Blindness by José SaramagoMy rating: 0 of 5 stars
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Friday, December 31, 2021
Friday, December 24, 2021
Monday, December 20, 2021
Friday, December 17, 2021
Review: The Beekeeper of Aleppo
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy LefteriMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Moving story of Syrian refugee whose experiences no doubt are not unique. It is perhaps because I knew it would be a moving series of losses that takes away some of the power of the story and in having the narrator telling the story in retrospect, thus knowing they survived, also lessens some of the impact of the story. Nonetheless, good book for anyone who resents refugees.
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Review: The Dogs
The Dogs by John HughesMy rating: 0 of 5 stars
A book full of quotable sentences I need to read it again. The parallel broken relationships over 3 generation, woven together through memoirs and imagination with the present. The struggle between morality, shame, deception and truth in every generation and every character, regret seems inevitable regardless of war or peace, prosperity or poverty. Life has gone to the dogs, forget about it!
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Sunday, December 12, 2021
Review: The Thief
The Thief by Fuminori NakamuraMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
It’s an intriguing story line about a professional pickpocket in Japan with an interesting side story on how a loner becomes tied down by a child. Throughout the story, memories of the thief’s past builds the character into a sad lonely person that is too scared to connect but pretends that he does not want to or need anyone. It’s a sad end but that is often how Japanese movies/ stories end.
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Monday, December 6, 2021
Friday, December 3, 2021
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Friday, October 22, 2021
Friday, September 24, 2021
Sunday, August 22, 2021
Friday, August 13, 2021
Review: The Truth About China: Propaganda, patriotism and the search for answers
The Truth About China: Propaganda, patriotism and the search for answers by Bill BirtlesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Good easy to read book. Nothing that I don't already know about what and how China controls the media so controls the population. With technological advance, using its economic power to silence foreign countries, China's power seems limitless. The brutality in its management of dissenting voices effectively silences any opposition - within and outside the country. It is worrying that people within the country are so completely shielded from opposing views, that they are developing true beliefs that other countries/ people / the west, are just picking on China, cementing the antiwest sentiment.
It is difficult to see how the situation can be changed. Quite frankly I do not see Australia to have any hope of standing up to the economic power China wields. The dark control of China seems inevitable to grow. I hope to find a book that provides some hope soon...
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Review: The Truth About China: Propaganda, patriotism and the search for answers
The Truth About China: Propaganda, patriotism and the search for answers by Bill BirtlesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Good easy to read book. Nothing that I don't already know about what and how China controls the media so controls the population. With technological advance, using its economic power to silence foreign countries, China's power seems limitless. The brutality in its management of dissenting voices effectively silences any opposition - within and outside the country. It is worrying that people within the country are so completely shielded from opposing views, that they are developing true beliefs that other countries/ people / the west, are just picking on China, cementing the antiwest sentiment.
It is difficult to see how the situation can be changed. Quite frankly I do not see Australia to have any hope of standing up to the economic power China wields. The dark control of China seems inevitable to grow. I hope to find a book that provides some hope soon...
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Monday, June 7, 2021
Friday, May 21, 2021
Sunday, May 9, 2021
Review: Klara and the Sun
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo IshiguroMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Thé story is sad. It paints a sad reflection of humanity. Whilst the love, the passion might be unique of human beings; we are also fleeting, changeable and selfish. The mother wanted Josie to continue for her self. Josie wanted Klara but dumps her for college, disregarding the total devotion Klara showed towards her. No relationship in the book stood the test of time except Klara’s devotion to Josie. And Klara is the inferior, created specie over the human creator?
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Saturday, May 8, 2021
Review: The Rosie Project
The Rosie Project by Graeme SimsionMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A heart warming endearing novel about the world from an autist point of view. We are all on the spectrum of self awareness and vary in the ability to empathise. It leads to examination of the way we communicate and how we try to quantify emotions and the quality of human emotions are just somehow beyond description and quantification. That is what makes me skeptical of artificial intelligence ever becoming human. Feelings are not calculable by algorithms and are so much more than just a mix of brain chemicals. Even a genius or a servant can’t quantify or qualify it.
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Sunday, May 2, 2021
Friday, April 30, 2021
Sunday, April 25, 2021
Review: A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing
A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie TuMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
As amiddleaged asian single woman brought up in a high achieving family, i should like this book. I understand it. I know it happens. But I did not like it. I felt the protagonist too superficial. I get that she is lonely and angry. But what else? I wondered about her sister - the sister is mentioned but not expanded on. I wondered how her wrist held up with the injuries and pain...so many aspects of her just glossed over...compared to other books about lonely women, like Eleanor Oliphant is absolutely fine, or my year of relaxing, I felt this fell off the mark.
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Thursday, April 22, 2021
Friday, April 16, 2021
Review: Smart Ovens for Lonely People
Smart Ovens for Lonely People by Elizabeth TanMy rating: 0 of 5 stars
The title intrigued me. Can't say that I liked the book much but the writing is fresh and new. It keeps you reading and wonder what's going on. Very contemporary themes - apps and online dating and selfies. Not sure I'd read other things by her but it's very easy to read. The stories are thought provoking about modern life but a little too strange for me.
