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readwithem · 9 months

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As a kid, I was an avid reader, and French books were my only exposure. When i gained some freedom of choice and i wanted more mature books, thrillers were the way to go, and this author was the first thriller writer i got into. I remember standing in front of the aisle, not knowing what to pick, closing my eyes and blindly pointing with my finger at "L'âme Du Mal" by Maxime Chattam. And what a hell of a ride that book was for the early teen that i had been.

I would honestly owe my love for reading to Maxime Chattam. I knew what binge-reading felt like after l'Ame Du Mal made me get almost all his thriller books. I would bring them with me to school and read them sneakily underneath the textbooks in class. No worries, i was still a straight-A student, so i didn't really get into trouble for it.

As i grew, i extended my reading horizon to other genres, still in French, but Chattam kept being a staple. Until i went to college where i switched to English books, and with time, Chattam and all other French literature were long forgotten for more than a decade.

But, as i was decluttering my bookshelves this past week, i came across my Maxime Chattam books at the very back and a wave of nostalgia came over me while noticing that i forgot to read a couple. "La Patience Du Diable" was one of them but it was only the second novel of a trilogy. So, i decided to re-read the first one, "La Conjuration Primitive".

The Paris police chief, Alexis, drives far into the mountains to seek the help of Mikelis, a retired detective, known for honing in on the inner psyche of killers and really understanding the hows and whys of the human violence. There are two different crimes in two different locations, both leaving no trace but a bloody sign on the victims, the same sign that a teenager paints on the subway walls before pushing a couple of people into the tracks. Is this some sort of cult? an Ideology that twisted people are starting to adopt for themselves?

Alexis and his colleagues, Ludivine and Segnon, along with Mikelis, will try to decipher what the sign means and what relations it has to the crimes. The usual thriller trope.

The book is divided into three parts. In the first one, the lens are focused on Alexis, being the coordinator and the boss, while suffering from loneliness and fear of getting consumed by the horrors he's witnessing. The last two parts are all from the point of view of Ludivine. She spends the rest of the book dealing with grief while trying to solve these murders. I didn't know until i found "La patience du diable" in my book inventory that the series are all about Ludivine, in the first place.

I got attached to Alexis the most. I think it has to do with how much better Maxime painted his part, compared to the other characters. I related to him the most, even though his trope was short-lived. Mikelis was next. Nothing much about Segnon but he was a comfort of a character, i felt i could rely on him for safety.

The book was unnecessarily stretched in some bits. Maxime sometimes used the deducted logic behind the murders as filler for pause or lack of dialogues. He reformulated the thought process and inserted it in some place that got me like: "I already knew that, why do you keep reminding me that this is the way for the criminals to express themselves and show themselves out into the world? and that they're planning to recruit more unstable people for this to happen?"

However, this doesn't hinder the power of the storytelling. There were quite a few cliffhangers and unexpected plot twists. The gore, which is a forte of Maxime Chattam, was not lacking. The action scenes were also sufficiently immersive, i could feel the last hope the characters felt in near-death situations. Also, the featuring of Josh Brolin, the iconic infamous character from "L'ame du Mal", made quite an impact.

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readwithem · 10 months

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I'm in the longest rut of my life. Got my degree, a new job and i became a K-pop stan, so my brain couldn't keep up, and reading went down my priorities list.

One thing about me is that even if i was in a reading rut, i still find joy in browsing bookshops and buying books, knowing full well that I'm probably not going to read them. They just sit there pretty looking waiting for me to pick them up. One of them was this one. It was short and easy to read but it took a while to go through. 238 pages in 4 months.

Mona is the second of my tbr Arab Muslim writers, after Nawal Saadawi, and i'm on the look out for more.

Women's rights is a serious issue in the MENA countries. Patriarchal values are heavily implemented and internalised in both genders, and religious zeal does not help at all.

I feel like this kind of books is a great discussion starter. A safer way than social media where outrage is usually the first reaction to any idea about social issues.

Mona speaks a lot about discussion and speech in this book, which is evident since change comes from discussions and debates. In MENA social context, however, it's extremely hard to strike up a conversation about feminism and patriarchy. Islam and patriarchy are intertwined, the latter uses the former in its favor for anchoring its values in people's psyche.

