shmandanas's reviews
118 reviews

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Seriously loved this. It was an incredible piece of science fiction where you can clearly see that the story is a reflection of the society it was produced in. And loved the opposing philosophies offered here.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

This was a nice tale of a family living through the plague. I had a really clear image of the whole family. And I'm glad the story tried to shift it's focus from the famous Shakespeare to his family, but at times it still felt too focused on Shakespeare himself.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

funny informative medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Top tier. A really good look into how autistic adults fit (or rather don't fit) into society, and definitely a good place for anyone else to reflect on why certain elements of society exist the way they do.

Islands of Decolonial Love: Stories & Songs by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

While reading this book, I was, in just about every way therapy-lady. I'm an outsider looking in, and it is impossible for me to completely understand these stories. But, these stories are gorgeous and heartbreaking, and I think they've brought me closer to understanding than anything ever has before.

You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It's Making the World a Weirder Place by Janelle Shane

funny informative medium-paced

4.5

This was a really cute and informative intro to AI. It genuinely would have been very helpful if I had read this when I took a machine learning class a few years ago

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

It simply did not get interesting

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder

informative

4.5

This was really interesting to read technically retrospectively- by technically, I mean that pretty much all of the points still apply to the US government as it stands now even though the catalyst for the piece is out of office. All of the main takeaways of this book are things that feel like they should be obvious, but when you live in a state where those factors are often forgotten or taken for granted, it is really important to have a reminder. A handy little book.

I also really loved that he mentioned that eastern europeans and scholars thereof knew what was happening before most of America did --Sarah Kendzior was my guiding light during the Trump administration, and I highly recommend her works.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

A reread from when I was a teenager- the only thing I remembered about this book going in was that the ending made me sob. I wasn't sure it would hit the same way now, but it absolutely did. Incredible and heartbreaking. I only wish I could remember more about what I thought the first time I read it, so I could see how my perspectives have changed in the last ten years (even if the result was still just crying)

The Swarm by Frank Schätzing
Did not finish book.

I will come back to this- I loved it, I just went a long time not reading it and I need to start over.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

medium-paced

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

2.5

This book was very just okay. The beginning was interesting- I liked hearing about how Christopher interacted with the world- but then we got deeper into the conflict... and I just didn't really care about it.