nixiethepixie's reviews
290 reviews

White Tears / Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

an incisive collection of essays exploring sexism and racism from a much-needed australian perspective. reminders of the connections between whiteness, colonisation, power and what needs to be actively dismantled. published in 2019, some of the arguments feel as if they have been hashed out, yet most remain relevant as always. regardless, the book is written in an accessible manner, making for essential reminders and reading.

Oil by Ella Hickson

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

Thoughtfully gifted this to delve into my first manga - certainly a circuit break for me, but I enjoyed it! I always enjoy the sense of surprise and stories twisting into places you don’t expect. The images were great too. I suppose I crave things to go even further, even more dark and twisted - but this was a nice intro into the world of possibility. 

Eating Chilli Crab in the Anthropocene by Matthew Schneider-Mayerson

challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

A solid collection of essays exploring life in the climate crisis, from the context and perspective of Singapore. Super insightful, specific and inspiring. I loved reading this while in Singapore, and feeling like my context and understanding of how Singapore came to be, and where it could head expanding with this collection. Always great to explore ways of thinking from different perspectives and contexts, what questions are being asked and where do similarities and differences lie? I’m a huge fan of Ethos Books!

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

They weren’t lying when they said fast-paced! This a book to tear through, for its pace, content and writing style. A fiery first-person narration putting us in the head of June Hayward through her misadventures of the publishing industry, authorship, identity and relationships in the internet age etc etc. It was a slick read, quietly addictive, and gently meta in its commentary of writing and the publishing industry. I did find that I lost some pace and affinity with it in the latter third of the book, perhaps as our relationship with June becomes complicated and circumstances emerge beyond the hands of June, I’m not too sure really. But overall it was a fun romp and a good one to get you back into the swing of reading.

Detention by Tristan Bancks

adventurous challenging medium-paced

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

3.0

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

Very casually listened to this as an audiobook. Some lovely moments and reflections on time, memory, relationships and perspective. A story told over four short stories. A reminder that even if we can’t change the past or the future, having information, context and perspective can renew the heart to keep moving forward.

The Voyage of Whale and Calf by Vanessa Pirotta

adventurous informative relaxing medium-paced

4.0

Sweet, informative, a story beautifully told and illustrated :)

Talking About a Revolution by Yassmin Abdel-Magied

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Listened as an audiobook read by the author - a solid collection of essays from across Abdel-Magied's career. Sections separated from the person into system/structure. I really enjoyed Empowerment vs. Power.

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Listened as an audiobook. This story truly traverses so much ground - from ecological concerns including climate change and species extinction, to seeking a lost family, relationships and crime mystery. The book spans two decades and lots of locales, and both feels fleeting and grounded. It's incredibly moving in sections, yet holds an air of mystery and intrigue around it's characters and unfolding story. I particularly enjoyed the claustrophobic nature of the sail boat and it's host of characters, and of course the lyrical prose especially when speaking to the environment, nature and the wild within. I found myself spiralling around a bit with all the jumps in times and the unfolding stakes (particularly towards the middle to end), but overall the end felt satisfying in answering most questions that arose. In so much happening throughout the story, perhaps we miss the opportunity to really get into the psyche of any of the characters. But the offering of the tender look to the natural world helps alleviates some of that craving.