Pyrroly

A fun book! I needed something to fill in the Yarros Gap.

I will say, after reading Fourth Wing/Iron Flame, I thought Feyre was sort of pathetic for large parts of it, especially since the book makes a point of her being so self sufficient at the beginning. Hopefully this improves now she's an immortal super being.

Picked it up at random to kill some time over lunch and was very ‘pleasantly' surprised. In inverted commas because it's not a a particularly pleasant read, but incredibly relatable to most women. Specifically on that constant feeling of being observed and consumed.
The art was good too - it had a lovely flow and simplicity to it.

My first proper audiobook!

- The voice actor's attempt at English accent is............ painful.
- I really enjoyed the first half, and it exceeded my expectations considering most hyped-up books by publishers are seriously underwhelming.
- Second half dragged a bit, and it felt a lot less cohesive. Characters traits and relationship developments were contextualised, but it felt shoe-horned in,
- Enjoyed this book more for its insight into the publishing industry.

Overall, I would recommend.

The first half of this book is pretty great. It's an engaging look at how people can get sucked into cultish activities. The cult leader (Taylor) starts with genuinely improving Brian's life by providing structure, fitness, and belonging. It's a fun look into that whole Andrew Tate-ish scene as well. Maybe fun isn't the right word... It's a safe insight without needing to feel fully disgusted.
The second half sort of loses it a bit. It all wraps up too neatly and quickly, and Brian comes out with perfectly scripted lines, that yes, we'd LOVE to say, but I wasn't convinced. It very much felt like the voice of the author being inserted (as much as I agree with what he's saying). It affected the narrative flow. Abe's addition towards the end also felt very rushed, as was Brian's friend's immediate acceptance of his lycanthropy. I wasn't quite sure I understood the rules of the universe, and why they were so ready to accept his supernatural state.
Overall, for a first novel this is very solid and the author shows a lot of promise. I think some tightening up at the second half would have improved it a lot. Enjoyable read nonetheless!

I loved this book. I also got to attend a talk by the author in Islington Mill - the man knows his shit! (predictably).

One of the more interesting bits to me were the ultras and hooligans. Growing up in the UK I knew about hooligans but really didn't appreciate how well organised and political they were - the Turkish ultras were particularly interesting!

In addition to the topic, the prose itself was also very engaging. I didn't suffer reading it (which I usually do with non-fiction).

Highly, highly recommend.

Not a book I would have picked up if I hadn't had to read it for work, but I'm glad I did. RCJ is an excellent writer, and he approaches his mother with empathy. She really had an interesting life, and it traces the her personal story against the backdrop of the developing BBC and women's position in society. It's also strange to think about how we know our parents.
I recommend!

Utterly fantastic book. The prose grips you right through, but it doesn't cheapen the horror. The scene in the courthouse.... was extraordinarily painful. I cannot even fathom it. A must read book that captures what is only a fraction of the (politically and institutionally supported) cruel treatment of first nations/native americans.

I really enjoyed this book, as depressing as it was. It was nice to get a glimpse of normal life in South Korea, from a demographic (old women) you don't usually hear from. I especially appreciated how the author asked his mother to keep a diary, and he used that to create this comic. Next, he should get her to draw!

What a fucking fantastic book. I literally couldn't put it down - I've just been reading it non-stop for hours on end. It meticulously traces the origins of the Sackler family, and how from the start, it was always about aggressively selling and advertising medication, without a single consideration for the consequences. Actually that's wrong, they did consider the consequences, and they decided they didn't care.

On par with Killers of the Flower Moon this year for best non-fiction I've read.

What a book, what a book. The prose is amazing. To think that somebody can sit down and write like that! Every perfectly articulated thought about the anxiety of motherhood. A lot of Eva's thoughts were very relatable to me. That fear about the loss of identity (you just become Mother), the changing of your body so-much-so that not even that is yours anymore, taking the next step because you should just... do that? But why? To try and find purpose in your life but instead of taking responsibility for it, foist it onto the next person? Existence is a lot to ask of someone!

My heavy handed analysis is that the father (who infuriated me to no end - but it's probably very hard to admit there's something wrong with your child, especially if your partner is so openly repulsed by them) is the American Dream, deluded by the image of family, and Eva, coming from a background where genocide is just part of family history, sees the reality of it. I don't think Shriver writers that neatly, though. She also paints Eva as a hoity-toity better-than-you Liberal, so we could take the stance that her cynicism and superior attitude led her to being a bad mother, and therefore resulted in Kevin's psychopathy. I don't think I lean firmly on either side.

Two moments I found really interesting were when Kevin was sick, and so totally vulnerable that he behaved like a 'normal' child, and when Eva starts to reveal her deeper thoughts about Celia not really amounting to much. I feel like both of those oppositional scenes were placed for us to question the Kevin vs. Eva question. Deep down Kevin wanted to be loved, and deep down Eva was incapable of selfless loving because she was too cynical.

Very interesting read with lots to think about.

Fun and readable prose. Less impressed with the story and characters. Not a particularly original east vs west story, and I get a pretty strong orientalist vibe from it. That being said I also think its critique of corporate life and attitudes towards women are also subjects worthy of addressing. Just doesn't feel like there's particular depth to it beyond consumable stereotypes. But good prose!