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tinylove's reviews
74 reviews
At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop
4.25
This book!
I picked it up completely at random at the library. A tiny book, translated fiction, it had not fallen on my radar at all on its own. So I thought I would give it a chance and see! And I was sure confused at times, and unsettled, but I was not disappointed! Reading it was an experience.
I really loved the unreliable narrator and the repetitive speech patterns (?) in the writing... it had great rhythm and poetry in how it was written, the misleadingly simple language, the violence and love written with the same care. It left me thinking about it for a long time afterward, the entanglement of regret, resentment, war and trauma, childhood friendship intertwined with rivalry, envy and comparison, carrying all those you loved in your heart crossing over to possession... a story within a story, hidden, all the different interpretations of the same events by different people... including ourselves as the readers, who are left to interpret the story as we will. Not much happens, to be fair! But also so much is found enclosed between the two covers of this book, the man talking about his life and his battles and madness and trauma and loss. A very small book that packs so much! It might not be for everyone; actually; it certainly isn't. But it spoke to me, it did, it did!
I picked it up completely at random at the library. A tiny book, translated fiction, it had not fallen on my radar at all on its own. So I thought I would give it a chance and see! And I was sure confused at times, and unsettled, but I was not disappointed! Reading it was an experience.
I really loved the unreliable narrator and the repetitive speech patterns (?) in the writing... it had great rhythm and poetry in how it was written, the misleadingly simple language, the violence and love written with the same care. It left me thinking about it for a long time afterward, the entanglement of regret, resentment, war and trauma, childhood friendship intertwined with rivalry, envy and comparison, carrying all those you loved in your heart crossing over to possession... a story within a story, hidden, all the different interpretations of the same events by different people... including ourselves as the readers, who are left to interpret the story as we will. Not much happens, to be fair! But also so much is found enclosed between the two covers of this book, the man talking about his life and his battles and madness and trauma and loss. A very small book that packs so much! It might not be for everyone; actually; it certainly isn't. But it spoke to me, it did, it did!
Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity by
It is hard and also seems rather pointless to rate this book so I won't!
The book is a collection of essays - it is in very high regard in feminist cycles especially regarding the transfem experience, so of course it ranked very high on my list. But even as early as in the revised introduction, the author acknowledges the way this book was lacking - glaringly, in the sense of intersectionality. It is not a book that takes into account the experiences of women of color, trans or cis - at the same time, it is a very personal collection in general. It actually felt a bit misleading that I saw this filed under and recommended as theory, when it is clearly so much personal opinion. Then again, as people have pointed out, so much of what is taken for granted today was not established in feminist cycles at the time of writing and this text played no small role in starting these conversations that bring us to where we are today, so that is important to take into consideration as well when criticizing the book.
But with all that said, I would still rather see this book as a very personal and thus limited view of the world and gender roles. It is not well-researched, or academic, or really all that well-rounded and intersectional after all, and a lot of it is spent on refuting basic transphobic talking points. It is a sad reality that oppressed authors have to expend so much energy on simply defending their existence, but the things that we could achieve if we could move beyond that!
I do think the book would have benefited from a more introspective view of society's take on femininity and gender roles overall. The intrinsic inclinations model seems a bit of a hot take in the current landscape of gender discussion - the idea that the gender binary is formed from both social and natural inclinations in the majority of the population. It is a lot of food for thought, because in the hands of anyone cis it would come off as -and often is- a very transphobic take, but hearing it from a trans woman made me think about it in a new light. I found it very odd that it did not mention or seem to take into account at all how femininity is branded, commercialized and essentially "sold" to anyone who society thinks should confront to it. Though there may be merit to the claim that femininity and masculinity are natural to most of the population and always have been, the ways that what is considered feminine and masculine change over time are not considered at all as factors by Serrano. That seems like a huge omission in my opinion, and costs the book a lot of nuance - as do a lot of other perspectives and factors that are omitted. Overall, I don't think Serrano's models and theories can hold on their own just through her writing in Whipping Girl, but they are worth a wider discussion in community so that other perspectives can weight in on them.
