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atomic_tourist's reviews
355 reviews
תפוחים מן המדבר by סביון ליברכט, Savyon Liebrecht
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
קובץ סיפורים שמחלקם סלדתי ולאחרים התחברתי. התקשיתי (ואפילו כעסתי על ליברכט) לקרוא את הסיפורים העוסקים ביחסים בין ישראלים ופלסטינים - יש רגעים שהצבתם של פלסטינים כמכשיר ספרותי מזכירה לי את הכתיבה של עמוס עוז. אולי אני מנותקת מדי מהשיח התרבותי בארץ בשנים שיצא הספר לאור, אבל אני לא מצליחה להתחבר לספרות שברור שהיא נכתבה אך ורק בשביל קוראים ישראלים יהודים. כי כן, יש עוד אנשים שיודעים איך לקרוא בעברית... ואיכשהו כל הפלסטינים בסיפורים שלה הם קריקטורות שמטרתם בחיים היא לספוג את רגשות האשם של הדמות הראשית (הישראלית, כמובן)...
ועם זאת - אני מודה שכמה מהסיפורים היו יפים בעיניי, במיוחד הסיפור האחרון והסיפור ממנו ניתן השם לקובץ, "תפוחים מן המדבר".
ועם זאת - אני מודה שכמה מהסיפורים היו יפים בעיניי, במיוחד הסיפור האחרון והסיפור ממנו ניתן השם לקובץ, "תפוחים מן המדבר".
Echoes from the Macabre: Selected Stories by Daphne du Maurier
dark
mysterious
tense
Daphne du Maurier I ♥ you so much!!!!!
Some hits and some misses (which happens in every single short story collection). The opening and closing stories in this book are the two most famous stories included: "Don't Look Now" and "The Birds", both of which gained infamy through their renowned film adaptations. I adored both stories, especially the latter. du Maurier is a master of crafting foreboding atmospheres, and these works are a testament to that. All hail!!!!
Some honorable mentions: "The Pool" and "The Blue Lenses"
Some of the misses: "Kiss Me Again, Stranger" (idk why people like this one? One of du Maurier's few flops), "The Chamois" (ugh), and "The Old Man" (not worthy of inclusion in the collection imo).
Some hits and some misses (which happens in every single short story collection). The opening and closing stories in this book are the two most famous stories included: "Don't Look Now" and "The Birds", both of which gained infamy through their renowned film adaptations. I adored both stories, especially the latter. du Maurier is a master of crafting foreboding atmospheres, and these works are a testament to that. All hail!!!!
Some honorable mentions: "The Pool" and "The Blue Lenses"
Some of the misses: "Kiss Me Again, Stranger" (idk why people like this one? One of du Maurier's few flops), "The Chamois" (ugh), and "The Old Man" (not worthy of inclusion in the collection imo).
Full Surrogacy Now by Sophie Anne Lewis
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Lots of original ideas here! Imo Lewis should have expanded her scope. She states that Full Surrogacy Now is not a case study, right before delving into a case study of the Akanksha Infertility Clinic, which takes up a solid 2/3 of the book... Meanwhile, I found myself wanting to see Lewis's analysis of other 'infertility clinics' both in India and globally.
The call for Full Surrogacy was likewise stunted. It's a powerful notion but Lewis didn't present much beyond a philosophical ideal. What would this look like in practice? (In praxis?) How do we expand our understandings of what it means to 'mother'? How do we support laborers (as in, those going into labor) of all types, be they typical surrogates or not? What will taking down and rebuilding the idea of a 'family' look like across the world? Lewis poses these questions but doesn't give many concrete answers.
I leave this work feeling curious to see what else is out there on surrogacy and family abolition. Kudos to Lewis for setting up some big ideas - now I have to hunt for details to fill in the blanks.
The call for Full Surrogacy was likewise stunted. It's a powerful notion but Lewis didn't present much beyond a philosophical ideal. What would this look like in practice? (In praxis?) How do we expand our understandings of what it means to 'mother'? How do we support laborers (as in, those going into labor) of all types, be they typical surrogates or not? What will taking down and rebuilding the idea of a 'family' look like across the world? Lewis poses these questions but doesn't give many concrete answers.
I leave this work feeling curious to see what else is out there on surrogacy and family abolition. Kudos to Lewis for setting up some big ideas - now I have to hunt for details to fill in the blanks.
Dulcinea by Ana Veciana-Suarez
adventurous
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Not at all my cup of tea, unfortunately. A few things to nitpick:
A) This is the sort of story about a Jewish/Converso family where I could immediately tell that the author had no idea what she was writing about. I'm no historian BUT a fun 'Shahar fact' is that in middle school I had an obsession with reading YA books about conversos & anusim in Spain. So I can tell you with confidence that there are many better tellings of this story, including ones where the author understands the basics of Ladino and of Sephardi/Jewish customs. This is such a small detail but when Nuria called it "the Sabbath" I was really annoyed... in both Ladino and Hebrew, it is Shabbat! And in general, I've never heard a Jew say "Sabbath." We leave that to the Xtians...
