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ashwaar's reviews
177 reviews
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
4.25
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Living secretly within British society are the book eaters, ancient families that survive on literature to sustain and give them knowledge. Devon is part of one of these families, and as a rare girl, her future is carefully negotiated to ensure she produces heirs for their dwindling population. But when she gives birth to a mind-eater, a being who craves and survives on human minds rather than books, Devon must escape from the families to save her son.
A lot is happening in this book, and the story only becomes more intense, gritty and grotesque as it continues. It comes with all sorts of trigger warnings, so be sure to check those out if you’re unsure! But overall, I thought this was a pretty interesting premise, if a little contrived. It sounds a little like an idea I’d think up in my English class at secondary school, but it’s also pretty cool to see someone write it in an actual book.
The story is complex and compelling, jumping between present-day on-the-run Devon and her past, growing up within the families. There is a lot of legacy and lore in the book, and I think the author does well blending it all with the current narrative. You learn more alongside younger Devon, and as a reader, I felt very comfortable with this pacing.
At the same time as I found this book interesting and engaging, I also found it pretty tough to read at points. Because every character does terrible gruesome things, I found it hard to have sympathy or find a connection with any of them. I also found the setting a bit weird, and juxtaposing these mysterious families with the average UK life didn’t feel right. Maybe it would have felt more fitting in its own world, but I know that’s even more lore and background to commit to. It’s not a big complaint for me, and I got used to it as the story went on.
Overall, this was a pretty solid book, just not completely my cup of tea. It’s very plot-heavy, and I’m more of a character-and-vibes reader. I also thought it was very gory, and although I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it doesn’t make it very enjoyable to read at points. It’s one of those books where I think you’ll be able to tell from a review if you’ll like it or not, and hopefully, I’ve been able to help you out a little bit.
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Car accident, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I’m still unsure if this novel falls into the horror genre or the this-is-unlike-anything-I’ve-ever-read genre, but it likely straddles both. Our Wives Under The Sea is a haunting, beautiful, bleak novel about Miri, whose wife has been missing for six months on a clandestine deep-sea research trip. When Leah returns, Miri is overjoyed. However, it soon becomes clear that this Leah is not the same woman she married.
The novel changes perspectives from Miri to Leah with alternating chapters. Miri is dealing with the new Leah that has returned to her, who is bleeding from the skin and submerging herself in salt water baths. Back in the past, we see Leah and her research team stuck in a submarine at fathomless depths, waiting for what they might find at the very bottom of the ocean.
The book is rich with deep-sea metaphors and descriptions, allowing the reader to question just how much we’ve really discovered when 70% of the earth's surface is water and only 5% of this has been explored. At the same time, the writing is incredibly poignant and human, allowing us the see the weight that both Miri and Leah are struggling under.
At the end of it all, this book is at both times a love letter and a horror story to the ocean. Leah and Miri can both feel detached from the reader, and their circumstances are almost alien, but the ending retains such a deep connection to them both that it left me reeling. I would wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who doesn’t get freaked out by submarines or the ocean, it’s such a fascinating story that will stay with you long after finishing.
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Death of parent
Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.25
I'm continuing my trend of reading feminist non-fiction, and I recently read Invisible Women and found it incredibly engaging and interesting. I highly recommend this book to everyone, as the data it highlights impacts all of us.
Pérez begins this book by discussing the historical acceptance of the male form as default, which I found fascinating. She discusses Ancient Greek philosophers describing the female body as a perversion of the male and goes on to discuss women's exclusion in everything from medical trials to public transport to crash test dummies.
This book is also incredibly frustrating because there's no one to blame for these failures. The basis of these gender biases are so deeply entrenched in our everyday thinking we don't even stop to question them. We don't stop to think why the women's bathroom always has a line or why medical textbooks predominantly contain diagrams of the male body.
Some of these biases or gender data gaps seem like nothing more than inconveniences, something women just have to deal with in a world built for men. However, these inconveniences can build up and, in some cases, are outright killing women. For example, using car crash dummies based on the average male body exclude women from these safety tests. Or not factoring women in medical research trials because their fluctuating hormones make them too much of an anomaly.
This book is justifiably angry at the gender data gap, and as a reader, you will be as well. I learnt so much from this book, and I feel like I need everyone else to read it as well. It is very data-heavy throughout, and if you have a physical copy, I recommend highlighting some statistics. If you're debating with someone who doesn't think the gender data gap exists, point them to this book, as it's essential reading.
