A teenage girl in 1970s Uganda comes to terms with patriarchy, family & sisterhood. A bit slow without much emotional connection, but the detailed dive into Ugandan culture & history is fascinating.
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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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Wild Woila's books
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Wild Woila reviewed The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Wild Woila reviewed Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch, #3)
More with our other favourite rogue AI
3 stars
More with our other favourite (but much less violent) rogue AI. Perhaps too much time spent on emotional intricacies rather than plot. The alien Translator and the Ship/Station AIs are quite pleasing though.
Wild Woila reviewed Black and Blue by Veronica Gorrie
The life & career of an Indigenous police woman
4 stars
The life & career of an Indigenous police woman. Her upbringing is burdened by no end of horrific substance-fuelled abuse - it's a wonder she came out so functional. Time in Queensland police force in the 2000s is less devastating, but affects her more, with the institutionalised racism and corruption on top of the job's nature giving her PTSD. (refer Peter Dutton)
Wild Woila reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo
A damning account of the patriarchy in Korea
3 stars
A straightforward but damning account of the patriarchy in modern Korea. An unusual mix of fictionalised autobiography and footnoted essay.
Wild Woila reviewed Far Sector by Jemisin N. K.
Brilliant dynamic artwork
3 stars
An interstellar justice-bringer (a Green Lantern) is called to help a planet that hasn't seen crime in generations due to the use of an emotion-suppressing gene therapy. But that order starts to unravel as she tries to get a handle on the situation, her own emotionality proving invaluable. Brilliant dynamic artwork.
Wild Woila reviewed Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
Precisely drawn, skin-crawling characters
4 stars
Similar premise to his first book: gay boy with alcoholic mother in Glasgow. But different enough and also superbly executed. Full of precisely drawn, skin-crawling characters & behaviour, from the psychopathic but protective brother, the deadly Protestant vs Catholic brawls, and the slimey alcoholic older male "role models". Such an unattractive cover!
Wild Woila reviewed Taming Toxic People by David Gillespie
Psychopaths cause havoc because they have limited empathy and care nothing for social norms
4 stars
A notable proportional of people are psychopaths (aka malignant narcissists, sociopaths) and they cause havoc because they have limited empathy and care nothing for social norms. Has given me a valuable appreciation for this form of neurodiversity to help understand and manage those fraught situations that are otherwise inexplicable. The science is interesting - it's more likely neurological than upbringing or trauma. Ironically, the author doesn't show much empathy for the psychopaths!
Wild Woila reviewed The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (The Thursday Murder Club, #1)
Wild Woila reviewed Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #2)
What the hell is going on?
3 stars
Our favourite necromancer has risen to the ranks of the most powerful, who are rather Machiavellian but disconcertingly human. In the process though, she has lost her marbles, and we are left without any certainty as to what the hell is going on, and doubts undermine our memory of the first book. Which is mostly bearable because it eventually unravels, only to be frustrated by an unwelcome dumping of unresolved head-scratchers which demands some re-reading. More serious than the first book, without the swagger.
Wild Woila reviewed Technofeudalism by Yanis Varoufakis
Late-stage capitalism has given way to cloud-based fiefs
4 stars
Late-stage capitalism has given way to cloud-based fiefs, and we are the serfs. I need convincing on some of the detail (e.g. how effective are they at manipulating our desires?), but mostly agree with his main argument. Pairs well with Cory Doctorow's #enshittification ideas (@pluralistic@mamot.fr).
Wild Woila reviewed Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer
Wild Woila reviewed The Deluge by Stephen Markley
A truly terrifying but not-impossible dystopia
5 stars
A US-centric view of the coming two decades as the climate and social cohesion rapidly break down. Amplifies the worst of current political & economic trends to create a truly terrifying but not-impossible dystopia. Told from a rich variety of perspectives, though compresses the pace of climate change improbably (I hope!). Intense, scary & draining.
Wild Woila reviewed Nine lives by Aimen Dean
A lot of extreme living!
4 stars
Traces the evolution of a (very) young jihadi from the Bosnian front, to bomb-maker for al-Quada, to (still young) spy for MI6. A lot of extreme living! Valuable insight into motivations & rationalisations of jihadism.
Wild Woila reviewed Radicalized by Cory Doctorow
The worst parts of Western society
3 stars
Four dystopian novellas about the worst parts of Western society: #enshittification, systemic #racism, dysfunctional #healthcare and sociopathic preppers. Gets increasingly dark.