B) Veciana-Suarez wrote Dolça as though she were living in 2024. A woman living in Spain during the Inquisition would not have the same morals and ethics that we have. This irks me because - to me - historical fiction is about understanding what people were truly like in the past. It is, of course, impossible to fully achieve this. But that doesn't mean we can impose 2024 girlboss feminism onto a medieval character. It frustrated me when Dolça was written with a 'distance' from her everyday customs and beliefs. For example, when Veciana-Suarez wrote about medical treatments from Dolça's POV, she does so with thinly veiled disdain and disbelief. Something along the lines of 'the doctor did this barbaric thing called bloodletting because he said it would help' or 'haha, how silly, they believe giving me this treatment will balance my humors.' The thing is that people back then knew it to be true that those treatments would work. It is only later that that "knowledge" was disproven. Not to mention that somehow Dolça is not at all homophobic, has not internalized any of the misogyny around her, and opposes the Inquisition... All despite coming from a wealthy, traditional Catholic family. I'm hesitant to praise Otessa Moshfegh but her latest, Lapvona, showcases her ability to inhabit the minds of her medieval characters. Lapvona embodies what I think authors should aim for when writing historical novels, in the sense that Moshfegh laid out each character's worldview so convincingly. Veciana-Suarez could have taken a page from that book.
C) The entire book was just so. fricking. trite.
A) This is the sort of story about a Jewish/Converso family where I could immediately tell that the author had no idea what she was writing about. I'm no historian BUT a fun 'Shahar fact' is that in middle school I had an obsession with reading YA books about conversos & anusim in Spain. So I can tell you with confidence that there are many better tellings of this story, including ones where the author understands the basics of Ladino and of Sephardi/Jewish customs. This is such a small detail but when Nuria called it "the Sabbath" I was really annoyed... in both Ladino and Hebrew, it is Shabbat! And in general, I've never heard a Jew say "Sabbath." We leave that to the Xtians...
B) Veciana-Suarez wrote Dolça as though she were living in 2024. A woman living in Spain during the Inquisition would not have the same morals and ethics that we have. This irks me because - to me - historical fiction is about understanding what people were truly like in the past. It is, of course, impossible to fully achieve this. But that doesn't mean we can impose 2024 girlboss feminism onto a medieval character. It frustrated me when Dolça was written with a 'distance' from her everyday customs and beliefs. For example, when Veciana-Suarez wrote about medical treatments from Dolça's POV, she does so with thinly veiled disdain and disbelief. Something along the lines of 'the doctor did this barbaric thing called bloodletting because he said it would help' or 'haha, how silly, they believe giving me this treatment will balance my humors.' The thing is that people back then knew it to be true that those treatments would work. It is only later that that "knowledge" was disproven. Not to mention that somehow Dolça is not at all homophobic, has not internalized any of the misogyny around her, and opposes the Inquisition... All despite coming from a wealthy, traditional Catholic family. I'm hesitant to praise Otessa Moshfegh but her latest, Lapvona, showcases her ability to inhabit the minds of her medieval characters. Lapvona embodies what I think authors should aim for when writing historical novels, in the sense that Moshfegh laid out each character's worldview so convincingly. Veciana-Suarez could have taken a page from that book.
C) The entire book was just so. fricking. trite.
כל הסיפורים by A.B. Yehoshua
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
לא בשבילי...הכתיבה נעה בקצב זוחל ויהושע לוקח את עצמו ברצינות יתרה. איכשהו התעקשתי וקראתי את כל האוסף, אבל כבר אחרי ה1-2 סיפורים הראשונים איבדתי תקווה שאיהנה מחוויית הקריאה.
He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
He Who Drowned the World blew me away - it isn't simply a queer fantasy; it queers fantasy. This is an incredibly ambitious work that, I would say, accomplishes what it sets out to do. Bravo to Shelley Parker-Chan!
BDS : boycott, divestment, sanctions : the global struggle for Palestinian rights by Omar Barghouti
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Barghouti, who is a member of the BNC, succinctly lays down the argument for BDS and slashes down common myths about the BDS movement in this surprisingly readable publication from Haymarket Books.
Anyone who is able to read this work and still accuse BDS of antisemitism or even hatred is, in my view, doing so out of bad faith; Barghouti emphasizes time and again how the global call for BDS not only didn't exclude Israelis, but actively invited us to participate as accomplices. I strongly recommend this book for any advocate of Palestine. Personally, my understanding of the necessity & history of the BDS movement had increased substantially by the time I put down the book.
