leontyna's reviews
1452 reviews

Zbawcy mórz oraz inne afrykańskie historie by Adam Leszczyński

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challenging informative slow-paced

3.0

I have very mixed feelings about this book. The range of subjects was very interesting, the essays were well-written and decently researched as far as I could tell. However, the tone of the essays (if you read them in order, without the context of the last one) was irritating. It felt like the author was oscillating between white saviourism, hopelessness (in the tone of we tried, it didn't work, we should give up) and some rational portrayal of the situation. Only after reading the last essay it became clear to me that the reason for that were differences of opinion on specific projects and the humanitarian aid overall. If I skipped last chapter, I would have left the book with the impression of the author not understanding colonialism, white saviour complex or hit and run type of aid and that would be a false impression.
Dialogi z Bogiem by Walancin Akudowicz

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.
Reads like a bunch of nonsense. It's neither an essay nor a story collection, the chapters have a page or two and don't make any sense.
Frankenstein w Bagdadzie by Ahmed Saadawi

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dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

3.0

It wasn't a bad book but it disappointed me. I don't know what the point of the story was and despite the characters list it was quite hard to follow who is who.
The only part I enjoyed was Daniel's mother storyline.
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Co nas (nie) zabije. Największe plagi w historii ludzkości by Jennifer Wright

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funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

I didn't vibe with the humour at times but overall it was an interesting book. I liked how many illnesses it covered and that it provided historical context for the decisions made.
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Dżuma. Czarna śmierć by John Kelly

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challenging dark informative slow-paced

4.0

Pretty informative and engaging although a tad too long.
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Dziewczyna o mocnym głosie by Abi Daré

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dark sad tense slow-paced

3.0

The book wasn't bad but I feel this portrayal of the MC wasn't done well. It focused so much on tragedy that it stopped being believable. The way it was written also didn't resonate with me, this type of narration somewhat worked in Colour Purple but here it made the MC look dumber than she was. 
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"Roztopiona we wszystkim": nienasycenie : wiersze by Anna Świrszczyńska

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 55%.
I didn't enjoy the poems besides maybe 2 so I'm not interested in reading 60 pages of essays about them.
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Eden by Tomek Woroniak

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

4.0

It was a very interesting concept, I really enjoyed learning about the new order of the world and thinking about how it would play out. Definitely a worthwhile read.
W ten sposób znikam by Mirion Malle

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

4.0

This book was devastatingly realistic, its depiction of depression deeply resonated with me. I highly recommend it.
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Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad

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challenging reflective medium-paced

4.0

It was a really interesting memoir, I felt that the author didn't shy away from her "ugly" feelings. I liked the narration style as well and it was Greta to hear it in the author's voice.
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