I have #mecfs so I have a lot of time for reading, mostly #fantasy and #SciFi but I'm happy to dip into nearly anything.
Ratings: 1 star: I didn't like it 2 stars: it was okay 3 stars: I liked it 4 stars: I really liked it 5 stars: it was brilliant
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A spritely & amusing contemporary retelling of the Greek myths. Starts cohesively but unravels into disjointed repetition. The gods were the best & worst of humanity - especially in lust & spite!
Reading time 14 days, 29 pages/day
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Argues that governments are co-creators of wealth and essential for a dynamic & innovative economy (duh? But neoliberals ...). Finance is a rent-seeking leech. Growth should be purposeful & hopeful! Full of sense but not engaging.
Reading time 13 days, 22 pages/day
Follows the extraordinary life of an early Australian colonist who was present for some momentous historic events & more than the usual share of drama. All the more amazing for being based on real people. Pedestrian prose with awkward dialogue, but captivating.
Reading time 6 days, 59 pages/day
Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and …
A tragedy of narcissistic proportions. Nicely written & well paced. Feels real without losing its mythic aura.
Reading time 3 days, 123 pages/day
On the run from narcos, mother & son join the desperate stream of humanity heading for the US. Terrifying, exhausting & exhilarating, with the unrelenting momentum of a freight train. Trails off towards end.
Reading time 4 days, 116 pages/day
When men have the wisdom to let go of striving for supremacy, and return to the earth.
Reading time 3 days, 70 pages/day
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As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with …
Celebrates the sacredness of country by bringing together the deep spirituality of indigenous wisdom & the glorious nerdiness of ecological science. Poignant & bittersweet.
Reading time 13 days, 30 pages/day
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Blimey, what a heart walloper! Abused boy finds family & comes to life when billeted out during WW2. Pulls no punches but so much love & support. Goes through hell; ridiculously resilient.
Reading time 4 days, 76 pages/day
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This remarkable book is about everything from echidnas to evolution, cosmology to cooking, sex and …
Yarning about the ways of Indigenous knowledge. Insightful, sometimes impenetrable, with a bit of bullshit. The barest exposure, but what next? How to incorporate this into our worldview?
Reading time 10 days, 25.6 pages/day
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The industrial revolution arrives, and it's ugly. Brutally cynical & vicious, yet somehow lighthearted.
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The traumatised underclass of NZ, desperately trying to escape the relentless undertow of drugs, crime & abuse. Intense & despairing, but with a spark of hope.
Reading time: 3 days
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"The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingale continues as brave Vasya, now …
Witch girl seeks freedom from mediaeval Rus strictures, but her naivety & heedlessness prove her undoing. Still, she saves the day! Less fairytale, more political than prequel. Still excellent.
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A different kind of nature writing, for a different kind of landscape.
I went and …
"Summertime" Danielle Celermajer. 4 stars. Meditations on the 2019/20 #bushfires. Captures well the colossal scale, and the interminable fear. Coins the useful term "omnicide" for the destruction that we are all responsible for, and which permeates everything.
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A #fantasy where mental health takes centre stage! Shallan's dissociative disorder is particularly well done. Solid fare as usual, with some interesting sciencing, though the cosmic machinations are overly obscure. Very inefficient at 1200 pages.
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