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shorshewitch's reviews
326 reviews
Ice for Martians: Hielo para Marcianos by Claudia Ulloa Donoso
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Entwined: Essays on Polyamory and Creating Home by Alex Alberto
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
As someone who has been indoctrinated since birth into monogamy, I could never really understand being with more than one partner at a time. As someone with abandonment issues, crippling anxiety and relationship trauma from the past, most of the tenets of polyamory seemed always painful. Not to forget how polyamory is used as a convenient excuse to avoid commitment by most folks around or get themselves threesomes.
Alex Alberto's (@thatalexalberto ) book, therefore, is my first ever book for understanding and familiarizing myself with polyamory. And it was absolutely unputdownable.
I'm in awe of Alex's clarity of thought, the ability to articulate those with such lucidity, their charming wit, and disarmingly unflinching candour, even as they navigate through their vulnerabilities and muddled emotions.
The book is a compilation of Alex's essays about their own journey in polyamory, the challenges they faced, the love and positives they experienced, the community they built. The book doesn't follow a timeline, but it follows themes like coming out, polyamory in public places and govt organizations, breakups, attractions, tricky situations etc. Alex also talks honestly about the power of English language in their journey, and about how heritage, culture and the requirement for mother tongues to be inclusive, play such a definitive role in identities.
When Alex narrates the episodes with their partner's parents, one feels the intensity and tension rise upto one's throat. I had to keep the book aside for a while before picking it back up. They make an interesting choice of not capitalizing the Ms and Ps of the words maman and papa for their own parents. I have always seen them written in capital. And that's why it feels intentional. They talk in detail about how difficult it's been for them to make friendships because of their queerness.
They also reimagine popular monogamous movies as polyamorous. It is a side observation that it looks like we root more for only those that have sufficient pain and suffering, and somehow fail to imagine or probably even want to see a world where all parties are truly happy and content.
I've learnt so many new words, I am super grateful for that. Metamour, compersion, polycule, Zuntie. Eye-opening.
I also learnt that there are certain things that enable a successful polyamorous lifestyle. It is way more difficult than monogamous relationships. Monogamous relationships are ok if they're working for you, but most times folks become lazy and bored in monogamy at some point (honestly I've seen way too many extremely problematic monogamous relationships). They start looking for the zing outside, which is a sure shot formula for the relationship to crumble. Alex, therefore, presents a beautiful thought. They implore us to ask ourselves if it's fair to put all the pressures of a good relationship on one single person or to take all that pressure on us. Would this not cause resentment eventually?
Having said, Alex also draws from their own experiences some clear facts that have worked for them.
Knowing yourself well (and sometimes one doesn't know what one wants until one has had to face something one doesn't want), having enough earning to navigate two homes or different cities / states in order to be able to be present for partners, having enough words to have enough conversations about your desires and needs and wishes (this requires immense reading and researching), finding folks with whom you can freely navigate through even the bitter emotions.
It is a bit scary and plenty complicated and not many are brave enough to embark on such a journey. If done properly though, it looks like a great response to capitalism's obsession with individualism.
I am going to explore books on polyamory to learn more - some of them Alex speaks about and some more. I am incredibly thankful to Alex for writing this and would definitely look forward to reading more of them.
Alex Alberto's (@thatalexalberto ) book, therefore, is my first ever book for understanding and familiarizing myself with polyamory. And it was absolutely unputdownable.
I'm in awe of Alex's clarity of thought, the ability to articulate those with such lucidity, their charming wit, and disarmingly unflinching candour, even as they navigate through their vulnerabilities and muddled emotions.
The book is a compilation of Alex's essays about their own journey in polyamory, the challenges they faced, the love and positives they experienced, the community they built. The book doesn't follow a timeline, but it follows themes like coming out, polyamory in public places and govt organizations, breakups, attractions, tricky situations etc. Alex also talks honestly about the power of English language in their journey, and about how heritage, culture and the requirement for mother tongues to be inclusive, play such a definitive role in identities.
When Alex narrates the episodes with their partner's parents, one feels the intensity and tension rise upto one's throat. I had to keep the book aside for a while before picking it back up. They make an interesting choice of not capitalizing the Ms and Ps of the words maman and papa for their own parents. I have always seen them written in capital. And that's why it feels intentional. They talk in detail about how difficult it's been for them to make friendships because of their queerness.
