ASKReviews – Page 34 – Cannonball Read 17

Exactly What I Should Have Expected

Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby

May 3, 2022 by ASKReviews 2 Comments

Best for: People who like memoirs, especially ones that go in unexpected places. In a nutshell: Comedian Hannah Gadsby tells of her life growing up in Tasmania, her career in comedy, and how she built her one-of-a-kind show Nanette. Worth quoting: “The lies of a vulnerable minority should never have been put into the hands of the majority in a media landscape that is all too happy to be powered by the fumes of a toxic debate.” “I find joy in my life where I […]

Can Nature Heal Itself?

Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape by Cal Flyn

May 1, 2022 by ASKReviews Leave a Comment

Best for: Readers interested in climate change, abandonment, natural disasters, and nature. In a nutshell: Author Flyn explores a variety of places across the world where humans have left a space – either because of their own damage, or natural disaster, or change in the way of living – and looks at how the earth renews itself, sometimes coming back stronger than before. Worth quoting: “We weed out plants well suited to the ground and conditions, and insist on propping up expensive, ill-suited, ornamental ones. […]

Some Good, Some Not So Good

The Practice of Not Thinking: A Guide to Mindful Living by Ryunosuke Koike

April 23, 2022 by ASKReviews Leave a Comment

Best for: Anyone looking for a book on mindful living that isn’t primarily about meditating a few times a week. In a nutshell: Former Buddhist monk Koike shares his thoughts on ways we can stop thinking (or, I’d argue, stop overthinking, as his suggestions do require a fair bit of though) and ultimately live more peacefully. Worth quoting: “[B]egin by being considerate, thinking of our listener, so we don’t cause unnecessary stimulation or stress for the other person.” “If we’re truly sorry about something, we […]

What Do We Want From Our Higher Education?

The Good University: What Universities Actually Do and Why It’s Time for Radical Change by Raewyn Connell

April 11, 2022 by ASKReviews Leave a Comment

Best for: Anyone who works in higher education, or anyone who has or plans to attend higher education, or anyone who lives in a society with higher education in it. In a nutshell: Author Connell explores what universities do, how that has changed, and why that is not great. Worth quoting: “It is vital to recognize that universities and schools themselves are highly active in making inequalities.” “Universities themselves have become increasingly complicit with market ideology.” Why I chose it: I work in higher education […]

Fat is Not a Bad Thing

Happy Fat: Taking Up Space in a World that Wants to Shrink You by Sofie Hagen

April 3, 2022 by ASKReviews Leave a Comment

Best for: Anyone who has been exposed to fatphobia (e.g. all of us) and who wants to work on unlearning it, via book with a lot of heart but also a lot of humor. In a nutshell: Comedian Sofie Hagen is a fat woman working to help other fat people to love themselves while also targeting the reasons why fat people might not love themselves: the gross fat bigotry that is evident pretty much everywhere one looks. Worth quoting: There are a lot, but because […]

That Last Case Before Retirement

The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson

March 23, 2022 by ASKReviews Leave a Comment

Best for: Fans of Icelandic mysteries. People who don’t want to be totally in the dark but still want to be surprised. In a nutshell: Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir is widowed and closing in on retirement. Early on she receives some surprising bad news, and is given the OK to look into a cold case. Worth quoting: N/A Why I chose it: I loved the Dark Iceland series. This is an unrelated trilogy by the same author so obviously I had to get it. Bonus: […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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