u/twinkling_af__

This is more of a rant than a review, or maybe it's a bit of both. I loved the first two parts. The first part, 'Prussian Blue', connects seemingly unconnected true events so beautifully, I was so excited to have picked up the book. It flowed seamlessly, and it was so surprisingly true. I even crosschecked the facts, because it seemed so surprising that it was real. The author himself tells that there was only one paragraph of fiction in the book. And I loved how it showed the unintended consequences of science, and the tragedy of human curiosity.

From the second part, I felt like I was reading a completely different book, as the book became increasingly fictional. The running theme of the book was the obsessive nature of science, the way scientists can get lost in the pursuit of unsolvable questions and their own curiosity. The second part delving into the life of Karl Schwarzschild was still really good.

From the third part, I had this feeling that the author has been exaggerating the obsession of the scientists, making them feel very distant and uncomfortable. And it was really with the story of Erwin Schrödinger that the author lost me. The man's a great scientist, and a pedophile. It was so unsettling to read a fictional account of him being obsessed with a child, described for so long, it was distressing. And it just gets so much more weirder man, I don't even want to get into it ughh T-T

After that I quickly skimmed the pages because I just wanted to get done with this book. Now if I really have to scrape for the silver lining in the book, the author has this great quality of being able to describe non-fiction like a story. The first part was written really well. But, there's a lot of insensitivity hidden in the book. In his stories, it is the women who carried the burden of taking care of the obsessed scientists, and they don’t get enough credit. And, I wish I could cleanse my brain of what I read after the third part. I'm so surprised that this book is well received critically.

If I have to describe Le Guin's writing, it's just, very clever writing. My first introduction to her, was actually the Author's Note in the beginning of The Left Hand in Darkness. As soon as I finished reading the note, I just knew, that she was going to be an absolute favorite for me.

And I was right! The Lathe of Heaven is easily one of the best books I've read this year. I always preferred watching sci-fi than reading, because there's less burden about visualizing the fictional world in movies. But this book is very easy to visualize, as it builds off from a world we're all very familiar with.

The premise of the book is that George Orr can dream 'effectively' and reality shifts to align to his dreams. He ends up at the office of William Haber, a psychiatrist, struggling to not dream. Through his sessions with Orr, Haber realizes the potential these dreams hold and tries to go all Light Yagami (please watch Death Note if you haven't) and decides to change the world for the greater good. What ensues as a result of all this, is to be experienced while reading this brilliant short book.

The central question of the book imo is free will. The original reality that they live in is not ideal, beautiful or healthy. It borders on being dystopian. But it still is reality, their reality, something every person has shaped with their actions, small or big. Should we change that to an ideal reality, where everyone's better off, but is shaped by only one person's opinion of what an ideal world should look like?

I really like reading about the dystopian nature of utopias and this quote by H.G. Wells mentioned in the book was my favorite:

>"... perfection is the mere repudiation of that ineluctable marginal inexactitude which is the mysterious inmost quality of Being."

One thing that left me thinking was when Orr tells Haber that there could be others like him, others who could dream effectively and could change their lives, their reality, without them knowing. That stayed with me, because I feel like in this world we live in, there are people who impact our lives in ways we're not always aware of. As much as we hope that this world is shaped by the actions of everyone equally, the decisions of some are more consequential than others, because of the power they hold. And as we live in the reality altered due to their actions, are we really living a life of our own free will?

There's really so much to unpack in this short book, if you keep thinking (or overthinking like I do), you're surely going down a rabbit hole of questioning what should be reality. As Le Guin says in The Left Hand of Darkness:

>"Truth is a matter of the imagination. The soundest fact may fail or prevail in the style of its telling."

As I breezed through the book, because it just becomes unputdownable after a point, I kept thinking that this book deserves an absolutely brilliant movie. And there is a movie adaptation, which I'll surely try to watch.

All in all, it's an amazing book with gripping story telling and leaves you with questions and with that satisfaction of time well spent on a brilliant book.

