Books I've read and my reviews

• Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer
  *****
  This book made me laugh, cry, and sweat a little. I listened to it on Spotify, and it was narrated by the author, which I think added to the whole book. The part where she described dropping her eldest daughter off at college you can hear her choke up, and it's a very emotional scene, much like the rest of the book. She's able to convey her sadness and grief at the loss of culture and the planet, but at the same time sweeten it with a little hope. It's made me reflect on my own attitude toward action and sustainability. I've personally given up on activism before I even start because I feel powerless. But what am I getting a biology degree for, if I will not use it to better the world, not just by being a public servant? How can I use my education to reconnect to the earth, and engage in reciprocity with the planet that raised me? It has made me more cognisant and grateful for the time I do get outside, and those that spend time with me. I already love nature, but now I view the plants and animals as my kin, not just something to marvel at. The writing style in this book also uses amazing analogy, whimsical description that still makes sense, and draws wisdom from different stories from indigenous cultures. Overall, I think this will be a book I read/listen to often throughout my life, especially as we start to see the effects of climate change and I understand science and my own spirituality more.
• Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
  **** I finished this book about a month ago. I liked it, but it left a sour taste in my mouth by the end. The gritty, choppy writing style was hard to get used to but flowed well after a while! I loved the plot and the incorporation of philosophy and mythology into a very high tech postmodern society. I think it also aged very well, unlike lots of cyberpunk media. Stephenson's vision of the future is certainly plausible even now, with the advancement of AI and VR and all that jazz. However, I think his sexualization of women, while in some cases relevant to the story as the plot kind of parallels to the more ancient, mythological tales interwoven in the book, was a little overdone and in poor taste. However, I think his intentions were good, and there were lots of great points about how people treat each other in the text. The major theme I picked up on was a world that no longer contained much empathy, which is becoming more and more relatable today. Overall, this book was great, if you can make it through the first few chapters and get used to the grit and writing style.
• The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel van der Kolk
  *****
  This book completely changed my perspective on how my brain and body work together. As someone who has diagnosed PTSD and C-PTSD, this book explained things that happened within me that I had never noticed before or thought was caused by these mental issues. This book would've been extremely hard to read before I went through EMDR and wizarded away the PTSD, but it made me realize that C-PTSD is not so easily overcome. I read most of this book in an airport and three strangers on separate occasions were extremely excited that I was reading it. It does read like a scientific paper while discussing an incredibly heavy topic, so reader beware. I would recommend reading this book a little bit at a time, and really taking in the information with a self-curious mindset.
• The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
  ***
  This book is a tough read. Not because the writing is difficult or bad, but because of the subject matter. Specifically it was a tough read for me because I was experiencing a similar mental spiral to the main character, Esther, while I was reading it and had to stop reading it for a while. Once I was doing better, I finished it, and found the bittersweet ending to have a more joyful tone to it than I expected. Plath captures the female descent into madness so well. All the interactions with Buddy or Bobby or whoever that guy was made me laugh in spite of myself, because she hated him so much for being not a virgin and also annoying and it was so REAL!! Sometimes I don't connect with authors, especially those trying to write through the female perspective. However, this was a certified Girl Book, and therefore captured the female experience in a way I've only encountered a few times. This book was an interesting story with interesting, digestible writing.