hare_in_the_garden's reviews
93 reviews

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Very depressing insights into the rapid development of factory farming practices and how detremintal these are for animal and human health. 

The Giver by Lois Lowry

dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom by Kerry McDonald, Peter Grey
Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.

This was so unbelievably repetitive. As someone who absolutely didn't fit into the school environment I was provided, I get it, mainstream education will not give every child a place the thrive. While standing 100% behind that position I found the continual slamming of the education system utterly exhausting. Okay, formal schooling is bad, we should not do that. Great. But then what? There was very little of substance given. Trust the child's inate ability to learn. This is also something I stand behind 100%. But what suggestions do you have to help me discover their interests and support their growth in their chosen directions? Maybe the rest of the book was wildly different, but a flick through didn't suggest that. 

Modern Miss Mason: Discover How Charlotte Mason's Revolutionary Ideas on Home Education Can Change How You and Your Children Learn and Grow Together by Ainsley Arment, Leah Boden

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Interesting read with practical advice. It was interesting to see how many of the principles I unknowing use in my parenting and everyday life. I found the religious elements a little much, although religion is not required to follow the principles

The Psychology of Totalitarianism by Mattias Desmet

medium-paced

2.0

I enjoyed it but probably not as the author intended. This was weird and contradictory. There were some fun ideas to ponder. 

Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back by Rebecca Giblin, Cory Doctorow

challenging informative fast-paced

3.75

Its always worse than you think.

Accessible and informative, but unfortunately fairly repetitive.

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

dark funny 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

4.25

I "read' this first as an audiobook and was not a fan AT ALL, but since it was a bookclub read and I'd finished really early I gave it another try and really enjoyed it. The writing is really clever but did not translate well into the audio book format for me.

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

dark funny 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

3.0

I’m giving this a generous 3. I didn’t expect to like it as the  Victorian governess premise just isn't my thing. I would have skipped it if not for book club. 

The beginning didn’t engage me much, but once I got to know the main character, things improved. The witty writing and humor pulled me back in when I thought I might DNF.

If you love all things Victorian, you’ll probably enjoy this. It has everything—scandalous ankles, arsenic and laudanum, baby farming, mills, mummy unwrapping, séances, and haunted mansions. There were also a few moments of sharp social commentary that I appreciated. I liked that it was short. I didn't find the narrator to be a good fit. 

Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.75

There were moments of fantastic imagery which i really enjoyed, and I was generous with my rating as this book had so many elements I love, however somehow it was kind of missing something. There were some bits that were really good and some bits that were not at all. Kind of a weird read.

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

medium-paced

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

4.0