The book is a collection of 62 letters that the editor believes were instrumental in being vocal about important political issues. Letters from diverse personalities along with letters from general public compiled in one book was a unique concept. Picked it up with great expectations, and it did match up quite well.

The major themes covered in these letters are war, oppressive regimes, gender inequality, climate action and support for homosexuality. I'm just going to briefly summarize the five letters I absolutely loved:

>Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud wrote to each other discussing why we go to war, and how to avoid it. Firstly, I never knew they were contemporaries, and the fact that they interacted with each other blew my mind really. Einstein invites Freud to share his views on the topic and Freud's reply was easily the most insightful thing I've read in a while.

>Virginia Woolf's letter criticized an article that implied that women were intellectually inferior to men. The author was sardonic and polite at the same time, and she gave a very levelheaded argument against it. A brilliant read.

>Tony Benn's letter to his grandchildren - The best part of this letter was an excerpt where Benn suggests how self-confidence can also be a class issue. It is easily accessible to the rich, since they can solve their problems without much worry, but not to the poor. That perspective was really eye-opening.

>Camus' letters to a German Friend - Camus wrote these letters during the Second World War, strongly denouncing Germany's actions. A few parts of the letter are so beautiful, you can see how passionately he was against the violence perpetrated.

>Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter - All I'll say is that this letter felt like the one that could really change the world. It really invigorates the reader to stand up against injustice, and speak up. Very moving, especially when he brings in how difficult it is to explain the discrimination they face to their children.

The book can be a bit slow sometimes, a few letters were more procedural than profound. Letters by Orwell, John Steinbeck, Anaïs Nin, Václav Havel, Armistead Maupin were also amazing to read. Even if the letters were occasionally plain, I learnt a lot from the introductions given by the editor.

Some letters hit harder than others, but all in all it was a great read. Definitely recommended to anyone who's interested!

I was reading a book in which there was a letter written by Virginia Woolf as a criticism of Desmond MacCarthy (Affable Hawk in this letter) who said that women were ‘intellectually inferior’ to women. The entire letter is brilliant, but this excerpt really stayed with me.

What women want is not ‘female domination’. We want our voice and our opinion to be on par with others. And for that to happen, we should not be forced to be like men.

I remember reading that sometimes women in corporate tend to mimic ‘masculine’ traits to be taken seriously. Ideally that should not happen, women should be allowed to be themselves AND still be taken seriously. In fact, anyone who displays ‘feminine’ traits should not be dismissed because of it.

Just wanted to share this great take, because for me this really encapsulates what feminism hopes to achieve.

After completing the first two chapters which had Effia and Esi's stories, I was so sure that this book was going to be a 5/5⭐ read for me. Gyasi's writing is brilliant. Her reflections, the depiction of Ghana, the internal conflict of the characters was so well established. Especially Effia and Maama in Esi's story, their circumstances were so precarious.

Their society was so different, it took me sometime to get accustomed to it. Effia's story stood out to me, her marriage to James Collins who was a slave trader really brought out the double standards. This quote in her story was a highlight:

>“There are people down there, you know,” she said. “There are women down there who look like us, and our husbands must learn to tell the difference.”

Their children Quey and Ness also have compelling stories, but after Ness's story, the core of the book became diluted imo. Willie and Marjorie's stories were good too, but they were not as impactful as the first two.

The short story format made it difficult for me to truly connect with anyone of them because we're quickly thrown into another point in time, another life. Also, there were too many characters. Each of them has a complex story and I feel they deserved more than one chapter so we could really understand them. I was doubting my opinion because this is such an acclaimed book, and I could see why, but it got difficult to read after a while. I ended up reading Part 2 very quickly, just so I don't DNF the book.

I just wish the author stayed longer with each character. The reader could have learnt more about their struggles later in life and not just their youth, which was overlooked because a new generation had to be introduced.

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Regardless, I strongly recommend the book. The first four chapters were beautiful and tragic, and I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority who couldn't connect with the rest of the book.

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've read the book. Thank you for reading the review!

This was another Cillian Murphy book rec I picked up from the Jack Edwards Channel, and I think this was the calmest book I read this year.