So far I have only been negative about it - but truth be told, I really appreciated this book. Sure, it is only one woman's perspective, but valuable and well-articulated nonetheless. In particular, I appreciated her takes on the scapegoating and dismissal of femininity. But I do think it would be better fleshed out with more nuance and intersectionality. A trans woman's perspective is going to be limited to just that, but this text has still done a lot on its own to spark conversations and thought around the topics of transmisogyny and trans rights, and on top of everything it is also very approachable in its language and topics - so overall, a great starting point, but it would be entirely unsatisfying to just stop here.
I will say however - I listened to it as an audiobook, and it was not the best listening experience for me. Serrano narrates the book herself, and even though it always feels more intentional when an author reads their own work out loud, it is not always the best choice for an audiobook overall. Her reading rhythm and enunciation were not on par to a professional narrator's (or voice actress) and I personally found it rather tiring after a while. So that's something to consider if you're thinking of doing the audiobook, but it's very up to personal taste, so I hope other audiobook readers didn't have this issue!
The book is a collection of essays - it is in very high regard in feminist cycles especially regarding the transfem experience, so of course it ranked very high on my list. But even as early as in the revised introduction, the author acknowledges the way this book was lacking - glaringly, in the sense of intersectionality. It is not a book that takes into account the experiences of women of color, trans or cis - at the same time, it is a very personal collection in general. It actually felt a bit misleading that I saw this filed under and recommended as theory, when it is clearly so much personal opinion. Then again, as people have pointed out, so much of what is taken for granted today was not established in feminist cycles at the time of writing and this text played no small role in starting these conversations that bring us to where we are today, so that is important to take into consideration as well when criticizing the book.
But with all that said, I would still rather see this book as a very personal and thus limited view of the world and gender roles. It is not well-researched, or academic, or really all that well-rounded and intersectional after all, and a lot of it is spent on refuting basic transphobic talking points. It is a sad reality that oppressed authors have to expend so much energy on simply defending their existence, but the things that we could achieve if we could move beyond that!
I do think the book would have benefited from a more introspective view of society's take on femininity and gender roles overall. The intrinsic inclinations model seems a bit of a hot take in the current landscape of gender discussion - the idea that the gender binary is formed from both social and natural inclinations in the majority of the population. It is a lot of food for thought, because in the hands of anyone cis it would come off as -and often is- a very transphobic take, but hearing it from a trans woman made me think about it in a new light. I found it very odd that it did not mention or seem to take into account at all how femininity is branded, commercialized and essentially "sold" to anyone who society thinks should confront to it. Though there may be merit to the claim that femininity and masculinity are natural to most of the population and always have been, the ways that what is considered feminine and masculine change over time are not considered at all as factors by Serrano. That seems like a huge omission in my opinion, and costs the book a lot of nuance - as do a lot of other perspectives and factors that are omitted. Overall, I don't think Serrano's models and theories can hold on their own just through her writing in Whipping Girl, but they are worth a wider discussion in community so that other perspectives can weight in on them.
So far I have only been negative about it - but truth be told, I really appreciated this book. Sure, it is only one woman's perspective, but valuable and well-articulated nonetheless. In particular, I appreciated her takes on the scapegoating and dismissal of femininity. But I do think it would be better fleshed out with more nuance and intersectionality. A trans woman's perspective is going to be limited to just that, but this text has still done a lot on its own to spark conversations and thought around the topics of transmisogyny and trans rights, and on top of everything it is also very approachable in its language and topics - so overall, a great starting point, but it would be entirely unsatisfying to just stop here.
I will say however - I listened to it as an audiobook, and it was not the best listening experience for me. Serrano narrates the book herself, and even though it always feels more intentional when an author reads their own work out loud, it is not always the best choice for an audiobook overall. Her reading rhythm and enunciation were not on par to a professional narrator's (or voice actress) and I personally found it rather tiring after a while. So that's something to consider if you're thinking of doing the audiobook, but it's very up to personal taste, so I hope other audiobook readers didn't have this issue!
Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing by Ursula K. Le Guin, David Naimon
This was a very interesting read and very beneficial to read from the perspective of an author. Reading other authors on craft is feeling equivalent to chugging electrolytes during a heat wave.
