complicit that ends up not getting their views challenged/confronted at all.
You know, if anything I'm more interested in whatever's going on between Calvin and Wakely...
Point is, this is so disappointing and annoying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Grief
Medea by Euripides
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Men ❌🙅🏻♀️
Female Rage ✅💃🏻💅🏻
Medea is the hoarder of modern day slangs: she gaslight gatekeep girlboss not just close to the sun but exactly because she's descended from the sun god. Interesting portrayal of female rage in ancient civilization, nuance about women's autonomy in extremely patriarchal and violent society, how even mythological men have been mansplaining since a couple thousand years ago, and surprisingly an angle that look at how bad xenophobia is in any way of shape or form. The fun that I had while reading this is the same fun I feel while I was reading A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. Albeit both are different greatly, just that the experience of discovering the ways in which women from hundred years ago are oppressed is truly a "sigh long breaths" moment. I can't say much about the writing because different translation different impression, so. But I can say that it's written wonderfully.
Female Rage ✅💃🏻💅🏻
Medea is the hoarder of modern day slangs: she gaslight gatekeep girlboss not just close to the sun but exactly because she's descended from the sun god. Interesting portrayal of female rage in ancient civilization, nuance about women's autonomy in extremely patriarchal and violent society, how even mythological men have been mansplaining since a couple thousand years ago, and surprisingly an angle that look at how bad xenophobia is in any way of shape or form. The fun that I had while reading this is the same fun I feel while I was reading A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. Albeit both are different greatly, just that the experience of discovering the ways in which women from hundred years ago are oppressed is truly a "sigh long breaths" moment. I can't say much about the writing because different translation different impression, so. But I can say that it's written wonderfully.
Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I would've been crying rivers if only the plot wasn't so excruciatingly boring. Yes, the work is significant in Queer Movement history. But that was it. The main character is so annoying i don't even know where do I have all the patience to keep reading. This book is way too long, if only the part where hookup-breakups happening was cut I'd enjoy it more. There are a lot of beautiful passages that should resonate with me because I am a gender-nonconforming myself, but for some reason, the bland writing has a chokehold on me. So yeah.
TLDR: I'm disappointed with this book.
TLDR: I'm disappointed with this book.