The book revolves around heavy themes - stuff people can write tragedies over, but Keegan's writing is what stands out according to me. It's almost observational, has this slightly detached tone, but is still effective in conveying the strong emotions of the characters. This completely surprised me. I probably will pick up more of her works to read.

Furlong's internal conflict is very well established in the book. I wouldn't mind reading a longer book about Furlong's daily life and his thoughts. I actually expected the book to be about just that, but the direction the book took was also very good. We live in a world where it's getting more and more difficult to be kind to others. Again, kudos to Keegan for making the normal life seem both comforting and restrictive.

- Minor Spoiler -

>!A part of me hoped that the book did not end the way it did, but I think Keegan wanted to leave us with that feeling of satisfaction that comes from helping someone, and the hope that things will be okay. Before real world strikes back.!<

I liked the occasional use of idioms, I learnt a new one from the book. Also, I had to occasionally look up the Christian symbolisms and some Irish terms - it was nice to learn more about a different culture. I ended up reading a few dialogues in the accent I remember from Derry Girls, t'was fun :D

All in all, if you're looking for something to read over the weekend, check this out. It's a book that makes you reflect without being too loud, it stays with you.

Sometimes when you finish a book, you feel so happy to have read it. This was exactly how I felt after reading this book. Satisfied, because my time was well spent.

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I picked up the book because its context was so interesting - It is set in a world where a black person can become white, through an newly introduced treatment. How American society and politics reacts to this treatment is the basic premise of the book. Schyuler wrote this book criticizing the work of Dr. Yusaburo Noguchi who apparently discovered a method to convert the racial characteristics of any individual (this is real).

Imo, satires are very difficult to write. The author needs to bring out the hypocrisy/irony of an idea or an institution that is very real without exaggerating too much - or else people can just dismiss it as offensive or unrealistic. While I was reading Black No More, I just felt like I was reading about the identity politics unfolding before us today, even if the book was written almost a 100 years ago. None of the characters seemed too cartoonish, it was just the right balance.

The book really brings out the reason why discrimination is so persistent - people need someone to blame (an easy answer to their problems), politicians need people distracted and corporations are willing to pay for it. The ending of the book was amazing, the book picks up when all the political drama starts in Chapter 5.

The book's simply brilliant. I was laughing throughout, such a stress buster. It's a quick and an easy read, 13 chapters - if anyone's looking for a weekend read, go for it!

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I found a great review of this book on reddit, if you'd like to know more read this!

This was a great read. For a YA book, this actually makes the reader stop and think rather than just flow through the book mindlessly. The story feels very typical sometimes, but the world-building of the book is brilliant. I think this was the first time I highlighted so much text in a YA book.

The basic premise is that the AI in this book gains consciousness and ends up being a benevolent savior solving all of humanity's problems including death. In such a world, to ensure people die, scythes are appointed to 'glean' people.

The author captures really well that an ideal utopia without pain, death, disease, poverty can also become dystopian. Because even when there is no suffering or injustice in the world, people stagnate, plagued with boredom. There's nothing to strive toward because we have all the time in the world, and there's nothing to worry about because the Thunderhead would solve it for them. The book really shows how people end up seeking ways to feel various emotions because humans were still not rid of the only disease left to them, ' the virus called human nature'.

I loved reading Scythe Curie's journal entries, because much of this deliberation happens there and I just loved her character. One of my favorite quotes in the book is:

>'Without the threat of suffering, we can't experience true joy. The best we get is pleasantness.'

There are many more excerpts where the author brings out a nuanced take on different topics, making this book so unique. I think it would help beginners ease into reading philosophy. Overall, a great and an easy read. I haven't read the rest of the series yet, but I think I'll go back to it after reading something else.

Thanks for reading the review! Peace ✌️

Got this recommendation from Jack Edward's Channel where he compared Cillian Murphy and Margot Robbie's book recs. Picked it up today and finished it in 3 hours, partly because the book is so short and partly because the book just didn't connect with me.

