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festive_fossil's Reviews (173)
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual assault, Violence
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Racism
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
This is one of the best books I've ever read. It was not at all what I was expecting. I thought this was going to be like documentaries I have watched on climate change or industrial animal agriculture where there are a lot of hard facts and some emotional appeals. This book had those, too, but it was also philosophical, an inner journey of the author trying to understand his own apathy over something he knows definitively is an existential threat. This was an emotional one for me because it hit so close to home, perfectly articulating the cognitive dissonance of knowing you can, in fact, do something to halt climate change and yet...not doing what is necessary. This set of essays (I hesitate to use narrative for the whole) tips back and forth between despair and hope and leaves you only with the knowledge that we can only do this collectively. I just finished this today so my thoughts are still scattered, but I will be reading through a second time and may be able to update this review with more. However, what I can say is that I will be recommending this to everyone I know.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Suicide
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
I think we've all heard in recent years that Norway or Denmark or Sweden were some of the best places on earth to live. It has nothing to do with the weather, which in the winter is probably undesirable to most, but due to the high quality of education, healthcare, and overall happiness of the populations. You may notice these are all Nordic countries, but why??
As an American with only the foggiest of understandings of how Nordic nations operate, I found Partanen's book to be extremely informative. Inspired her own discoveries after moving to New York from Finland, Partanen has constructed a fascinating narrative illuminating the differences between the US and Nordic countries when it comes to everything from childcare to retirement - and frankly the US has quite a bit of catching up to do if it wants to offer every citizen a high quality of life.
The book was repetitive in places, and there were points where my interest flagged, though I was listening to an audiobook and that is more common for me in that format. Overall I found this to be very engaging even when addressing topics that normally put me to sleep (taxes I am looking at you). I would highly recommend if you are interested in learning more about how Nordic countries operate, the answers may surprise you.
As an American with only the foggiest of understandings of how Nordic nations operate, I found Partanen's book to be extremely informative. Inspired her own discoveries after moving to New York from Finland, Partanen has constructed a fascinating narrative illuminating the differences between the US and Nordic countries when it comes to everything from childcare to retirement - and frankly the US has quite a bit of catching up to do if it wants to offer every citizen a high quality of life.
The book was repetitive in places, and there were points where my interest flagged, though I was listening to an audiobook and that is more common for me in that format. Overall I found this to be very engaging even when addressing topics that normally put me to sleep (taxes I am looking at you). I would highly recommend if you are interested in learning more about how Nordic countries operate, the answers may surprise you.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Still mulling over my feelings on this book. I wanted to throw it out a window, but was also unable to put it down. Definitely this is not a story I liked, mostly because this kind of dark, grittiness is not really my favorite thing to read.
In terms of the quality of the writing, though, this is top notch. I mean the story absolutely hooked me in right away and I ended up finishing this in nearly one sitting. If you are a fan of horror, I would definitely recommend. As for myself, I think this story will be sticking with me for a while, and if that isn't a recommendation in and of itself, I don't know what is.
Note: I can't speak to the quality of the indigenous representation, but I have seen some own voices reviews that were very positive.
In terms of the quality of the writing, though, this is top notch. I mean the story absolutely hooked me in right away and I ended up finishing this in nearly one sitting. If you are a fan of horror, I would definitely recommend. As for myself, I think this story will be sticking with me for a while, and if that isn't a recommendation in and of itself, I don't know what is.
Note: I can't speak to the quality of the indigenous representation, but I have seen some own voices reviews that were very positive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual violence
I only got about 30% of the way into this audiobook. I'm not really sure why I struggled to get into it, but I decided that at this point in the year, I wasn't going to force reading something I wasn't absolutely enjoying. Definitely, I am leaving this on my TBR list in the hopes that I come back to it at a later time.
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Minimalist Baker's Everyday Cooking: 101 Entirely Plant-based, Mostly Gluten-Free, Easy and Delicious Recipes
DID NOT FINISH
I did not get very far into this cookbook and I think it is because I just don't like encountering food recipes in this way. I far prefer keeping up with Minimalist Baker's instagram. This is not a value judgment on this book AT ALL.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
I am still gathering my thoughts after finishing this book, but I did want to note a few things while it is still fresh. As other reviewers have commented, this is NOT a self-help book. I was expecting a bit of an elevated motivational book, this is NOT that. It has much more of a literary essay feel, and if you are not prepared for meandering and a bit of philosophical wool-gathering, then this will be difficult to get through. I think that audiobook format did not serve me well, either, as I absorb denser books like this much easier when reading them. This is not to say that this book was 'bad' or unhelpful. Odell discusses a lot of really interesting topics, though I could have done without some of the art talk which went completely over my head. I really appreciated Odell's obsession with nature, and connecting to the present material world. That's material as in tangible, not the consumerist collection of things. Her term of 'manifest dismantling' was also really interesting. I think this is a book I'd need to read several times to get the full benefit. And with that, I am going to end this meandering collection of thoughts on How to Do Nothing. Maybe tomorrow I will go take an extra long walk.