This is a book mainly directed at autistic people that goes over a lot of common ways in which it presents and the ways people find to cope with it, which generally results in masking to appear more neurotypical. Ultimately the pitch is to help and encourage people to drop the mask where it’s possible/safe to do so. I definitely saw a lot of myself in there and I had already started moving to make these struggles and my needs better known, so this was a timely book suggestion. Highly recommended for people who are autistic or think they might be (or just want to know more about what it’s like, but the book isn’t targeted at that audience).

George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones

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informative medium-paced

4.0

How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler by Ryan North

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funny informative medium-paced

4.0

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

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adventurous challenging medium-paced

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

3.0

While this book had some interesting moments, it was far too long with too many tangents that had no bearing on the plot. It's already a sprawling story that can be difficult to follow without side plots being introduced that don't have a lot of bearing on the main story threads besides world building. I generally don't mind world building, but it needs to serve the narrative, and I'm not sure a lot of this did. Many of the threads that seemed irrelevant did come together in the end, but I feel this could've been a much tighter story. There were also entire chapters devoted to the horniness of main characters and it was dropped in throughout the rest of the novel as well, which I could've done without.

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gilles's reviews 281 reviews

gilles's reviews
281 reviews