ghada_mohammed's reviews
521 reviews

ممتلئ بالفراغ by عماد رشاد عثمان

informative reflective

4.0

بالرغم من العنوان الخادع، هذا الكتاب ينضح بالمعرفة و النصح ليس فقط لمن يعانون من الإدمان و الوسواس القهري بل لكل من تداعبه عادة سامة يود دفنها في المهد من تسويف أو كسل أو مثالية ناجمة عن هوس بالسيطرة.

يفتتح الكاتب بتعريف الإدمان و الغوص داخل عقل المدمين: ما الذي يجعل بعضنا أكثر عرضة للسقوط في ذلك الفخ أكثر من غيرهم؟ هل هو فشل أخلاقي أم مرض عضوي؟ ما العلاقة بين صدمات الطفولة و الإدمان؟ كيف يكون التعافي و لماذا يفشل الكثير من المدمنيين عن بلوغه؟

يتناول الكتاب كل هذه الأسئلة و يخص بالتفصيل بعض أنواع المدمنيين كمدمني الطعام، و العلاقات، و الإباحيات، كما يحتوي أيضاً على نصائح عملية و تمارين مرفقة بالفصل الأخير لمن يرغب بالإقلاع عن مادة إدمانية أو سلوك قهري. بعض الفصول تتطرق لكيفية بناء عادات سليمة كالتواصل و التدوين أو الإقلاع عن تصرفات ضارة كالإجترار العاطفي و الهوس بالتحكم مما قد يعم بالفائدة القراء غير المدمنين.

Dear Manny by Nic Stone

challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

Dear Manny is a story about reckoning with past mistakes, contending with uncomfortable truths, and learning to take responsibility for our actions while still allowing ourselves the space we need to grow. It explores themes of privilege and prejudice. The one thing that particularly stood out to me was how it masterfully portrays the awkward space where one is aware of their undeserved advantages while still being reluctant to surrender them.

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

emotional funny inspiring 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

5.0

Ew, It's Beautiful: A False Knees Comic Collection by Joshua Barkman

lighthearted reflective

2.5

A quick and refreshing read.

Ew, It's Beautiful is a collection of memes that explores some of the bizzare places our minds could go through the inner thoughts and conversations of animals. The art was beautiful and some of the comics made me smile, but for the most part, the humor was not my cup.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca

challenging dark fast-paced

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

3.5

In a word, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke was intense.

I had a rough start with this book; Agnes and Zoe's initial exchange was painful to read. My problem with epistolary fiction is that there never seems to be a clear demarcation between thoughtful character design and plain bad prose. "Maybe these two are meant to sound cringe; about everything from the early 2000s was," I told myself, and so I kept reading: I loved how the story was packaged like a true story (It was done so well that I had to look it up to confirm that it wasn't!). I also loved how smoothly Agnes and Zoe's relationship evolved from touching to questionable before it crossed to horrific as Agnes' mental well-being spiralled down the drain. Despite the fast pace, the sequence of events didn't seem rushed at all.

Conversely, I found the ending to be vague and anticlimactic:

Zoe mostly read like a bored gaslighter with too much money and time on her hands, and I still can't quite guess what Agnes was planning to do in the last scene.

All in all, a quick and provocative read. I recommend this to anyone who is struggling with a reading slump. Ideally, go in blind for the best experience.

The House of the Red Balconies by A.J. Demas

emotional funny relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Love Languages by James Albon

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

 A story about loneliness, belonging, and bridging language barriers in order to forge meaningful connections. It touches on the frustration we feel when what we want and what we think we should want do not align, making us feel like imposters performing ourselves while missing out on living.

If you ever felt lonely in a crowd or needed a nudge to resume your halfway-finished Duolingo course, maybe consider giving this a shot.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood

funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

 

If you say, “Not too bland, but not too smelly,” she knows what you mean. If only you could preselect your social acquaintances that way.

A fast-paced and humorously wry short story about literature, sisterhood, and revenge. It touches on grief, the modern struggles of academia, as well as the distinct feeling of growing disconnected from our surroundings as we grow older.

I have never thought that I would write a review where I would complain about an author's characters being too well-written, and yet here we are: reading this felt like reading an excerpt from a full-length novel; both the descriptions and the dialogue seemed overkill for a 35-page story which made the ending seem rather jarring and dissatisfactory.

Personally,

I would rather know less about what kind of cheese the characters snacked on while plotting revenge on behalf of their friend and more about the process that led them to ultimately throw in the towel

, but that's just my opinion.

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 2 by Sakaomi Yuzaki

lighthearted reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25