mixed feelings about this - didn't love this as much as i thought/hoped i would and it took me a while to find a story i enjoyed but glad i pushed thrmixed feelings about this - didn't love this as much as i thought/hoped i would and it took me a while to find a story i enjoyed but glad i pushed through bc i found some gems! there were also some that definitely went over my head - i could tell they were alluding to smth greater but wasn't 100% sure what and/or didn't know enough about first nations culture to fully grasp some of the others (which is totally fine and not a critique of the book!). there are probably also some that would have benefitted from me re-reading to fully appreciate them but this was a library loan and i didn't have the time
also really liked saunders' intro about mixtapes/anthologies - i've finally gotten into anthologies this year after never really liking them, and the idea of being exposed to lots of new things and the joy of finding gems you love among those is v true (and i've definitely found some authors who i want to read more of their work!):
Short story anthologies are like mixtapes, and I want you to think of this book as a burnt CD from me to you, a way for you to sample new worlds, a mishmash of styles gathered together that speak to similar themes, and an opportunity to find exciting writers you might not have otherwise come across.
some rankings of my favourites (i definitely preferred the ones that were more scifi/set in the further future etc) 5 - when from, the centre, an invitation, nimeybirra 4 - clatter tongue, your own aborigine (but wasn’t sure what to make of the end), in his fathers footsteps, water, terranora, five minutes 3 - myth this! (some of) the ones that confused me lol - this all come back now, old uncle sir, the purple plains, dust cycle ...more
3.5. Discovered this book at Aesops queer library this year - I ended up choosing another book but immediately borrowed this from the library and I'm 3.5. Discovered this book at Aesops queer library this year - I ended up choosing another book but immediately borrowed this from the library and I'm very glad I did! As with any anthology, there were of course some I liked more than others but overall a really nice collection (though you can definitely tell it is YA and these are newer authors).
Personal favourites: Sixteen Candles (but with demons); Shellshocked; Violet Grim and the In-Between Place; Thicker than Water; Our Time, Our Home; The Vampire and the Aunty
"There are two versions of the queer experience in mainstream media: rainbows and pride parades, or violence and death. These extreme ends of the queer spectrum do exist, but most of us live somewhere in between... The queer experience is more than just rainbows, 'equal love' and death. The queer experience is every minute of every day for us. It is the mundane and the magical. The inbetween. The unexpected."
"There's a point to this, okay? I'm trying to say that humans do bad things. But there's a difference between doing bad things because you're a flawed human, and doing malicious things. People do bad things, but they don't necessarily do it to hurt you. So, this whole situation: your friends, your family, forgetting. It's bad, they did a bad thing, but it's not personal. It's not malicious... I'm not saying it's okay what they did", the demon continued. "I'm not even saying that you need to forgive them immediately, or even at all. Maybe this is where you decide what you put up with in the future and what you don't. But don't let it get to you. You got a lot of years ahead of you. This is just a blip. Four hundred years from now you won't even remember this birthday."
"Don't these things always take effort?" Jana asks... "Bullshit", Jana says. "There's no way you find me perfect and desirable all the time. I have crooked teeth and a monobrow and I sweat too much. I might not be able to smell it, but I know I annoy you, when I get too pedantic about holo-game rules, or cleaning the fridge, or leaving your hair everywhere...and that's okay... we're all ugly and annoying sometimes, you know? Are you gonna look me in the eyes and tell me I'm perfect?... Because if you do - I don't want that. I'm a sapient, just like you, and we're all complicated and stupid and unattractive. And we love each other despite it. That's the point."
""He loved you" "He tried" And wasn't that the hardest part?"...more
ended up being quite disappointed by this one unfortunately. there were some stories i enjoyed, but didn't love this as much as i expected i would. inended up being quite disappointed by this one unfortunately. there were some stories i enjoyed, but didn't love this as much as i expected i would. initially i thought this was bc a lot of these stories are different from what i usually read (even though i read a lot of spec fic), but on reflection, many of the stories i enjoyed are also very different from the normal spec fic i read? idk - i guess it's just me though bc this book is rated highly!
stories i enjoyed: - destroyed by the waters - rachel swirsky - imago - tristan alice nieto - the shape of my name - nino cipri - don't press charges and i won't sue - charlie jane anders - i'm alive, i love you, i'll see you in reno - vylar kaftan - seasons of glass and iron - amal el-mohtar - ne le - darcie little badger (i'd read this one before) - cat pictures please - naomi kritzer - calved - sam j. miller
(also slay tamsyn muir for mentioning taylor swift haha v unexpected)...more
ahhhh what a series. i enjoyed book 1, but didn't get why people hyped this series as much as they did. by book 2 i understood.