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
Pérez begins this book by discussing the historical acceptance of the male form as default, which I found fascinating. She discusses Ancient Greek philosophers describing the female body as a perversion of the male and goes on to discuss women's exclusion in everything from medical trials to public transport to crash test dummies.
This book is also incredibly frustrating because there's no one to blame for these failures. The basis of these gender biases are so deeply entrenched in our everyday thinking we don't even stop to question them. We don't stop to think why the women's bathroom always has a line or why medical textbooks predominantly contain diagrams of the male body.
Some of these biases or gender data gaps seem like nothing more than inconveniences, something women just have to deal with in a world built for men. However, these inconveniences can build up and, in some cases, are outright killing women. For example, using car crash dummies based on the average male body exclude women from these safety tests. Or not factoring women in medical research trials because their fluctuating hormones make them too much of an anomaly.
This book is justifiably angry at the gender data gap, and as a reader, you will be as well. I learnt so much from this book, and I feel like I need everyone else to read it as well. It is very data-heavy throughout, and if you have a physical copy, I recommend highlighting some statistics. If you're debating with someone who doesn't think the gender data gap exists, point them to this book, as it's essential reading.
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Vomit
Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.5
I cannot imagine how it must feel to be a woman in the public sphere and receive innumerable threats and angry outpourings from men. I cannot imagine how you handle being doxxed, your families threatened, being physically and verbally assaulted, and then going on to write a book about the very real dangers these attackers pose, and how no one takes it seriously. We take these threats, and these assaults as generic, as something to be contended with as a woman, instead of trying to stop or prevent the behaviour at its source.
In Men Who Hate Women, Laura Bates explores several online communities including incel (involuntary celibate) groups. She recounts her experiences infiltrating extremely misogynistic, often violent online forums, where groups of angry men will curse against the wrongs they felt they have been dealt in society. Instead of working to better themselves through personal growth and development, they will blame women for their lack of sexual success, and fantasise about a world in which women have no right of choice to a sexual partner, where rape is legal and accepted and where women are not considered human enough to warrant any sort of voice.
She then takes us on an exploration of other, more socially acceptable but still deeply disturbing and unhinged groups including pick-up artists, men’s rights activists and even mainstream figureheads like Jordan Peterson. By starting us off with the violently misogynistic and delusional incel groups, Bates traces a clear path to show how their ideology trickles down into the mainstream, socially acceptable content. From pick-up artists who hold huge workshops to manipulate and take advantage of their supporters to popular and acceptable ‘mentors’ like Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate.
Although it is a bit repetitive at times, I think this is needed so that Bates can get her point across, that these groups are real, bigger and more dangerous than we assume. Another thing that stuck with me is the blame is always, inevitably on women. When an act of mass violence is incited, especially by a young white man, the press is always focused on how society has failed them. They are not treated as a criminal, they are treated as a victim, even more so than the people they killed. This is a difficult, compelling and well-researched read that I think so many people would benefit from reading. As these groups are growing more and more popular and their ethos is becoming more socially acceptable, we need to raise our collective awareness in response. We need to support the confused, vulnerable kids stumbling across these forums and protect the women these actions and rhetorics ultimately affect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
At the start of Quiet, Susan Cain tells us of the IBM salespeople who sing group affirmations before they start work every day. She says, ‘only a certain type of fellow could possibly have been interested in kicking off his mornings this way’, and she’s probably right because this sounds like my worst nightmare.
I have always been an introvert, and I am content with that. I am a natural homebody; social functions tire me out; I have never been comfortable in group projects or ‘brainstorming’ exercises, and I get anxious about introducing myself to large groups. I’ve never felt fully seen or understood in situations where every expectation is something I’m not… except when I took the Myers-Briggs personality test or read this book.
I found this book affirming in that the traits I have are not weaknesses and are instead their own special kind of skills. Cain discusses how many companies, schools and courses cater to the loudest, most extroverted people, who thrive on bouncing ideas off of others and pushing their agenda onto the table. I’ve never, ever felt comfortable doing that, and after years of teachers telling me I need to speak up in class or feeling like I’m not living up to expectations in work environments, I suddenly have faith that I am not the problem and maybe, just maybe, these structures aren’t designed for the type of person I am.