And so, if a banal patriarchal idea gets criticized, it would be considered blasphemy. I remember expressing a slight reticence to a friend's perception of menstrual blood as filth. She replied with an aggressive tone: "In religion, there is no such thing as cool or uncool". I don't think she's ever verified where she gets her religious beliefs from. Holy scripts have been interpreted in a lot of ways since their conception and this complexity of interpretation gives people confidence in their religious views without actually reconsidering their actual value and meaning.

This zeal also comes from fear. My friend here thinks that questioning rules means questioning faith, which is not true. We don't mean questioning God, his Prophet (saws), or the Quran here, but questioning men.

How did i get here? I haven't intended to talk about religion. It's a complex subject and a personal one. But it is an integral part of how MENA societies deal with women and women's rights and how it is extremely hard to discuss them with zealous people who think that defending women leads to defying God.

In this book, Mona doesn't talk about her faith. She rather describes her relationship with the hijab, feminism, sexuality, the men around her, the women around her, and how society uses religion against her and against Arab women, in general.

She gives some statistics about SA, child marriages, FGM (female genital mutilation), and domestic violence. She talks about the double standards, the brutality, and the discrimination women face in the Arab world. All in the name of religion.

Some reviewers say it's 'shocking'. It wasn't to me. it's probably because I'm more familiar with the matter, but nothing she related was news to me. I feel like all women have experienced some kind of discrimination, in various forms, either at home or outside.

It is 'brave', for sure. Not a lot of women talk freely about their issues, in fear of ostracization from society and fear for their lives. That's why i rejoice whenever women's rights issues are brought up in any shape or form. As long as it's talked about.

My favorite parts of the book are when Mona shed some light on the male psyche explaining how these issues came in the first place, but these parts were very few and sparse. I guess the psyche behind misogyny and hatred towards women is the same whether it's east or west. I'll have to look it up. Feminist books are plenty, afterall.

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readwithem · 1 year

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TXT (투모로우바이투게더) The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION Preview

This is the preview. I can’t wait to listen to the actual thing. The 27th, let’s go !!!

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readwithem · 1 year

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Watch "TXT (투모로우바이투게더) The Name Chapter Concept Trailer" on YouTube

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This is Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai. Five boys in a k-pop group called TOMORROW X TOGETHER or TXT. They're a different kind of K-Pop group with a different kind of pop music. They are also one of the very few groups who base their artistry on storytelling, which is what they excel at.

Their career has been based on concepts with different visuals, choreos, style of music and arcs of a single story that we're still uncovering with them since their debut 4 years ago.

This video is a trailer of their upcoming concept (of their upcoming album, The Name Chapter). And it's also a taste of how strong they are as artists inside the mainstream market of K-pop culture.

It's quite a surrealist beautiful storytelling with hints on previous arcs. So if you like what you see, go check out TXT discography and music videos since their second album The Dream Chapter: Magic, so you'll get some hints of the TXT world.

You're welcome.

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readwithem · 2 years

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I've reviewed once a work of Mary Roach and i liked her writing, so i attempted to read another book of hers.

- it's like a transcript of a documentary.

- Her chapters are quite long, but they're made in distinct paragraphs, so it's easy to get back into it without losing the thread.

- It started sounding like it's a reproductive issue, then it becames a sexuality issue and what it means in society, which i always find is absurd. But sexuality runs almost all aspect of society, because it's fueled by desire. And desire is a strong component of decision making.

- She tries to be witty with puns like she did in "Stiff" but her jokes lie flat. Only her interactions with the experts, the patients and the study participants seemed funny to me.

- I thought she was going to go a bit deeper into the socio-psychological part of gender and sexuality but i reminded myself she only does the practical stuff, which holds the appeal of her work amongst other non-fictions.

- Most of the book talked about male's sexuality experiments and how throughout history, penile fonction was the subject of scientific talk in manoeuvring sexual problems in couples. The female aspect was pretty omitted back then, and after reading Mary's book, i think it was mostly of the obvious proeminence of the male parts and the ease of their manipulation compared to the female parts (besides the patriarchy, of course).

The contraptions they came up with to cure ED were so horrifying, i got scared for own body parts.

- Obviously, i got more interested in the female aspect of sexual experiments, and i honestly, was shook and more confused, it got me want to look into it even more. Especially with the difference between male and female reaction to nudity and sexuality where Mary talks about the physiological explanation of the arousal variation,

but she forgot/omitted to mention the psycholgical part of it, so it left an interrogation point for me to look into. It was very interesting.

