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libbykerns's reviews
302 reviews
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tentative 5 stars but holy— this is amazing. beautiful. brilliant. RICH. i can’t wait to reread.
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
yeah this slaps. am i obsessed? maybe not. did i have a good time? yes.
Intention by G.E.M. Anscombe
challenging
slow-paced
4.0
i just a little lost in the weeds of time at the end (not convinced the future is important… or unsure how important it is. ends with a sort of internal multiplicity which i suppose is created by time?) but this was a really interesting read and i think, especially after i have class on it, that i will often return to this text.
also surprisingly readable for the type of philosophy it is
also surprisingly readable for the type of philosophy it is
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
this is my worst nightmare and also there somehow wasn’t enough urine
(book wasn’t badly written, per se—i just didn’t like it)
(book wasn’t badly written, per se—i just didn’t like it)
Customs: Poems by Solmaz Sharif
4.5
wow. just wow.
there was a few poems i liked in the first section, but both sections two and three blew me away. this collection will definitely bear (and deserve!) a reread.
there was a few poems i liked in the first section, but both sections two and three blew me away. this collection will definitely bear (and deserve!) a reread.
The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us to Love by Rachel Feder
i was able to better appreciate (ie feel less rage) towards this book once i realized that the Darcy argument was really an offshoot of Feder’s real project: to argue that Pride and Prejudice ought to be read as/in the context of the gothic novel. this is, at least, an interesting premise. unfortunately, i don’t think the argument works. while Austen was certainly aware of and in conversation with the gothic (see Northanger Abbey), the gothic elements needed to align Austen’s other novels with the gothic simply aren’t there—even after Feder watered down the gothic as a genre, too.
from these points, the rest of the book breaks down. i applaud Feder for her attempted analysis, and can hardly fault her interest in warning off impressionable young people (to whom i presume this book is aimed? given its style… which i can’t say i enjoyed. it was a girliepop millennial approach which i presume was aimed at engaging 14-year-olds), but the actual arguments of the book did not work.
2.25
i’ve been sitting with this review for a while, because i wanted to be as fair to this book as i could while acknowledging the fact that i walked into it disagreeing with Feder… and did not agree with her after finishing the book. while there are certainly elements of P&P, and Darcy in particular, that rub against our modern sensibilities, i think that describing him as a monster—and a monstrous type which has echoed through the ages—is unfair both to Darcy and go the concept of a monster. Darcy is imperfect, absolutely (and the implications of his actions on Lydia are concerning, though no more, not particularly more, than the entirety of her fate in that historical context), but to call him a monster both vilifies him further than the original text supports and waters down the concept of a monster in general.
i was able to better appreciate (ie feel less rage) towards this book once i realized that the Darcy argument was really an offshoot of Feder’s real project: to argue that Pride and Prejudice ought to be read as/in the context of the gothic novel. this is, at least, an interesting premise. unfortunately, i don’t think the argument works. while Austen was certainly aware of and in conversation with the gothic (see Northanger Abbey), the gothic elements needed to align Austen’s other novels with the gothic simply aren’t there—even after Feder watered down the gothic as a genre, too.
from these points, the rest of the book breaks down. i applaud Feder for her attempted analysis, and can hardly fault her interest in warning off impressionable young people (to whom i presume this book is aimed? given its style… which i can’t say i enjoyed. it was a girliepop millennial approach which i presume was aimed at engaging 14-year-olds), but the actual arguments of the book did not work.
To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
torn about this book because on the one hand it was fascinating and all the seeds of what later makes Steinbeck so good are there. on the other hand, it’s so clearly an early novel and lacks coherence in terms of thematic unity… but i’m glad to have read it and would recommend to a Steinbeck lover (which i might be becoming??? wild)
Down the Drain by Julia Fox
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
it’s really good, but depressing. i will probably come back to this later
How to Do Things with Words: Second Edition by J. L. Austin
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.0
“Thus we distinguished the locutionary act (and within it the phonetic, the phatic, and the rhetoric acts) which has a meaning; the illocutionary act which has a certain force in saying something; the perlocutionary act which is the achieving of certain effects by saying something” (121).
there! you got the most important takeaways! you can move on now. :)
no, but seriously. there were a few points of real interest. otherwise—many, many weeds amongst which to get lost. the absolute highlights of this edition were Austin’s little asides. he can be funny, and i’m glad his little jokes were preserved.
otherwise, though? this could have been an article. also, and even worse, i don’t have a good sense of what’s at stake here, which is really my biggest problem with this text. while i’ve certainly developed an understanding of how we use language and what language doing something can/might mean, i’m not sure what this text has really done… besides create some theoretical categories to play with. perhaps my seminar tomorrow will show me how this isn’t more masturbatory theory, but i’m unconvinced of its real value right now, though i don’t doubt its significance.
there! you got the most important takeaways! you can move on now. :)
no, but seriously. there were a few points of real interest. otherwise—many, many weeds amongst which to get lost. the absolute highlights of this edition were Austin’s little asides. he can be funny, and i’m glad his little jokes were preserved.
otherwise, though? this could have been an article. also, and even worse, i don’t have a good sense of what’s at stake here, which is really my biggest problem with this text. while i’ve certainly developed an understanding of how we use language and what language doing something can/might mean, i’m not sure what this text has really done… besides create some theoretical categories to play with. perhaps my seminar tomorrow will show me how this isn’t more masturbatory theory, but i’m unconvinced of its real value right now, though i don’t doubt its significance.