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ashwaar's reviews
176 reviews
Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found by Cheryl Strayed
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Braiding Sweetgrass is a hefty book packed with stories, anecdotes and emotions. Throughout its pages, Kimmerer takes us along as she surveys mountainsides, harvests roots, saves reptiles from becoming roadkill, and watches her girls grow up and leave home. She discusses the delicate intersection of loving the planet whilst studying it and concludes that you cannot understand the environment if you don't feel for it.
The book has its basis in science, but Kimmerer explains ecological processes so deftly and poetically that it's easy to take in. Even if you don't understand everything, the language and writing style clearly shows her love and respect for the topic. The chapters range in length and topic, but a few of my favourites include the erasure of indigenous languages, stories of tapping maple syrup trees, and rituals performed in thanks for the land.
The book acknowledges and discusses the role of indigenous knowledge in scientific understanding of the Earth and how to live in balance with our land. After reading this, I felt more compelled to pause when hiking to accept the landscapes around me and feel gratitude for them. Braiding Sweetgrass is a non-fiction book I'd recommend to almost everyone as essential reading.
Rating: 4.5/5
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
The book has its basis in science, but Kimmerer explains ecological processes so deftly and poetically that it's easy to take in. Even if you don't understand everything, the language and writing style clearly shows her love and respect for the topic. The chapters range in length and topic, but a few of my favourites include the erasure of indigenous languages, stories of tapping maple syrup trees, and rituals performed in thanks for the land.
The book acknowledges and discusses the role of indigenous knowledge in scientific understanding of the Earth and how to live in balance with our land. After reading this, I felt more compelled to pause when hiking to accept the landscapes around me and feel gratitude for them. Braiding Sweetgrass is a non-fiction book I'd recommend to almost everyone as essential reading.
Rating: 4.5/5
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death and Racism
What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon
challenging
informative
medium-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia and Toxic friendship
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I read this book more on a whim rather than it being in my TBR. My partner had just finished it and he doesn’t read loads but he said it was really good and I should try it.
I kind of liked it but it was pretty average for the most part. Some of the reveals were cool but the writing was average. It was pretty slow for the most part and the plot was littered with cliches. It’s your basic thriller that would be sold at the front of an airport WHSmith’s, which is fine it that appeals to you, but it’s just not my taste.
I kind of liked it but it was pretty average for the most part. Some of the reveals were cool but the writing was average. It was pretty slow for the most part and the plot was littered with cliches. It’s your basic thriller that would be sold at the front of an airport WHSmith’s, which is fine it that appeals to you, but it’s just not my taste.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Blood, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Trafficking, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Alcohol
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I really enjoyed this book. There’s a lot of background and it does pretty well at including that alongside a new plot line. The characters are pretty fun and varied, but I worry in future books there’s going to be slightly too many people to keep track of? The obvious social parallels are important and really well handled and although the writing can be a little cringe at time, I thought it was a step above the vast majority of YA-fantasy that I’ve read.
A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I have not had much luck when it comes to retellings of classic books and historical fiction. I'm unsure what compelled me to start a Sherlock Holmes gender-bending series. I've never been a big fan of the novels, but I was obsessed with the BBC series as a teenager.
This retelling hinges on Sherlock being a woman, which is challenging to pull off in Victorian England because, of course, women couldn't do much of anything. The start of the novel focuses on our main character's origin story and their struggle to start a detective business in the face of many, many obstacles. It is significant that even once Charlotte (our version of Sherlock) appears to have succeeded, she is still, inevitably, supported in many ways by the men she has tried to avoid relying on.
It was also refreshing that Charlotte is the opposite of everyone's expectations. She is a plump, round-faced, well-mannered society woman with a penchant for cakes, sweets and anything frilly. The author rejects the traditional expectations of what a great mind looks like and instead gives us a character far more realistic and relatable.
Despite the noticeable differences, A Study in Scarlet Women still reads much like the original novels. However, this makes it so incredibly boring to try and get through. The original books were also quite dull, and although I like the idea of writing the Lady Sherlock novels in this style, they are not getting read by a Victorian audience. It's also very long as Charlotte's background is told alongside a mystery story, which in the end, is solved with a letter and Charlotte's sentiment of 'knowing all along.
