See tagged statuses in the local Wyrms.de community
(3 stars = I liked it)
Three time periods are braided together by an ancient Greek tale: 15th century Constantinople, the modern day, and a space-faring future. Elaborate but tenuous. On their own each story has potential, but together they don't quite make a whole. Like Cloud Atlas but less enthralling.
Reading time 7 days, 89 pages/day
#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #BookWyrm #HistoricalFiction #SciFi
Autobiography of a woman who was a committed & diligent National Socialist (#Nazi), of her experience in youth work & propaganda, and her journey coming to terms with the truth of what she participated in. Description of the clinical dispossession of the Poles is disturbing (and new to me), as is the readiness with which everyday mediocre people were led into misguided beliefs, alternative facts & constrained thinking, to do prosaic work with horrifyingly evil outcomes.
Reading time 11 days, 26 pages/day
#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #BookWyrm #Autobiography #Biography #Nazism #WorldWar2 #WW2
A harrowing journey through foster care and the opiate crisis. So good it hurt to read. Raw deal after raw deal left my heart aching, but enough clear-sighted humanity to stave off despair.
Reading time 9 days, 61 pages/day
In 2025, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful …
Adapting & building community during social collapse. Prophetic for its time, remains unsettling. God as Change could be a genuinely useful belief system. Only half a book, with ending sudden & too convenient (there is a sequel).
Reading time 5 days, 62 pages/day
Dismantles the many myths & prejudices outsiders hold about monolithic "Africa", along with a startling reminder of its colonial history and an overview of its many forms of dictatorship. Lively, enlightening & optimistic without being overly simplistic.
Reading time 6 days, 59 pages/day
A bit light on the mystery, and minimal movement in the meta-plot, but perfect relaxation escapism.
Reading time 3 days, 135 pages/day
From the exiled Kenyan novelist, playwright, poet, and literary critic--a magisterial comic novel that is …
A satire of African dictatorships and coups. Nearly everyone is stupid, superstitious or greedy. Lightly amusing & insightful but exceeedingly long.
Reading time 24 days, 32 pages/day
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (also known as Alice Through the Looking-Glass …
(2 stars = it was okay)
A sequence of random but colourful nonsense, for no discernible reason. Poor ending. Very effective at sending me off to sleep, though!
Return to Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn world of Scadrial as its second era, which began with …
More high-octane fantasy from the Mistborn world, with some key reveals. Some very pleasing support characters.
Reading time 7 days, 71 pages/day
Indigenous mother & daughter find healing & belonging on a literary tour through England. Dwells a lot on literary history which seems incidental to main story. Not a lot of plot progression or character development.
Reading time 12 days, 25 pages/day
For readers of White Fragility, White Tears/Brown Scars is an explosive book of history and …
Argues forcefully & convincingly that white womanhood has been (and still is) instrumental in upholding #WhiteSupremacy. I will never see the #intersection of #race & #gender so naively again. A must read for all - for solidarity & reflection.
Reading time 18 days, 12 pages/day
#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #BookWyrm #WhiteWomensTears #WhiteFragility #Racism #Sexism #Intersectionality
20 years ago the world went quiet. Father is suspended between the living world and …
Post-climate apocalypse in #HuonValley & #Hobart. Mostly believable (ex-PM was a caricature, and questionable lack of planning for expedition) with survivors being both humane & loving, but also merciless when called for. Unnerving to see local area in this light.
Reading time 7 days, 47 pages/day
#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #BookWyrm #CliFi #SciFi #Tasmania
A platform for describing love in its many forms, but neglects intimacy with the reader. Shows a remarkable ability to capture the ineffable aspects of an encounter, but too often gets lost in obtuseness.
Reading time 17 days, 20 pages/day
A brilliantly imaginative talent makes her exciting debut with this epic historical military fantasy, inspired …
A reimagining of China & Japan, with shamans & gods for interest, and war crimes & genocide for a horrifying reality check. Misleadingly begins with standard 'orphan goes to hero school' trope, but turns disturbingly dark without warning.
Reading time 6 days, 88 pages/day
Black sisters grow up as orphans in England. Staid & unremarkable. Potentially traumatic, but pulls its punches.
Reading time 4 days, 93 pages/day