i had a vague understanahhhh what a series. i enjoyed book 1, but didn't get why people hyped this series as much as they did. by book 2 i understood.
i had a vague understanding that people had mixed feelings about the ending but i liked it. obviously sad. but it makes sense and i think is realistic, like the rest of the book, about the impacts of colonisation and war and trauma (and loved how the whole series explored these themes). endings nearly always let me down and leave me disappointed but this one i appreciated.
of course there are things i would have liked more of, especially other POVs - daji, jiang, petra and the other hesperians etc. more exploration of the past, rin's family. what happens next to the country. but i understand why we didn't get these.
i also wish i'd had a better understanding of the real world historical/cultural contexts - it could have been nice to have a little at the start of each book about this but i guess also it was intentional not to? i looked up summaries afterwards etc which i appreciated for giving me a deeper understanding
i will say some of the depictions of violence made me feel so physically sick but ig that is the point...more
again appreciated not shying away from the reality of war, rin not always being a likeable character, the themes of colonisation and the opahhhhhhhhh
again appreciated not shying away from the reality of war, rin not always being a likeable character, the themes of colonisation and the opposite perspectives as to how they view the west etc...more
i havent really read any greek mythology/dont know much about this so really have nothing to compare it to but i enjoyed it! maybe i will finally get i havent really read any greek mythology/dont know much about this so really have nothing to compare it to but i enjoyed it! maybe i will finally get around to reading circe and tsoa now lol...more
beautifully written. some themes i loved - feminist, motherhood, family, coming into one's own power, nature, fuck men and those in p3.5? 4? 4.5? idk
beautifully written. some themes i loved - feminist, motherhood, family, coming into one's own power, nature, fuck men and those in power who are cruel for no reason
i’ve had this and TSOA on my shelf for years but i was always both daunted and somewhat disinterested in them - they’re so hyped up and i know nothing about greek mythology nor do i think i am particularly interested in it. but i ended up enjoying circe more than i expected. however, i did find it a little slow at times (though i think that is partly bc i read a lot of it in one sitting when i should have taken my time with it) and didn’t love it as much as others have. i think its objectively an incredible book (and so beautifully written!) but idk if im a mythology convert haha. but i enjoyed it enough that i think ill try to read my other mythology books.
some of my favourite quotes/sections (i think the first 1/3 of the book was my favourite actually - idk if that's bc i read it more slowly and separate from the rest, or if that's just a coincidence haha) - the paragraph where her father is late on purpose to kill the astronomers stuck w me idk why more than the other examples of cruelty. ig just bc its so unnecessary/cruel for no reason other than to amuse him? - “when we are young, we think ourselves the first to have each feeling in the world” - “i did not feel foolish, i felt as if i had a passed a great ordeal” - the entire section where she is first exiled to the island - her discovery of herself and freedom, descriptions of the nature, her hard work at ‘witchcraft’, overcoming her fears etc) - “because i knew nothing, nothing was beneath me” - “it was always easier when she was hateful” - “nothing is more common among us than this”...more
really enjoyed this. a very easy read which i wasn't expecting. idk if im as obsessed w this as some people are but a solid 5 stars and im excited to really enjoyed this. a very easy read which i wasn't expecting. idk if im as obsessed w this as some people are but a solid 5 stars and im excited to read the rest of the series :)
really appreciated the depictions of war/colonialism - showing the real damage/horrors etc
“War doesn't determine who's right. War determines who remains.”
“They were monsters!" Rin shrieked. "They were not human!" "Have you ever considered" he said slowly "that that was exactly what they thought of us?”
this was so good especially the second half but omg that ending??? i was gonna rate this 4 stars for most of it bc i loved it but couldn't relate to tthis was so good especially the second half but omg that ending??? i was gonna rate this 4 stars for most of it bc i loved it but couldn't relate to the characters but the plot got even better in the last half so giving it a full 5 this book was even better than i expected. anyway i've ordered book 2 so it better arrive quickly haha (has also made me excited to read my other mythology books!)...more
obviously unpopular opinion but i do not get the hype at all lmao only read this bc i felt i was missing out/surely would love it but i did not! to beobviously unpopular opinion but i do not get the hype at all lmao only read this bc i felt i was missing out/surely would love it but i did not! to be clear, i also didn't hate it, and definitely some beautiful lines, but it just not for me lol
"he is worth more to you, perhaps. but the stranger is someone else's friend, and brother. so which life is more important?" ...more
Loading...
