abeltirado's reviews
95 reviews

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Magpie Murders reminded me that I genuinely love murder mysteries when done well.
It evoked that charm of reading Agatha Christie for the first time with a nice twist throughout. Generally I don't like story-within-a-story type books. I feel like they tend to yank you out of the book but Horowitz did a fantastic job.
I am genuinely looking forward to reading the follow up.
One of my new recommendations going forward.

Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms by Victoria Law, Maya Schenwar

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5.0

The Bronzed Beasts by Roshani Chokshi

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adventurous emotional funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

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funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I don't like using the word poignant because I feel it is overused but Green wrote a truly poignant book. It was incredibly refreshing to read. It's funny. Its heartwarming. It gives me an odd sort of hope. A must-read in 2023

The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire by William Dalrymple

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adventurous informative medium-paced

4.75

Ease of Read: 10/10
Narrative/Voice: 10/10
Sources: 8/10
Lack of Bias: 8.5/10

The Anarchy is an incredibly easy to read history that brings the conflicts to life. The liberal use of primary sources engenders a lot of trust in the author, even if the majority of primary sources are English.

This isn't necessarily a knock against the book since it is, after all, a look at the East India Trading Corporation. Dalrymple showcases the "too big too fail" mentality of one of the first European multinational companies as well as the passivity of governments corrupted by personal profit.
Despite this book being about the EIC specifically, it is not hard to see immediate parallels between US corporations operating in South America and the African continent.

Read if you specifically want an understanding of the EIC. For overall Indian history, this serves as a great addendum but otherwise Keay's "India: A History" would serve you better.

The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell

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adventurous informative reflective fast-paced

4.25

It's a very engaging audiobook. The damatization makes for an easy listen.
However, in terms of content, Gladwell is not entirely historically accurate.
I would say this is good for an overview of the general history of bombers and fascinating insight into the personal comments of various figures.

This topic would be fascinating to explore in depth.

Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands by Kelly Lytle Hernández

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emotional informative sad fast-paced

4.0

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

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emotional medium-paced