#NonFiction Review

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Letters to a Writer of Color Anthology

Authors: Madeleine Thien, Tiphanie Yanique, Xiaolu GuoEditors: Deepa Anappara, Taymour SoomroPublisher: Random House TradeReleased: March 7, 2023Received: NetGalley Goodreads | More Non-Fiction Reviews Book Summary: Letters to a Writer of Color is a collection of essays exploring literature, and its impact on sharing experiences. As such, it delves into the lives and stories of real people,…

[free-air-for-fish]

[20] Chapter 16 Review Syndicate: All That Moves Us

This is another review that came out and then was re-released again because the author appeared at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. Jay Wellons is head of pediatric neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and All That Moves Us is a memoir of his time as a doctor thus far as well as his life in general. I was hesitant to read this book, since I was worried it would…

[remedialreviews]

Frustratingly near the mark without ever committing to its pursuit. Somehow, the term "capitalism" never actually occurs in the text - because, I suppose, that would be too political for this careful centrist, who writes half a chapter on the profound success of UBI before quickly conceding to the ignorant "Yeah, but it's so expensive" fallacy. Perhaps it's just the genre, but the anecdotes were too long and far too many: tiresome, and too often fatphobic for no reason. As a whole, it's just so close. At least the author concedes his privilege at the end, I guess?

[beautifulbookishdisaster]

Susan Sontag wrote that "Depression is melancholy minus its charms." For me, living with depression was at once utterly boring and absolutely excruciating.

John Green, The Anthropocene Reviewed (Harvey)

[pintsizeddeepthoughts]

The Truth Is… - Nonfiction: The World Without Us - Alan Weisman

Year Published: 2007

Country: United States

What would happen to Earth if humans *poof* disappeared? What would disappear? How fast? Perhaps more soulfully, will anything humans have created last forever? The search and curiosity about these answers are what drove Alan Weisman to write this thought exercise that’s one part popular science, one part philosophical probe into humanity’s legacy.

In Weisman’s estimation, our cities would fall in a shockingly short amount of time. Using New York as a showcase, Weisman has good news and bad news. The good news is that our bridges are so well engineered that they will last longer than any of the skyscrapers. Also, cockroaches (a tropical insect) will not survive a New York winter in unheated apartments. Rats will also be kept in check via a combination of returning predators and a lack of garbage to feast on. But dogs will sadly be outcompeted by coyotes and most of our art (outside of bronze statutes) will disappear quickly. Anything digital? Yeah, gone as soon as the power fades.

Weisman, however, manages not to give in to doom and gloom. Despite the macabre narture of his inquiry, Weisman actually comes off as optimistic about a world without humans. Climate change? Gone within a millennium thanks to the carbon cycle. Endangered animals? Yes, some may not survive, but most will not thanks to the pressure from human habitation suddenly disappearing. To quote one scientist, “if the planet can recover from the Permian (extinction), it can recover from the human.”

Can humanity help this along? Of course we can, if we have the willpower. Weisman’s proposed solution is simple and controversial. You can see the logic behind it and how it would help, but it goes against both liberal and conservative values. Still, it’s thought provoking and Weisman avoids being self-righteous and alarmist. By threading that needle Weisman is able to draw in the reader and engage their curiosity without being off putting. It’s an impressive feat and a big part of the reason why this book became a bestseller.

[starsbooksandtea2023]

ARC Review: And Finally by Henry Marsh

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5. Title: And Finally Author: Henry Marsh Release Date: January 17th, 2023 Page Count: 242 Start Date: December 29th, 2022 Finish Date: January 17th, 2023 Review: I’m not going to lie, I don’t really know what I was expecting when I picked up this book. I actually can’t even tell you why I picked it up. Once I found out what it was about, I was fully expecting a…

[scruffygruffy]

FAQs WHICH NO ONE QUESTIONS OR ASK FREQUENTLY (a little presumptive, for sure, but still)

Hello! I’m Charlie and I am an aspiring writer who will chime in on this blog from time to time. This will serve as the macro-microblog companion page (microblog at https://poweredbygay.social/@scruffygruffy). This post will be updated from time to time, though less frequently. 

1. Who are you??

Well, for one, I am an aspiring writer that is using the new year (2023) to make some changes. I have been writing fiction for the past ten years and am back at it after taking a two year hiatus that should have not been. 

2. Why are you--

I’m using this blog as a log to keep track of longer thoughts I have on the books I read as I go through the year. This, in combination with my microblog, should serve as some key accountability measures to try and read more. At least until September 17th or whatever, fingers crossed. 

