[REVIEW] Bitch Planet

Bitch Planet, Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 1 was just enough to get a glimpse of a word where women must be compliant, otherwise they are sent out to a facility where they are supposed to be re-educated... but actually never leave.
First time I heard about the Bitch Planet was from a feminist reader I admire who had a non-compliant tattoo. I fell in love with the book without even looking at its cover ahahah and here I am now, enjoying this brutal story. Looking forward for what follows <3
Non-Compliant forever!

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[REVIEW] The Wisdom of Wolves

The Wisdom of Wolves: How Wolves Can Teach Us To Be More Human by Elli H. Radinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, I am completely biased in this review for 2 reasons: 1) I am fascinated by wild animals, but I have a soft spot for wolves (and horses); 2) every book about conservationism is for me of utmost importance.
You should pick up this book if you love wolves, to understand more about the species and their behavior, also to understand more why they are vilified by farmers, shepherds and other communities, if you want to learn what to do in case you find yourself facing a wolf (that´s a privilege, by the way!).
5 stars for this book because of the passion with which it is written, but also because after 200-something pages reading about wolves I started wondering if it would be possible to visit Yellowstone to try to see them and, hey!, there are tips at the end of the book even on where to stay (accommodation), behavior in the park and even recommended guides if you are not experienced to go into the park alone!!
Loved it!

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[REVIEW] Digital Minimalism

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had already read somewhere that Social Media was not making people happier or smarter, but watching The Social Dilema on Netflix was still shocking...
That's what motivated me to read this book and the introduction of the book is very familiar to the Netflix documentary.
The big (and good) difference, is that this book gives us techniques to stay way from the ("evil") apps and also to replace the doom-scroll time by meaningful activities.
What amazed me the most was the benefits of solitude - I made fun of myself so many times for being "anti-social" and trying to avoid people, in particular when I needed to think. I always had a journal since I was a kid and never understood why in tough moments in life, I immediately turn to writing. Or crafting, painting mandalas, making paper flowers. All these actions calm me down but I never had read an explanation for this before, so it was very insightful!
The last part of the book describes several techniques to incorporate technology in life, while paying attention to the time spent using these technologies, and they all make sense.
We should control technology, not the other way around.
If you have social media apps installed in your phone, you should read this book.

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[REVIEW] T-Rex Trying

T-Rex Trying by Hugh Murphy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is so good! So appropriate for T-Rex lovers <3

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National Book Awards 2020

Os vencedores do National Book Awards foram anunciados no passado dia 18 de Novembro. Vejam a lista abaixo:

Não-Ficção: “The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X” escrito por Les Payne e Tamara Payne Ficção: “Interior Chinatown” escrito por Charles Yu Poesia: “DMZ Colony” escrito por Don Mee Choi Literatura Traduzida: “Tokyo Ueno Station” escrito pory Yu Miri e Morgan Giles Literatura Jovem: “King and the Dragonflies” escrito por Kacen Callender A cerimónia foi gravada e podem assistir ao vídeo clicando aqui. Estou muito tentada a comprar o do Malcom X...

The Booker Prize 2020

Aí está ele, finalmente, o principal prémio literário no mundo da língua inglesa, que há mais de 50 anos traz reconhecimento, recompensa e leitores à ficção.
O Booker é concedido anualmente ao melhor romance do ano escrito em inglês e publicado no Reino Unido ou Irlanda.
Em 2020, ano de pandemia, o Booker foi adiado cerca de um mês, mas finalmente temos o vencedor, o escritor escocês Douglas Stuart e "Shuggie Bain" é o seu primeiro livro!

[REVIEW] My name is Lucy Barton

My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

not for me...
I understand that the author needed to capture the difficult relationship between mother and daughter somehow, but I felt I just spent 50% of the audiobook hearing them talking about other people´s lives and that is something that bores me to death, also in real life...
Maybe it was the audio?
Maybe hearing a grown up mother asking "mommy, do you you love me" over and over again is just not for me...
Maybe if I would know more about the father or the brother would make me feel more connected to the story...?
well, main conclusion --> not for me.

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[REVIEW] Transcendence

Transcendence by Shay Savage
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this book in 1 go and I wouldn’t be able to take a full day of Beh and Ehd if I hadn’t liked it this much...
The beginning is hilarious when Ehd is complaining about the mouth noises the woman does!! It’s nice to see how their relationship develops, super steamy pages, but the way Lah goes and comes (I cannot say more without spoiling it) made the book lose 1 star, so I am giving it 3 stars.
Very entertaining for a rainy Sunday, if you are up to a little romance.

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[REVIEW] Born a crime

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am giving 5* to this audiobook, narrated by Trevor Noah himself.
I got a bit lost a few times with the timelines and his age in the different chapters, but i got used to it quite fast.
His memories and the way he talks about them are very compelling, very funny at times, but also shocking, sad, outrageous...
Finally, what a good way to write a love letter to your mom <3 maybe I get my inspiration from this memoir...
Now I will try to convince my husband to listen to it! Wish me luck!

