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thepurplebookwyrm's reviews
1070 reviews
This Census-Taker by China Miéville
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Out of all the Miévilles I have thus far read, this is probably the one I have liked the least, yet I don't regret picking it up (or purchasing it, for that matter). Had it been penned by another author, I would've, yes, considered reading this a waste of time... but the atmosphere and tension Miéville managed to conjure up with his prose and 'set-sketching' nonetheless managed to keep me going through this novella – and that's not nothing.
I'm not really sure what this even counts as, genre-wise... an item of ambiguously defined 'post-apocalyptica'? Perhaps, perhaps not; This Census-Taker's opaqueness was, unfortunately, a bit much for me here. Yes, I enjoyed the vague notes of dread, and psychological horror... as conveyed through the perceptions of a powerless child, living on the edges of a rather destitute-seeming town. But I didn't really get anything beyond those admittedly compelling notes in terms of greater world-building, character work, or theming.
So... bit of a dud, this one. But I'd still take Miéville's mediocrity over most other writers', to be honest, so there's that!
I'm not really sure what this even counts as, genre-wise... an item of ambiguously defined 'post-apocalyptica'? Perhaps, perhaps not; This Census-Taker's opaqueness was, unfortunately, a bit much for me here. Yes, I enjoyed the vague notes of dread, and psychological horror... as conveyed through the perceptions of a powerless child, living on the edges of a rather destitute-seeming town. But I didn't really get anything beyond those admittedly compelling notes in terms of greater world-building, character work, or theming.
So... bit of a dud, this one. But I'd still take Miéville's mediocrity over most other writers', to be honest, so there's that!
Wolf-Men and Water Hounds: The Myths, Monsters and Magic of Ireland by Manchán Magan
informative
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
3.75
A short, illustrated book about various bits of folklore and mythology from all over Ireland, with a specific focus on fantastical creatures and 'gates' to the Celtic Otherworld.
Positives:
• I enjoyed the fact the book covered all of Ireland, and divided its content between its four regions.
• I learned new things! And lots of Irish words/concepts linked to the supernatural.
• Loved the illustrations and overall aesthetic of the book.
Negatives:
• It is very short.
• It could have, and should have, included a lot more localities, honestly.
• Biggest issue for me: the book lacked any sort of pronunciation guide!
• The author's tone felt a little too... 'twee', for my personal taste.
Positives:
• I enjoyed the fact the book covered all of Ireland, and divided its content between its four regions.
• I learned new things! And lots of Irish words/concepts linked to the supernatural.
• Loved the illustrations and overall aesthetic of the book.
Negatives:
• It is very short.
• It could have, and should have, included a lot more localities, honestly.
• Biggest issue for me: the book lacked any sort of pronunciation guide!
• The author's tone felt a little too... 'twee', for my personal taste.
King Rat by China Miéville
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I'm actually really impressed to learn this was China Miéville's debut novel! Like damn... it was above and beyond many other debuts I've read, that's for sure. And so yes, I really enjoyed this one; Miéville's literature just keeps doing it for me (to put it mildly)! 😊
Specific positives:
• King Rat isn't the 'deepest' Miéville I've read, but even the 'sketch'-level of theming I got from it was surprisingly clever, and certainly engaging. I found commentary on 'urban ecosystems' here; on the ambiguous relations between humans and their non-human brethren, especially as it relates to the concept of 'vermin'. Through this also came theming on marginalisation, marginal and liminal beings, spaces, etc... then identity, in concert with familial heritage.
• I was impressed with what Miéville managed to accomplish with mere 'sketches' of characters, and world-building. No wonder some of his later, more fleshed-out works rank among some of my all-time favourites!
• I also really enjoyed the fact this story included a kind of retelling, or should I say re-molding, of the tale of the "Pied Piper" from European folklore – not something I've ever really seen or even heard of before! Some of the story's characters also felt like a different take on... faeries, or changeling lore – kind of – and I really liked that!
• I never shed any actual tears, but I was, yes, somewhat moved by the story's more emotional threads. And whilst the book's ending bordered on feeling a little 'on the nose' (especially if one is familiar with the very often noticeable political tenor of Miéville's literature, as a whole), I also thought it fit rather perfectly.
More neutral or negative elements:
• King Rat still had very good prose – and the kind of prose that just really works for my brain, apparently – but it didn't reach the heights of thoughtful, or playful beauty some of his later works do.
• Miéville struck an overall satisfying balance between presenting non-human animals as they are, and indulging in a smidge of narratively useful anthropomorphising, but I wasn't a fan of the fact the story also posited a couple of things that fed into 'human exceptionalism' at times (especially since these weren't really based on actual truths about the animal world).
Specific positives:
• King Rat isn't the 'deepest' Miéville I've read, but even the 'sketch'-level of theming I got from it was surprisingly clever, and certainly engaging. I found commentary on 'urban ecosystems' here; on the ambiguous relations between humans and their non-human brethren, especially as it relates to the concept of 'vermin'. Through this also came theming on marginalisation, marginal and liminal beings, spaces, etc... then identity, in concert with familial heritage.
• I was impressed with what Miéville managed to accomplish with mere 'sketches' of characters, and world-building. No wonder some of his later, more fleshed-out works rank among some of my all-time favourites!
• I also really enjoyed the fact this story included a kind of retelling, or should I say re-molding, of the tale of the "Pied Piper" from European folklore – not something I've ever really seen or even heard of before! Some of the story's characters also felt like a different take on... faeries, or changeling lore – kind of – and I really liked that!
