I picked this up agfter listening to The Missing Cryptoqueen and its languished on my Kindle for a while, so it was about time I got round to reading it. While I've already read about some of the things covered, there was more than enough that I didn't know. Even when covering controversial figures like Tommy Robinson, Bartlett is non-judgemental and leaves it up to you to make up your own mind. He points out contradictions and hypocrisy across the board, not just with the people and movements he's covering. Some of his conclusions and thoughts are very insightful and left me pondering my own stance on some of these matters. Recommended.
"Hello World takes us on a tour through the good, the bad, and the downright …
Lightweight
3 stars
An enjoyable read, but if you've watched any of her TV shows, especially "The Secret Genius of Modern Life", then you'll already know the contents of the book. It's not pitched at people who know it all already, but more at your ageing Mum who can't work her smartphone. The eBook also seemed to be 35% footnotes, which means you suddenly end the book without realising just how far through it you actually were.
Having watched Pascoe on various and sundry TV shows, I couldn't help but read this in her voice, like an in brain audio book. Entertainingly written, in a lighter and funnier style for subjects that are quite deep and serious. It's also more an exploration of her own assumptions and procedures and those being dispelled during her research and enlightenment.
I listened to the accompanying ten part podacst when the book was first released, where she talks to sex workers. That was enlightening enough, the book just adds more, especially around consent and rape. Not sure I could persuade my seventeen year old son to read it, but he would certainly benefit if he did.
Imagine a world where your phone is too big for your hand, where your doctor …
Essential Reading For All Men
5 stars
If your blood doesn't boil reading this, then you're part of the problem, it should be mandatory reading for all males. It's page after page of unremitting evidence of the gender data gap, and how it effects every part of a woman's life; some of it simply beggars belief. I was expecting a dry and difficult to engage with wall of text, but it was very accessible and very well written; if you're into evidence, then the last third of the book is links to all the sources of the statistics and what not.
The 1988 Seoul Olympics played host to what has been described by some as the …
The Dirtiest Race in History
4 stars
I can remember watching this race on the telly and being glad Lewis was beaten. Shame he refused to participate, so the while it's incredibly well researched and written, there does feel like there's stuff missing. A very enjoyable read none the less and leaves you wishing someone would own up to wither Johnson's post race beers were spiked or not.
A new edition as part of the Faber Greatest Hits - books that have taken …
🤯
5 stars
I'd heard of Throbbing Gristle, and even own some Chris Carter vinyl, I did not know about Cosey Fanni Tutti. It turns out that was my loss. I was a bit put off by the writing style for the first few pages, but then found myself being drawn in deeper and deeper till I could barely put it down. What an amazing life and an amazing worts and all account of it. An absolute must read.
Mara Tagarelli is, professionally, the head of a multimillion-dollar AIDS foundation; personally, she is a …
So Lucky
4 stars
Quite unlike the other books I've read by Nicola Griffith, mainly as it's not some sort of science fiction. I struggled a bit with the very short passages, but soon eased into it, mainly as the writing is very good. I was wondering where the story was going, as it seem to be a semi-autobiographical tale of dealing with multiple sclerosis, but it did eventually result in an outcome.
If this tale is half the experience and reality of those with dealing with multiple sclerosis, then the anger of the protagonist is fully understandable.
The fifth and final instalment in the GAP sequence: Stephen Donaldson's fascinating universe peopled with …
This Day All Gods Die
5 stars
After the malice, degradation and horror of the first three book, Chaos and Order was an easier read, even though there as an undercurrent that things could go sideways at any moment. This final volume dispensed with most of the brutality, and was a fantastic read, I was welling up at the end.
The pacing initially seemed odd, how was he going to fill four to five hundred pages with the end game. Like most if his writing though, it was so well crafted and thought through, that any small missteps were glossed over and I hungrily devoured each page.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this volume, rampant misogyny of some of the male characters aside. While some outcomes were obvious, the path to them less so; which made the whole thing more enjoyable. How was that character going to die, how was this one going to escape, etc. You knew …
After the malice, degradation and horror of the first three book, Chaos and Order was an easier read, even though there as an undercurrent that things could go sideways at any moment. This final volume dispensed with most of the brutality, and was a fantastic read, I was welling up at the end.
The pacing initially seemed odd, how was he going to fill four to five hundred pages with the end game. Like most if his writing though, it was so well crafted and thought through, that any small missteps were glossed over and I hungrily devoured each page.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this volume, rampant misogyny of some of the male characters aside. While some outcomes were obvious, the path to them less so; which made the whole thing more enjoyable. How was that character going to die, how was this one going to escape, etc. You knew things were coming, but they were satisfying, rather than gut wrenching and nausea educing like the first few volumes in the series.
There were a few errors in the type setting of this version, which were slightly grating. The odd capitalised letter in the middle of words, drop letters from the start of characters names, plus the printing was faded in the middle of some of the pages and really heavy on others. Overall though these issues didn't detract too much for an riveting conclusion to this series of books. If you can get passed the first two books (three volumes) in the series, the pay off is well worth it.
With the sheer horror and malice of the the two books fresh in the memory, I struggled to get going with this one. Initially we were fine and reading at a fair rate, but then around the middle, there was just a horrible gnawing sense that something horrible was going to happen. Thankfully it didn't really materialise and the book reach an acceptably high stakes conclusion.
Actually looking forward to reading the last book now.
A master storyteller, Stephen R. Donaldson established a worldwide reputation with his unforgettable, critically acclaimed …
A much more enjoyable read than the first two. Having said that, I'm beginning to understand what an ex-colleague told me about this series years ago. I'd recently finished all The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, when I spotted him reading one of these, it was a well thumbed copy, so I doubt it was the first time he'd read it. He remarked that Donaldson must hate the characters, for all the demeaning and horrific things he puts them through. While there's not any rape in this book, which is nice, there is still a lot of rampant misogyny and abhorrent behaviour between the main characters. I'm expecting that to not let up much in the next two books...
"The Real Story" is essentially 124 pages of rape; not a pleasant read. "Forbidden Knowledge" is slightly less rapey, but still the physical and phycological trauma inflicted on the main female character, makes you wonder if Donaldson has something against females.