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[REVIEW] Your money or your life

Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the book and I understand now its huge success. It´s an exercise that you need to be willing to do (it´s a lot of work) but it gives you so much clarity and makes you feel accountable for your choices.
Life is not happening to you, you are in charge.
It gives a lot of alternatives and examples of people who managed to find and accept their "enough" --> how much is enough for you?
I also gives a glimpse that there is more to life than this and the "more" can be defined by us (if we are willing to do the work).
The writing is very simple, for a non-native it´s fine & understandable, but I can imagine natives cringing at some points.

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[REVIEW] The Lessons of History

The Lessons of History by Ariel Durant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I was 10-16 y.o. I hated History as a subject --> positive side: it helped me realize I absolutely wanted to practice an exact science.
Now, getting closer to my 40s and watching (what the hell is wrong in) the world, I am more and more curious about this subject.
Sapiens came and I had to give in a little "ok, this is actually interesting..." so I decided to give this book a try, recommended to me by readers whose brain I respect... And the first chapter grabbed me: "History is a laboratory where hundreds of thousands of experiments were made". How come no one has ever told me this before?!
I really enjoyed reading it, but some parts I had to take with a pinch of salt: this book is old and Will Durant has very strong opinions about subjects that today I find sexist, racist, etc... but that didn´t stop me from reading and reflecting why I do not agree with him -- it was a great exercise and I will definitely re-read it!

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[REVIEW] On the come up

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this YA book: we meet a teenager who wants to be a raper and bad-ass just like her father, without really understanding the consequences just because she´s naïve... or should I say, just a teenager...
The family struggles a lot, mainly because of prejudice, which is nice to see through the eyes of the teen and how she feels responsible for "saving" her family at 16 y.o..
I am in a phase where YA books need to be read with care and in very slow doses, otherwise I spend the whole time rolling my eyes... I tend to forget how teenagers are really dumb, just like I was!

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Prémios Nobel 2020

Estamos em época de prémios Nobel e este ano não podia deixar de expressar a minha satifação ao ver que o Prémio Nobel da Química foi atribuído a duas mulheres cientistas (Emmanuelle Charpentier e Jennifer A. Doudna) pelo desenvolvimento de um método para editar DNA de forma precisa, com a técnica CRISPR/Cas9.

Emmanuelle Charpentier	Jennifer A. Doudna

Como sempre, atribuir um prémio deste dimensão a mulheres atrai sempre alguma forma de controversia, com alguns opositores a defender que o prémio devia ter sido atribuído ao inventor da técnica (um homem, pois claro).

Vamos agora salientar o Prémio Nobel da Literatura, atribuído à poetisa americana Louise Glück, “for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal”

--> traduzir esta frase seria um insulto, já que eu não conseguiria fazer justiça às palavras escolhidas para descrever o trabalho da poetisa.

Louise Glück

Mais um nome para adicionar à lista!

Ou me reformo aos 40, ou não vou conseguir ler tudo o que tenho na minha lista TBR (to-be-read)...

FONTE: The Nobel Prize in Literature 2020. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media AB 2021. Fri. 9 Oct 202o.

[REVIEW] Life After Life

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was hard to get connected to the story and with this family, the first 150 pages were a bit of a sacrifice... maybe because the structure is so different from what I normally read — which is a good thing in the end, do we really want to read the same kind of book over and over again?
I liked it, I am even interested in Todd family book nr 2, but i didn’t love it. Todd’s love for dogs was very cute, Ursula conclusion that missing motherhood means life has no purpose was just boring.
My favorite part was when she made a plan to change the world and kill the Fuhrer... I bet I would have given 5* to the book if 60% of it was about that Ursula :-) what can I say, I am such a fan of badass heroines <3

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Finalmente, Obama!

A publicação do próximo livro de Barack Obama está macada para o dia 17 de Novembro!
FI...NAL...MEN...TE
Só estou à espera deste livro há 2 anos...

Hoje quase que tive um ataque quando finalmente vi uma data, um título!! Yay!

[REVIEW] Fangs

Fangs by Sarah Andersen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read in one sitting, I find myself revisiting it very often. A good laugh too!

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[REVIEW] Insatiable: Porn - A Love Story

Insatiable: Porn - A Love Story by Asa Akira
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have been trying to educate myself in feminism and racial justice, and I feel that I am becoming more and more tolerant to different choices (there is still a long way to go, though).
Porn is a topic of "disagreement" between many different feminist points of view and I don't have yet an opinion about it, to be honest. I also don't feel very entitled to have an opinion about a reality I simply don't know, so when this book was part of a Kindle's e-deals, I immediately took it.
If my intentions were to clarify my stand about porn, forget about it, I am even more confused!
About Asa, well she's a badass: writing so openly about sex and the industry in today's context/society means self-acceptance, courage... For me there is a long way to go, but I'll keep learning!

