nixiethepixie's reviews
290 reviews

Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey

hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Picked up this book after coming from burn out and desperately needing something, anything to inspire and remind me how to read again. Being already familiar with the work of Tricia Hersey, this totally fit that bill. Sits in the world of manifesto, perhaps a little self-help, it was easy to consume and take in its ideas. It was often quite repetitive in its points, but perhaps that’s how to remind us again and again of what we know and need for transformation. Biggest takeaway was the point Hersey made around being complicit in the systems and structures because we are afraid of our own power. A welcoming read for us to step back and reimagine that worlds we want to exist within.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

adventurous inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A very sweet, gentle and tender novella, a perfect companion to get back into reading after a hiatus! Chambers puts us right into the world, and while we don’t go into anything particularly deeply, through our characters we get to know everything we need. I loved the interactions between Dex and Mosscap sooo much - very sweet and light balance of logic, conflict and harmony. An interspecies tale of unlikely companionship. Two beings meeting at a point in time. Their interactions and conversations allow space for us to reflect as one learns and one questions. And we make space for the histories we bring with us, and the futures we hope to be part of.

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

Totally served its purpose as an easy to listen to audiobook! The main thing I remember from this book is the “egg” image when the child comments on the man’s balding head haha

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

Listened as an audiobook. A curious book that truly sits in its own world and storytelling. With the premise we’re set up with, the story has the grounds to sprawl and unfurl in any which direction and way, and we will go along with it. The reflections and commentary throughout are sharp, yet shared in a deeply mellow and passive way. A true observer of the world, the past, present and potential futures. The world sits in a mystery, with no promise or desire to answer any of our questions. It just is in this fascinating way. I love the reflections on bodies, time and memory - and what any of that even means without a past and future to come.

A Girl's Story by Annie Ernaux

challenging reflective slow-paced

4.25

Truly a fascinating read that makes me eager to read more of Annie Ernaux’s work. Read this one slowly, you have to. I found myself particularly fascinated by the nature of memory and the task of reflecting upon your life and your selves throughout time and in writing/art. It’s raw, honest and in its own way complex, for each moment is passing, and our relationship to moments and memories morph and blur until they lose form all together. We flit through time, and there’s a rawness and liveness to Ernaux’s writing. A sense of danger and uncertainty with each word that makes it to the page. I enjoyed the journey through past and present, and the way those things constantly exist all at once, constantly zooming in and out of moments. Beautiful!!!

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

Listened as an audiobook read by the author. Happy to have finally made my way through this collection, as I’ve hoped to for a while. Tolentino is a clear, sharp and playful voice who has lived through periods of transition and change in the face of the internet. Always come back to the internet, gender, feminism and institutional and societal structures - we are reminded of the way systems intertwine and structures are built to progress and protect themselves, and the continual presence of an unseen audience. Tolentino continually comes back to women throughout history to now, and how to exist within this present day - reminding us that liberation is often mistaken as evil as it occurs.

But the Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Listened as an audiobook.  This is a generous, introspective and tender story, beautifully shared from the perspective of a 23 year old second-generation Malaysian-Australian gal trying to figure things out. Both enriched and burdened by her family history and obligation, giftedness, wits and ambition, we follow Girl as she undertakes an artist residency in Europe. Touching on artistic process, while reflecting upon the burdens of being an Asian body and woman in this world - this book is relatable and moving in ways I didn’t expect. At times I felt caught off-guard by its honesty. Perhaps some of its politics felt a little heavy-handed, but equally it’s joyous to witness certain reflections shared in literature, particularly from an Australian perspective. A beautiful book, and while not life changing, it’s one I feel grateful to have encountered.  

Penance by Eliza Clark

challenging dark reflective slow-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

4.0

Listened as an audiobook, although I would be curious to see this one on the page. A formally curious book - many layers of story, fabrications and layers to reporting and retelling true crime. 

Clark deep dives into the twisted teenage psyche against the back drop of a small town and the shadowy side of the internet, and communities that form online. Told in the form of a research book, we encounter different perspectives of a crime, in an attempt to understand the who, what, how and why of the crime. A critique into the true crime genre and obsession, the story itself doesn’t have a huge emotional hook (perhaps that’s the point), but proudly reminds us of how the internet and online communities can lead to radicalisation, especially when it comes to young women. That’s where Clark’s incisive voice shines, introducing us into the psyche of a mind we may not fully understand, and yet have empathy for. Also the quiet questions of what justice and retribution means for young people is interesting to ponder too.

Doppelganger by Naomi Klein

adventurous challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.5

Listened as an audiobook read by the author (thanks Spotify!). A brilliantly researched, incisive and surprisingly entertaining book. Klein’s keen eye for research and making sense of the world is exciting to be part of, as she delves into the depths of the mirror world, shadow world and how these various realities come to be. Notably, humans are creatures of narrative, and it’s wild to begin to delve into the worlds that exist right beside us. The exploration of doppelgängers in literature was great, and I enjoyed the autoficition vibe Klein shared her stories, questions and facts with. 

One Day We're All Going to Die by Elise Esther Hearst

lighthearted reflective medium-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

3.25

Listened as an audiobook read by the author. A bildungsroman of a late 20 somethings girl in Melbourne - figuring it out, messy, making some questionable choices. In many ways our protagonist can be hard to relate too, due to a combination her character development (or lack there of), but also the inherent wealth, circumstance and relationships from she comes from. Her parents have bought her a house, and she gets transferred money each week, and it’s just a given. There could have been space to explore intergenerational wealth and trauma slightly more. The strength of the book for me is in Naomi and Cookie’s relationship - reflecting on grandparent relationships and the matriarch. Otherwise Naomi isn’t the most captivating narrator - things kind of just happen to her, but she isn’t addictively observant about it, in ways that perhaps I have come to crave.