❝[I]n the tide country, where life was lived on the margins of greater events, it was useful also to be reminded that no place w
4.5 out of 5 stars.
❝[I]n the tide country, where life was lived on the margins of greater events, it was useful also to be reminded that no place was so remote as to escape the flood of history.�
I really enjoyed reading this book!! Ghosh� writing is so immersive, I felt like I was there with the characters in the Sundarbans.
The Hungry Tide is comprised of lively, nuanced characters that truly jump off the page! I loved the story’s pacing as well, the short chapters paired with the alternating povs kept me hooked! The audiobook, read by Ranjit Madgavkar, was fantastic too.
The Hungry Tide is a historical fiction novel, set in India, that deals with the urban-rural divide, issues of class and caste, and the at times paradoxical nature of environmentalism � and does it all masterfully.
In his novel, Ghosh touches on the human cost of protecting wildlife, weaving in real historical events in which thousands of innocent people were forced to lose their lives in order to “protect� the environment.
❝Who are these people, I wondered, who love animals so much that they are willing to kill us for them?�
The book explores the harmful consequences of trying to protect the environment at all costs, while at the same time also acknowledging the devastating impact of anthropogenic climate change.
Earlier this year, I read a chapter out of Ghosh’s non-fiction book The Nutmeg's Curse for my Critical Ecologies course, and now I want to go back to that book and read it in its entirety. I feel like it’s quite rare to find authors who can write both fiction and non-fiction in an interesting and compelling manner. This definitely won’t be the last book I read by Amitav Ghosh!
(Also, I very rarely round up my ŷ ratings to 5 stars, but I’m doing it this time because it feels right, and Ghosh deserves it.)
I loved this book so much!!!! There is honestly nothing I did not enjoy about this book. This was just f*cking excellent.
The manner in which Akwaeke EI loved this book so much!!!! There is honestly nothing I did not enjoy about this book. This was just f*cking excellent.
The manner in which Akwaeke Emezi gave life to all of the characters felt so incredibly nuanced and realistic; they all felt so real, like you're not convincing me that Feyi is a fictional character, because she is very much alive in my mind. The characterisation was just stunning.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty truly lived up to its beautiful title (and cover!!) for me. The book has been categorised as a romance, and while that is not wrong, I would say it is more of a literary fiction novel with romance (the distinction really only matters for your expectations going in).
❝No beach, no matter what the island, can hold the waves.�
This was a really interesting and thought-provoking novel!! The Man with the Com
❝No beach, no matter what the island, can hold the waves.�
This was a really interesting and thought-provoking novel!! The Man with the Compound Eyes deals with the catastrophic and violent impact of climate change, through the lives of ordinary people in Taiwan and a neighbouring indigenous (fictional) island called Wayo Wayo.
❝You must love the land, my children, and ring it in with your love. For the land is the most precious thing on this island. It is like rain, like the heart of a woman.�
I really enjoyed the writing! The story is beautifully translated by Darryl Sterk.
My one minor complaint about the book is the alternating POV chapters; it was a little hard for me to get into the story at first because of them.
❝The sea cannot be taught. You learn it with your life,�
[read this for my Critical Ecologies course] ...more
Now this is how you write satire! I can't believe this book has less than 5k ratings on ŷ, Venomous Lumpsucker deserves wa4.25 out of 5 stars.
Now this is how you write satire! I can't believe this book has less than 5k ratings on ŷ, Venomous Lumpsucker deserves way more popularity. If you love reading sci-fi, you will definitely love this!
Venomous Lumpsucker is set in the near future, in a world where numerous non-human species are going extinct at unprecedented rates. The novel grapples with the consequences of such mass extinction and biodiversity loss and with performative environmentalism, and it does so in part through the use of satire.
❝Evolution was a monstrous maker, a blind heedless thing inching along in no particular direction, the whole disaster fueled by spilled blood and wasted effort, Amazon rivers of both.�
The writing, the wit, the humour � all of it was exactly my style. I enjoyed Venomous Lumpsucker so much more than I was initially expecting! It actually made me laugh multiple times, and that's saying a lot considering the book's depressing subject matter :')
❝The endangered and the extinct, the remnants and the endlings. The only living things that really mattered to her. She would lie there, uncomplaining, as they ate her flesh.�
Immediately after finishing the book, I was unsure how to feel about the ending. It felt kinda anticlimactic to me. But now, after several months have passed since I finished the book, I wouldn't wish for a different ending! Perhaps it is a bit of a fatalistic ending, but at the same time I think it is also very realistic.