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[REVIEW] Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness

Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I start getting interested in the definition of consciousness and the complexity of the brain, reading about octopuses is the starting point, right?
As a vegetarian, it´s been at least 20 years since the last time I hate octopus, which I don´t regret at all. I didn´t know they like/dislike people, I also didn't know they use tools and were so intelligent --> which means that my next reads need to include the book "Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are?" by Frans de Waal...


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[REVIEW] The Five

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this audiobook while assembling my new bookshelves, so it was a very introspective process.
It was important for me to learn about these women´s lives to understand how life was difficult for women back in Victorian times. The book sounds very well researched and the author is cautious to use words like "likely" and "probably" when making assumptions about their decisions.
The author is absolutely right when she suggests us - as a society - to stop idolizing the murderer and remember the victims... I think this kind of maturity has still a long way to go in today´s mentalities.

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[REVIEW] Sing, unburied, sing

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

High expectations are always a bad thing. I wanted this book to be a 5* and that's probably what ruined my rating... not ruined, it's a very solid 4*, but not more than that -- for me, of course.
I loved the writing, I loved the touch of magical realism, I cared for Jojo and Kayla from the first pages...
It described perfectly the troubles of a struggling family without ever telling too much... a mother with an addiction, the kids' feelings for their absent mom and dad, disease... the amount of magic was enough until the last chapters: when it started to sound more like exorcism, and everyone was "gifted" to see dead people, the book lost me a bit... solid 4*, but not 5.
In the end, I feel the author made an effort to remind the readers of the ones who suffered horrible deaths and should be always remembered and acknowledged, never forgotten. I liked that!

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[REVIEW] Upstream

Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So, it´s time to say goodbye to this collection…
I have been reading and re-reading it and never wanting to stop… Jumping from page 56, to 21, to 110, to 5 … It was like that for more than 2 years...
The only solution I found was to buy other Mary Oliver´s books (2) in the meanwhile, so I could have (2) reasons to take this one away from my night stand. And so I did, I finished it.
I enjoyed all her reflections, although as a vegetarian I struggled a bit while reading about eating turtle eggs… The chapter about Whitman was not so simple, I took my time and probably need to revisit it a few more times before fully understand it --> it´s poetry in a language different than my native one, after all…
But it´s beautiful! It´s peaceful, it highlighted beauty in birds, dogs, wind, trees… it made me love just the fact I am alive…


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[REVIEW] On Immunity

On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Imagine you are a scientist (like me) and you read a book about vaccination written by a poet (like Eula Biss)... Now imagine you would stop several times along the book reading to think "How come I cannot write science like this?"
Can you imagine how I am feeling right now?

Well, I have to be honest, the book is not about science only, it explores a lot of scientific concepts, but it´s essentially an exploration of the vaccination subject: the origin of the word, the concept of strange bodies entering our body, conscientious objectors, individualism, public health, pollution & contamination...
I did not feel influenced by the writing or by the author´s opinion, but I have to be honest, my opinion on this subject is too strong to be influenced by anyone... so you might feel differently while you are reading it.
Nevertheless, the language is so rich, and the book travels so far and visits so many new places, you should give it a chance!

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escrever

Tive 1 semana de férias em tempo de COVID e andei satisfeita por estar em férias e triste por andar pela vizinhança e não poder aspirar a outras paragens...
Depois comecei a fazer contas. Não há nada pior do que pegar numa folha de excel e fazer contas... contas à vida!
Contei e apontei os lugares que quero visitar. Contei as horas de trabalho por semana, e as horas de lazer. Contei anos de vida. E contei os anos que me separam de uma coisa que eu gostava muito de fazer e já não faço. A "coisa" é escrever e passaram-se 15 anos.
São 15 anos de novas rotinas, novos hobbies e responsabilidades. É quase uma nova vida! Será que vale a pena sequer tentar?

[REVIEW] A little history of philosophy

A Little History of Philosophy by Nigel Warburton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a scientist and never really managed to like philosophy until very recently (when my interest for neurology touched philosophy). And this was exactly what I needed. It gave me a short summary of all "famous" philosophers and managed to connect them along the way. Super accessible!

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Black Lives Matter

[REVIEW] The Complete MAUS

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book doesn't need introductions. It also doesn't need any review from me: it's one of the highest rated books on Goodreads, it won the Pulitzer prize... I mean, do you really need an excuse to read this?
But here is what I would like to share with you: read this, and read more. You might fall in love with reading, if you're not already there. Some experts suggest we are already forgetting that the Holocaust really happened, some schools would like to remove the subject from history books becasue it's not appropriate to children...
Please, read this, share it with your friends and family and make sure Humanity willl never forget one of the darkest episodes of its History.