• I never shed any actual tears, but I was, yes, somewhat moved by the story's more emotional threads. And whilst the book's ending bordered on feeling a little 'on the nose' (especially if one is familiar with the very often noticeable political tenor of Miéville's literature, as a whole), I also thought it fit rather perfectly.
More neutral or negative elements:
• King Rat still had very good prose – and the kind of prose that just really works for my brain, apparently – but it didn't reach the heights of thoughtful, or playful beauty some of his later works do.
• Miéville struck an overall satisfying balance between presenting non-human animals as they are, and indulging in a smidge of narratively useful anthropomorphising, but I wasn't a fan of the fact the story also posited a couple of things that fed into 'human exceptionalism' at times (especially since these weren't really based on actual truths about the animal world).
Self-Guided EMDR Therapy & Workbook: Healing from Anxiety, Anger, Stress, Depression, PTSD & Emotional Trauma by Katherine Andler
informative
fast-paced
4.0
Delivered what I expected and (mostly) wanted.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Went into this without really knowing much about it. I'd call this a gothic psychological drama, with very mild psychological horror elements... if only because of how creepy I found Mrs. Danvers!
Positives:
• Really good, evocative prose; very atmospheric writing in terms of psychological set and environmental setting as well.
• Engaging, introspective writing with interesting, even relatable bits of insight into the subjective experience of time, one's movement through it, and the impact of said movement on perceptions of self, past and present.
• Effective notes of what I'd honestly call (very mild, mind you) psychological horror.
• Effective mystery plot, with a final twist I didn't actually see coming – though I called the first one, hehe.
Negatives:
• Not that it was a huge negative in my book... but I didn't really care about the story's characters. I found their psychologies certainly plausible, and somewhat interesting, but I wasn't rooting for anyone in particular, and found each protagonist's morals rather questionable (if not reprehensible, depending on the character, ahem).
• I wasn't a fan of the book's ending. Even though it made sense in terms of logical progression, and resolution, and even though it made sense given the book's opening sequence, it felt way too abrupt to me – though I'm not sure that adding something to it would've really helped as such, either.
• I enjoyed the book's kernels of psychological insight, and loved that one paragraph about the (paraphrasing) "dangerous fever of first love", but didn't really get much beyond those disparate nuggets of intellectual stimulation in terms of greater theming – and also, at the end of the day, this just isn't really my favoured kind of story.
Positives:
• Really good, evocative prose; very atmospheric writing in terms of psychological set and environmental setting as well.
• Engaging, introspective writing with interesting, even relatable bits of insight into the subjective experience of time, one's movement through it, and the impact of said movement on perceptions of self, past and present.
• Effective notes of what I'd honestly call (very mild, mind you) psychological horror.
• Effective mystery plot, with a final twist I didn't actually see coming – though I called the first one, hehe.
Negatives:
• Not that it was a huge negative in my book... but I didn't really care about the story's characters. I found their psychologies certainly plausible, and somewhat interesting, but I wasn't rooting for anyone in particular, and found each protagonist's morals rather questionable (if not reprehensible, depending on the character, ahem).
• I wasn't a fan of the book's ending. Even though it made sense in terms of logical progression, and resolution, and even though it made sense given the book's opening sequence, it felt way too abrupt to me – though I'm not sure that adding something to it would've really helped as such, either.
• I enjoyed the book's kernels of psychological insight, and loved that one paragraph about the (paraphrasing) "dangerous fever of first love", but didn't really get much beyond those disparate nuggets of intellectual stimulation in terms of greater theming – and also, at the end of the day, this just isn't really my favoured kind of story.
The Complex PTSD Coping Skills Workbook: An Evidence-Based Approach to Manage Fear and Anger, Build Confidence, and Reclaim Your Identity by Tamara McClintock Greenberg
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
Found some of the stuff useful, some other things aren't so relevant and/or applicable for neurodivergent folks like myself. The section on dissociation was also pretty disappointing.
Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma: A Workbook for Survivors and Therapists by Janina Fisher
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
Found some of the stuff useful, some other things aren't so relevant and/or applicable for neurodivergent folks like myself. The section on dissociation was also pretty disappointing. I definitely feel more inclined to work with some of the exercise sheets in this one though.
Letters to My Weird Sisters: On Autism and Feminism by Joanne Limburg
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.5
Found this decently relatable and moving in places; it was certainly a relaxing and quietly though-provoking read.
Soul Arts by VaatiVidya/ Michael Samuels
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Absolutely fucking gorgeous art book! That's all that really needs to be said here, but I'll add that it made me feel revitalised as an artist; as far as I'm concerned, if an art book inspires me to create my own art this hard, it's doing everything right. And even if you're not, yourself, an artist, please consider treating yourself to this beauty if you're any sort of Soulsborne and graphic arts fan – it is well worth it!
PS: I also really appreciate the fact Mr Samuels made sure to design the book in such a way as to have descriptive text take as little physical space as possible, and thus give pride of glorious place to the actual art.
PS: I also really appreciate the fact Mr Samuels made sure to design the book in such a way as to have descriptive text take as little physical space as possible, and thus give pride of glorious place to the actual art.
Call of the Wild: How We Heal Trauma, Awaken Our Own Power, and Use It For Good by Kimberly Ann Johnson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
DNF 23% – Won't be that useful to me, no citations which is again meh.