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bookishpriest's reviews
217 reviews
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
adventurous
medium-paced
3.5
Similar themes and overall cozy, good-humoured feel to the well-known Legends & Lattes by the same author.
This book is cute and enjoyable but doesn't have the same degree of enchanting energy as the previous. Bookshops & Bonedust felt a bit slow in the middle and some of the relationships were obvious from the outset and a little forced, even knowing there'd be romance going in.
Worth a read, but if you've only got room for one of the duology, the first book is a better place to spend your reading hours!
This book is cute and enjoyable but doesn't have the same degree of enchanting energy as the previous. Bookshops & Bonedust felt a bit slow in the middle and some of the relationships were obvious from the outset and a little forced, even knowing there'd be romance going in.
Worth a read, but if you've only got room for one of the duology, the first book is a better place to spend your reading hours!
The Other Face of God: When the Stranger Calls Us Home by Mary Jo Leddy
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Supporting and working with refugees in Canada's largest city might seem, at first glance, to be a one-way street. The privileged local, acting out of charity, assists and supports newcomers to Canada who have left behind almost their entire lives in hopes of something better here. Mary Jo Leddy, after 20 years at Romero House in Toronto, shares, through memories, reflection, and anecdotes, that the experience of refugee support is life-changing for both the helper and the helped.
With a focus on grace and mercy, Leddy describes how her encounters with refugees building new lives in Canada challenged philosophies of imperialism, xenophobia, and selfishness. They also revealed depths of faith and the abundance of God's love in the world.
With a focus on grace and mercy, Leddy describes how her encounters with refugees building new lives in Canada challenged philosophies of imperialism, xenophobia, and selfishness. They also revealed depths of faith and the abundance of God's love in the world.
High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This novella is a satirical, stoner-buddies take on Brexit and those ideas are certainly present. In a world where men are absent and the fate of humanity is being debated in a perpetually-hung parliament, Lana is caught up in her new role as a parliamentary scribe with a difficult fairy taskmaster. The drugs flow freely and Sapphic romance abounds, including a complicated love triangle.
Unfortunately, in spite of an interesting premise and some genuinely funny world-building, this novella just didn't do it for me. I wasn't especially invested in the characters or what seemed a very perfunctory plot. A neat idea that came out as uninteresting. I'm not sure if this needed to be a whole novel or a short story, or something else, but this wasn't quite it.
Unfortunately, in spite of an interesting premise and some genuinely funny world-building, this novella just didn't do it for me. I wasn't especially invested in the characters or what seemed a very perfunctory plot. A neat idea that came out as uninteresting. I'm not sure if this needed to be a whole novel or a short story, or something else, but this wasn't quite it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier
informative
fast-paced
4.5
The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 2 by Mokumokuren
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The City Born Great by N.K. Jemisin
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This quick read was an interesting dip into Jemisin's idea of a city' birth and personality. How cities live, just like other organisms in the world. Probably because of its brevity (22 pages/45 minutes), the story relies heavily on certain tropes (unaware chosen one, wise mentor, etc.) to advance things.
An interesting dip into ideas about the lives of cities, if a very familiar path to follow for a short while.
An interesting dip into ideas about the lives of cities, if a very familiar path to follow for a short while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Racism
Minor: Sexual content
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
3.75
This is a well-written book with plenty of ideas to share. The writing is accessible and the audiobook well-narrated. The thesis here is that new technologies should be evaluated carefully before being incorporated as recurring parts of our lives. The benefit of convenience and quick communication offered by smartphones, email, and social media, come at a cost and this needs to be carefully considered. In addition to these ideas, Newport offers processes for technological decluttering and evaluation if one wants to pare down reliance on technology.
Generally, I was a fan of the book. The ideas have been widely circulated in the technology and productivity spaces online over the last few years, so most of the content was familiar ground for me. It was good to encounter them at their source and become familiar with Newport's own writing on the subject. Prioritizing personal values over trying to shoehorn new technology into them is an important and useful rearrangement of the lens of assessment offered here.
I felt as though the anecdotes and examples in the latter two-thirds of the book could have been edited down significantly without losing much, functionally. I had several moments of "Could this book have been a long-form article instead?" Not a deal-breaker, but a feature of many nonfiction books of this type that I don't enjoy.
Definitely worth a read for anyone who is curious or hesitant about quick adoption of new technology. The processes outline for technological "detox" and decluttering could also be very useful experiments for folks concerned about their social media and communication technology usage.
Generally, I was a fan of the book. The ideas have been widely circulated in the technology and productivity spaces online over the last few years, so most of the content was familiar ground for me. It was good to encounter them at their source and become familiar with Newport's own writing on the subject. Prioritizing personal values over trying to shoehorn new technology into them is an important and useful rearrangement of the lens of assessment offered here.
I felt as though the anecdotes and examples in the latter two-thirds of the book could have been edited down significantly without losing much, functionally. I had several moments of "Could this book have been a long-form article instead?" Not a deal-breaker, but a feature of many nonfiction books of this type that I don't enjoy.
Definitely worth a read for anyone who is curious or hesitant about quick adoption of new technology. The processes outline for technological "detox" and decluttering could also be very useful experiments for folks concerned about their social media and communication technology usage.