anisha_inkspill's reviews
171 reviews

The Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad

4.0

In this abridged journal by Sylvia Plath, what stands out to me, as it does in her other work is her writing. The journal is a mix of writer’s and reader’s diary along with private recordings. What emerges is a complex picture of an ambitious, intelligent woman who is trying to achieve the things that are important to her. Throughout there is commentary to bridge the entries, and I like how her last entry has a casual, upbeat open-ended note, whenever I read Sylvia Plath's work, I am always left with the sense that what really mattered to her was her writing. 

Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others by Anonymous

4.0

 This book has been on my shelf for years waiting patiently for me to be ready to read it. What amazed me is I enjoyed reading this; I was expecting a dry difficult read with poems that I would not be able to connect to, and though it was tough trying keep up with all the characters and what was going on, the most thrilling part is to read something so very old. 

Square Haunting: Five Writers in London Between the Wars by Francesca Wade

3.5

I enjoyed reading this and found it very informative, but it felt disjointed and didn’t have the big wow!!! factor of what these five women achieved in their own time against what was expected of them back then.  Of the five I know some poetry of Hilda Doolittle (H.D) and works by Virginia Woolf. Dorothy L Sayers I’ve heard of (until I read this, I hadn’t realised she wrote more than crime fiction), and the last two were new to me – Jane Harrison (classicist) and Eileen Power (economic historian). 

Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hathorne

4.0

Greek myths retold for a very young audience; Theseus is described as a good king for listening to his mum, and Medea as wicked and naughty. 

Parts of this are outdated but my younger self would have still found these stories fun and engaging. Here there’s adventures, a little bit of magic, monsters to fight, some quirky characters and heroic deeds. When the book ended I wanted it to carry on and tell me more stories. 

Republic by Plato

informative

4.0

 Fascinating and enjoyable are not how I would have described reading Plato’s <i>Republic</i>. I’ve had this on my tbr since 2016, I’ve always imagined this would be impossible to understand, turgid and really, really hard work but instead it was the complete opposite, and what a read!!! I didn’t grasp everything but I was okay with this as I intend to read this several more times more whilst trying to get more familiar with global ancient history. 

The Dictionary People: The Unsung Heroes Who Created the Oxford English Dictionary by Sarah Ogilvie

informative medium-paced

3.5

I like this more for it heroic read is how it shows the people involved are from all walks of life, and other parts of the world, where most of them had no expectation of being credited, receiving pay or a reward for their contribution to make the OED. 

This is not a perfect read but for me an interesting one. 

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

emotional hopeful informative sad

4.0

 This is a mix of fiction and nonfiction. In its fiction mode, there are many moments that make this 1000+ page worth reading; some are very sad, whilst others made me smile. Gavroche’s spirit is wonderful (for one so young he’s been through so much and yet is so free and so brave) but it’s Jean Valjean and Fantine that make the story. And though I didn’t like the ending, it was the right ending, as a whole this has left quite an impression on me. 

The Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie

4.0

Twelve short stories by Agatha Christie where Hercule Poirot takes on his last 12 cases, each one gives a nod to a labour of (the Greek hero) Hercules. I listened to the audiobook, brilliantly read and entertaining. 

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

3.0

I enjoyed some parts more than others. 4 stars for its philosophical insights and how the setting comes to life in Lavinia’s day to day, and for this I would read again. 2 stars in how at times the story is contrived in how it unfolds and for having characters that are all good (Aeneas) or all bad (Turnus (and later Acsanius)) – and so to me feels less real. 

We Can Remember It for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick

4.0

 

This is so different from the movie Total Recall but just as entertaining without all the wacky characters, special effects and chase scenes. The ending is unexpected, I didn’t know if I should be amused or be stunned.