The writing of the book is not conducive for me to imagine what's going on. It is poetic and even lyrical, but I just couldn't see past the words, and I was mostly confused throughout the book. It seems like the author draws a parallel to Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath's lives - wife dies, two children. But I don't see the motivation as to why.

The Crow, which is supposed to be the anchor, felt like a distraction to me. I really couldn't understand its purpose. I would have liked the book way more if it was just the Dad and the Boys throughout.

But this is not to say that the book is completely devoid of any emotion, the grief shows. Especially in the Dad's point of view. This is my favorite excerpt from the book.

>“The house becomes a physical encyclopedia of no-longer hers, which shocks and shocks....She was not busy dying,.. she was simply busy living, and then she was gone.”

To those who've read this book, am I missing something? Or does this book just cater to a niche? Idk, this book didn't work for me. I'll probably see the film based on this book to better understand it.

I, really don't know if I should be reviewing this book, because I just feel humbled to have even read it. But I'm gonna try and share my thoughts on this book.

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When Breath Becomes Air is the first memoir I've read, and I went into it blindly, trusting the interesting premise and the high rating. Tbh, I was expecting to sob throughout the book, because terminal cancer at such a young age is just tragic. But Kalanithi takes us on a completely different journey; a journey of introspection - not of his life, but our own.

Paul is narrating the story of his life, which is so unique, maybe due to him being a neurosurgeon. It's a simple and a short book, but it takes so much time to move on because Paul's thoughts are so profound. They make us pause, put down the book and think for ourselves. In the foreword, Abraham Verghese says this, which really sums up my experience of the book -

.. in the context of Paul's diagnosis, I became aware of not just his mortality but my own.

This experience was beautiful, because I haven't really read any book that made me examine MY life - not the society, the economy or anything. Despite it all, I hoped to have more, for Paul to give us a greater glimpse into his feelings, not just his thoughts. Was it because he was a doctor? I felt a bit of distance. It wasn't as emotional as I had expected -- until I was proven wrong in the last paragraph of the book.

I was ugly crying through Lucy Kalanithi's epilogue, because it hit me only then, that the Paul who wrote the book wasn't just a neurosurgeon with deep thoughts or a cancer patient. He only showed us a part of himself, the part he hoped would help all of us live our lives better, in the present. This was where I was truly humbled by the book, man I'm a different person before and after the book.

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To those who've read the book, I'd love to know how you felt while reading this book. To those who haven't, guys, please read this book. This is going to be the book I'll recommend to anyone and everyone from now on.

Thank you so much for reading until the end. This is already too long but I still can say so much more about this book T-T

My first book review on Reddit :)

Untouchable takes you through a single day in the life of a sweeper, and does it brilliantly. Instead of objectively stating how unfair untouchability is, it shows it through Bakha’s life. That makes all the difference, because you feel how unfair it truly is.

In this book Bakha (protagonist) is more than just his caste; he's just any other normal person who has hopes, emotions, desires. He has this child-like curiosity and you relate to his feelings and insecurities. So when he faces discrimination, it feels personal. Great writing by Mulk Raj Anand.

After reading this book, I understood that the most damaging effect of marginalization is on the mind. The toxic environment and the constant self-doubt makes the person give up on themselves because they are mentally tired. Mariam in A Thousand Splendid Suns went through something similar, though Bakha here tries to fight against it.

The book is well written, Anand has a way with words. My favourite line in the entire book was when he was describing a Britisher's broken Hindi:

>But the edge of his tongue was like a pair of scissors that cut the pattern of Hindustani into smithereens as a parrot snips his food into bits.

I do have a bone to pick with how Anand treats the women in the book, a few parts pissed me off. I would have loved to know more about Sohini (Bakha's sister) because I felt there's so much more to learn there.

Lastly, it's not a dramatic, thrilling book. It's a book you read because you want to experience a life you don't know about. I strongly recommend this book to everyone, it's a book all of us should read atleast once. After all, untouchability is India's very own dystopia. In the preface, Forster sums it up real well:

>Really, it takes the human mind to evolve something my so devilish.

I'd love to discuss about the book if you've read it! Thank you for reading, got a bit too long :>