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[REVIEW] "After the crash"

After the Crash by Michel Bussi
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

What a disaster... I should have DNF-ed this book around page 100 or 150, when the writing became annoying... not sure if the problem was the author or the translator, but annoying nevertheless...
I don’t like when narrators give clues, click bite style, and then say “but I am greeting ahead of myself” or “but you will see what I mean”... the story was not motivating me at all, I had no sympathy by any of the characters, so those clues felt like a desperate way to keep me reading.
I also did not like as women were portrayed in general: good characters are beautiful and a body like a model (or big boobs!), bad characters a ugly and the body is weirdly developed, bitchy characters don’t want kids... [rolling my eyes]
Than, so many shots fired but no ones calls the police! A very noisy-gossipy neighbour knows all the cars parked in his block but did not hear the gunshot... oh, for Christ sake... what a waste of time...

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O que se passou com o International Booker Prize?

Subscrevo o calendário NYT Books e o anúncio do vencedor do International Booker estava previsto para dia 19 de Maio... mas nada! Depois descobri: tudo adiado por causa do corona! Gaby Wood, the foundation’s literary director, said: "After careful consideration, we’ve decided on this course of action to ensure that the shortlist, and ultimately the winner, can be celebrated at a time when readership of these exceptional novels is made easier for everyone." https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/apr/20/international-booker-prize-postponed-coronavirus

[REVIEW] "The moment of lift"

The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to confess, I was a bit worried that Melinda was going to advise me to sit at the table, not be afraid to negotiate my salary and all that crap that rich people advise others to do...
But this was surprisingly interesting! I found out we share the idea that education is the key for basically everything, overcoming poverty, family planning, freedom from absurd traditions...
I had tears in my eyes a few times, in particular the genital cutting part (21st century and we are still doing it...) so I was happy to listen to it and learn from it.

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[REVIEW] "My dark Vanessa"

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can’t believe this is a debut novel...
I listened to this on audio and Grace Gummer did an amazing job acting/reading as Vanessa, but I am pretty sure this is also amazing on paper.
I was so confused by this relationship, this obsession. At 20% I was like “is this a love story after all?” But than I saw it, i witnessed through Vanessa’s description that her interpretation was completely distorted, and the cringy parts are even worse than I imagined because the context is so well built that I was able to see her absolutely alone, vulnerable, a prey... Strane a predator, manipulative and powerful...
I am looking forward to Kate’s next book!
PS - dogs are indeed the best therapy <3 br="">

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[REVIEW] This is going to hurt

This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's really a pity that NHS in the UK is quite similar to the Portuguese equivalent. Doctors work indeed too many hours while having people lives in their hands and being disrespected by the system... there are a few relevant differences, however... while Adam Kay seemed quite humble, I have the perception that my home country's doctors feel a bit above the law and above God. --> this is not a topic to discuss here, of course (maybe I should write a book about it) but after reading this book I started to wonder if this "God complex" isn't but a coping mecanism for the pressure and sometimes failure (with terrible consequences) they face...
Anyway, it was a good laugh and much appreciated in these social-distancing times! I can't decide between 4* or 5* for this one. I really liked it, but it was not .... amazing or life changing... Let's keep it at 4* for now!

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[REVIEW] The Power

The Power by Naomi Alderman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved it! I was in the right place in life and time to read it and enjoy it, 5* is the rating I give to books I normally buy extra copies to distribute around, and this is definitely one of them...
The story itself shows how power is the tool to corruption, you see a shift in evolution, in "power" roles, beliefs and religions, the pain and failure of it all... Basically, what I call the little fish (the dreamers) and the sharks (the ones who take advantage) of a revolution!
But the 5* is so very related to the last pages of the book, the letters between Naomi and Neil, where Naomi feels "instinctively [...] that a world run by men would be more kind, more gentle, more loving and naturally nurturing"... these letters as a conclusion of the book are so amazingly rich, the parallels drawn are so unthinkable, I cannot stop thinking about it... Naomi was indeed genious here, in my opinion!

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Women's Prize for Fiction: finalistas anunciados!

Ora aqui estão os finalistas do Women's Prize for Fiction, anunciados ontem:

Estou muito curiosa acerca do "Girl, Woman, Other" e do "Hamnet" mas confesso que os restantes não puxam... O vencedor será anunciado em Junho, se o Corona não interferir!

[REVIEW] The Brain

The Brain: The Story of You by David Eagleman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Such a good read!! (Audio, actually)
I am currently finding myself more and more interested in themes such as consciousness, artificial intelligence and meaning, so this book was a good introduction to all that!
I am reading Sapiens in parallel, so the combination of both made me think I was somehow in the middle of "the Matrix" script discussion...
The audio is read by the author, which I always find cute, it's almost like you meet (part of) him :-)


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International Booker Prize - a "lista-curta"

Ahahahahahah
Adoro estas traduções literais!! Lista-curta!!

Bem, mas é verdade, foram divulgados os finalistas do prémio Booker Internacional que premeia não só os autores dos livros traduzidos & (claro) publicados no Reino Unido, como também os tradutores!
Para quem nunca pensou nisso, como eu antes de ouvir falar no Booker Internacional, os tradutores que são peça fundamental na forma como o leitor interpreta a história na sua lingua mãe, que não é necessáriamente a língua mãe do autor... Eu sei que isto parece evidente, mas não nos podemos esquecer que há um país liderado por um tipo de pele laranja e cabelo loiro que gosta de agarrar as mulheres pela "pussy" e que acha que não há outro idioma no mundo que não seja o deles...

