Several people in Oxford have recommended it. Not sure how I feel or how much of this is hype
Reviews and Comments
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Carlos Cámara wants to read Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
Carlos Cámara wants to read Less Is More by Jason Hickel
Book recommended at Climate Cafe about degrowth: "book about the potential for interventions in the system that could have a really powerful effect on reducing carbon and improving people's lives."
Carlos Cámara finished reading Contra la sostenibilidad by Andreu Escrivà
Carlos Cámara started reading Contra la sostenibilidad by Andreu Escrivà
El nombre del viento: Cronicas del asesino de reyes: Primer dia (Spanish Edition) by Patrick Rothfuss
The Name of the Wind, also called The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One, is a heroic fantasy novel written by American …
Carlos Cámara rated ¿quién ha robado la Mona Lisa?: 3 stars
Carlos Cámara rated Star Wars Ep IV Una nueva esperanza: 3 stars
Carlos Cámara finished reading Star Wars Ep IV Una nueva esperanza by Hisao Tamaki
Mi sobrino Alex @AlexCamara@bookwyrm.social lo ha sacado de la biblioteca para mi 😍
Carlos Cámara reviewed The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #4)
Good ideas, bad story
2 stars
Content warning It contains spoilers
After having enjoyed a lot The Dispossessed, and having read so many great reviews about this book, I cannot stop but feeling disappointed or under the impression that I failed to understand it or it was not the right time for me to read it.
I must recognize the originality of describing a whole hermaphrodite species in a forever frozen world, with their own culture and social organisation (something I enjoyed). But I felt that the story that was promised was weak, full of Deus ex machinas, unnecessary interruptions, and not even as strong and moving as I had imagined. Is the bonding between Therem and Genly as strong as suggested or is it merely survival? Are their beliefs about the other so shaken and deconstructed as suggested or were simply weak prejudices broken by the forced coexistence?
The fact that I found the narrative unconsistent and unnecessarily complex, didn't help at all. Genli's trip is littered with plenty of complex concepts that are not fully developed, (I am still unsure about what the Shifgrethor is -I had to look at Wikipedia and stack exchange), legends, explanations about calendars or chapters written from somedody else's perspective, without a clear criteria or rhythm on when those interludes are added. But probably, what I found most disappointing was the constant mentions to the how different gethenian culture, society and cosmogony are due to their hermaphroditism, but IMHO, it is never not clearly exemplified in anything specific, not to mention the missed opportunity of using they/them pronouns (albeit I'm aware that that might not be that commonplace back in 1969, and probably editors thought that books had to had male characters to be sold).
Carlos Cámara wants to read The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #4)
Carlos Cámara rated Vallvi: 4 stars
Vallvi by Edgar Cantero (Proa beta -- 217)
Carlos Cámara reviewed Geographies of Digital Exclusion by Mark Graham
Irregular, but worth reading
3 stars
The book starts really strong. The first chapters are catchy and relevant and they are very well written, too. Additionally, it is methodologically sound and some of their findings are interesting. Regretfully, at some points it becomes quite repetitive (in terms of methods and results) and, the methodology is sometimes unconsistent, unclear (i.e. I'd like to fully understand how the searches were made) and even questionable.
Actually, what I found to be more controversial is the decision of comparing Google Maps and Wikipedia. Mainly because they are very different in purpose and contents, but also because I believe that OpenStreetMap would have been a fairer comparison or bridge between the two. It is true that there are some mentions and comparisons to it, but the book claims to focus only oncomparing Google Maps and Wikipedia alone, and therefore, OpenStreetMap is something accessory and not as extensively or consistently as the …
The book starts really strong. The first chapters are catchy and relevant and they are very well written, too. Additionally, it is methodologically sound and some of their findings are interesting. Regretfully, at some points it becomes quite repetitive (in terms of methods and results) and, the methodology is sometimes unconsistent, unclear (i.e. I'd like to fully understand how the searches were made) and even questionable.