3. What are you reading?

Currently, I am finished reading Ulysses by James Joyce (via audiobook) and am now reading his preceding novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (also via audiobook). I’ve written elsewhere that I am committed to reading the following for this year (2023):

1. In Transit by Dianna E. Anderson

2. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce

3. Swann’s Way, by Marcel Proust (yes, this is Volume 1 of In Search of Lost Time)

4. Too Like the Lightning, by Ada Palmer (Terre Ignota Book 1)

5. The Plague, by Albert Camus

6. Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen

I will do my darnedest to hold myself to read through these. Any updates here will be to address what I am reading and if I add any new titles here. This includes reading the second Terre Ignota book or delving into Volume 2 of In Search of Lost Time. 

My intention here is that I will read these books and then write up a post that delves into some curiosities that I picked up while reading said books. I guess you could call them book reports, but 1) no one would want to read them, and 2) I don’t want to write them. I promise they will be more shooting-from-the-hip, but nothing too sloppy where I feel like I miss every time. 

4. Wait, you’re a writer...will you share some of your writing??

Maybe. In writing this shortly after the new year (2023), I’m standing firm on that this blog is, unfortunately, not the place to share my fiction. At least, not yet. Maybe. 

I am working on a short story anthology and am writing almost every day, though these are adjacent short pieces. This is more or less in a daily writing prompts sort of fashion. If I’m particularly proud of one of these prompt responses and want to polish it, then I’ll probably share here. My goal for the year is to publish a short story in a lit mag or equivalent, though that’s outside the scope of this blog at the time being. 

5. Do you accept tips?

No. I’m not comfortable asking people for tips (especially through Tumblr, no offense), so I won’t for the foreseeable future. Further down the road I might consider Patreon, but that would only be if there’s considerable interest in what I do. I’m not really expecting that at this time.

6. How else can I support you if I can’t tip??

If you like what you see, then please reblog on this site, interact with each post, and share across the internet. I would really appreciate that, more than anything, to know that my ramblings have some inherent critical value. 

7. Where else can I find you?

As I mentioned above, the microblog companion of this macro-microblog can be found here, @scruffygruffy (Mastodon). I am not on the Funny Blue Bird site, as one microblog is enough and the site is currently undergoing some *changes*. I might branch out to other platforms and can update this page accordingly if I do. 

8. What are you working on now??

Well, a lot of things. Related here, I’m writing nearly daily via writing prompts and my short stories project, and am working my way through reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man after finishing Ulysses. I’ll post a thing about Ulysses on here. When I’m finished with Portrait, I’ll post a thing or two about it here and move on to the next book. 

[swadloom]

In which a book about fish gets a kid who has a hard time reading to read through it twice (aka READ ELOQUENCE OF THE SARDINE)

It's really telling that this book makes me feel passionately enough to make a post on tumblr recommending it during my second read-through. Even books I've loved, like The Outsiders, I've struggled to get through. I struggle with reading. But I got so absorbed into it that I finished the last half in one night a year ago. I've been handflapping while reading, which I don't even do much otherwise.

^ Excerpts that might help you get the idea of the feel of this book.

Imagine a marine biologist writing an autobiography but 70% of it is him writing the biographies of the fish he's talking about. It's about the inner worlds of creatures that think in wordless language and sharing your existence with them. It's about coping with being apex predator to your favorite species of prey on earth. It's about how human society is volatile to itself and looking to the often unforgiving natural world for release. He talks about fish solving gender issues. FISH LOVERS PLEASE CONSIDER CHECKING IT OUT IF YOU CAN!!

Also it's still really beautifully written after being translated from French, I imagine because the author seems to be bilingual from his insta and he was able to keep his vision in tact. Idk if this book is actually really well known or if it's only well known in France or if I'm alone in this world in loving it but if fish and the ocean are an interest of yours you'll love it I promiseee

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Review: Pageboy by Elliot Page Rating: 3/5

This was a brutal read and not just in the ways I was expecting. I was prepared for Elliot Page to talk about the queerphobia and misogyny that he experienced growing up and going through Hollywood. But I wasn't ready for the brutal mistreatment he faced almost everywhere he turned. He doesn't pull punches as he describes it, or the mental health struggles that he experienced as a result. It was hard to read. 

I also struggled a lot with the structure of the memoir. I found it hard to figure out what events happened in what order, where Page was at emotionally. And the tangents into aspects of local history weren't always especially interesting. But Page does write with a simple, straight-forward voice that makes wading through this emotional book a little easier. Even though the subject matter is sometimes hard to swallow, the writing never is.

If you've ever been interested in Elliot Page's career or his journey as a queer person, you'll find something to enjoy here, just please heed the content warnings because light reading this is not.

