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namelyreed's reviews
12 reviews
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The only thing missing was real war, since it’s a book set in wartime. Didn’t need much, but there’s a lot of development that could come from it.
Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Can’t really give it a star rating. No effort was put in, though it was illuminating. This guy is so annoying but also very comforting in a way? I’m glad I’m not him, but also glad he exists. A true product of modern times.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Much like a D&D campaign set in space! Punctuated by revealing “long rests” and the obligatory mishap. Plenty of fun. Light reading. Much needed respite for my soul after finishing “In Memoriam”.
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Brutally sad, and extremely grim. It is a love story, yes. It is also a depiction of perhaps the most horrible war ever fought.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I liked some of the writing for its immediate relatability (i went to acting conservatory), but found the plot to be extremely predictable. Knew where it was going and why and how from the outset. Fun ride regardless.
Phaedra by Lucius Annaeus Seneca
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Reflected on it. Wrote the below:
Hippolytus rejects the wealth and luster of his birthright, and thinks instead it is a “joy to taste fresh water from naked hands”, to sleep rough and live off the land. But at the core of his condemnation of society, wealth, property, and militarism, is a condemnation of women as “the root of all evil.” Men, he implies, are naturally innocent creatures, manipulated into evil by womens’ scheming. He doesn’t make any specific reference, but that perspective, in my view, harkens images of Eve and the Snake.
If you consider when Seneca wrote “Phaedra”, it makes sense for this character, specifically, to have a potentially Christian viewpoint. Seneca was mentor to Nero, the emperor who organized a persectution of Christians in Rome. And in this text, written some fifteen years prior, Seneca gives us a Christianized character, and literally tears him apart. It’s a wise use of theatre’s intrinsic symbolism. A christian, an Incel, any American man really, might read or watch “Phaedra” and see in Hippolytus an innocent man, manipulated by his stepmother, falsely accused of rape, and essentially murdered. But I think Seneca was using the character to demonstrate a fallacy of Christian thought; I think it was intentional to have Hippolytus condemn women before interacting with Phaedra. The nurse urges him to enjoy life by drinking, playing, and having sex. He denies it all, and when his stepmother entreats him to her bed, he runs away to nature, hoping it will purify him.
Seneca chose to make Hippolytus’ beauty immediate, physical, and arresting. He chose to give him Christian values. And he chose to mangle Hippolytus to badly that all the pieces of him could not be recovered. I think he meant to tie Christianity to beauty as a theatrical choice, to best engage audiences with Christian thought, before destroying it. Hippolytus’ shunning of status and women compels me in that thought. And I think that our culture today contains groups of people, maybe not Christian specifically, but idolators of what what they might call beautiful men, who could stand to be reminded once in awhile that they are like Hippolytus. You may have some spark of Beauty, but chase too far and you will die for it.
“Seldom has beauty come to men unpunished.”
Hippolytus rejects the wealth and luster of his birthright, and thinks instead it is a “joy to taste fresh water from naked hands”, to sleep rough and live off the land. But at the core of his condemnation of society, wealth, property, and militarism, is a condemnation of women as “the root of all evil.” Men, he implies, are naturally innocent creatures, manipulated into evil by womens’ scheming. He doesn’t make any specific reference, but that perspective, in my view, harkens images of Eve and the Snake.
If you consider when Seneca wrote “Phaedra”, it makes sense for this character, specifically, to have a potentially Christian viewpoint. Seneca was mentor to Nero, the emperor who organized a persectution of Christians in Rome. And in this text, written some fifteen years prior, Seneca gives us a Christianized character, and literally tears him apart. It’s a wise use of theatre’s intrinsic symbolism. A christian, an Incel, any American man really, might read or watch “Phaedra” and see in Hippolytus an innocent man, manipulated by his stepmother, falsely accused of rape, and essentially murdered. But I think Seneca was using the character to demonstrate a fallacy of Christian thought; I think it was intentional to have Hippolytus condemn women before interacting with Phaedra. The nurse urges him to enjoy life by drinking, playing, and having sex. He denies it all, and when his stepmother entreats him to her bed, he runs away to nature, hoping it will purify him.
Seneca chose to make Hippolytus’ beauty immediate, physical, and arresting. He chose to give him Christian values. And he chose to mangle Hippolytus to badly that all the pieces of him could not be recovered. I think he meant to tie Christianity to beauty as a theatrical choice, to best engage audiences with Christian thought, before destroying it. Hippolytus’ shunning of status and women compels me in that thought. And I think that our culture today contains groups of people, maybe not Christian specifically, but idolators of what what they might call beautiful men, who could stand to be reminded once in awhile that they are like Hippolytus. You may have some spark of Beauty, but chase too far and you will die for it.
“Seldom has beauty come to men unpunished.”
The Odyssey by Homer
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
“And when the couple had enjoyed their lovemaking, they shared another pleasure—telling stories.”
Masterwork of translation. The introduction and translators note were both extremely insightful and helped me elucidate themes and symbols that I would not otherwise have been aware of. Additionally reminded me of the importance in considering this as a work of the oral tradition. It is not a novel, nor is it a written poem. It is a spoken performance. Full praise to Dr. Wilson for her craftsmanship and insight.
Masterwork of translation. The introduction and translators note were both extremely insightful and helped me elucidate themes and symbols that I would not otherwise have been aware of. Additionally reminded me of the importance in considering this as a work of the oral tradition. It is not a novel, nor is it a written poem. It is a spoken performance. Full praise to Dr. Wilson for her craftsmanship and insight.