pran's reviews
228 reviews

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

What They Don't Teach You About Money: Seven Habits to Unlock Financial Independence by Claer Barrett

informative

5.0

Lots of people in other reviews have said that this book didn't teach them anything new, and that they already knew most of what is in it. I am not new to personal finance, and yes, I was aware of quite a few of the things Barrett speaks about. But that is not a bad thing. Firstly, I think unless readers have previously done some research into personal finance, they wouldn't know most of what she write about in the book. Secondly, is it such a bad thing if you already knew? Learning is done best with spaced repetition, so even if you've heard it before, this will help it sink in. Also, I found she explained concepts I thought I already understood, so that I understood them a bit better e.g. bonds, credit cards, quantitative easing. She doesn't use jargon and she uses metaphors to help as well. Overall, really informative book and has helped me be more mindful about money for sure.
Just be aware, that this book may not be up to date in future so might not be as useful as it is now.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

This is a distinctly average book. Considering it is satire, there were only really a few moments where I thought- "That's really clever" as a lot of it felt very on-the-nose and un-subtle.
However, I think the book works well in the audio format as it is engaging and the narration was excellent and well-suited to the book.

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante

dark reflective sad fast-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

3.5

Although I enjoyed it, this was probably my least favourite of the quartet. It felt like Ferrante was quickly trying to wrap up the story and therefore just read like a recount of events, rather than a novel at times. I also felt like there were some plot-driven moments and more than in the previous book, which was a little disappointing.
There were also moments where the intention was probably to reveal to the reader the truth of people in the neighbourhood which young Elena never realised, but at times it just felt like a pile-on of information, rather than an artful reveal.
Having read the whole series, I realise the title of the first book was perhaps ironic, and Elena is often a very unreliable narrator. Elena's previous naiveté becomes truly apparent, as Lila and Nino are pretty much the same characters they've always been.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.75

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

3.5

Solid, enjoyable read.

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

adventurous reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

Not my cup of tea.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

hopeful informative sad slow-paced

4.0

Really interesting book. Gives a great insight into the environmental issues in the US in the 1950s and 60s. It was also interesting to read that politically lots of things remain the same.
Certainly there is lots of repetition in the book, and with better editing it would've been shorter and more concise, but this repetition may have been intentional to really drive home Carson's argument.

Ascension by Nicholas Binge

adventurous fast-paced

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

2.0

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0