melc's reviews
1233 reviews

Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China by Yuan Yang
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.

I know this is unpopular but I was just at bored with this book. My first DNF from the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction Longlist. I found it difficult to distinguish between the four women with the way the book separated their stories. The writing style wasn't anything particularly special and I felt it was quite dry. It seemed to be a regurgitation of interviews the author had held with the women without much writing prowess added to engage the reader through a clear angle, expressive prose or edgy reportage. Nothing to hold my interest - DNFd at p100.

Chance Developments by Alexander McCall Smith

hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World's Ocean by Helen Scales

challenging hopeful informative sad slow-paced

3.5

This wouldn't be a subject I would normally read about, but I'm glad I did as it educated me about some important issues. This book made me very sad, though it offers hope. Going beyond the headlines it was shocking how much beautiful marine nature is being damaged by human greed and carelessness. This book did a great job at highlighting issues in an accessible way. However, that said there's only so much science I would like to read but that's down to personal preference. Still I found this emotional and interesting.

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Probably the best non-fiction book I've ever read! If you had told me that a book combining philosophy and a 19th/20th century taxonomist would be so compelling I wouldn't have believed it.

It celebrates diversity, difference and adaptability and warns about the dangers of judgement, assumption, classification, sitting on things we've always "known", and assigning value.

The author goes on a personal quest to reconcile her struggle with mental health and to understand the meaning and significance of life.

This genre-defying book is brilliant! So readable, so profound. Can't believe it's a debut. I would never had picked it up had it not been longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2025, but I'm so glad I did.

The Peepshow: The Murders at Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale

dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

The issues surrounding public fascination with murder, psychopaths and serial killers were interesting. I also found the discussion about how this plays into the psychology of murderers and their desire for fame was good and challenged our modern fascination with true crime. I also liked the exploration of dirty tricks of the press and their disregard for victims. I also appreciated the social history described of the 1950s.

However, I think Summerscale needed to make her aims more explicit. Unlike Rubenhold's The Five where the author's intentions are more obvious I found I was confused about what angle she wanted to take. In the end this was just another book about Christie with some interesting side issues which ironically still seems to fall into the true crime fascination and industry and did not do enough to stand aside from its desire to become fixated on the murderer and his motives.

Mary I: Queen of Sorrows by Alison Weir

informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

The Old Ways: A Journey On Foot by Robert Macfarlane
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.

Beautifully written, but maybe I was reading it at the wrong time as it just didn't keep my interest.

The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

This Immaculate Body by Emma van Straaten
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.

I struggled to get into this. There were good observations about people but the protagonist was so unlikeable that I ended up not enjoying being in her head and the prose so overwritten that I just couldn't invest. DNFd at 26%.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Flint Kill Creek: Stories of Mystery and Suspense by Joyce Carol Oates
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.

Whilst the writing was impressive I read the first two stories and couldn't work out the point. They ended too abruptly and I was left wondering if I was missing something.