I find it really hard to explain why this autobiographical/auto-fiction has been so captivating but it just is. This was, like the previous two books, so reflective, and sad, and honest it dredged up a whole raft of memories and thoughts about life, childhood, and memory for me a gave me a real messy set of feelings and reflections.

I found it to be genuinely quite a tough read in parts as it was just so sad in such a simple and pure way, but otherwise I really savoured this book and all it had to offer. At its best moments it was like enjoying a good meal in a sunny garden or a sweet and crisp beer in the sunshine - completely nourishing and restorative. Ignoring some grim parts of the last 20 pages, I think this book is one of those that has really made an impact on me. I loved it!

Human kind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

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hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

4.25

Absolutely fascinated by this subject and really enjoyed diving into this book and reading through the case studies and debunking that Bergman does to make his case that we are in fact aulturistic and social creatures at heart but can be pushed to behaving awfully by various things - with perception playing a large role in this.

I find myself being a little cautious of his conclusion, I agree mostly, but this book felt like it relied overly on psychology experiments and debunking to make its point. What I would have loved is a deeper exploration of the implications around the self-fulfilling function of our perceptions of others around us and perhaps how modern society and economics shapes that. Anyway, really enjoyable read either way.

It's Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World by Mikaela Loach

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challenging hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.0

All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks

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hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Really transformative for my own thinking and have felt like this is a book I am constantly thinking about! Everything happening seemed to come back to … well love, which is hardly unsurprising as it’s such a bedrock of life yet not something I’ve really read or discussed enough.

A few parts felt like opinion presented as fact with no citations or evidence and I am a bit wary of the book’s age. Still, I found it to be a great one for exploring new topics and leading to interesting conversations!

Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord by Louis de Bernières

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dark funny fast-paced

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

2.75

Usually find Lou de Ber pretty reliable but this just felt messy and a bit all over the place. Still charming in parts but just not structured in a way which gives anything much weight imo

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dwrevans's reviews 175 reviews

dwrevans's reviews
175 reviews