This one was much more organized than the other collection of interviews I read by Le Guin (The Last Interview one). Not that these two books should be compared to each other, but I read them back to back with the purpose of studying closer how Le Guin operated as a craftswoman so it is hard to avoid. Either way, it is not an unfavorable comparison - hard to pick one better or worse, and that's not the point, but if you want to read about her takes and thoughts on the writing process this is definitely the one you should read! Together with interviewer David Naimon they go over the three different mediums Le Guin wrote in three different interviews, each dedicated to only one (poetry, fiction and nonfiction).
And what a treat it is! They both have great knowledge, respect and love for the craft - and great respect and rapport with each other. It was three very great conversations to read and observe them engage with each other and the subject matter at hand. At the time of the interviews, Le Guin is already a veteran author and versed in all three - her takes are very insightful and honed over years of experience at this point, it feels. It was great to keep notes, especially of the books and other materials she mentions as noteworthy, so I can check them out later. That was all around a very satisfying and gainful read.
This one was much more organized than the other collection of interviews I read by Le Guin (The Last Interview one). Not that these two books should be compared to each other, but I read them back to back with the purpose of studying closer how Le Guin operated as a craftswoman so it is hard to avoid. Either way, it is not an unfavorable comparison - hard to pick one better or worse, and that's not the point, but if you want to read about her takes and thoughts on the writing process this is definitely the one you should read! Together with interviewer David Naimon they go over the three different mediums Le Guin wrote in three different interviews, each dedicated to only one (poetry, fiction and nonfiction).
And what a treat it is! They both have great knowledge, respect and love for the craft - and great respect and rapport with each other. It was three very great conversations to read and observe them engage with each other and the subject matter at hand. At the time of the interviews, Le Guin is already a veteran author and versed in all three - her takes are very insightful and honed over years of experience at this point, it feels. It was great to keep notes, especially of the books and other materials she mentions as noteworthy, so I can check them out later. That was all around a very satisfying and gainful read.
Ursula K. Le Guin: The Last Interview and Other Conversations by Ursula K. Le Guin, David Streitfeld
(Btw besties I don't rate nonfiction books like that)
By far the best thing about this collection of interviews is how it is essentially a very compact run through several decades of the author's life. That way you can read her thought and opinions over most of her active life, what changed and what stayed the same, or consistent. Le Guin definitely had a brilliant mind, a formidable pen and a strong, quietly steadfast personality. Her opinions and takes on writing are very valuable to me as a writer even when I don't agree with them. I also find myself agreeing with her beliefs toward the end of her life the most; some of her earliest takes really had a very strong American-centric air. She was also very upfront about all her privileges that made her life comfortable and her career possible, but at the same time her background really shines through in some things she said and opinions she held. All very interesting to read and think about. It was also really satisfying to read her rip open a new one to one particularly provocative interviewer ("Well, Nick, and when did you stop beating your wife?" I DIEDDDDDDD).
From a purely selfish point of view, I'm glad to be able to demystify and understand her better - I really admire her writing and her brain, but it is never good to idolize someone, always good to understand their thought process. For authors like her there are many interviews and essays left behind that can aid with that. It might sound like I'm making it all about my own personal gain from this book but that's why I read it! LMAO!
That was also my first time reading anything from The Last Interview series, and I found the idea and the layout very insightful! The fact that it seems to be a collection of various different interviews, from different sources and (apparently?) not affiliated with one or other gives a pretty well-rounded idea of the interviewee's mind and how they interacted with different people and sets of questions. I will definitely attempt to read more of this series in the future.
By far the best thing about this collection of interviews is how it is essentially a very compact run through several decades of the author's life. That way you can read her thought and opinions over most of her active life, what changed and what stayed the same, or consistent. Le Guin definitely had a brilliant mind, a formidable pen and a strong, quietly steadfast personality. Her opinions and takes on writing are very valuable to me as a writer even when I don't agree with them. I also find myself agreeing with her beliefs toward the end of her life the most; some of her earliest takes really had a very strong American-centric air. She was also very upfront about all her privileges that made her life comfortable and her career possible, but at the same time her background really shines through in some things she said and opinions she held. All very interesting to read and think about. It was also really satisfying to read her rip open a new one to one particularly provocative interviewer ("Well, Nick, and when did you stop beating your wife?" I DIEDDDDDDD).