Despite trying to do something different, this ends reading like a traditional Arthur Conan Doyle novel, and I was bored. At several points, I didn’t understand what was happening in the investigation, and too many threads were left unexplained, resulting in me feeling a bit stupid for not following along.
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
This retelling hinges on Sherlock being a woman, which is challenging to pull off in Victorian England because, of course, women couldn't do much of anything. The start of the novel focuses on our main character's origin story and their struggle to start a detective business in the face of many, many obstacles. It is significant that even once Charlotte (our version of Sherlock) appears to have succeeded, she is still, inevitably, supported in many ways by the men she has tried to avoid relying on.
It was also refreshing that Charlotte is the opposite of everyone's expectations. She is a plump, round-faced, well-mannered society woman with a penchant for cakes, sweets and anything frilly. The author rejects the traditional expectations of what a great mind looks like and instead gives us a character far more realistic and relatable.
Despite the noticeable differences, A Study in Scarlet Women still reads much like the original novels. However, this makes it so incredibly boring to try and get through. The original books were also quite dull, and although I like the idea of writing the Lady Sherlock novels in this style, they are not getting read by a Victorian audience. It's also very long as Charlotte's background is told alongside a mystery story, which in the end, is solved with a letter and Charlotte's sentiment of 'knowing all along.
Despite trying to do something different, this ends reading like a traditional Arthur Conan Doyle novel, and I was bored. At several points, I didn’t understand what was happening in the investigation, and too many threads were left unexplained, resulting in me feeling a bit stupid for not following along.
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I have greatly enjoyed Keefe's previous books, Say Nothing and Empire of Pain, but I was also intimidated at times. Both are grand, shocking and eventful books covering crucial and compelling topics. However, Rogues felt just a little bit more accessible in comparison.
So to start with, this book is so easy to read compared to the others. You can take your time getting through it without forgetting what has happened in the previous pages. It also gives you so many interesting stories and anecdotes to tell other people. I relayed every chapter to my boyfriend after I read it because of how weird and interesting the stories were. My favourites were The Hunt for El Chapo, Winning, and The Worst of the Worst (in case you were wondering).
However, so many of these stories didn't have much of an ending. I felt a bit unsatisfied when I finished one of them, as although the crux of the story is interesting and compelling, these people and their stories and repercussions are never-ending. The story of the Jefferson wines, although fascinating, didn't end with anything more than a warning that the majority of highly collectable wines may be fakes, and the chapter on Falciani, who stole data from the Swiss banks, was open-ended. We don't really get any answers to the questions that crop up when we start each chapter.
But I understand these stories can rarely be tied up with a neat little bow. Crime is often confusing and complex, with different actors saying different things about their roles in the scheme. The lack of a finale doesn't take away from the stories in any way, it leaves the reader to contemplate the messiness of our modern world and the different ways we tell our stories.
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
So to start with, this book is so easy to read compared to the others. You can take your time getting through it without forgetting what has happened in the previous pages. It also gives you so many interesting stories and anecdotes to tell other people. I relayed every chapter to my boyfriend after I read it because of how weird and interesting the stories were. My favourites were The Hunt for El Chapo, Winning, and The Worst of the Worst (in case you were wondering).
However, so many of these stories didn't have much of an ending. I felt a bit unsatisfied when I finished one of them, as although the crux of the story is interesting and compelling, these people and their stories and repercussions are never-ending. The story of the Jefferson wines, although fascinating, didn't end with anything more than a warning that the majority of highly collectable wines may be fakes, and the chapter on Falciani, who stole data from the Swiss banks, was open-ended. We don't really get any answers to the questions that crop up when we start each chapter.
But I understand these stories can rarely be tied up with a neat little bow. Crime is often confusing and complex, with different actors saying different things about their roles in the scheme. The lack of a finale doesn't take away from the stories in any way, it leaves the reader to contemplate the messiness of our modern world and the different ways we tell our stories.
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
4.25