[longreads]

I slept under the overpass that night, and in the morning, I wrote a review: “Reasonably good bridge. A little loud for sleeping.” I gave it four stars. After I set off on my bike, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Because of Google Reviews — because multiple people took the time to review this squat bridge in the middle of nowhere — I felt like I was part of some shared human experience, the newest member of an obscure club. Maybe the other reviewers would disagree, but this moment felt powerful, like seeing other people’s names etched into a park bench or finding yourself deeply moved by the graffiti inside a public bathroom stall. But it was also weird: This tool for consumer reviews had become a digital guestbook for anything and everything in the world. 

After that experience at Puente Las Bramonas, I started looking for reviews everywhere. Three stars for an 18th-century governor’s mansion in New Jersey (“very clean old and haunted,” Brianna Baker wrote). Two stars for a shop selling natural handcrafted products in Prince Edward Island (apparently they sell too much tea tree oil, which is toxic to dogs). Four stars for the Environmental Protection Agency office in Chicago (“great time,” writes Ryan Shippen). Hospitals and government agencies are frequent targets, with Google Reviews serving as a form of protest against frustrating systems far bigger than ourselves. On the outskirts of Chicago, unhappy truckers have dragged the rating for a railyard dock down to 2.7 stars, giving insight into an unhappy drama of delayed and misplaced shipping containers and exasperated big rig operators.

The overwhelming crush of reviews — everything rated, every opinion commodified and digitized, every small subplot in life available for critique — borders on farcical.

What happens when you can rate the world around you on a five-star scale? We’re ringing in the new year with Will McCarthy’s wonderful essay on the strange, communal experience of Google Reviews.

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Jeff Corwin: A Wild Life: The Authorized Biography

Author: Jeff CorwinPublisher: Puffin BooksReleased: September 3, 2009Received: Own Goodreads | Biographies | Non-Fiction Book Summary: Jeff Corwin is one of several animal advocates that a generation grew up watching. He never hesitated to throw himself into the wild, teaching children (and adults) about everything and anything he could find. He still does this, in fact. He was a host of…

[etirabys]

me: goddamn, I reviewed some fiction I wrote merely 4 months ago and it feels like it was written by a completely different person with way more life in them. the past months have been rough. I need to stop waiting around taking it easy, waiting for my energy to come back. I should just do the hard things I'm putting off

brain: like rereading and reviewing Nick Lane's dense book on the origin of unicellular life in hydrothermal vents

me: noooo anything but that

[floral-ashes]

Huge thanks to Viridian Lakes for the review! 🥰

Having said that, the book can probably be best summed up by the author themself. “For those who, like me, struggle with crafting a sense of themselves in the world, acknowledging the inescapable messiness of queer life can be liberating. Demanding order and discipline is for cops, and we don’t like cops.”

[ckmstudies]

I'm Glad My Mom Died - Jennette McCurdy

Short review:

I don't know how anyone can give this book anything less than five stars. Jennette perfectly encapsulated being young and thinking your parents (in this case specifically her mom) are perfect and finding out as you got older that this isn't true as well as recovering from this discovery. I loved that the chapters were only one to five pages long. It made it feel like Jennette sat down and just told me a story out of her life instead of flowing directly from one point to the next. A couple of the reviews on this book said that this was it was a dark humor book and was funny, however nowhere during this book did I laugh. It was shocking and it made me angry for Jennette, but this book also had so much hope in it. She demonstrates how much it takes to change yourself for the better even after you realize you need to change as well as how uphill that battle can be. I'm Glad My Mom Died is raw and emotional and is a story that many people from all walks of life can find themselves in, even if they weren't forced to be actresses.

Rate: 5/5

[godzilla-reads]

♥️ Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“Finally, however we might want to engage in progressive and transformative activism, there is one principle we should remember. This principle is associated with Dr. Martin Luther King and should be the slogan of all our movements: ‘Justice is indivisible. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’”

In this collection of essays, interviews, and speeches, activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis illuminated the connections between struggles against state violence and oppression throughout history and around the world.

Freedom is a constant struggle. It’s something we must be aware about, something that we must put in active effort into if we want to see it come about. One of my favorite sections of this book was a part in Chapter 9 that spoke about generational activism. That we must see beyond our individual selves and fight for a future that goes beyond just our lifetime. That really moved me, as this whole book did.

The dates on the chapters jump around in the book, which I thought was different to follow, but overall this is a brilliant book that holds so much in such a small form, under 200 pages. I recommend everyone read it as a source of intersectionality and the power we have as a people.

[yilisbookclub]

101 Essays that will change the way you think, a personal development book by Brianna Wiest is a compilation of short essays that discuss why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine & become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see your life.