kake's reviews
94 reviews
The Actual Star by Monica Byrne
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
DNF: In theory I should really like this book, but I got 20% through and found myself thinking "ugh, am I really only 20% through?" so felt it was probably time to cut my losses. There's not anything about it I really _dislike_, it's just that it didn't really grab me the way I wanted it to.
The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story by Stephen R. Donaldson
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
DNF: Got to the end of the Kindle sample and everything so far had consisted of rather cliched rape fantasy, which I don't find incredibly interesting.
Tracing History Through Title Deeds: A Guide for Family and Local Historians by Nat Alcock
informative
Clear and well-explained, with plenty of examples and a minimum of jargon.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Murder
Content warning for (which is not currently on the list of things we can choose as contant warnings).
Spoiler
child endangerment
The Comfort of Things by Daniel Miller
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
DNF: A lot of this feels more voyeuristic than anthropological, and I’m not a fan of that.
Lady of Mazes by Karl Schroeder
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
DNF: The ideas are good, but it’s not as well written as I’d like. It feels like the author has everything very clear in his head, but hasn’t quite managed to get it all down on paper in a coherent way.
On Doing Local History (American Association for State and Local History Book Series) by Terry A. Barnhart, Carol Kammen
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
From one point of view, this is an incredibly useful book that all local historians should read. It gave me several ideas for new projects, two of them so immediately actionable that I’ve already started on them. Although the author and many of the examples are American, as a British local historian I still found it very useful.
From another point of view, this is an instrument of white supremacy. It almost completely ignores the fact that the land now known as the USA had a long history before white people arrived, and has only a few passing mentions of the people whose land was invaded and stolen.
I read the second edition (from 2003) and there is now a third edition available, so I do hope there have been improvements in the latter aspect.
From another point of view, this is an instrument of white supremacy. It almost completely ignores the fact that the land now known as the USA had a long history before white people arrived, and has only a few passing mentions of the people whose land was invaded and stolen.
I read the second edition (from 2003) and there is now a third edition available, so I do hope there have been improvements in the latter aspect.