glossy_feathers's reviews
183 reviews

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

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informative inspiring fast-paced

4.25

Wall Kimmerer is great nature writer. She can easily convey complex ideas and phenomena with beautiful writing. This essay is not her best work. She may be onto something in this piece but it did not fully convince me. Maybe it's too short, maybe it's too out of her domain, but it was interesting to read her take on economy transformation with serviceberry analogy.
The Art of Mindful Birdwatching: Reflections on Freedom & Being by Claire Thompson

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hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.0

Good concept. I was really looking forward to read this book. However, it took me long time to finish it because I was less and less eager to pick it up. Being a birdwatcher myself I was hoping to find useful advices to incorporate in my practice. And I did, mostly in the first half of the book. In the second part it started to be more about pure mindfulness then birdwatching which I couldn't quite vibe with. I annotated a lot throughout the book and I'm thankful for that. But it also annoyed me to a good extent. The style was overly sugarly for my taste of nonfiction read and I if I hear a phrase like "feathered relatives" or "winged companions" one more time I'm gonna loose it. Plus, the author is so british with her multiple travels all over the world watching birds :)
Private Rites by Julia Armfield

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.75

This book had good premise with bad execution. I expected a moody read but unconvincing descriptions of drowning city and it's people ruined it for me. I get the intention of portraiting a vanishing place and the attempt is obviously working for so many people who like the book. To me, the general apathy toward flood and destruction is surreal. I think there would be more riots and migrations. And Armfield gives you a hint this is happening for decades having the father designing buildings adaptaple to flooding. There should had been more research on effects of rising sea levels. This is a pure speculation but with many false informations that could have been fact-checked. Anemones growing in someone's house? No way they could survive the pollution. And oystercatchers roosting on wires? They don't have feet for that!
The main story (or is it?) of 3 sisters grieving for their father was just not captivating enough to make it more enjoyable. It was awkwardly paced with quick culmination at the very end which kind of came out of nowhere.
To me this was very weak novel in comparison to Armfield's previous one.
The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Delicious.
Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Messy. Occasionally fun. It had the potential but never fully achieved it. 
The Wall by Marlen Haushofer

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Really good exploration of womanhood in isolation. I very much appreciate it for bringing relationship with animals to the spotlight. There's a lot of profound nature writing. It was cosy yet unsettling.
What I missed was mentioning of the period and how the MC handled that in the wilderness. And she also reconciled too quickly with the new situation.
Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed it.
My Friends: A Novel by Hisham Matar

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reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Writing style is what kept me reading. The prose is so tender and light yet powerful and I think I could read anything that Matar writes. This book is pretty melancholic in tone and has a harrowing and important theme running through it, but the writer delivers it gently through Khaled's eyes and the prism of friendship.
If you find it a bit boring or stalling at times keep in mind that this is one person's perspective and it is done faithfully to the character.
Despair by Vladimir Nabokov

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challenging dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was my first Nabokov and I must say the writing is masterful. Also the concept of the book is really interesting. It's a first person narrative with MC constantly addressing the reader and talking about writing the same book. Although the story is not completely linear, Nabokov menages to make it tense the whole time. Numerous digressions were a little tiresom, though. Weird, but I liked it.
The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt

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reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What a great concept for a short book!
In the Act by Rachel Ingalls

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funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Adorable and funny.