kabelon97's reviews
14 reviews

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

challenging mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Didn’t really enjoy this book. It was very exhausting to get through as the middle of the book dragged and the characters were incredibly boring. 

Wang was a very forgettable character and we follow him for most of the book. I also didn’t like how boring the dialogue was and how the writing style in this book mostly consisted of info dumping. This is probably one of my least favourite books I’ve read since high school, I had to fight every fibre of my being to not DNF. I would give it a lower rating but the world in this book is so incredibly cool, and the authors imagination is incredible. It’s just the writing and the characters that sucked. Also so much telling and no showing, like we would be told characters are in love with each other, and we would never actually see it, so when something happened to these people I didn’t really care. I genuinely think this is the first time I finished a book not caring about a single character, maybe Da Shi and that’s it.

It might be because the last Sci-Fi book I read was Dune which had such incredible dialogue and cool characters, and coming to this book felt like a genuine downgrade. I was also reading the manga Vinland Saga which has such an interesting main character that reading about Wang felt like actual pain. Or Project Hail Mary which isn’t hard Sci Fi but is so fun to read, this was not fun to read for me at all. 

Overall, if you don’t really care about interesting or compelling characters (except Ye), great dialogue or you don’t mind info dumping but want an incredibly interesting world, then I would recommend this book to you. If you care about any of these things I mentioned, I would caution against reading this book, it was really rough to get through at times.

We Are Electric: Inside the 200-Year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code, and What the Future Holds by Sally Adee

slow-paced

4.5

Loved this book! I loved how it went through the history of bio electricity research and how it fell out of favour in biology. Also love how the author emphasizes how the research still has a long way to go and doesn’t entertain quackery. My favourite chapters were definitely the ones concerning cancer and how bio electrical signals could be used for cancer diagnosis. Absolutely awesome book!

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Great book! Really enjoyed how scientifically accurate it was. Also loved how many twists and turns this book had and the amazing character work. This book is also, at times really funny. So fun and easy read, got through it in a week, would highly recommend to anyone having a reading slump.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

emotional funny informative fast-paced

5.0

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read! So impressed, it’s moving, sad and hilarious at the same time. I was really skeptical since most celebrity books are terrible but this one was amazing. It touched on so many things, from the systematic oppression of apartheid and how we didn’t adequately address these issues as a country, to the hyper-masculinity culture present in South Africa that is killing women and emotionally stunting men. I am so impressed. As a South African man who grew up with a mother and grandmother who sacrificed everything for me, I related so much to the beautiful relationship Trevor had with his mom. Really made me emotional at times.I’m so glad I read this, and I’m definitely going to buy more copies just to give to friends and family!

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

Enjoyable read, really interesting intersection with technology and social issues. If you enjoy Black mirror, you will enjoy this book.

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

5.0

Finished August 10 2022: One of my favourite books ever. I really enjoyed how it chronologically tracks our understanding of cancer, from Imhotep to german suppuration of the blood to our current understanding of somatic genetic mutation causing cancer. It was also fascinating learning about radical mastectomy and its perverse grip on breast cancer surgery and how the feminist movement helps push scientists to finding evidence for radical mastectomy's ineffectiveness. Also, learning about Sidney Farber and his importance in the leukemia and general cancer landscape. This book is long but near perfect and has really made me fall in love with research. I would recommend to everyone!

Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction by Jonathan Slack

4.0

Really enjoyed this book. Learnt soo much about stem cells and how they function. Also learnt about induced pluripotent stem cells and their application purposes in developing potential solutions for diabetes (developing beta cells from IPS cells) and epithelial cells (skin cells for burn victims). Really enjoyed the concision of this book as well and will definitely be reading more books from the very short series and from Jonathan slack himself. Its not the books fault but it did feel quite outdated already because of things like CRISPR and other technologies being developed after its release. Would be really interested in reading another iteration that is more up to date.

The Future of Humanity: Terraforming Mars, Interstellar Travel, Immortality and Our Destiny Beyond Earth by Michio Kaku

informative fast-paced

2.75

Good book. Very accessible for people interested in science but have not yet studied it in University as he always explains the scientific jargon in the book.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

Good book. Really enjoyed listening to it while running in the mornings. Would highly recommend to people who are trying to dip their toes into the fantasy genre. 

Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon

informative lighthearted fast-paced

3.25

Really enjoyed the book and gave amazing advice that I plan on using in the future. I also loved how concise it is, showing that the author values our time.