From a purely selfish point of view, I'm glad to be able to demystify and understand her better - I really admire her writing and her brain, but it is never good to idolize someone, always good to understand their thought process. For authors like her there are many interviews and essays left behind that can aid with that. It might sound like I'm making it all about my own personal gain from this book but that's why I read it! LMAO!
That was also my first time reading anything from The Last Interview series, and I found the idea and the layout very insightful! The fact that it seems to be a collection of various different interviews, from different sources and (apparently?) not affiliated with one or other gives a pretty well-rounded idea of the interviewee's mind and how they interacted with different people and sets of questions. I will definitely attempt to read more of this series in the future.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
3.0
This was written with a lot of heart and genuine love, which I really appreciated. The narration would go on and on just gushing over life, love and friendship, love for the city and yearning and longing to belong somewhere, and to someone. And that was beautiful, it really was. I really appreciate when books take the time to ramble poetically with so much fondness for everything.
Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to make me love the book as a whole, but before I move to listing my grievances, here's some other things I appreciated (still not enough to add up to a great great reading experience):
-I really appreciated that the love interest was a butch woman. The main character was attracted to her for her masculinity, her inner strength, her resilience and her goofiness. It's really touching for me to read about butch icons being loved and cherished in fiction! And it's not often I see that, either, so I appreciated it all the more.
-I liked the shenanigans August had with her friends and the fun moments in the book that was just the gang bonding and chilling. Those were nice.
-I liked how the main character was a virgin at 23 without it being too big or too small a deal. That was a nice touch, I think.
-The whole book and the magical elements were very whimsical and fun to read! It set a great tone and it was fun too.
Now onto the things I didn't like:
Characterization! Most of the characters felt like shells. The supporting cast was mostly there to prop up August's arc, and they all consisted of one main quirk (or two!) instead of reading like full fledged characters on their own.
August's own characterization was frustrating to me, because how I read her was completely at odds with how she was supposed to be received, from what I gather. She was time and again described as closed off and wary of the world, someone who wouldn't let her guard down and people in. But unfortunately, she just read as another awkward, hopeless and klutzy main character. Somewhat insecure, inexperienced and lonely, somewhat endearing in her many many everyday defeats, she didn't come off as the person who wouldn't let others in - if it wasn't brought up by characters in the story, I would never have thought she was supposed to be interpreted that way. At some point in the story, her Czech manager calls August out for being straight up bad at her job. August replies with something among the likes of uwu jokey joke about how much she sucks. And Lucie (and I was listening to the audiobook during that part, and they gave Lucie a mean accent) just cuts her down with "You like jokes. I don't. Just do your job." (paraphrasing) and honestly? That was so satisfying to read, an immigrant putting the unserious American kid in her place, even though ultimately you're supposed to root for August.
My main issue with the book, however, is that it progressively gets cornier and cornier til it's hard to ignore. The end wraps up so neatly - too neatly, perhaps. All clouds of conflict in the plot are eliminated, to the point where the story felt pointless, and some of the later resolutions are rushed and are there just for the sake of wrapping everything up, where I feel that leaving some unresolved would have kept the story feeling more realistic and fresh (I'm referring to them even giving an answer to the question of Biyu's parents, for example). The whole subplot about the fundraisers and saving the pancake house was extra cringe. August getting money at the end and just donating it was put in that book to personally guilt me for knowing I would have at least THOUGHT to keep the money to myself. Poor characters who just refuse money that is handed to them because "they haven't earned it" and "another cause needs it more" can somehow be traced back to protestant propaganda, I am convinced.
August and Biyu's relationship development was also grating because of how gone and endlessly accommodating August was - she would kiss Jane to revive Jane's memories at her own heartache, would be with her knowing Jane might up and go at any time, and none of that ever lead to any conflict. It didn't make any sense that at no point would she set a boundary or get mad/jealous/sad at their situation.
