sondershelf's reviews
77 reviews

Modus by Conchitina R. Cruz

adventurous funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World by Jason Hickel

hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

Bruha by Faye Cura

fast-paced

5.0

The subversion of the figures and myths in this collection comes through from the title itself. Bruha pertaining to a woman of magic, has often been portrayed as outcasts. The women here are then transformed through Faye's retelling in order to not only reclaim and resurrect, but to create a space for them to be remembered as something revolutionary.

Ika nga "What could be more touching than a flower?" (Ponge, trans. Bystritski) na humuhubog tayo mula sa pagaaklas sa ating mga sugat.

Pop Song: Adventures in Art & Intimacy by Larissa Pham

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

 

"there was a song playing in my head, then. It's a song I've tried to describe to you this whole time, but i think you know it by now"

"when i hear my favorite song, i know that we belong/ oh you are the music in me" Troy and Gabriela convey the connection they have. They never name the "favorite song", but they have a common understanding of what that song is, and what they're trying to say without saying it. 

 

The essays in this collection convey this kind of intimacy through an exploration of art works ranging from music, to paintings, to exhibitions. Larissa takes us into her experiences through her very  wonderful descriptions from Agnes Martin's body of work taking advantage of spatial perspectives to convey unnoticed feelings or James Blake cover of "Case of You" likening to leaving a drunk voicemail for someone we long for. 

 

Even though we're not actually there with her to be able to see or hear these things, the vividness of her words encourages us to take part in these sentiments. To actually take a look at these unnamed things turn into something so tactile. 

 

A couple of weeks ago, I encountered this statement, curation as an act of care. The act of thoroughly organizing and selecting pieces and placing them under categories, themes, or even stories to be shared to anyone comes with a sense of love. Think about that spotify playlist, that pinterest board, or even that set of links or link you sent to someone just because it reminded you of them. Communicating through the language of the arts has always seemed more straightforward in showing what we mean. 

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

reflective tense

4.0

"What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.” - Dr. Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death.

It's not a surprise that Aldous Huxley was a former teacher of George Orwell, seeing the texts of these two authors are complimentary in critiquing the modern world in what it is and what it could be. Though 1984, presented a world that was constantly watched similar to our screens, it still provided a space for agency. A chance to turn away from these forces. Brave New World on the other hand, showcases a world that doesn't even allow such agency to take place in the first place. Conditioning what's within us to love the system towards efficiency. In turn we do not just end up loving a "big brother" we end up loving the entire landscape of the fascist. And it makes me afraid to see that its growing braver everyday to reality.

Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by adrienne maree brown

informative slow-paced

2.5

though the premise of the book was promising, the idea of making a social movements accessible and inviting everyone is an ideal to aspire for, the book did not answer or provide any tactile directions towards this. it kept emphasizing on the need to foster pleasure in the act of activism, which is something personally should be taken into consideration to sustain movements, however the context of pleasure emphasized here is mainly towards sex positivity. which of course in the women's and lgbtq+ movement is important to develop, but if it only operates within the context of emphasizing sexuality and not taking into account the other issues of these minority groups then its not inclusive anymore. 

the essays i enjoyed however was the author's conversations with her friends and how that led to each of them not only finding solace amongst one another but also becoming involved in the communities they associate with and finding those connections through each other. i think social movements should indeed utilize or foster relationships further as a foundation to move forward. to quote once more the statement i add in every meeting i have with one of my collectives

"friendship is the soil from which a new politics will emerge"

and perhaps the real pleasure we can apply in social movements is the acknowledgement that we still have each other. 

Dark Hours by Conchitina R. Cruz

5.0

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Rethinking Filipino Millennials: Alternative Perspectives on a Misunderstood Generation by Jayeel Cornelio

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.0