May's book list
Jun. 1st, 2014 09:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tallulahgsWhen not photographing every square inch of Japan, I have been reading books. Hurrah!
Title: Self-Made Man
Author: Norah Vincent
Summed up in one line: Woman discusses self as man to observe how the other half live, concludes being a dude isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Overall, I: had a lot of thoughts while reading this. It was interesting, and sometimes frustrating, and sometimes seemed over-simplified and sometimes hugely insightful, and sometimes slightly misogynistic, and sometimes very poignant, and sometimes a bit "What about the menz?" and sometimes, "No, really, what about them? Patriarchy's fucked up, guys." I kept coming across points or issues and being like "WE NEED TO HAVE MORE OF A DIALOGUE ABOUT THIS. US. SOCIETY. AS A WHOLE" and wished really the book was a blog because then you could have that :D
I did think sometimes she came down quite hard on women and gave men more of a free pass - or that she saw and understood the pressures the men she met were under, while was more dismissive of the women. Certainly the chapter where she dated women as a man was the weakest IMO and frustrating for me to read. However some of the others were brilliant and I thought she did do a good job of exploring a range of different masculine environments - and also talking honestly about what the whole experiment did to her head and its problematic aspects. And I do think overall it comes down on the side I come down on, which is, men actually have just as much pressure as women to behave and act in certain ways and punishment for transgressing can be just as strong, because PATRIARCHY'S FUCKED UP, GUYS.
And I will: be really sorry to miss the dialogue at book group - I'd love to hear what the gay guys think of this portrayal of masculinity and whether they feel any of it rings true for them.
Title: Death Note, Volume 3
Author: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
Summed up in one line: Cameras, tennis, entrance exams, and Soichiro Yagami driving a truck through the front of a building.
Overall, I: enjoyed this - as I would have expected to do ^^ - although I was kind of unfocused while reading it so it didn't really have much emotional impact on me this time. I still have much respect (you know, in an appalled way) for Misa's gambit and also find it interesting how she introduces a lot of the ideas of public opinion and not speaking out against Kira that show up later (and make DN so interesting for me). Also, the tennis match, the entrance exam and the ceremony speech are key Raito-L moments and a lot of fun to read :D
And I will: continue to reread the series, here and there.
Title: Affinity
Author: Sarah Waters
Summed up in one line: Prison visiting does not go well for anyone involved.
Overall, I: found this an enjoyable, spooky read - and a really good historical novel in that it told me a lot about particular areas/aspects of the time in question that I didn't know about (in this case, Victorian prisons and spiritualism). It was really evocative about both and captured the atmosphere of the surroundings really well. The plot was also intriguing and poignant, and I didn't see any of the different aspects of it coming - always pleasing!
And I will: keep reading books by SW. Pretty much everything I've read so far I've enjoyed more than Tipping the Velvet, and even that was quite good.
Title: The Circle
Author: David Eggers
Summed up in one line: Even reviewing this on social media feels horrific.
Overall, I: found this pretty terrifying in an oh-so-realistic way! One of the reviews described it was "a Brave New World for our brave new world" and I would say that's very accurate - it really nails the kind of dystopia a lot of this social media/tech/Internet stuff could lead to without (usually) just resorting to "oh, Facebook's so inane" bashing. It was really good on giving a sense of constant pressure and information and social networking, and pinpointing a lot of the human needs and drives that show up on social media (and then taking them to a logical but horrific extreme). Like the original Brave New World, it was more social satire/general exploration of a dystopia than a story about the characters; though I found them realistic and well-drawn, there was a lot more focus on the new horrors of the world rather than their development and change. That was okay, though, it worked for this type of book, and I did like that the main character was female and her best friend was just as important to the plot as the romance interests.
And I will: try not to freak out too much now about having a Facebook account.
Title: Fiesta
Author: Kate Cann
Summed up in one line: A Spanish holiday romance.
Overall, I: didn't like this as much as Footloose, mainly because it was more of a straightforward romance and also I don't really like the love triangle trope that was in evidence here. (It wasn't a badly-written example, I just generally don't like love triangles.) However, it was still a really vivid setting and the story had good, positive messages, and I did again enjoy the self-actualisation-through-travel aspect. I also enjoyed (in an "argh" way) the horribleness of the best-friend's-boyfriend character presented here. I wanted to punch him in the face, which I think was exactly what was intended :D Lastly, it was also a really good book to read when preparing for an intimidating holiday, because it's very much about becoming comfortable in another culture and asserting your need to travel and experience things in a way that suits you.
And I will: keep an eye out for more books by this author - I think she's really good.
Title: Alex As Well
Author: Alyssa Brugman
Summed up in one line: You have gender issues and everyone's out to get you.
Overall, I: found this interesting but sad. It's an easy read and it feels very simply presented (in a good way) and accessible - I thought the portrayal of the main character's attitude to her gender and body was really good - but it sucks that a lot of the people around her are so horrible. Mostly it seems plausible that they are, but I was glad I was alternating it with another book because I was constantly like "THIS WON'T END WELL D:" and wanting to avoid the inevitable awfulness. I kind of wished that the mother hadn't been quite as screwed up as she was, as it made it harder to engage with the character - on the other hand the author clearly meant her to be that screwed up, and it was acknowledged in-text.
