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kerri_reads's reviews
7 reviews
The Troubles With Us by Alix O'Neill
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
The Troubles With Us is a funny, endearing memoir by author and journalist Alix O'Neill about growing up on the Falls Road in Belfast in the 1990's.
Filled with anecdotes, family secrets and cringeworthy teenage moments, O'Neill intertwines stories from her personal life with historical and political events, showing just how easily the abnormal can become normal when you're living it every day.
While I enjoyed this overall, I did find it a little hard to get into, and the timeline was a bit messy.
Thankfully there was a who's-who included a the start of the book because I had to keep checking back, there's so many family members! The real MVP however is the authors mother, Anne, and it's her stories that make up a huge portion of the book.
There was some truely laugh out loud moments throughout this book, and I think O'Neill has managed to combine a masterful blend of humour and history.
Filled with anecdotes, family secrets and cringeworthy teenage moments, O'Neill intertwines stories from her personal life with historical and political events, showing just how easily the abnormal can become normal when you're living it every day.
While I enjoyed this overall, I did find it a little hard to get into, and the timeline was a bit messy.
Thankfully there was a who's-who included a the start of the book because I had to keep checking back, there's so many family members! The real MVP however is the authors mother, Anne, and it's her stories that make up a huge portion of the book.
There was some truely laugh out loud moments throughout this book, and I think O'Neill has managed to combine a masterful blend of humour and history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, and Gun violence
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
The Radium Girls recounts the history of the American dial painting factories at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as the women who worked there and their fight for justice.
A lucrative, glamorous job with the most valuable substance on earth, young women flocked to work "Watch Studios" where watches, clocks and military dials were painted with a special luminous mixture made from radium powder to make them glow in the dark.
As the years pass, the women begin to suffer mysterious illnesses, crippling pain and dental problems and it becomes clear that radium poisoning is the cause. As they fight for justice and compensation, the company denies all responsibility.
This is a fascinating true story, and Moore has managed to structure the information in such a way that a reads like a novel. The horrific illnesses these women suffered due to radium, and how hard they fought knowing there would be no cure was really something. A thorough account of their stories with meticulous attention to detail, this was an infuriating and heartbreaking read.
A lucrative, glamorous job with the most valuable substance on earth, young women flocked to work "Watch Studios" where watches, clocks and military dials were painted with a special luminous mixture made from radium powder to make them glow in the dark.
As the years pass, the women begin to suffer mysterious illnesses, crippling pain and dental problems and it becomes clear that radium poisoning is the cause. As they fight for justice and compensation, the company denies all responsibility.
This is a fascinating true story, and Moore has managed to structure the information in such a way that a reads like a novel. The horrific illnesses these women suffered due to radium, and how hard they fought knowing there would be no cure was really something. A thorough account of their stories with meticulous attention to detail, this was an infuriating and heartbreaking read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
3.5
"She understood that she was just a privileged, overeducated lady in the middle of America living the dream of holding her baby twenty-four hours a day"
Two years since putting her art career on hold to care full time for her son, "The Mother" finds that the reality of being a stay-at-home Mom isn't all it's cracked up to be. If she has to do one more night-night she might just lose it. Is she just imagining it, or is she actually turning into a dog?
I've been back and forth about how I felt about Nightbitch. It started really strong, I thought it was an original story, the stream of consciousness style worked well and there were SO many parts that I resonated with. I did feel it was a little too long, and sort of lost me at the end, when the story started to meander and unravel.
Overall I enjoyed Nightbitch, it was weird and wonderful with some sharp satirical commentary on art and womanhood.
Two years since putting her art career on hold to care full time for her son, "The Mother" finds that the reality of being a stay-at-home Mom isn't all it's cracked up to be. If she has to do one more night-night she might just lose it. Is she just imagining it, or is she actually turning into a dog?
I've been back and forth about how I felt about Nightbitch. It started really strong, I thought it was an original story, the stream of consciousness style worked well and there were SO many parts that I resonated with. I did feel it was a little too long, and sort of lost me at the end, when the story started to meander and unravel.
