Wild Woila reviewed Orphan Sisters by Lola Jaye
Staid & unremarkable
2 stars
Black sisters grow up as orphans in England. Staid & unremarkable. Potentially traumatic, but pulls its punches.
Reading time 4 days, 93 pages/day
Reviews and Comments
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 reviewed Network Effect by Martha Wells
WINNER of the 2021 Hugo, Nebula and Locus Awards!
The first full-length novel in Martha …
Perfected the recipe
4 stars
She's perfected the MurderBot recipe: awkward AI-AI relationship, friendly humans, emotional discomfort, clever conflict.
Reading time 3 days, 117 pages/day
Wild Woila reviewed Still Life by Louise Penny
Still Life is the debut novel written by Louise Penny and published by St. Martin's …
Lots of pastries
3 stars
A murder mystery with effortless characterisation and lots of pastries. Awkward autism portrayal?
Reading time 3 days, 126 pages/day
Wild Woila reviewed The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, …
Hapless, feckless Toad!
3 stars
Oh, hapless, feckless Toad! A tale of cleaning up after a narcissistic friend. Only two minor female characters.
Wild Woila reviewed Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell
An incredibly capable woman
3 stars
Biography of Virginia Hall, one of the most effective Allied agents who organised the French resistance during WW2. Lacks the narrative tension to do justice to this incredibly capable woman and the many intense trials she and her associates suffered through. Appalling misogynistic treatment by CIA during Cold War.
Wild Woila reviewed The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson
Heritage, belonging, purpose
4 stars
A Dakhota woman connects with her heritage and finds belonging & purpose in the seeds she inherits from her female ancestors. Gentle despite colonial trauma.
Reading time 4 days, 90 pages/day
Wild Woila reviewed Two brothers by Ben Elton
Berlin 1920 Two babies are born. Two brothers. United and indivisible, sharing everything. Twins in …
Flat as a brick wall.
1 star
Brothers in a Jewish family strive to protect their loved ones from the increasing horrors of Nazi Germany. Boringly one-dimensional portrayal of Nazis - they're evil brutes, I get it. Distinct lack of emotional connection considering intensity of subject matter. Flat as a brick wall.
Reading time 7 days, 89 pages/day
Wild Woila reviewed Cosmos by Carl Sagan
This book is about science in its broadest human context, how science and civilization grew …
Brimming with passion & wonder
4 stars
A journey through the universe, science & their development, brimming with passion & wonder. 50 years old but feels timeless, except nuclear angst has been replaced by climate angst.
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp6dwtXsi8PsAwzmhJNj4khhr9-i5oAMj
#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #BookWyrm #science #physics #cosmology
Wild Woila reviewed A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
An alien armada lurks on the edges of Teixcalaanli space. No one can communicate with …
Unclear motivations & prose
3 stars
Disappointing sequel despite potential. Some dubious premises (surely a galactic empire would have first contact specialists?). Unclear motivations & prose: I rarely understood why particular choices were being made. Also an annoying inconsistency: internally, characters were flailing haplessly, but in actuality they were exceedingly competent.
Reading time 6 days, 80 pages/day
Wild Woila reviewed Permanent Record by Edward Snowden
Permanent Record is a 2019 autobiography by Edward Snowden, whose revelations sparked a global debate …
Serious gumption
3 stars
I also grew up in a government town in the early days of home computers & the internet. Perhaps if I had stumbled across hacking I'd have ended up in a similar role to him, though I doubt I'd have his gumption to expose the gross overreach of the security services. Their capability was (and remains) alarming.
Reading time 9 days, 37 pages/day
Four English school children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the …
'He's not the Messiah, he's a very scary lion!'
2 stars
"Cool premise (a worldrobe!), but everything resolves awfully suddenly. Not to mention the human-worship, and ... 'He's not the Messiah, he's a very scary lion!'
Wild Woila reviewed The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
E-Book Extras: ONE: Behind the Novel: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn; TWO: The …
Not as good as the TV show
2 stars
Books are typically more complex & nuanced than their screen adaptations, but not this one! Lacks the tension, glamour & variety. Passable fluff.
Reading time 4 days, 110 pages/day
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Wild Woila reviewed Mythos by Stephen Fry
Spritely & amusing
3 stars
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
#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #BookWyrm #AncientGreece #GreekMyths
Wild Woila reviewed The Value of Everything by Mariana Mazzucato
Growth should be purposeful & hopeful!
3 stars
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