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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Jordan Kisner’s collection of essays was a breath of fresh air and the literary reset I needed to jumpstart the new year. I’ve been fascinated by the concept of thin places ever since being introduced in college and Kisner expertly navigates and reflects on life’s liminal spaces and neither-here-not-there experiences. Some parts were not super relatable to me as someone who grew up very much outside any form of organized religion but other parts made me feel seen in ways I didn’t know I needed to or could be seen. Highly recommend! 4.5/5
The diversity of topics in this collection of essays is striking, and the author does a great job of delving into all of them.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I know the author was trying to say something meaningful and poetic, but I didn’t get it. There were a few moments that were interesting, and I mean only a few. Typical layout for this book is the author will open up with some broad philosophical thought or wild fact, ruminate over it, and then tell about a remote personal experience that doesn’t really relate to the original opening thought. It’s kind of like someone handpicked moments from their diary, took out most if the context around it, and replaced it with really pretentious existential thoughts. Anyway, not a bad book in terms of the writing, but I really had trouble understanding the author’s point in writing this, so not for me.
When I first heard about this book and its premise, I knew I needed to read it. I love the Celtic concept of thin places and even have a few places in my life that I have designated as thin places (Ghost Ranch in New Mexico is one of them for me). While not all of these fully connected for me or seemed connected to the central idea, I still enjoyed all of them. There are no bad essays in this collection. And some of them were actually quite insightful. I particularly enjoyed the one about the Washington Festival in Laredo, Texas. That essay really takes on the ideas of race, class and gender in some rather interesting and unique ways. I had hoped to love this book. I didn't but that's ok. It was still well worth the time I spent reading it. And I would still highly recommend it, particularly if you aren't familiar with the concept of thin places.