lizziepurpleserenity's reviews
341 reviews

I never read short stories, just picked this audio up on Scribd out of curiosity. Clever. And Christopher Lee narrating is of course great.

The chapters of this book are oddly put together. I think it would have worked better if all of Toad's chapters were together one after the other as one story in the second half of the book, and the rest together in the first half, in order of season.

I have a cute hardback Wordsworth classics edition that was lovely to read. My feelings about the story (stories) is split pretty cleanly between the Toad chapters and the rest. I LOVED chapters 1-7, they get 5 stars from me - I fell in love with the Mole and the Rat, and loved the descriptions of nature and the countryside around them, including the The piper at the gates of dawn. These chapters (with the exception of ch6, the Intervention for Toad) feel like a love letter to Mother Nature and the changing of the seasons.

But I didn't enjoy ch 8 & 10-12 as much, Toad's adventures (and ch9 with the Sea Rat's story I basically skimread, as I was bored!). I don't find Toad a likeable character, entertaining though he is, partly I think (view spoiler) Those chapters I think would get 3 stars or even less from me.

Therefore, my overall rating is 4 stars. If I ever reread it - because I am sure to - I will probably only read chapters 1-5 & 7....

This is a fairly comprehensive, factual book about North Korea since the '90s famine, told in a completely unemotional, objective way, leaving out personal stories (except for the odd reference to information taken from defectors). I personally prefer more personal stories, but it does what it set out to do well, covering a wide variety of aspects, and I kinda appreciated its level-headedness. It will certainly not be my only source of information about the country, though.

As ever, I find it hard to give a star rating for a non-fiction book on a topic I haven't read much about, but I've chosen a solid 4 stars for a book that I wouldn't say wowed me, nor was it boring. It is written in short chapters/sections of chapters (which really helps me), discussing the topic through various lenses, both historical and contemporary.

I first encountered Alain de Botton when I watched his excellent documentary Status Anxiety several years ago, which I think has remained in my consciousness and affected my attitude to life (positively) ever since. In this book, he has a very similar stance to my own with regards to religion and atheism; I was brought up Catholic but stopped going to church at age 14 and have been an atheist ever since, but retained my respect for religion and spirituality (while Alain grew up in an atheist family and, for this book at least, studied religion to ascertain what might be learnt from religion as an atheist). I really appreciated how respectively he both criticises/analyses and appreciated aspects of both sides of the coin. I found it interesting.

Disclaimer: This is my very first manga, and I haven't read much in comic book form before at all. So it is difficult for me to rate and review given I have very little to compare it to - this is a newbie's first impression!

The story and dialogue is ridiculously silly and in-your-face (in a fun way I mean, I chucked out loud several times); the artwork somehow manages to be both pretty (colourful) and kinda grotesque (I'm not personally a fan of the huge mouths...); it's full of life, though there were times I was a bit lost as to what I was looking at; the characters are ambitious and passionate, and there's promise of some solid fun friendships.

There is definite potential for this to become an addictive bedtime story for me! [17/7/21... it didn't!]

Wow. This is one of those eye-opening books (and her YouTube channel is too) that causes a complete shift in one's worldview. I have been curious about North Korea for some time and this is the first book I've read on the topic and couldn't put it down. It's sparked the beginning of a rabbit hole for me, I suspect - I want to know more and hear more people's experiences. It's a harrowing, unbelievable experience that Yeonmi Park went through, and she is incredibly brave and inspiring to have shared her story the way she has. I don't want to forget it; I want to feel grateful every day for the food, the safety and the freedom that I have. It is written in a straightforward way, and is quite a short book, so I think it is a good place to begin if you're at all interested in the experiences of North Korean defectors.

This was a reread for me, but it's so long since I read it I'd forgotten most of it.
An important classic to kick off Pride month. It was very sobering to be reminded of the attitude of society to homosexuality over 100 years ago. It's not an easy read but has an uplifting, hopeful end. 

Interesting reading this as an adult, I view the boys in this and how the story concludes a bit differently to when I was a child!

Robbie comes with red flags, treats Rebecca terribly, and behaves very immaturely, yet he is vindicated in the end. David is creepy as all hell and after he was found to have stolen the car, he is still involved with choosing who will be on the tennis D squad and manages to persuade them to take Rebecca, despite the fact that she was beaten by Madeleine?!

It is a fun read, though. The tennis is a bit dull, mind you, and I know there's more of that to come!

Becky Chambers has fast become one of my favourite authors. Her writing is optimistic without being unrealistic, has a 'cosy' comfort-read feel to it, and her worldbuilding - including characters, aliens (and in this book, alien lifeforms) - is so immersive and addictive. The only downside to this book really is that it is too short (I forgive it given it's intentionally a novella!) - I wanted to explore more, and get to know the characters more deeply, and

to know what happened next!!!