phoebe_bird's reviews
157 reviews

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Rilke: Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke

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emotional inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

5.0

“The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude, and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust. A merging of two people is an impossibility, and where it seems to exist, it is a hemming-in, a mutual consent that robs one party or both parties of their fullest freedom and development. But once the realization is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist, a marvelous living side-by-side can grow up for them, if they succeed in loving the expanse between them, which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole and before an immense sky.”

Rilke is my horoscope. Flip a page, find an answer that is unique to me and my position in the Universe.

“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. ...live in the question.”

101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.75

“Your impermanence is a thing you should meditate on every day: There is nothing more sobering, nor scary, nor a faster-way-to-cut-the-negative-bullshit than to remember that you do not have forever. What defines your life, when it’s all said and done, is how much you influence other people’s lives, oftentimes just through your daily interactions and the courage with which you live your own. That’s what people remember. That’s what you will be known for when you’re no longer around to define yourself.”

“The universe whispers until it screams, and happy people listen while the call is still quiet”

I did enjoy this audiobook. I felt that some of the material was meant for those younger than me, but felt inspired, nonetheless.

Praying with Jane Eyre: Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice by Vanessa Zoltan

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emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

I've been reading this book in the mornings as a way to treat myself spiritually... I appreciated the author's perspective on the novels she chose as spiritual works. I wish she had gone more in depth about reading as a spiritual practice. She seemed to co-mingle her own personal experiences with anecdotes from the novels. This was okay, just not what I expected.

How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent

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adventurous dark funny fast-paced