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Thursday, April 8, 2021
Monday, March 22, 2021
Monday, March 15, 2021
Review: Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul GawandeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
As a psychiatrist for the elderly, I see everyday severely demented people being medicated, restrained in the name of safety. The only thing that matterrs in 'assisted living' facilities is profit. Doctors too scared to withdraw treatment because they fear they be sued for negligence. Enough to make one want to wish not to reach old age and certainly not to be sick and be old. I wish this book be mandatory reading for anyone involved in aged care.
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Review: Anxious People
Anxious People by Fredrik BackmanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a wonderful book. Twists and turns in the plot keeps you just wanting to read one more page. It’s absolutely contemporary with a quiet feminism running through the story. There are gems of wisdom that pierces through the facade of material to the fragile human condition - loneliness, need for love, fear and guilt. I’m going to read more of his books as I anticipate they will all be full of humour, warmth and wisdom again.
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Review: Everyman
Everyman by Philip RothMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Everyone dies alone. We all try to live like we will never die. We are all disappointed. I really didn't like the everyman because of his philandering. I get that it sort of symbolises the life in him but I think it is also the reason he is so alone. The inability to commit and be loyal means that no one will be committed to be there with you at your end.
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Review: The Undying
The Undying by Anne BoyerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is one of the most poignant, densely sad book I have ever read. Anne Boyer is so skilful in her description of pain. But there is NO soppiness, "oh poor me" sentiment in it. Perhaps the matter of fact manner she described her experience made it all the more poignant a sad indictment on capitalism and individualism in America - out of ICU straight to work, out of double mastectomy 3 days after and have to work, being offered reconstruction surgery but not be given adequate pain relief because reconstruction is a rebatable operation...I usually listen to books on Audible at 1.3 x normal speed but with this book, the metaphors, the analogies and richness of language, I listened to it at normal speed, several times, to savour and take in a poetic full calamity of capitalism, dying and modern science.
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Review: Milk Fed
Milk Fed by Melissa BroderMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoy the book but I felt it unnecessarily graphic in its description of the sexual attraction between Rachel and Miriam. I don’t think Rachel really loved Miriam for Miriam but rather craved her freedom around food.
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Review: Knots and Crosses
Knots and Crosses by Ian RankinMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Straight forward detective story with the detective being a now cliche divorced, alcoholic loner that’s Ex SAS. The killer was sort of a surprise but not that convincing. I found. Minotaur much more compelling read in the same genre.
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Review: Life After Life
Life After Life by Kate AtkinsonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
As clever as the idea of the story is, I just don’t find it compelling. I finished it without too much difficulty. But compared to other books I’ve read, the “sliding door” type scenario just doesn’t have the same power to propel me to keep reading. But the links between each scenario is skilful writing and planning
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Review: Minotaur
Minotaur by Peter GoldsworthyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first time I got into crime novels and it was a good introduction. I found the book compelling. Being a shrink and having worked with WorkCover I can say that the author demonstrated a deep understanding of the gaps in the system. I found the final show down a bit drawn out although I saw the point in the end. It certainly primed me for more of his writing. I thought the comparison of Siri with girlfriend was really quite clever. The girlfriend Willow, her behaviour at the end, quite #metoo.
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Review: Milkman
Milkman by Anna BurnsMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The main thing that struck me was the style the book was written. Long sentences with little punctuations which can make it hard to read. But it does resemble how thoughts occur in the mind, I think that’s what the author is trying to emulate. This is consistent with the way the main character thinks and narrates the story. The anonymity of all the characters including the narrator perhaps reflect the universality of the issues raised in the book. Even though you don’t get told directly, but you work out this is set in the times of Ireland’s troubles. To me, the theme of the book conveys the persistent paranoia of the times. It shows how insidiously violence creeps into daily life and how it shapes the people’s thinking and relationships.
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Review: The Weekend
The Weekend by Charlotte WoodMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Not the most cheering novel to read for Christmas. But a good one to remind myself my own mortality and force me to look closer at how I’d like to spend whatever is left of my life. 4 lifelong friends. 1 passed. The remaining 3 come together to clean her house. In coming together, crystallises the complicated strands of love, jealousy, lies and the ultimate truth, we are all Alone.
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Review: Milkman
Milkman by Anna BurnsMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The main thing that struck me was the style the book was written. Long sentences with little punctuations which can make it hard to read. But it does resemble how thoughts occur in the mind, I think that’s what the author is trying to emulate. This is consistent with the way the main character thinks and narrates the story. The anonymity of all the characters including the narrator perhaps reflect the universality of the issues raised in the book. Even though you don’t get told directly, but you work out this is set in the times of Ireland’s troubles. To me, the theme of the book conveys the persistent paranoia of the times. It shows how insidiously violence creeps into daily life and how it shapes the people’s thinking and relationships.
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