capy's reviews
351 reviews

Blue Sky Through the Window of a Moving Car: Comics for Beautiful, Awful and Ordinary Days by Jordan Bolton

emotional reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.0

I said "Love you too", leaving out the "I" as if that would be too much.

reading this felt like the artist captured moments that speak to the specific part of my brain that dissociates and analyzes life as it is happening to me. i've never felt that before and would love to find more illustrations that scratch that itch
the art style is also gorgeous, absolutely loved this and need 10 more

thank you netgalley for the ARC

In the Margins: On the Pleasures of Reading and Writing by Elena Ferrante

reflective slow-paced

2.75

We have to accept the fact that no word is truly ours. We have to give up the idea that writing miraculously releases a voice of our own, a tonality of our own: in my view that is a lazy way of talking about writing. Writing is, rather, entering an immense cemetery where every tomb is waiting to be profaned. Writing is getting comfortable with everything that has already been written—great literature and commercial literature, if useful, the novel-essay and the screenplay—and in turn becoming, within the limits of one’s own dizzying, crowded individuality, something written. Writing is seizing everything that has already been written and gradually learning to spend that enormous fortune. We mustn’t let ourselves be flattered by those who say: here’s someone who has a tonality of her own. Everything, in writing, has a long history behind it. 

i think i should've read literally ANY of her other books before picking this one up. it is obvious she's an iconic writer but i could not appreciate this book for what it was and i'm upset at myself (very cool to learn the origin of "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose" though)

With greater or less ability we fabricate fictions not so that the false will seem true but to tell the most unspeakable truth with absolute faithfulness through the fiction.

Blind Spot: Exploring and Educating on Blindness by Maud Rowell

informative reflective fast-paced

3.75

We think of blindness as separate from visual art – and yet, when we go to galleries and museums, or buy posters for our homes, or search for art online to inspire and educate us, it is blind perspectives – and other non-normative ways of seeing – that we crave. We need to recognise this hypocrisy, and that these truths have been so well hidden to so many, and deemed so unimportant to their narrative. Why is it that we can celebrate diverse viewpoints when they hang resplendent before us in gold frames, but not when they are another human being’s optical reality? 

a solid introductory book on the importance of sharing the load in regards to the necessity of reshaping our world with accessibility as a standard. in my opinion, the title and the blurb might have overpromised what is actually discussed in the book, i found it to be TOO art-focused; however, whatever the author doesn't elaborate on, they do compensate with a deeply inspiring perspective: when we put our vision on a sensory pedestal, we are often simultaneously depriving ourselves of other enriching sensory experiences that would further connect us with ourselves and each other.

“And I’m privileged to have a level of knowledge – I’m a computer scientist, I understand how engineering works, I know what goes into building a building, what goes into some levels of city planning. So I understand rather viscerally how things could be better. And there really is no excuse other than lack of consideration.”

there is no reason disabilities should be an afterthought in the year of our lord 2024. in storygraph, when they ask "This book would be for someone who is in the mood for something: ...", i would pick "angry" for this one. kudos to the author for providing resources and ideas in the afterword for readers to motivate themselves to do better
grateful to have read this, let's stay critical of the world around us

The Book of Questions by Pablo Neruda

adventurous

1.25

Was it where they lost me
that I finally found myself?

have to respect the author's tendency to stay whimsical and also to wish ill to hitler/evil US presidents in his poems; otherwise, this book is probably better read in an altered state

Girls That Invest: Your Guide to Financial Independence through Shares and Stocks by Simran Kaur

informative inspiring fast-paced

4.5

don't remember the last time i read a book that completely opened up a world to me with as few words as possible. the graphs were a bit useless and some "girly" references felt a little overdone but it's a solid go-to recommendation for anyone who wants to get started in investing and that needs a productive read to keep them on their reading journey

Mensagem by Fernando Pessoa

challenging inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

um must-read para qualquer português e, a partir de agora, só quero solidificar factos ou narrativas históricas no meu cérebro através de poemas deste calibre (ou melhor, se possível)

Frei Luís de Sousa by Almeida Garrett

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

classic brave corageous men + dumb weak women characterization, mixed with an underwhelming "forbidden love" story zzzzz read to remind myself why i'm never picking it up again

Summer by Ali Smith

hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

English As She Is Spoke by José da Fonseca, Pedro Carolino

fast-paced

1.0

He do the devil at four.

pointless aged-like-milk humor, yet it IS laughable that mark twa*n called 'pride & prejudice' trash then turned around to praise a book of this sort
wish i could find a version with the original portuguese sentences

The January Children by Safia Elhillo

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

3.5

i try to leave home but the ocean bares its teeth
& where i'm from is where i'm from & not
where i was put

a gut-wrenching collection that beautifully blends many elements of what can make someone feel connected to their country; elhillo makes me want to get back to consistently reading poetry books asap

in khartoum’s bright yellow morning my grandfather brings me the season’s first mangoes & tells me it is time to come home | they are firm & green but on the inside all sunlight | i use my hands & spill the juice all down my front i fill my mouth & i do not answer