Ora então aqui estão os finalistas, com um link para a página deles no Goodreads (e a pontuação no momento da publicação deste post - dentro de parentesis):

a) The Enlightenment of The Greengage Tree de Shokoofeh Azar (Farsi – Irão), o(a) tradutor(a) é anónimo(a). Este livro passa-se em 1979, durante a Revolução Islãmica no Irão [3.77*]

b) The Adventures of China Iron de Gabriela Cabezón Cámara (Espanhol – Argentina), traduzido por Iona Macintyre e Fiona Mackintosh [4.14*]

c) Tyll de Daniel Kehlmann (Alemão – Alemanha), traduzido por Ross Benjamin [4.04*]

d) Hurricane Season de Fernanda Melchor (Espanhol – México), traduzido por Sophie Hughes [4.29*]

e) The Memory Police de Yoko Ogawa (Japonês – Japão), traduzido por Stephen Snyder [3.78*]

f) The Discomfort of Evening de Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (Holandês – Países Baixos), traduzido por Michele Hutchison [3.39*]

Já repararam que entre eles está um livro de uma escritora holandesa? speaks to my heart!
Pena que seja o que tem a pontuação mais baixa... :-(
Resta saber para quando a tradução em Português... Se é que alguma vez estes livros vão ser traduzidos em Portugal...

A nossa massa cinzenta

Tenho por hábito ler 1 livro físico/e-book ao mesmo tempo que um audiobook. E normalmente, um dos livros é ficção e o outro é não-ficção, para poder alternar os temas e "descansar". Mas às vezes acontece e calham os dois do mesmo tipo.
Hoje dei por mim a ler o "Sapiens" do Yuval Noah Harari e a ouvir o "The Brain" do David Eagleman... e não consigo deixar de pensar como estes dois assuntos ao mesmo tempo me transportaram para o filme "The Matrix"!! Aqui está o parágrafo escrito pelo Eagleman que me causou o déjà-vu:

“What if I told you that the world around you, with its rich colors, textures, sounds, and scents is an illusion, a show put on for you by your brain? If you could perceive reality as it is, you would be shocked by its colorless, odorless, tasteless silence. Outside your brain, there is just energy and matter.”

Holy crap...

Quarentena, week 2

O meu desafio na semana passada foi "marcar uma hora por dia na minha agenda para ler".
Se o desafio era marcar na agenda, eu marquei, por isso posso considerar um sucesso.
Se o desafio era afinal ler durante essa hora, então ... falhei!...

Mais sobre isso daqui a uns dias, estou a meio de uma experiência social comigo mesma...

[REVIEW] Chanson Douce

Chanson douce by Leïla Slimani
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I heard Leila Slimani’s interview to the New York Times Book Review podcast and now I understand... she said many people didn’t like her book because she didn’t conclude, we are not told whose fault is this, why does the nanny freak out one day, should the parents be blamed...?
This 4 star rating is absolutely biased by that interview, because without it I would have given this book 3*...
Indeed, she does not conclude. Does she have to?
How many parents are in the same situation as Paul and Myriam, juggling the balance between work and family?
Is it really bad to have a baby-sitters?
Can we have it all?


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[REVIEW] One of Us

One of Us: The Story of a Massacre in Norway - and Its Aftermath by Åsne Seierstad
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this (audio)book very well researched, the recreations are based on reports, interviews, testimonies, so despite being a work of non-fiction it reads (unfortunately) like a thriller.
It’s devastating... you know the ending, so you see it build up, Breivik becoming more and more self-centered, fanatic... and the shooting part, it’s like you’re there, trying to escape... knowing it really happened to those kids makes it 100x harder to listen to...
I highly recommend it!

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Quarentena, week 1

Depois de uma semana a trabalhar a partir de casa, decidi ir dar uma vista de olhos na vida dos outros leitores nas redes sociais --> quer-me parecer que anda tudo entretido com mais livros e desafios de leitura (ou maratonas)!!
Curiosamente, por aqui é o oposto! Durante esta semana percebi que o mais difícil para mim é manter a rotina da leitura... Se é mais fácil p'rós outros, alguém me explica por favor como é que eu consigo estas proezas de ir contra a maré?
Teoricamente tenho mais tempo:
- o tempo de viagem para o ginásio já não existe, fazemos as nossas aulas por skype...
- poupo os 40 minutos de bike para o trabalho, ida e volta dá 1h20 (! yikes!)

