mads_jpg's reviews
186 reviews

Work Won't Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone by Sarah Jaffe

challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

Very interesting book, covering so many different aspects of the working world, which can also make it quite a draining read at times, I don't know how much longer it would've taken me to read a physical copy compared to the audiobook. Shoutout to the author for having the least annoying American accent I've heard so far.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Sexism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Slavery and Genocide

Chromophobia by David Batchelor

informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

There were some sections of this book that I devoured and some that went a bit over my head, but it was overall a really unique analysis of society's complicated relationship with colour. Sometimes I wish the book focused more on political biases against colour and the rise of minimalism because I found that much more compelling than some of the purely academic perspectives. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, and Drug use

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, and Misogyny

Having and Being Had by Eula Biss

challenging informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

4.75

Genuinely so interesting and gave me so many lightbulb moments about how I feel about life under capitalism. I particularly loved the Work section and the overall structure of the book, it occasionally got a bit too abstract for me but was otherwise an amazing book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Car accident and Colonisation

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Gun violence, and Racial slurs

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

challenging dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Really interesting memoir about life as an autistic woman, I'm a big fan of Fern Brady's comedy and knew about her diagnosis, but was surprised to see this was the main focus of the book. Really well written and very funny, tempted to listen to the audiobook too since I spent most of this book trying to read it in her voice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Classism, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Sexual content, Addiction, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Medical trauma, and Misogyny

What We Don't Talk about When We Talk about Fat by Aubrey Gordon

challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

I started the audiobook of this and immediately switched to reading a physical copy so I could annotate the hell out of it because it's written so well! 

I went into this book thinking I had a good grip on the general ideas behind body positivity/neutrality and harmful beauty standards but man, the situation is so much worse than I could have ever imagined. Gordon's research combined with her personal experiences are truly eye-opening. I even read the section about planes while on one, and it made me view the situation in an entirely new light. 

Another one to add to the list of "should be mandatory reading for all human beings".

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Classism, Death, Bullying, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Fatphobia, Medical content, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

Happy Place by Emily Henry
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.

I don't know how much of it was the writing and how much was the breathy American voice actress but I genuinely couldn't last one more chapter to see if I'd end up liking this.

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

4.0

Yet another audiobook that was so good I need to read my own physical copy so I can annotate it. So many interesting stories and analyses that I need to pour over again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Rape, and Sexual violence

Minor: Cultural appropriation

Man Made: How the Bias of the Past Is Being Built Into the Future by Tracey Spicer

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

A very interesting and important book, sometimes the tech concepts are a bit hard to follow despite the author's best efforts, but still very accessible. Points out the glaring issues with the current obsession with AI, but also gives examples of how it could be used in a more human -centred way.

Main issue was the humor, just found it annoying and felt like the author was worried the reader would lose interest if she didn't crack a joke during a heavy subject.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Classism, Sexism, Stalking, Gaslighting, Pandemic/Epidemic, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, and Racism

Minor: Medical content, Car accident, Colonisation, and Death

They Came to Slay: The Queer Culture of DnD by Thom James Carter

adventurous inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.25

A charming analysis of why Dungeons and Dragons is so popular among the LGBT+ community. It probably could've been a more concise essay rather than a book, but was still an interesting read.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Lesbophobia, Racism, Sexism, Biphobia, Misogyny, Dysphoria, and Homophobia

Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein

challenging informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

4.25

I regret listening to the audiobook because there were so many sections I wanted to annotate the hell out of, so I'm gonna have to reread this once I've got a physical copy.

While this is a very zeitgeisty book, I think it'll age better than others, as it serves almost as a history book mixed with memoir mixed with psychology. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Body shaming, Classism, Eating disorder, Chronic illness, Confinement, Mass/school shootings, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Genocide, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Police brutality, Colonisation, Racism, and War

Minor: Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, and Abortion