I was really looking forward to this one. I adored Babel and Yellowface I read almost in one go. I was very excited about a trip to hell. But unfortuaI was really looking forward to this one. I adored Babel and Yellowface I read almost in one go. I was very excited about a trip to hell. But unfortuantely I just couldn't get into it and gave up after 100 or so pages. First of all I had a problem with the characters, there were no physical descriptions of them and they just seemed rather thin. I also was not a fan of the Everything in Every Culture is right about Hell idea. It's the thing 19th century scholars would do when writing (often racist and imperalist) books on the unifying theme of religion. And to see it here was disappointing. Ideas between cultures and religions are SO different and just pretending they weren't given the academic framing I found annoying. Going to donate to oxfam, hopefully raise them a little cash as it's a new book and hopefully someone else will like it more than me....more
I was really excited when I found a copy of this but in the end I dnf as the stories just weren't sitting right with me. I was really excited when I found a copy of this but in the end I dnf as the stories just weren't sitting right with me. ...more
After having LOVED the last Isherwood I found this one was super disappointing. I did not care for the posh boys in school. Or uni. There was one inteAfter having LOVED the last Isherwood I found this one was super disappointing. I did not care for the posh boys in school. Or uni. There was one interesting bit where he mentioned how he liked going to the cinema cause he could look at people and not seem rude. And it really made me think about how new that was, and how now that's 90 percent of what people do for entertainment now. But it still wasn't enough to convince me to finish it now. Maybe another time....more
I thought I would love this, but alas I did not. First of all there wasn't really much description. I couldn't picture any of the characters or the seI thought I would love this, but alas I did not. First of all there wasn't really much description. I couldn't picture any of the characters or the setting. If I hadn't read the blurb there really wasn't anyway to pick up on the past relationship of the characters. The mystery I just couldn't really bring myself to care about. Halfway through I wondered if they were trying to make it like sf Midsommer murders or Lewis as they went and talked to people at the university. Also they seemed to be having scones for Breakfast??? And with powdered sugar on them??? Like I realise this is several centuries in the future, but that's not how you eat scones... Very odd. Definitely one to go to the charity shop....more
I have this phrase for sci-fi books from the 50s and 60s, In the Future There are No Women!!! I've never had to use it for a modern post apocalyptic bI have this phrase for sci-fi books from the 50s and 60s, In the Future There are No Women!!! I've never had to use it for a modern post apocalyptic book before! I read 68 pages. From the description the entire settlement was made up of men. Women and girls were mentioned exactly twice, once when commenting on how they fancied a dude's muscles. The other time someone's sister showed up for two paragraphs, ate something and left. It was dire! A modern post-apocalyptic society, living in subway tunnels in Moscow. Could have been a really interesting idea. But it seemed so poorly thought out. A 1000 people in a station? Able to make enough food for themselves in a half a KM area? No access to the surface, totally enclosed, yet with enough ammunition to fight endless wars for two decades. And *only* the men are trained in fighting and guarding. And presumably the women are just off somewhere having babies? I didn't bother to finish it. ...more
I have to admit I gave up on this one. I really wanted to like it. But it was just too modern a setting for me. Nothing against the book, just not theI have to admit I gave up on this one. I really wanted to like it. But it was just too modern a setting for me. Nothing against the book, just not the intended audience for it....more
So I brought the super pretty version of this book from illumicrate. But alas I just didn't care for the story or the characters. Despite being youngsSo I brought the super pretty version of this book from illumicrate. But alas I just didn't care for the story or the characters. Despite being youngs 20s (at a guess) they all acted like they were 13. There was just a lot of white snobbery and not enough wit. And I ended up realising I didn't care and had other books I'd rather read so gave up about a quarter of the way through. Which is most disappoiting. As the edition I have is stunning....more