Então comecei a prestar atenção aos meus dias. E em vez de começar às 9h começo às 8h30... ou 8h. O meu telefone está constantemente a tocar, o subtituto da malta que aparecia perto da secretária "só com uma perguntinha". Há também um novo projecto no horizonte, que significa que o volume de trabalho aumentou realmente, não é só producto da minha falta de disciplina :-)

Outra coisa engraçada é que o meu "commuting" de 40 minutos é o grande responsável pela minha adoração por audiobooks... que somam, sem sombra de dúvida, a maior parte dos livros que leio (ou ouço, neste caso). Sem "commuting", e sem grande esforço da minha parte, a probabilidade de falhar no meu desafio de ler 30 livros em 2020 começa a sentir-se bastante alta...

Plano de acção para Quarentena, week 2: adicionar na minha agenda 1h para "leitura". E vamos lá ver no que isto dá!

What is your reading personality?

Porque um quiz de vez em quando não faz mal a ninguém, aqui está um que nos indica a nossa personalidade de leitura:
https://modernmrsdarcy.com/quiz/

A vocês calhou-vos qual?

A mim calhou-me a personalidade Exploradora ("The Explorer"):

O Explorador sabe que um leitor vive mil vidas. Esse tipo de personalidade gosta de experimentar um mundo de possibilidades e concorda firmemente que a leitura gera empatia. Os exploradores pensam sobre o que vão ler a seguir. É provável que recebam as suas recomendações de leitura de outros leitores seus conhecidos, de outros viajantes, a partir dos assuntos do dia ou das suas próprias pesquisas.

The Explorer knows that a reader lives a thousand lives. This type enjoys experiencing a world of possibilities and firmly agrees that reading builds empathy. Explorers are thoughtful about what they read next. They are likely to get their book recommendations from their fellow readers and sometimes fellow travelers, the issues of the day, and their own research.

[REVIEW] The Last Girl

The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State by Nadia Murad
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book reveals such a painful reality... I have no idea what it’s like to live in war, I know nothing about captivity. I am free and privileged, I chose to study abroad and to work in another country, I lost some of my family and friends to accidents or just old age...
This book is such a punch in the gut, all these horrible horrible things happened in the 21st century!!! How?
It’s also a wake up call for passivity... if you see someone being beaten in the street would you ignore it?

View all my reviews

Women’s Prize for Fiction

Esta semana a lista dos 16 seleccionados para o prémio literário Women’s Prize for Fiction foi anunciada. Este é sem dúvida o meu prémio literário favorito, aquele que eu sigo com mais atenção!


Aqui está a lista completa dos primeiros 16 a serem seleccionados:

·         Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara

·         Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

·         Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

·         Dominicana by Angie Cruz

·         Actress by Anne Enright

·         Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

·         Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie

·         A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

·         How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee

·         The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

·         The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

·         Girl by Edna O’ Brien

·         Hamnet by Maggie O’ Farrell

·         Weather by Jenny Offill

·         The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

·         Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Dos 16, apenas pus 6 na lista de livros que gostaria de ler (marcados aqui a vermelho)… Parece que estou a ficar muito selectiva com as minhas escolhas de leitura... com cerca de 130 livros por ler em casa, mais uns 80 na biblioteca municipal identificados como “livros para ler ASAP” sobram-me poucos argumentos para comprar livros novos e publicados há menos de 1 ano...

Desafio “Read Harder” para 2020

O Book Riot organiza há 6 anos um desafio anual chamado “ReadHarder” com 24 tarefas para dar novas ideias de leituras/livros a pessoas que querem ler de forma mais ampla ou simplesmente sair da sua zona de conforto.

Apesar de dar imenso trabalho, às vezes faz bem analisar as nossas leituras e perceber se a maioria dos autores que lemos são de um determinado país, de um determinado género, se só lemos ficção ou se só lemos não ficção… etc. 

Ler amplamente significa encontrar novas ideias ou perspectivas em livros inesperados, significa que vamos ter mais ferramentas para compreender um assunto complexo porque o examinamos de vários ângulos ou recorrendo a diferentes abordagens.

Para 2020, o Book Riot sugere 24 “tarefas”. 

Mais um desafio a juntar aos anteriores ahahahah – isto já não é realista de todo…

#1 - Lê um livro de não-ficção do género Young Adult

#2 - Lê uma adaptação de um clássico / conto de fadas / mito por um autor de cor

#3 - Lê um mistério em que as vítimas não são mulheres

#4 - Lê um livro de memórias gráfico

#5 - Lê um livro sobre um desastre natural

#6 - Lê uma peça de um autor de cor e / ou autor queer

#7 - Lê um romance de ficção histórica que não se passa na Segunda Guerra Mundial

#8 - Lê um áudio-livro de poesia

#9 - Lê o ÚLTIMO livro de uma série

#10 - Lê um livro cuja acção se passa num ambiente rural

#11 - Lê um livro de estreia de um autor queer

#12 - Lê um livro de memórias de alguém de uma tradição religiosa (ou falta de tradição religiosa) que não seja a tua

#13 - Lê um livro de culinária sobre uma cozinha que nunca experimentaste antes

#14 - Lê um livro cuja personagem principal é uma mãe solteira

#15 - Lê um livro sobre alterações climáticas

#16 - Lê um “calhamaço” (um livro com mais de 500 páginas) publicado depois de 1950 e escrito por uma mulher

#17 - Lê uma novela de ficção científica / fantasia (menos de 120 páginas)

#18 - Lê um livro ilustrado com um personagem principal humano de uma comunidade marginalizada

#19 - Lê um livro de, ou sobre, um refugiado

#20 - Lê um livro infantil que não ocorra nos EUA ou no Reino Unido

#21 - Lê um livro com um personagem principal ou protagonista com deficiência (ficção ou não)

#22 - Lê um livro de terror publicado por uma editora independente

#23 - Lê uma edição de uma revista literária (digital ou física)

#24 - Lê um livro de um autor indígena, qualquer que seja o género

Definam os vossos desafios e partilhem-nos!