❝Probably some little drone was already on its way to check what had happened. These days you were always under surveillance wherever you went � what a heavenly time to be alive.�
[read this for my Critical Ecologies course]...more
❝You couldn’t keep sidling up to death and dipping your toe in. Eventually it grabbed your ankle and tried to pull you under.�
Ninth House was a re
❝You couldn’t keep sidling up to death and dipping your toe in. Eventually it grabbed your ankle and tried to pull you under.�
Ninth House was a really atmospheric and compelling read! Leigh Bardugo's prose is stunning; I highlighted so many sentences!
This is my first time reading anything by Bardugo that is not related to the Grishaverse, and it did not disappoint. It is really interesting to see how her writing has changed and matured over the years. This book can get quite dark at times, so it might be wise to check the trigger warnings before picking it up.
�We are the shepherds. The time for that was done. Better to be a rattler. Better to be a jackal.�
I really loved the protagonist of Ninth House, Alex Stern, she is such an interesting character! I was also a big fan of the nonlinear narrative. The alternating timelines and pov chapters kept things fresh and helped the pacing, too.
The one thing that I am not a huge fan of is the ending. I like the ending of the book but I don't exactly love it, because it just feels a bit anticlimactic to me? I am very excited to pick up Hell Bent soon though! (view spoiler)[I can't wait for Darlington to return!! (hide spoiler)]
❝While the Garden of Eden may be closed, Hell is always open.�
:: buddyread this with my dear friend lara ❤️�...more
❝[E]very horror, every nightmare� all of it had been worth it for her.�
Thankfully, I enjoyed this more than House of Earth and Blood! The main thing that made this book more entertaining for me was the fact that there was almost no info-dumping. All of the info-dumping in book 1 annoyed me so much and really disturbed the flow of the story.
My favourite thing about this book, and any SJM book for that matter, is the characters. I really loved most of the characters in this book! Ruhn is my fav ...more
I really loved the exploration of grief in this book. It was beautifully done and truly touche3.25 out of 5 stars.
❝Through love, all is possible.�
I really loved the exploration of grief in this book. It was beautifully done and truly touched my heart. House of Earth and Blood actually made me cry twice, which is not something that happens often lmao
I went into this series completely blind � I literally had no idea what the story was going to be about, and I think that was the right decision.
House of Earth and Blood is quite different from other SJM books I have read; I really loved the slow-burn relationship build-up in this one. This might actually be my fav SJM main couple?? I wasn't expecting that!!
(view spoiler)[Hunt is so sweet!!! I love him so much. Him giving Bryce the opal was so cute <333 And all the photos of them together (hide spoiler)]...more
You know, how some books become better the more you think about them? Yeah, this is not o2.75 out of 5 stars.
❝You have everything I have to give.�
You know, how some books become better the more you think about them? Yeah, this is not one of those books. The fact that this book has an average rating of 4.68 is baffling to me...
When I first finished Fourth Wing I felt like giving it 3.5 stars but now that it's been a few days that feels way too generous. If you're looking for a fantasy book with intricate (and actually logical) worldbuilding, do yourself a favour and look elsewhere.
Fourth Wing is basically Divergent but then set in Westeros, and the love interests seem to be heavily inspired by the ones in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Xaden is so Rhys-coded that it might as well be him.
As someone who reads a lot of fantasy, I found the fantasy elements in this book to be very mediocre and illogical. Where Fourth Wing really shines is the romance � it's honestly the only thing keeping me from giving it a very low rating. The romance was pretty cute and fun to read about. (view spoiler)[Though Xaden constantly calling Violet "violence" did make me cringe a lot... (hide spoiler)]
❝I would rather lose this entire war than live without you, and if that means I have to prove myself over and over, then I'll do it. You gave me your heart, and I'm keeping it.�
OVERALL
I would not recommend this book. There are way better fantasy romance books out there. And although I didn’t love Fourth Wing as much as everyone else seems to, I will probably pick up the sequel because I do like the characters and I want to see what happens next... for better or worse ...more
❝Gaotona ran his fingers across the thick canvas, inspecting one of the greatest works of art he had ever seen. Unfortunately,
4.25 out of 5 stars.
❝Gaotona ran his fingers across the thick canvas, inspecting one of the greatest works of art he had ever seen. Unfortunately, it was a lie.�
The Emperor's Soul is such a good novella!! I love how everything came full circle in the end, with Gaotona starting out and ending the book. I really liked him as a character! He low-key reminded me of Sazed <33
My only complaint with this novella is the info-dumping in the beginning. It felt like way too much information was given in a short time span, and that really slowed down the story's pace for me. The pacing improved later on in the story, but I wish it weren't a problem in the first place :')
❝Do better this time,� Shai said. ❝Please.�
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I'm planning on reading a lot of Sanderson this year... Starting with this novella! Very excited to spend more time in the Cosmere!! ...more
❝I didn’t think I had a heart before I met her, but she proved I did � it lay in pieces at her feet.�
Ana Huang's writing was be3.5 out of 5 stars.