This was a freebie from a comic book store. I have to say I did not finish. It was just WAY too white male gaze. Like the main character was a badass This was a freebie from a comic book store. I have to say I did not finish. It was just WAY too white male gaze. Like the main character was a badass military leader but she didn't wear a helmet so you could see her hair and while she wore plate mail on her top half she had a chain metal bikini underneath! Like seriously! Also she seemed to be the only Black person in the comic, darker skin, curly hair, and yet she had the tiniest pert Michael Jackson post all the plastic surgery nose ever. The story was LOTs of fighting. But it wasn't clear who was fighting or why. There was no substance to it, just names of countries and rulers. Nothing to draw you in. Definitely not for me. ...more
I had this one sitting on the TBR pile for a few years. Decided to give it a try as I usually enjoy Paul Margs sense of humour but found this one lackI had this one sitting on the TBR pile for a few years. Decided to give it a try as I usually enjoy Paul Margs sense of humour but found this one lacking. I think because I care so little about Tolkein and Lewis that a pastiche on them didn't really grab me. Not Paul's fault and recommended for those who do like them....more
I really didn't want to give up on this. It's not even the end of January and having two DNF on the list already seemed like a waste. But I got to theI really didn't want to give up on this. It's not even the end of January and having two DNF on the list already seemed like a waste. But I got to the part of the kids' birthday party and the narrator said how the kid should be hit, and then went on to say how having Doctor barbie was a bad thing cause she couldn't imagine barbie getting through Junior High let alone med school. Presumably cause she had big tits and was blonde? Argh! The whole book just came across as this terribly dull woman putting down other women. Mostly cause they were into fashion or "fads" and our oh so clever narrator was above it all. Though she spent all her time trying to understand something that she failed to do. And lumped all sorts of things together as "fads" when so many of them weren't really. She was horrible to the punk who worked in the office. She was horrible to the librarians because they understood collection management and she didn't. And she was horrible to the library assistants. She was horrible to the bureaucracy of her work. (which did seem justified). But after half way through I just couldn't take any more. It would have been better if it had targeted both genders equally but instead all the things she bitched about were things women did. The male love interest was interesting because he was so uncool he didn't fit any of her trends. And there was one guy who did, but he didn't get the scathing abuse that the women did. Her reactions to him were, oh that doesn't quite fit, how do those things go together. Instead of going on about what an utter moron he was for pages on end. ...more
My first DNF of the year! My boss bought this for me for a Christmas present as he knows I'm a knitter who loves history. But I just found it annoyingMy first DNF of the year! My boss bought this for me for a Christmas present as he knows I'm a knitter who loves history. But I just found it annoying. There was too much of the author in it. First of all I'm not sure WHY she took a year off work to do this. She knitted 5 things and visited a few archives for each one? Last year I knitted 35 projects, worked full time, and edited my book. It kinda reeks of wealth & privilege when you can take a whole year off work with not even a month's notice and still be able to eat and pay your rent. It just seems so far removed from the hard working knitters of the past she writes about. I was hoping for a book like Shelaugh Fraser's Cheeses of England, where she travelled around and found instances of the local things as they were now and describes how they were. But instead there were many personal details about the author, then a few paragraphs thrown in of history (without references) and then detailing a couple of archive visits. No real history and nearly everything from secondary sources. So the history felt too weak, whereas the knitting was way too detailed. It explained everything in a lot of detail, like it seemed like a book that was aimed at knitters so you wouldn't need to mention all the things that she did. As that got a bit dull too. I think if you are a literary middle class person with a passing interest in knitting or history this might be something you would enjoy but if you are truly passionate about either you'll find it frustrating....more
So I only read about 30 pages but wanted to put it on the list so I wouldn't accidentally by a copy when I was scrolling through seeing which PKD bookSo I only read about 30 pages but wanted to put it on the list so I wouldn't accidentally by a copy when I was scrolling through seeing which PKD books I hadn't read. I started it and was like, wait did I read this one before, I know the name Jim Fergusson, and the tv shop is just like the other one I finished reading. But the main character was so awful I decided not to stick with it. It starts with him waking up from spending the night in jail after getting black out drunk and getting in a fight, then coming home worried his pregnant wife would be mad at him (you think?) but she wasn't cause she was So In Love. And then he was a sexist, racist and an antisemite and I gave up......more