[REVIEW] Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whatever you think about these type of books (which is very likely the same as I did before reading this one -- easy crap for weak minds), I have to confess I am a changed woman!! No, really, I am not joking --> this book REALLY helped me in a very unstable period of my career when I lost my reporting line.
It also made me aware of my development areas (aka weaknesses) and gave me practical examples, articles, books to invest in myself! I would definitely recommend this book BUT… in order for you to enjoy it and see progress, you need to be ready to admit that you ACTUALLY make these stupid mistakes. It´s worthless to approach this book with your guard up and self-defense techniques ready to be used. Just… open up and embrace the change!

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Abraçar o conceito "DNF"

Eu gosto de começar coisas novas. Lápis, canetas, cadernos. E gosto de usar sempre os mesmos até os acabar. No trabalho ponho etiquetas com o meu nome nos meus lápis e canetas para ninguém mos roubar (e já todos sabem da minha "condição" por isso ninguém se atreve...).
Neste contexto, acho que é fácil de perceber que eu não gosto -- NEM POR NADA -- de deixar livros a meio.
Para além do sentimento de realização de acabar uma coisa que se começa, outros sentimentos entram em jogo quando se trata de livros (e que me estou a borrifar quando se tratam de canetas), por exemplo:
- não conseguir desistir: "é no próximo capitulo que isto vai ficar interessante, se eu desistir agora não vou conseguir perceber o quanto este livro é bom"
- sentimento de culpa ou desrepeito pelo autor: "este tipo passou meses a escrever isto e eu não consigo apreciá-lo ao fim de meras 50 páginas?!"
- sentimento de inferioridade "se calhar sou eu que não estou a perceber o conceito da coisa"

Contudo, só não evolve quem é burro e eu tenho de deixar de me comportar como uma deficiente mental. E por isso, nesse esforço de me superar a mim mesma, tenho lido nos últimos anos muito artigos sobre o assunto e finalmente acho que consegui capturar algumas razões com as quais me sinto confortável para abandonar um livro:
- é uma perda de tempo
- pode resultar num "reading slump" ou, em PT, numa quebra no ritmo de leitura --> que é o caraças para recuperar...
- há demasiados livros no mundo que são mais compatíveis comigo do que este
- não significa que o livro é mau, posso simplesmente não estar na fase certa da minha vida para o ler

E assim, pela primeira vez em toda a minha vida de leitora, resolvi classificar 2 dos livros que ando a arrastar há meses como DNF, que vem do inglês "Do Not Finish" e, malta... é libertador!!!

[REVIEW] Morning Star

Morning Star by Pierce Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am so surprised with this trilogy!! Where the hell were these books until now, how come I just found them out?!

I think I would have loved to read these books on my early twenties, but now (in my mid-thirties) I enjoy so many details and subliminal messages of leadership, courage, friendship, vulnerability, trust… all concepts that I am trained for at my job & real life!! I am amazed that these messages are actually being passed by to Young Adults… wait, is this a YA book? There´s a lot of blood, deaths, lost body parts... but no sex (I remembered a youtuber once commenting on this: YA books can have huge amounts of blood and violence, so much it can take our sleep way, but sex… OMG no way! That´s scandalous!... ahahahah – I find it a strange kind of morality and decency, but anyways…)

So, yes! Go Reds! I loved this trilogy and in particular Tim Gerard Reynolds narrating the audiobooks… He is so awesome, I have no words for it… He managed to completely absorb me in the story, but better than that: Darrow has sometimes humor shifts, first he feels sad, then he starts getting angry and suddenly he is all courage and determination, a wrecking ball… well, there I was on my bike on my way to work, emotionally exhausted at 8am because Tim just walked me through the whole thing as if is the mood swing had just happened to me!!! This is what you want in an audiobook narrator!!!

Guys, you need to listen to the audiobooks of this trilogy! Well, actually, it´s not a trilogy anymore, according to Goodreads it´s going to be 6 books…
As for me, I need a break from the emotional drainage, I lived that war and saw many friends die… it was too hard, I will start Iron Age after 1 or 2 non-fiction books…


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14 de Fevereiro -- International Book Giving Day

O dia de s. Valentim tem agora muito mais interesse para mim :-)

2019 Costa Book Awards

No passado dia 28 de Janeiro foram anunciados os vencedores dos prémios literários Costa que geralmente homenageam as categorias:
1 - Biografia
2 - Primeiro Romance
3 - Romance
4 - Poesia
5 - Livro para Crianças
e para um dos anteriores é ainda atribuído o prémio de 6 - Livro do Ano.

