dmathuna's reviews
26 reviews

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A book of two halves, the writing style in the first was hard for me to follow and felt very stiff. The second half doesn't suffer these problems at all and has a much better flow. The latter half of this book is absolutely gripping and a solid page turner. Reading the descriptions of what life was like under the occupation for Palestinians in their everyday lives was tough to digest but it is an even harder read with the knowledge that they don't even have their routine lives anymore and have to live through a genocide.

All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror by Stephen Kinzer

challenging informative reflective sad fast-paced

God's Executioner: Oliver Cromwell and the Conquest of Ireland by Micheál Ó Siochrú

challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown

challenging hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Web of Lies: How to Tell Fact from Fiction in an Online World by Aoife Gallagher

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

There's always an Irish man involved somehow (derogatory)

A solid book that gives an overview of conspiracies throughout time and the social and political events that makes people susceptible to believing in them. 

Was depressing to read just how many conspiracies had an Irish component and made me realise we are not immune to these kinda things on our shores either.

I'm also more aware of the role the internet plays in propagating these lies and how the algorithms of social media incentivises engagement over quality which is rife when conspiracies are posted to the detriment of the user experience. 

Thought it slightly lacking in the amount of references per chapter however.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Heart Of Darkness (1899) - Joseph Conrad.  Overall score 3.5/5

The 1st half of this book didn't engage me in the same way that the second half did.

The characters were very human and well written and this is one of the strengths of this book. Pairing this with Conrad's eloquent prose paints very vivid scenes and he loves to use these tools often.

The Narrator of this audiobook David Horovitch really elevated the quality of this book with excellent emotional weight in his narration.

It feels like there is so much more for me to dig into on rereads, a critique that follows on from the use of such flowery prose is that things can get confusing in a negative way that doesn't add to the narrative experience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective fast-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

3.5

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence

Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire by Caroline Elkins

challenging dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Caroline sets out to weave an ambitious narrative, highlighting the British Empires enduring doublethink that enabled it to commit atrocity after atrocity in its colonies and still assuage the british public that Imperial benevolence was required to uplift "uncivilised" nations until they were ready to self govern. 

She accomplishes this gargantuan task by highlighting how violence was an intrinsic part of colonial rule and spotlighting the fact that this was covered up by a familiar and often trotted out process of consecutive governments of setting up enquiries and commissioning reports that would eventually say it was the acts of individual "bad actors" as opposed to the systematic standard operating procedure that this landmark book would showcase it to be. This script is repeated all across the former colonies from Malaya, India, Kenya, Palestine, Egypt, South Africa, Ireland, Jamaica, & Northern Ireland.

I was curious in how this narrative would be wrapped up by it's laid out in plain sight that modern day british politics is still in the same place it was 300 years ago and is only regurgitating the same racist talking points. 

Thoroughly researched with the last 200ish pages being solely comprised of notes & bibliography.
Highly recommended, with the caveat that it is incredibly dense & there will be many names, titles, positions and places mentioned.

Motherfoclóir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language by Darach O' Seaghdha

funny informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

A funny, witty, entertaining and insightful look at some of the more obscure, weird and wonderful words and turns of phrase in the Irish language. Recommended for language lovers, linguistic enthusiasts and Irish speakers.