Overall I enjoyed Nightbitch, it was weird and wonderful with some sharp satirical commentary on art and womanhood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
5.0
"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all"
I picked up A Picture of Dorian Gray on a whim, and I was blown away by how unbelievably good it was.
Captivated by his own portrait, major drama queen and absolute stunner Dorian Gray wishes for eternal youth and beauty. As he sinks into a life of greed, debauchery and scandal, Dorian retains his youth and vigor, while the painting bears the signs of ageing. The picture, hidden away, becomes his hideous, obsessive secret.
I picked up A Picture of Dorian Gray on a whim, and I was blown away by how unbelievably good it was.
Captivated by his own portrait, major drama queen and absolute stunner Dorian Gray wishes for eternal youth and beauty. As he sinks into a life of greed, debauchery and scandal, Dorian retains his youth and vigor, while the painting bears the signs of ageing. The picture, hidden away, becomes his hideous, obsessive secret.
The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
3.0
On December 18 1975, the Lutz family move into their new home in suburban Long Island. Twenty-eight days later, the entire family abandon the house and all their belongings, fleeing in terror.
The story is a retelling of the chain of events that took place at 112 Ocean Drive, based on the Lutzes recollections, who claim to have been terrorised by paranormal phenomena while living there. There's no denying the impact The Amityville Horror has had on pop culture.
OK, so I didn't find the story "shocking" or "spine-tingling", but I certainly enjoyed it more than I thought I would! It's an interesting and easy enough read, we get a little background on the Lutz family and an account of the hauntings that allegedly took place, plus we get a mention of Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The story is a retelling of the chain of events that took place at 112 Ocean Drive, based on the Lutzes recollections, who claim to have been terrorised by paranormal phenomena while living there. There's no denying the impact The Amityville Horror has had on pop culture.
OK, so I didn't find the story "shocking" or "spine-tingling", but I certainly enjoyed it more than I thought I would! It's an interesting and easy enough read, we get a little background on the Lutz family and an account of the hauntings that allegedly took place, plus we get a mention of Ed and Lorraine Warren.
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
5.0
"It is a peculiar hallmark of the American economy that you can produce a dangerous product and effectively off-load any legal liability for whatever destruction that product may cause by pointing to the individual responsibility of the consumer."
Empire of Pain was SUCH a good read - fascinating, harrowing and infuriating.
It's packed with so much information, meticulously researched and incredibly detailed, and takes us through the history of the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma and their role in creating and marketing OxyContin, and the family's central role in the opioid epidemic.
Empire of Pain was SUCH a good read - fascinating, harrowing and infuriating.
It's packed with so much information, meticulously researched and incredibly detailed, and takes us through the history of the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma and their role in creating and marketing OxyContin, and the family's central role in the opioid epidemic.
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
1.0
This was a tedious read. I thought I'd never finish it!
There's no shame in DNFing a book you're not enjoying, but it was on my 100 Books To Read In A Lifetime list, so I powered through.
The book mostly follows our narrator Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, a charismatic free-spirited maverick who epitomises the "beat generation", as they travel the country on a series of road trips in a quest for knowledge and exerience (#wanderlust).
Being a travelogue based largely on the author's real life experiences, there's no real plot as such and after a while it starts to become immensely repetitive. Also, as it was published in 1957, this novel has some unenlightened views, casual homophobia, racism and misogyny.
I get that the novel was important at the time as a portrait of a rebellious youth culture, a story about the search for something meaningful to hold on to. However, just because a book is important doesn't mean it's good.
This one wasn't for me.
There's no shame in DNFing a book you're not enjoying, but it was on my 100 Books To Read In A Lifetime list, so I powered through.
The book mostly follows our narrator Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, a charismatic free-spirited maverick who epitomises the "beat generation", as they travel the country on a series of road trips in a quest for knowledge and exerience (#wanderlust).
Being a travelogue based largely on the author's real life experiences, there's no real plot as such and after a while it starts to become immensely repetitive. Also, as it was published in 1957, this novel has some unenlightened views, casual homophobia, racism and misogyny.
I get that the novel was important at the time as a portrait of a rebellious youth culture, a story about the search for something meaningful to hold on to. However, just because a book is important doesn't mean it's good.
This one wasn't for me.
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