A imagem seguinte dá-vos uma idea das capas -- se bem que ninguém julga os livros pelas capas por aqui... certo?...

Então aqui estão os laureados:
1 - The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero who Infiltrated Auschwitz by Jack Fairweather (4.42*)
2 - The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins (3.62*)
3 - Middle England by Jonathan Coe (3.99*)
4 - Flèche by Mary Jean Chan (4.34*)
5 - Asha & the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan (3.95*)

Confesso que não ouvi falar de nenhum... a grande vantagem de rever prémios pouco conhecidos é precisamente alargarmos os horizontes!

* Entre parentesis está a classificação dos livros no Goodreads no momento da publicação deste post... pretty high, huh?

[REVIEW] Golden Son

Golden Son by Pierce Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holy smokes! I loved it!
Again, the narrator is co-responsible for my dedication /addiction/ love...?
Darrow is no longer a kid, he commands war. He makes (hard) choices, he is a leader, he is afraid. But he goes for it, inspiring! And in the meantime we learn about how humanity got to this point, why is society organized by colors, why do golds rule.
The ending just made sure I will keep reading these... someone’s head, eyeless, mouth full of grapes. Holy smokes...

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Reading the decade - Desafio

Este desafio foca-se nos melhores livros da década, inspirei-me aqui.

O meu objectivo foi partir da lista dos 100 notable books do ano, seleccionados todos os anos pelo New York Times, e escolher alguns candidatos por ano. Regra: têm que ter a primeira publicação/edição (ainda que noutro idioma) nesse ano!

O desafio será concluído quando eu tiver completado a leitura de pelos menos 1 candidato por ano, num total de 10 livros.
Para já, a prioridade vai para livros que eu tenha cópias físicas cá em casa, Prioridade 2 são e-books que eu já tenha no kindle. P3 são livros da biblioteca.
Vou tentar o mais possível não comprar livros físicos para completar os desafios de 2020... Escusado será dizer que vai ser um ano triste...

Tudo pronto?

2010

Candidato 1) "The Emperor Of All Maladies: A Biography Of Cancer" By Siddhartha Mukherjee.

Candidato 2) "The Warmth Of Other Suns: The Epic Story Of America’s Great Migration" By Isabel Wilkerson.

Candidato 3) "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follett

2011

Candidato 1) "Thinking, Fast And Slow" By Daniel Kahneman

Candidato 2) “1Q84” By Haruki Murakami

Candidato 3) “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson

Candidato 4) “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari

2012

Candidato 1) “On A Farther Shore: The Life And Legacy Of Rachel Carson” By William Souder

Candidato 2) “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail” by Cheryl Strayed

Candidato 3) “Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness” by Susannah Cahalan

Candidato 4) “The Round House” By Louise Erdrich

2013

Candidato 1) "Americanah" By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Já Li, Mas Posso Sempre Reler...)

Candidato 2) "Life After Life" By Kate Atkinson

Candidato 3) "The Goldfinch" By Donna Tartt.

2014

Candidato 1) “Being Mortal: Medicine And What Matters In The End” By Atul Gawande
Candidato 2) "All The Light We Cannot See" By Anthony Doerr

Candidato 3) "On Immunity: An Inoculation" By Eula Biss

Candidato 4) "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History" By Elizabeth Kolbert

2015

Candidato 1) "Between The World And Me" By Ta-Nehisi Coates

Candidato 2) “Girl at War” by Sara Nović

Candidato 3) “Nimona” by Noelle Stevenson

2016

Candidato 1) “The Essex Serpent” By Sarah Perry

Candidato 2) “Commonwealth” By Ann Patchett

Candidato 3) “The Nix” By Nathan Hill

Candidato 4) “Lab Girl” By Hope Jahren

Candidato 5) “When Breath Becomes Air” By Paul Kalanithi

2017

Candidato 1) "The Power" By Naomi Alderman

Candidato 2) "Sing, Unburied, Sing" By Jesmyn Ward

Candidato 3) “We Were Eight Years In Power: An American Tragedy” By Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Candidato 4) “What Happened” By Hillary Rodham Clinton

2018

Candidato 1) "Educated” by Tara Westover

Candidato 2) "Normal People” by Sally Rooney

Candidato 3) "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” by Jordan B. Peterson

Candidato 4) "The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah

Candidato 5) “I´ll Be Gone in the Dark” by Michelle McNamara

Candidato 6) “A Place for Us” by Fatima Farheen Mirza

2019

Lido: "The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State" by Nadia Murad

Agora que a lista está feita, é só completar!
Digam-me quais são os vossos favoritos ou se pensam organizar o vosso 2020 também com desafios :-)

Illustration by Julia Rothman