Format & content wise, beware that the second half of the book includes mainly regurgitated content including interviews and essays, both by the author and by outside contributors. The message of each source is cogent, but at times they are repetitive, since different sources often overlap in some of the data and talking points they utilize when talking about the same issue.
Anyone who is able to read this work and still accuse BDS of antisemitism or even hatred is, in my view, doing so out of bad faith; Barghouti emphasizes time and again how the global call for BDS not only didn't exclude Israelis, but actively invited us to participate as accomplices. I strongly recommend this book for any advocate of Palestine. Personally, my understanding of the necessity & history of the BDS movement had increased substantially by the time I put down the book.
Format & content wise, beware that the second half of the book includes mainly regurgitated content including interviews and essays, both by the author and by outside contributors. The message of each source is cogent, but at times they are repetitive, since different sources often overlap in some of the data and talking points they utilize when talking about the same issue.
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Oh, Ottessa, how I love to hate you...
Eileen showed some potential (unlike McGlue or Homesick for Another World, which I really resented wasting time on). But in between Moshfesgh's masterful prose - listen, the girl can write! - was tucked a story that fell flat for me. It was also really crass! Which can be fun in a novel. It's just that her crassness disgusted me but without leading to some revelation. She's no John Waters. Sometimes it feels like she just wants to be nasty and the literature is collateral to that.
I think, at this point, I've read all of Moshfegh's oeuvre. (Please clap!) I'm hesitant to reread My Year of Rest and Relaxation because I loved it so much when I first read it, but none of her other works have clicked for me. I'm scared a reread will ruin it for me. Which would be sad; I have an intense memory of reading it for the first time, when it felt like everything in my life was falling apart, and finding solace & purpose in its pages.
Eileen showed some potential (unlike McGlue or Homesick for Another World, which I really resented wasting time on). But in between Moshfesgh's masterful prose - listen, the girl can write! - was tucked a story that fell flat for me. It was also really crass! Which can be fun in a novel. It's just that her crassness disgusted me but without leading to some revelation. She's no John Waters. Sometimes it feels like she just wants to be nasty and the literature is collateral to that.
I think, at this point, I've read all of Moshfegh's oeuvre. (Please clap!) I'm hesitant to reread My Year of Rest and Relaxation because I loved it so much when I first read it, but none of her other works have clicked for me. I'm scared a reread will ruin it for me. Which would be sad; I have an intense memory of reading it for the first time, when it felt like everything in my life was falling apart, and finding solace & purpose in its pages.
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I liked this one! My first R.F. Kuang novel was Babel and I think this would have been a much better starting point.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Sometimes I read a book and I'm like, 'yep, of course Tor Books would publish this...'
By that what I mean is that lots of their sci-fi and fantasy reads like fanfic, with characters that fit into neat bins both in terms of the tropes they check off and the identities they hold, and that everyone talks like they're tweeting. I guess it's kind of like 'adult' literature that reads strongly like YA? Though actually Gideon is one of few books I think fits squarely in the amorphous genre that is 'new adult.' Whatever that even means.
I'm rambling, I know... But what I'd really like to get at is that despite these limitations (which hold Gideon back from being a truly great book) I really liked it! I wish it had had a better editor, but I feel that way about 99% of books from this publisher. It was a pleasure seeing the relationship between Gideon and Harrow evolve, and I enjoyed the And Then There Were None-esque nature of the 'whodunnit' in last 2/3 of the novel. While the writing style (it really is very Twitter-y!) wasn't wholly original, the novel's premise was strong enough that I still had a good time.
And one more gripe: if you're going to market your book as "lesbian necromancers in space," then maybe the characters should... I don't know... do some lesbianing? Just a wild thought!
By that what I mean is that lots of their sci-fi and fantasy reads like fanfic, with characters that fit into neat bins both in terms of the tropes they check off and the identities they hold, and that everyone talks like they're tweeting. I guess it's kind of like 'adult' literature that reads strongly like YA? Though actually Gideon is one of few books I think fits squarely in the amorphous genre that is 'new adult.' Whatever that even means.
I'm rambling, I know... But what I'd really like to get at is that despite these limitations (which hold Gideon back from being a truly great book) I really liked it! I wish it had had a better editor, but I feel that way about 99% of books from this publisher. It was a pleasure seeing the relationship between Gideon and Harrow evolve, and I enjoyed the And Then There Were None-esque nature of the 'whodunnit' in last 2/3 of the novel. While the writing style (it really is very Twitter-y!) wasn't wholly original, the novel's premise was strong enough that I still had a good time.
And one more gripe: if you're going to market your book as "lesbian necromancers in space," then maybe the characters should... I don't know... do some lesbianing? Just a wild thought!