❝I didn’t think I had a heart before I met her, but she proved I did � it lay in pieces at her feet.�
Ana Huang's writing was better than I was expecting! I honestly don't have much to say about this book... Though I am looking forward to picking up the next book in this series!
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i got kindle unlimited on a whim, so i decided to give this a go ...more
Book Lovers blew me away!! I really, really loved this book.
I honestly wasn't expecting to love this as mu
�This, I think, is what it is to dream.�
Book Lovers blew me away!! I really, really loved this book.
I honestly wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did. The hype has let me down before so I was cautiously optimistic, but it turns out I didn't need to worry!
Book Lovers is such an excellent romance novel. It was truly a wonderful read from start to finish. The characters were relatable and realistic, the banter was fantastic, and the ending was absolutely perfect. I genuinely have nothing to complain about lmao
Emily Henry, you have gained a new fan.
❝Until you got here,� he rasps, ❝all this place had ever been was a reminder of the ways I was a disappointment, and now you’re here, and—I don’t know. I feel like I’m okay. So if you’re the ❛wrong kind of woman,� then I’m the wrong kind of man.�
I have never read a book by Emily Henry before, so I thought this new release is the perfect chance to get acquainted with her writing! Super excited for this one!!...more
Antigone is truly a timeless play. I cannot believe it was written in 441 BCE! I feel like its themes ar
❝Only a fool could be in love with death.�
Antigone is truly a timeless play. I cannot believe it was written in 441 BCE! I feel like its themes are still relevant today. It's a shame that so many of Sophocles' plays are lost to history, I would have loved to read them as well.
The characters in Antigone are more complex and nuanced than I was initially expecting. In my view, Creon is not a villain � he is simply doing what he believes is right, and so is Antigone. I completely get why both of them did the things they did, and I like the fact that neither of them are entirely in the wrong.
I had to read this play for my literary history course, and I honestly was not expecting to love it. I thought it would be rather boring and convoluted, but it was not at all what I expected. I guess I just have a very biased view of classical literature... Studying literature at university has really opened my eyes in that regard; I never realised how many preconceived notions I had about certain kinds of books. It has been fun exploring all kinds of "new" books with my classmates.
We had very interesting discussions about this play during class, and discussing Antigone with everyone really made me appreciate it a lot more. I am definitely going to check out more of Sophocles' plays in the future!
❝The power of fate is a wonder, dark, terrible wonder - neither wealth nor armies towered walls nor ships black hulls lashed by the salt can save us from that force.�
❝To many, an existence of agony is better than no existence at all.�
Brandon Sanderson never disappoints! I can’t believe this is his debut novel!!
❝To many, an existence of agony is better than no existence at all.�
Brandon Sanderson never disappoints! I can’t believe this is his debut novel!!
I really enjoyed Elantris � it was much better than I was expecting. I thought it would be much worse than the Mistborn trilogy, because this is Sanderson’s first published book, but I was absolutely wrong! Sure, this book isn’t perfect, but it was still a really fantastic fantasy novel.
I usually read before going to bed and normally I stop reading when there’s a lull in the story, but with this book I stayed up till 3 AM reading. I just couldn’t stop. I would think to myself “Okay, Sonja, at the end of this chapter you’re gonna close the book and go to bed, it’s getting late.� And then something unexpected and/or exciting would happen right at the end of the chapter, and I just had to continue reading!
The fantasy worlds, the characters, and the stories that Sanderson creates are always so top-notch. The plot twists in this book, especially, were so good!!! I can’t wait to read more of his books soon!!
I’m so happy that he writes an insane amount of books because now I can look forward to reading his work for at least the next decade hehe
❝These people are dead because they have given up, not because their hearts no longer beat. I am going to change that.�
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I was in the mood for more Brandon Sanderson, so I decided to pick this one up!
I want to get to The Stormlight Archive at some point, but for now it's just too big of a commitment :') ...more
If We Were Villains was a very enjoyable & gripping read!! I really enjoyed reading this. I had a ton of
❝How many fond fools serve mad jealousy!�
If We Were Villains was a very enjoyable & gripping read!! I really enjoyed reading this. I had a ton of fun buddy-reading it with my dear friend Noa...more
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