They also reimagine popular monogamous movies as polyamorous. It is a side observation that it looks like we root more for only those that have sufficient pain and suffering, and somehow fail to imagine or probably even want to see a world where all parties are truly happy and content.
I've learnt so many new words, I am super grateful for that. Metamour, compersion, polycule, Zuntie. Eye-opening.
I also learnt that there are certain things that enable a successful polyamorous lifestyle. It is way more difficult than monogamous relationships. Monogamous relationships are ok if they're working for you, but most times folks become lazy and bored in monogamy at some point (honestly I've seen way too many extremely problematic monogamous relationships). They start looking for the zing outside, which is a sure shot formula for the relationship to crumble. Alex, therefore, presents a beautiful thought. They implore us to ask ourselves if it's fair to put all the pressures of a good relationship on one single person or to take all that pressure on us. Would this not cause resentment eventually?
Having said, Alex also draws from their own experiences some clear facts that have worked for them.
Knowing yourself well (and sometimes one doesn't know what one wants until one has had to face something one doesn't want), having enough earning to navigate two homes or different cities / states in order to be able to be present for partners, having enough words to have enough conversations about your desires and needs and wishes (this requires immense reading and researching), finding folks with whom you can freely navigate through even the bitter emotions.
It is a bit scary and plenty complicated and not many are brave enough to embark on such a journey. If done properly though, it looks like a great response to capitalism's obsession with individualism.
I am going to explore books on polyamory to learn more - some of them Alex speaks about and some more. I am incredibly thankful to Alex for writing this and would definitely look forward to reading more of them.
Your Utopia: Stories by Bora Chung
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Bora Chung's "Cursed Bunny" has been on my TBR since about 2 years now.
Reading 'Your Utopia' just pushes it way up and I am hoping to finish reading it sooner and definitely this year.
This is a fast paced, neatly written book that contains a collection of 8 stories. Each story has an element of science fiction. The stories become progressively science fiction-y as you read through. There is one where an elevator falls in love with a senior citizen, then another in which a robocar finds a friend in an android, and another where trees speak and disperse pollen at greedy humanoids. Those of you who know me a bit might guess which one is my fav and why is it the one where there is pollen. 🥲
I am super excited about the Q & A with the author on 24th feb that's being organized and hosted by @translatedgemsbookclub. They also picked the book for us.
Some of the quotes / excerpts I lourrveedd.
//There really is no such thing as discussion. We can give it fancier words like “negotiation” or “calibrating expectations” and such, but in the end, it’s just one side that wins and the other has to give in. Even when both sides agree to compromise, there is always a side that compromises more than the other. Which makes one think that “compromise” is not a thing that really exists, either. All discussions and all negotiations are wars, and the result is always that one side ends up being the intimidating, violent side. This is especially true when the other side stubbornly insists on a perspective that one cannot compromise to. If the other side asks for an arm or a leg, or some other part of the body that can’t be regenerated, the only reasonable thing to do is refuse.//
//If God is a man, he could never understand the mundane threats women experience every single day of our lives.//
//We only need one of those seeds to sprout. Just one. One is enough.
Some of us suggest running away, but truth be told, there is nowhere left for us to run. The humans beyond the forest have conquered the world with their rapidly moving, intelligent machines. The only things we can lean on are our roots and two feet. When the large machines return, our roots will be pulled from the ground, and we will wither away in experimental labs and prisons.
But our seeds will survive. Of our countless seeds, surely at least one will survive. And somewhere, it will take root.
And we will start over again.
For the sake of that one, we wait. For the day they return over the horizon, not via a large, dirty machine but in the form of a pollen message. For the day the seeds we spread return, dancing in the wind.
If such a day truly comes, that will be the day humanity, the whole world, will be reborn. The earth and oceans will no longer be wounded, and humans and nature will both stretch their arms toward the sun.
We are still waiting.//
Reading 'Your Utopia' just pushes it way up and I am hoping to finish reading it sooner and definitely this year.