So in total, I wouldn't discourage people from reading this book if you want an easy and whimsical read full of queer people's shenanigans. But make no mistake, it is not serious fiction!
Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to make me love the book as a whole, but before I move to listing my grievances, here's some other things I appreciated (still not enough to add up to a great great reading experience):
-I really appreciated that the love interest was a butch woman. The main character was attracted to her for her masculinity, her inner strength, her resilience and her goofiness. It's really touching for me to read about butch icons being loved and cherished in fiction! And it's not often I see that, either, so I appreciated it all the more.
-I liked the shenanigans August had with her friends and the fun moments in the book that was just the gang bonding and chilling. Those were nice.
-I liked how the main character was a virgin at 23 without it being too big or too small a deal. That was a nice touch, I think.
-The whole book and the magical elements were very whimsical and fun to read! It set a great tone and it was fun too.
Now onto the things I didn't like:
Characterization! Most of the characters felt like shells. The supporting cast was mostly there to prop up August's arc, and they all consisted of one main quirk (or two!) instead of reading like full fledged characters on their own.
August's own characterization was frustrating to me, because how I read her was completely at odds with how she was supposed to be received, from what I gather. She was time and again described as closed off and wary of the world, someone who wouldn't let her guard down and people in. But unfortunately, she just read as another awkward, hopeless and klutzy main character. Somewhat insecure, inexperienced and lonely, somewhat endearing in her many many everyday defeats, she didn't come off as the person who wouldn't let others in - if it wasn't brought up by characters in the story, I would never have thought she was supposed to be interpreted that way. At some point in the story, her Czech manager calls August out for being straight up bad at her job. August replies with something among the likes of uwu jokey joke about how much she sucks. And Lucie (and I was listening to the audiobook during that part, and they gave Lucie a mean accent) just cuts her down with "You like jokes. I don't. Just do your job." (paraphrasing) and honestly? That was so satisfying to read, an immigrant putting the unserious American kid in her place, even though ultimately you're supposed to root for August.
My main issue with the book, however, is that it progressively gets cornier and cornier til it's hard to ignore. The end wraps up so neatly - too neatly, perhaps. All clouds of conflict in the plot are eliminated, to the point where the story felt pointless, and some of the later resolutions are rushed and are there just for the sake of wrapping everything up, where I feel that leaving some unresolved would have kept the story feeling more realistic and fresh (I'm referring to them even giving an answer to the question of Biyu's parents, for example). The whole subplot about the fundraisers and saving the pancake house was extra cringe. August getting money at the end and just donating it was put in that book to personally guilt me for knowing I would have at least THOUGHT to keep the money to myself. Poor characters who just refuse money that is handed to them because "they haven't earned it" and "another cause needs it more" can somehow be traced back to protestant propaganda, I am convinced.
August and Biyu's relationship development was also grating because of how gone and endlessly accommodating August was - she would kiss Jane to revive Jane's memories at her own heartache, would be with her knowing Jane might up and go at any time, and none of that ever lead to any conflict. It didn't make any sense that at no point would she set a boundary or get mad/jealous/sad at their situation.
So in total, I wouldn't discourage people from reading this book if you want an easy and whimsical read full of queer people's shenanigans. But make no mistake, it is not serious fiction!
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin
5.0
reread this book recently! it veeery quickly and easily became one of my all time favorite books when i first read it over november 2022. it was such a mind-blowing read the first time, it genuinely moved me in a way few stories have!
this time around did not have this effect, the physical enthusiasm and the tugging at my heartstrings as directly as the first time. but i think that's fair! i've spent most of the time between the first and second read thinking about it in different degrees (also read the next 2 books in the earthsea series, where the characters feature again!) so it's been fermenting for a while, i feel. a reread was much needed because now i understand it a lot better, but it's still as much of a comfort as it was at the start <3
this time around did not have this effect, the physical enthusiasm and the tugging at my heartstrings as directly as the first time. but i think that's fair! i've spent most of the time between the first and second read thinking about it in different degrees (also read the next 2 books in the earthsea series, where the characters feature again!) so it's been fermenting for a while, i feel. a reread was much needed because now i understand it a lot better, but it's still as much of a comfort as it was at the start <3
Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh
2.0
Reading this book was addictive and almost hypnotic, I read large chunks of it over different long sittings, and it could've easily been a one-sitting read if conditions allowed.