Quiet was such an important book for me to read, and I think this is the same for other introverts (and extroverts!). Cain uses anecdotes, statistics and her own experiences to describe the motivations, behaviour and thinking patterns of introverted people. For example, introverts work best alone, without distractions and without sharing ideas in a group. They listen and take their time forming a suggestion, and if they share it in a group, odds are they’ve been thinking about it and preparing exactly what they’re going to say for a long time. Most importantly, she shows how introverts can successfully navigate an extroverted environment and how extroverts can support and celebrate the introverts in their lives.
Read more reviews on Bookmarked by Ash - https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
Read more reviews on Bookmarked by Ash - https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying
Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Murder Most Actual is a light-hearted, cosy mystery that follows married couple Liza and Hanna, who visit a lavish Scottish hotel to rekindle their relationship and become trapped in a snowstorm and ringed into solving a murder of potentially international intrigue. I loved that our two main characters were already well-established with each other instead of meeting for the first time, but I felt like the rest of the story needed some streamlining.
I don’t want to be incredibly critical of this book because there were parts that I enjoyed. I thought using Cluedo-style characters in this locked-room mystery was intriguing and worked well in a tongue-in-cheek way. I was really invested when the first murder happened and was keen to get caught up in the whodunnit, as I haven’t read anything like that before.
However, unfortunately, I found the mystery to be very dull. Characters kept on being murdered, but no one seemed like they were doing anything about it. Our main character and investigator, Liza, continuously repeated herself but never made any actual conclusions. I understand that murders in IRL are pretty uninteresting and boring, and that’s true, but that’s not very satisfying for a fictional murder mystery book.
I was expecting Knives Out in book form, and this isn’t that sort of book. I feel like the author needed to choose what to focus on - Liza and Hanna’s marriage or the increasing murders happening around them as doing both meant each storyline felt tenuous and thinly explored. But at the same time, the book was too long, and the repetition of dialogue and plot resulted in both becoming pretty dull, pretty quickly. Hall’s style of witty, sarcastic writing worked so well for Boyfriend Material, but it didn’t have the same effect on me here, which was disappointing.
Rating: 3/5
Trigger Warnings: blood, death, gore, gun violence, homophobia, murder, suicide, sexism violence
I don’t want to be incredibly critical of this book because there were parts that I enjoyed. I thought using Cluedo-style characters in this locked-room mystery was intriguing and worked well in a tongue-in-cheek way. I was really invested when the first murder happened and was keen to get caught up in the whodunnit, as I haven’t read anything like that before.
However, unfortunately, I found the mystery to be very dull. Characters kept on being murdered, but no one seemed like they were doing anything about it. Our main character and investigator, Liza, continuously repeated herself but never made any actual conclusions. I understand that murders in IRL are pretty uninteresting and boring, and that’s true, but that’s not very satisfying for a fictional murder mystery book.
I was expecting Knives Out in book form, and this isn’t that sort of book. I feel like the author needed to choose what to focus on - Liza and Hanna’s marriage or the increasing murders happening around them as doing both meant each storyline felt tenuous and thinly explored. But at the same time, the book was too long, and the repetition of dialogue and plot resulted in both becoming pretty dull, pretty quickly. Hall’s style of witty, sarcastic writing worked so well for Boyfriend Material, but it didn’t have the same effect on me here, which was disappointing.
Rating: 3/5
Trigger Warnings: blood, death, gore, gun violence, homophobia, murder, suicide, sexism violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Sexism
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I read The Great Gatsby years ago and didn't enjoy it but approaching it again I understood so much more! I understand the reverberations of Jay Gatsby pursuing the ever elusive American dream only to end up forgotten by most of those who lauded and worshipped him before. I thought Fitzgerald's scenes of Daisy Buchanan's mansion, Gatsby's parties and our narrator's small home, were painted beautifully.
However, I agree that this book is incredibly over-hyped and, especially these days, there are much better books out there with the same themes and comments as The Great Gatsby, that are perhaps more relevant to our modern society. Nevertheless, The Great Gatsby has been popular as long as it has because its message has continued to be relevant and important through the decades after its publication, and I guess that's what makes it a classic.
However, I agree that this book is incredibly over-hyped and, especially these days, there are much better books out there with the same themes and comments as The Great Gatsby, that are perhaps more relevant to our modern society. Nevertheless, The Great Gatsby has been popular as long as it has because its message has continued to be relevant and important through the decades after its publication, and I guess that's what makes it a classic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Car accident
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Antisemitism
Minor: Alcohol