And I will: be curious to see how it was received at book group.
Title: Self-Made Man
Author: Norah Vincent
Summed up in one line: Woman discusses self as man to observe how the other half live, concludes being a dude isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Overall, I: had a lot of thoughts while reading this. It was interesting, and sometimes frustrating, and sometimes seemed over-simplified and sometimes hugely insightful, and sometimes slightly misogynistic, and sometimes very poignant, and sometimes a bit "What about the menz?" and sometimes, "No, really, what about them? Patriarchy's fucked up, guys." I kept coming across points or issues and being like "WE NEED TO HAVE MORE OF A DIALOGUE ABOUT THIS. US. SOCIETY. AS A WHOLE" and wished really the book was a blog because then you could have that :D
I did think sometimes she came down quite hard on women and gave men more of a free pass - or that she saw and understood the pressures the men she met were under, while was more dismissive of the women. Certainly the chapter where she dated women as a man was the weakest IMO and frustrating for me to read. However some of the others were brilliant and I thought she did do a good job of exploring a range of different masculine environments - and also talking honestly about what the whole experiment did to her head and its problematic aspects. And I do think overall it comes down on the side I come down on, which is, men actually have just as much pressure as women to behave and act in certain ways and punishment for transgressing can be just as strong, because PATRIARCHY'S FUCKED UP, GUYS.
And I will: be really sorry to miss the dialogue at book group - I'd love to hear what the gay guys think of this portrayal of masculinity and whether they feel any of it rings true for them.
Title: Death Note, Volume 3
Author: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
Summed up in one line: Cameras, tennis, entrance exams, and Soichiro Yagami driving a truck through the front of a building.
Overall, I: enjoyed this - as I would have expected to do ^^ - although I was kind of unfocused while reading it so it didn't really have much emotional impact on me this time. I still have much respect (you know, in an appalled way) for Misa's gambit and also find it interesting how she introduces a lot of the ideas of public opinion and not speaking out against Kira that show up later (and make DN so interesting for me). Also, the tennis match, the entrance exam and the ceremony speech are key Raito-L moments and a lot of fun to read :D
And I will: continue to reread the series, here and there.
Title: Affinity
Author: Sarah Waters
Summed up in one line: Prison visiting does not go well for anyone involved.
Overall, I: found this an enjoyable, spooky read - and a really good historical novel in that it told me a lot about particular areas/aspects of the time in question that I didn't know about (in this case, Victorian prisons and spiritualism). It was really evocative about both and captured the atmosphere of the surroundings really well. The plot was also intriguing and poignant, and I didn't see any of the different aspects of it coming - always pleasing!
And I will: keep reading books by SW. Pretty much everything I've read so far I've enjoyed more than Tipping the Velvet, and even that was quite good.
Title: The Circle
Author: David Eggers
Summed up in one line: Even reviewing this on social media feels horrific.
Overall, I: found this pretty terrifying in an oh-so-realistic way! One of the reviews described it was "a Brave New World for our brave new world" and I would say that's very accurate - it really nails the kind of dystopia a lot of this social media/tech/Internet stuff could lead to without (usually) just resorting to "oh, Facebook's so inane" bashing. It was really good on giving a sense of constant pressure and information and social networking, and pinpointing a lot of the human needs and drives that show up on social media (and then taking them to a logical but horrific extreme). Like the original Brave New World, it was more social satire/general exploration of a dystopia than a story about the characters; though I found them realistic and well-drawn, there was a lot more focus on the new horrors of the world rather than their development and change. That was okay, though, it worked for this type of book, and I did like that the main character was female and her best friend was just as important to the plot as the romance interests.
And I will: try not to freak out too much now about having a Facebook account.
Title: Fiesta
Author: Kate Cann
Summed up in one line: A Spanish holiday romance.
Overall, I: didn't like this as much as Footloose, mainly because it was more of a straightforward romance and also I don't really like the love triangle trope that was in evidence here. (It wasn't a badly-written example, I just generally don't like love triangles.) However, it was still a really vivid setting and the story had good, positive messages, and I did again enjoy the self-actualisation-through-travel aspect. I also enjoyed (in an "argh" way) the horribleness of the best-friend's-boyfriend character presented here. I wanted to punch him in the face, which I think was exactly what was intended :D Lastly, it was also a really good book to read when preparing for an intimidating holiday, because it's very much about becoming comfortable in another culture and asserting your need to travel and experience things in a way that suits you.
And I will: keep an eye out for more books by this author - I think she's really good.
Title: Alex As Well
Author: Alyssa Brugman
Summed up in one line: You have gender issues and everyone's out to get you.
Overall, I: found this interesting but sad. It's an easy read and it feels very simply presented (in a good way) and accessible - I thought the portrayal of the main character's attitude to her gender and body was really good - but it sucks that a lot of the people around her are so horrible. Mostly it seems plausible that they are, but I was glad I was alternating it with another book because I was constantly like "THIS WON'T END WELL D:" and wanting to avoid the inevitable awfulness. I kind of wished that the mother hadn't been quite as screwed up as she was, as it made it harder to engage with the character - on the other hand the author clearly meant her to be that screwed up, and it was acknowledged in-text.
And I will: be curious to see how it was received at book group.