That said, it's a good thing this book was a quick and easy read because if it had been just a bit more tedious to read that would be one redeeming quality down for me!
To say it completely failed me or that I hated it would not be entirely true, because the prose was truly beautiful in part and the overall theme of a horrible woman's emaciation from her toxic partner only after his death, heavy with the dog/human and human/human relationship parallels was a good take I feel!
There could be more thought put into this and analyse the themes, but I don't think this book deserves my full attention. And it doesn't deserve my full attention because it did not give me its own full commitment to itself. I feel it was worth the time of being a short read. I feel it could've been twice as effective as a short novella.
I felt the book was trying to come off as intentionally pretentious, in a way that both satirises and contributes to others of its kind. Literature that tries to be pretentious in a way that makes fun of pretentious works falls under the category I call "can't beat them, can't join them." It lives in its own weird little purgatory. I found it hard to stop the comparisons to other books that I felt did in whole what this book tried to do in part. And I think that the books I enjoyed more than this one are the books that wholly commit and embrace what they're trying to do, with no sense of pretense of irony. This book felt like it was trying too hard not to be itself, like the author was shining through every page winking at us and going "you know i'm not actually a cranky old woman, right? don't worry, i'm only trying to make a point" page after page after page. well i think it should've been less pages.
That said, it's a good thing this book was a quick and easy read because if it had been just a bit more tedious to read that would be one redeeming quality down for me!
To say it completely failed me or that I hated it would not be entirely true, because the prose was truly beautiful in part and the overall theme of a horrible woman's emaciation from her toxic partner only after his death, heavy with the dog/human and human/human relationship parallels was a good take I feel!
There could be more thought put into this and analyse the themes, but I don't think this book deserves my full attention. And it doesn't deserve my full attention because it did not give me its own full commitment to itself. I feel it was worth the time of being a short read. I feel it could've been twice as effective as a short novella.
I felt the book was trying to come off as intentionally pretentious, in a way that both satirises and contributes to others of its kind. Literature that tries to be pretentious in a way that makes fun of pretentious works falls under the category I call "can't beat them, can't join them." It lives in its own weird little purgatory. I found it hard to stop the comparisons to other books that I felt did in whole what this book tried to do in part. And I think that the books I enjoyed more than this one are the books that wholly commit and embrace what they're trying to do, with no sense of pretense of irony. This book felt like it was trying too hard not to be itself, like the author was shining through every page winking at us and going "you know i'm not actually a cranky old woman, right? don't worry, i'm only trying to make a point" page after page after page. well i think it should've been less pages.
Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky
5.0
I'd only ever read individual poems from Ilya Kaminsky before, and I was not expecting deaf republic to be a poetry collection formatted after a theater play with a linear narrative, but I was so pleasantly surprised to find out that was the case!
It was an absolute delight to read something like that! I was amazed at both concept and execution <33 I'd seen extracts before circulate the internet (specifically you can fuck anyone/but with whom can you sit in water?) but honestly reading them in the context of the full work.. wow. I never would've thought they would be framed by this magnificent a bigger picture! This is a war story in a poetry collection and I seriously want to recommend it to everyone in my life who reads poetry, but definitely heed warnings content-wise! (violence, death, sa, horrors of war in general, at varying degrees of explicitness)
It was an absolute delight to read something like that! I was amazed at both concept and execution <33 I'd seen extracts before circulate the internet (specifically you can fuck anyone/but with whom can you sit in water?) but honestly reading them in the context of the full work.. wow. I never would've thought they would be framed by this magnificent a bigger picture! This is a war story in a poetry collection and I seriously want to recommend it to everyone in my life who reads poetry, but definitely heed warnings content-wise! (violence, death, sa, horrors of war in general, at varying degrees of explicitness)