This is a fast paced, neatly written book that contains a collection of 8 stories. Each story has an element of science fiction. The stories become progressively science fiction-y as you read through. There is one where an elevator falls in love with a senior citizen, then another in which a robocar finds a friend in an android, and another where trees speak and disperse pollen at greedy humanoids. Those of you who know me a bit might guess which one is my fav and why is it the one where there is pollen. 🥲
I am super excited about the Q & A with the author on 24th feb that's being organized and hosted by @translatedgemsbookclub. They also picked the book for us.
Some of the quotes / excerpts I lourrveedd.
//There really is no such thing as discussion. We can give it fancier words like “negotiation” or “calibrating expectations” and such, but in the end, it’s just one side that wins and the other has to give in. Even when both sides agree to compromise, there is always a side that compromises more than the other. Which makes one think that “compromise” is not a thing that really exists, either. All discussions and all negotiations are wars, and the result is always that one side ends up being the intimidating, violent side. This is especially true when the other side stubbornly insists on a perspective that one cannot compromise to. If the other side asks for an arm or a leg, or some other part of the body that can’t be regenerated, the only reasonable thing to do is refuse.//
//If God is a man, he could never understand the mundane threats women experience every single day of our lives.//
//We only need one of those seeds to sprout. Just one. One is enough.
Some of us suggest running away, but truth be told, there is nowhere left for us to run. The humans beyond the forest have conquered the world with their rapidly moving, intelligent machines. The only things we can lean on are our roots and two feet. When the large machines return, our roots will be pulled from the ground, and we will wither away in experimental labs and prisons.
But our seeds will survive. Of our countless seeds, surely at least one will survive. And somewhere, it will take root.
And we will start over again.
For the sake of that one, we wait. For the day they return over the horizon, not via a large, dirty machine but in the form of a pollen message. For the day the seeds we spread return, dancing in the wind.
If such a day truly comes, that will be the day humanity, the whole world, will be reborn. The earth and oceans will no longer be wounded, and humans and nature will both stretch their arms toward the sun.
We are still waiting.//
They Fell Like Stars From the Sky & Other Stories by Sheikha Helawy
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ravens Before Noah by Susanna Harutyunyan
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
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
2.5
I read this as a part of the @translatedgems' #translatedgemsbookclub, January read.
From Genesis, we know that the flood lasted a total of one year and ten days. The raven and the dove were released over a period of 21 days after the mountaintops became visible. The raven served as a first attempt to discover dry land, and the dove became Noah’s way of determining when to leave the ark.
Whether or not this relates to Ravens before Noah by Susanna Harutyunyan (translated by Nazareth Seferian) is unclear, it does, however, seem to attempt to base itself on the premise.
Set in the Armenian mountains somewhere between 1915 to 1960, the plot revolves around a child who has escaped the 1894 Hamidian massacres in Turkey, with an old man. The story tells us about the village that the old man and the child build (a possible interpretation of the Noah's Ark), sheltering those displaced, tortured, helping them survive and escaping their old lives. The villagers use the good old barter system to exchange goods and services and other than your general patriarchy, cultural chasm coupled with selfish greed and basic violence, the village looks like a good place to at least stay alive. The world outside seems far worse.
The child grows up to become a young man, Harout, responsible for the business of the village with the outside world, but no one other than him knows how to get out or get in the village. Until one day... And so the story goes.
I couldn't place the raven. It could be a tombstone that was placed on the village border at one point, or one of the other main characters, Nakshun, who found the village, half dead and pregnant, tortured and raped by the Turks, or even one of the side characters who played a small role that caused a significant development. I don't even know if my interpretation of the Ark is right. It totally could work the other way round, if one assumed the tinsmith who came to the village one day to be the raven. It all is kept open.
The narrative shifts drastically from one page to another. The POVs and the timelines also take a massive turn sporadically, and one has to keep up with the frantic changes happening. If one is like me, then they would be slow to grasp, most likely would only know by the middle of a passage that this was something related to another thing they read a few pages back, but one does catch up eventually. It is fascinating. You might discover things about your own brain and level of grasping. That said, the style is also dangerous. Might not suit some readers. The possibility of a DNF is huge.
But if you keep going, there is a fantastic story for you. And some very intriguing characters, food descriptions, and cultural innuendos.