Actually, what I found to be more controversial is the decision of comparing Google Maps and Wikipedia. Mainly because they are very different in purpose and contents, but also because I believe that OpenStreetMap would have been a fairer comparison or bridge between the two. It is true that there are some mentions and comparisons to it, but the book claims to focus only oncomparing Google Maps and Wikipedia alone, and therefore, OpenStreetMap is something accessory and not as extensively or consistently as the previous ones.
In any case, just because it raises so many questions and comments that I'd love to discuss with their authors should I had the chance, I believe it is worth reading and I would recomment it despite it didn't match my initial expectations (which admittedly were very high).
Carlos Cámara reviewed Invierte con poco by Natalia de Santiago
Interesante
3 stars
Se trata de un libro muy diferente a su anterior obra, "Invierte en ti". Si bien conserva de él el estilo de escritura (pedagógico y divertido) que es capaz de contar cosas complejas de forma sencilla, es un libro menos generalista, más aplicado. También es más especialista. Al ser menos genérico, se abordan menos temas con mayor profundidad, lo cual es muy positivo. Sin embargo, tengo la sensación de que algunos capítulos (por ejemplo tipos de fondos de inversión) no están equilibroados y hay un gran salto de lo genérico a lo muy específico. También he echado de menos que se desarrollase más el último capítulo, con consejos o criterios para invertir, lo cual lo haría más aplicado todavía (que entiendo que es su vocación -aunque entiendo lo difícil de hacerlo dado que hay tantas casuísticas como lectores). Es un libro que tendré que volver a leer para poder aprovecharlo …
Se trata de un libro muy diferente a su anterior obra, "Invierte en ti". Si bien conserva de él el estilo de escritura (pedagógico y divertido) que es capaz de contar cosas complejas de forma sencilla, es un libro menos generalista, más aplicado. También es más especialista. Al ser menos genérico, se abordan menos temas con mayor profundidad, lo cual es muy positivo. Sin embargo, tengo la sensación de que algunos capítulos (por ejemplo tipos de fondos de inversión) no están equilibroados y hay un gran salto de lo genérico a lo muy específico. También he echado de menos que se desarrollase más el último capítulo, con consejos o criterios para invertir, lo cual lo haría más aplicado todavía (que entiendo que es su vocación -aunque entiendo lo difícil de hacerlo dado que hay tantas casuísticas como lectores). Es un libro que tendré que volver a leer para poder aprovecharlo del todo.
Carlos Cámara reviewed Pandora al Congo by Albert Sánchez Piñol
Sorprenent
5 stars
(EN below) Es tracta d'un llibre que va evolucionant contínuament on res no és el que sembla. El que al començament em semblava que només es tractava una història ben explicada però que s'assemblava massa a la seva anterior novel·la (La Pell Freda) i exigia fer massa actes de fe en virtut de l'entreteniment, va mutant en un seguit d'històries dins històries, amb un final sorprenent i intel·ligent on tot el que no tenia sentit pren una nova i inesperada dimensió.
This is a constantly evolving book where nothing is what it seems. What at first seemed to me to be just a well-told story but too similar to his previous novel (La Pell Freda) and requiring too many acts of faith for the sake of entertainment, turns into a series of stories within stories, with a surprising and clever ending where everything that didn't make sense takes on a …
(EN below) Es tracta d'un llibre que va evolucionant contínuament on res no és el que sembla. El que al començament em semblava que només es tractava una història ben explicada però que s'assemblava massa a la seva anterior novel·la (La Pell Freda) i exigia fer massa actes de fe en virtut de l'entreteniment, va mutant en un seguit d'històries dins històries, amb un final sorprenent i intel·ligent on tot el que no tenia sentit pren una nova i inesperada dimensió.
This is a constantly evolving book where nothing is what it seems. What at first seemed to me to be just a well-told story but too similar to his previous novel (La Pell Freda) and requiring too many acts of faith for the sake of entertainment, turns into a series of stories within stories, with a surprising and clever ending where everything that didn't make sense takes on a new and unexpected dimension.