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theelliad's reviews
259 reviews
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
3.5
Somehow I will never tire of hearing what is essentially the same information written in different ways! While this text is way less presenting new discoveries than some of the other astrophysics ones i have read, deGrasse Tyson fills this book with fun references, hilarious comparisons and interesting intertexts to help understanding! I also enjoyed how all the heavy physics was contextualised in biology or chemistry! A very good one if you find space fascinating but aren’t really sure where to start!
Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward
3.5
This play actually slaps, it’s super funny and I’m very excited to see it come together!
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
5.0
Oh the things I would give to be reading this for the first time again, unaware of the stresses of the world and the problems of the author…
Nora : A Doll's House (NHB Modern Plays): by Henrik Ibsen, Stef Smith, Stef Smith
3.0
This is the wackiest shit I have ever read what the fuck Ibsen would be rolling in his grave? Honestly some pretty iconic moments and a lot of giggles and fun within this! The message is interesting even though at times it felt like they were just throwing in context to differentiate the three nora’s
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
5.0
I bounced about a lot trying to decide what to rate this book, was it an easy 5*? No. Do I fear that this book is going to haunt my consciousness for the next 3 years? YES. As someone with a bit of a fascination with crime culture in the 60s (Bonnie and Clyde who…) the latter half of this book was a perfect deep dive into the American justice system, the flaws which exist and the ultimate instability of views surrounding capital punishment. That in combination with Capote offering readers complex and intellectually developed killers; who you can’t help but hate the system for failing while equally despising them. Capote simultaneously explores what it means to be human and what it means to be monstrous this book forces you into the psyche of the persecuted and the prosecution, the victims, the fallout and those tasked with resolving it all. The small town vibes mirrored Beartown (which I love) and Capote’s writing is very Fitzgerald (which i also love) so this book was set up to be a success!
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
3.0
This was a wholesome little read for over exam season, the more sci-fi adjacent I read the more I realise I am a sci-fi girlie at heart! Some really wonderful physics-esc descriptions of this though some elements haven’t aged the best :))
Gloam by Jack Mackay
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is honestly one of the best things I’ve read recently! This perfectly balances moral teachings, spooky elements and general engagement for all ages! I cried, I laughed, I felt like a kid again and all in the best way possible!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
3.0
I actually really enjoyed this little play! There is something very Muriel Spark about the slightly chaotic events and I love that! There was definitely space for a more smooth development in Nora’s character but I honestly respect her for being the original i need to find myself girlie!
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
2.5
It’s no surprise that for me this didn’t live up to my expectations given how long this took me to get through (the fact that I lost the book twice not included as that’s not Tartts fault)
I loved the first section of this book up until about halfway through Theo being at the Barbour’s. After that it fell far from grace. Firstly in it’s unnecessary length (it’s not clever and purposeful the way it is in The Secret History), and in its lack of plot (which also was not clever or purposeful and was just boring). I think the main issue is Tartt didn’t seem to know what type of book she wanted to write; this flits between being a bildungsroman on grief/parent loss, to a story of romanticised addiction and consumption (not to mention the completely unnecessary use of the N word several times in this section by a white author writing from the perspective of a white character…) to a wholesome reunion/found family narrative, to fraud, to gangsters in Amsterdam? I don’t know I just feel like this was doing too much and none of it particularly well. I did enjoy the mildly philosophical/ekphrasis section towards the end (though I agree with Amy’s takes that it feels like Tartt intruding to explain the novel- she never was great at letting readers be readers) however it did make me question whether Tartt missed the mark on the format of this as I can’t help but wonder if it would have worked better if told through the letters Theo claims to have written to his mother throughout!
I think this book also just confirms that Donna isn’t her strongest when it comes to creating developed female characters, I wanted so much more from and for Pippa and Kitsey.
Bonus complaint about the ‘dear non existent reader trope’… don’t write a very clearly novel formed 700 page novel just to claim it’s not expected to be read…
sorry for the long rant heheheh xx
I loved the first section of this book up until about halfway through Theo being at the Barbour’s. After that it fell far from grace. Firstly in it’s unnecessary length (it’s not clever and purposeful the way it is in The Secret History), and in its lack of plot (which also was not clever or purposeful and was just boring). I think the main issue is Tartt didn’t seem to know what type of book she wanted to write; this flits between being a bildungsroman on grief/parent loss, to a story of romanticised addiction and consumption (not to mention the completely unnecessary use of the N word several times in this section by a white author writing from the perspective of a white character…) to a wholesome reunion/found family narrative, to fraud, to gangsters in Amsterdam? I don’t know I just feel like this was doing too much and none of it particularly well. I did enjoy the mildly philosophical/ekphrasis section towards the end (though I agree with Amy’s takes that it feels like Tartt intruding to explain the novel- she never was great at letting readers be readers) however it did make me question whether Tartt missed the mark on the format of this as I can’t help but wonder if it would have worked better if told through the letters Theo claims to have written to his mother throughout!
I think this book also just confirms that Donna isn’t her strongest when it comes to creating developed female characters, I wanted so much more from and for Pippa and Kitsey.
Bonus complaint about the ‘dear non existent reader trope’… don’t write a very clearly novel formed 700 page novel just to claim it’s not expected to be read…
sorry for the long rant heheheh xx