I will probably spend the next few days googling Armenian genocide, history, food, dresses, folklore, magic etc. It should be an engaging time.
From Genesis, we know that the flood lasted a total of one year and ten days. The raven and the dove were released over a period of 21 days after the mountaintops became visible. The raven served as a first attempt to discover dry land, and the dove became Noah’s way of determining when to leave the ark.
Whether or not this relates to Ravens before Noah by Susanna Harutyunyan (translated by Nazareth Seferian) is unclear, it does, however, seem to attempt to base itself on the premise.
Set in the Armenian mountains somewhere between 1915 to 1960, the plot revolves around a child who has escaped the 1894 Hamidian massacres in Turkey, with an old man. The story tells us about the village that the old man and the child build (a possible interpretation of the Noah's Ark), sheltering those displaced, tortured, helping them survive and escaping their old lives. The villagers use the good old barter system to exchange goods and services and other than your general patriarchy, cultural chasm coupled with selfish greed and basic violence, the village looks like a good place to at least stay alive. The world outside seems far worse.
The child grows up to become a young man, Harout, responsible for the business of the village with the outside world, but no one other than him knows how to get out or get in the village. Until one day... And so the story goes.
I couldn't place the raven. It could be a tombstone that was placed on the village border at one point, or one of the other main characters, Nakshun, who found the village, half dead and pregnant, tortured and raped by the Turks, or even one of the side characters who played a small role that caused a significant development. I don't even know if my interpretation of the Ark is right. It totally could work the other way round, if one assumed the tinsmith who came to the village one day to be the raven. It all is kept open.
The narrative shifts drastically from one page to another. The POVs and the timelines also take a massive turn sporadically, and one has to keep up with the frantic changes happening. If one is like me, then they would be slow to grasp, most likely would only know by the middle of a passage that this was something related to another thing they read a few pages back, but one does catch up eventually. It is fascinating. You might discover things about your own brain and level of grasping. That said, the style is also dangerous. Might not suit some readers. The possibility of a DNF is huge.
But if you keep going, there is a fantastic story for you. And some very intriguing characters, food descriptions, and cultural innuendos.
I will probably spend the next few days googling Armenian genocide, history, food, dresses, folklore, magic etc. It should be an engaging time.
Cult of Chaos (Anantya Tantrist Mystery) by Shweta Taneja
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
1) wish the spells were more impactful. The Hindi jarred it for me. Why Hindi? Even English would have done it good. Or the best would be invention of a new language altogether. Tantrism language. 2) The story building is very good. 3) Editing should have been tighter, some parts felt stretched. Some continuity issues like Chotu suddenly starts becoming an "it" from "she". No clue what happened to Lala. Those sorts. 4) the character building is good. And the description of all the species and races. The imagination is absolutely brilliant. The magic system is nice. 5) will I recommend it? - yep. Loads of content warnings though. Death of children, animals, plenty gore.
Sakina's Kiss by Vivek Shanbhag
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Initial thoughts -
1) Thought provoking
2) subtle caste class commentary in the first half that becomes a significant theme in the second half
3) Must be absolutely awesome reading it in Kannada.
4) Ends abruptly. I wish there was more.
5) Juxtaposition of personal and political, mundane and extraordinary
A pretty good book club pick. There are so many things to discuss, it becomes difficult to review.
I had picked it up as a part of #translatedgemsbookclub #crimefiction theme for January'24.
1) Thought provoking
2) subtle caste class commentary in the first half that becomes a significant theme in the second half
3) Must be absolutely awesome reading it in Kannada.
4) Ends abruptly. I wish there was more.
5) Juxtaposition of personal and political, mundane and extraordinary
A pretty good book club pick. There are so many things to discuss, it becomes difficult to review.
I had picked it up as a part of #translatedgemsbookclub #crimefiction theme for January'24.
I'm Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I will add a detailed review later. For now, let me just say that Vivek has given some newer, much needed, significant perspective to me, someone who thinks she is an lgbtq+ ally. The discovery that there is still so much left to learn, is sharpened and highlighted by Vivek's book and a lot of her personal experiences. I am going to keep coming back to this book, because Vivek is extremely eloquent and has immense clarity of thought, even if she says she is still in the process of working on her trauma. The book is very tiny, but very powerful.