Overall, it was a fun read and i'm curious about her other works. Unique concepts and good writing.

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readwithem · 2 years

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I think we all need a sort of first aid treatment when we get down. Either when i feel sad or anxious, i need to make my environment accomodate what i'm feeling.

The first aid kit differs from person to person, and i haven't completed my ideal kit yet, since i haven't started tending to myself until recently when i became more and more in tune with my mental state.

In this book, Katherine May calls that gloomy state "wintering" and i kind of relate to that, especially that i feel the worst in the cold months.

She tells us her ways of helping herself embrace her "wintering" and slowly getting able to come out of it.

I don't seem to mind her frivolous ways to heal, since i feel like she's not actually prescribing us the same lifestyle solutions she used,

but more like she's showing us how overall certain things can change how we feel.

One of the things i liked was her relationship with nature, especially with the antarctic. That's something i got dreamy about. I love water and ice and i love cool toned colouring. I love isolation and aloneness, and being alone in the arctic seems interesting.

But then, i got bored out of too much coziness. What else can she teach me about self care? I was more interested when she talked about nature and animals and less when she talked about herself, which lessened my joy of reading it, so i simply stopped.

good writing though.

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readwithem · 2 years

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I'm passionate by everything medicine, biology and geology and i'm also very intrigued by their history, especially when it comes to the debates, inventions and discoveries.

When it comes to the human body, though, i'm the most curious, since i live in one. So when i came across the concept of biais in Medicine, i had to read this one.

Short chapters are my fravorite format, which contibuted heavily on my review of this book.

A rundown of the choronology of the different scientific experiments and their consequences, while mentioning the different conflicts of interest, then giving the conclusion or the lesson behind the exposition of the studies and how they impact the biases of the physicians.

It can sometimes get boring, but obviously, this is not a novel.

Simple writing. Quick read and interesting take on the medical field and its biases on its very well trusted algorithms.

The most intriguing ones for me were the unnecessary duration of some antibiotics, the futility of thryoid papillary carcinoma and the fals security of sunblock.

Side note: i wish more expositions and scientific works can be done by novelists.

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readwithem · 2 years

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“yeah can i get a 60k with everything on it”

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readwithem · 2 years

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The only DC universe characters that i like are Gotham heroes and villains. I was pretty excited to read these, especially after seeing the covers.

They're insane. My favorite kind of graphic art is 3D-ish cartoon with some realism.

Anyhow, the story is obviously about the journey of Dr. Harleen Quinzel to becoming Harley Quinn. How her work of psychoanalysing Gotham's criminals and search of their empathy in order to help the city, put her right into Joker's hands.

We obviously all know her story, but these comic books are so artistically good that you don't mind re-immersing yourself into it.

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readwithem · 2 years

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Never read a graphic novel before. This was a nice introduction.

Simple pretty drawing. Starts lighthearted, becomes more serious as you go along. Heartwarming, cosy, sad.

It's your usual coming of age story. Boy meets boy, boy falls in love with boy (it's mutual), boy thought was straight, gets confused. Boy has had a hard time being gay, struggles with mental health.

The show is pretty good, too.

Oh, and my favorite character is Charlie's little brother.

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readwithem · 2 years

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As rom-coms go, this one is more comy than romy. Not bad of a read. Nice writing but too much wit for my taste. Gets some chuckles out of ya, though.

#mhairi #mhairi mcfarlane #you had me at hello #romantic novel #romance novels #romcom #rom com #manchesteruk #book review #booklr #bookstagram #must read #books #must reads #bookish #bookworm #mental health #booktube

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readwithem · 2 years

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Evelyn Hugo's story is a tragedy. Sad, sad life and sad ending. A bittersweet discovery for the journalist who will write her biography.

Not much of a fan of the Hollywood and show business scene but nice writing and fast read.

#taylor jenkins reid #maybe in another life #evelyn hugo #the seven husbands of evelyn hugo #book review #booklr #bookstagram #must read #books #must reads #bookish #bookworm #mental health #booktube #hollyweird #hollywood #malibu #los angeles #show business

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readwithem · 2 years

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Weight watching and fat shaming has always been prevalent in my immediate surroundings since i was a kid. Family, friends and coworkers comment on their bodys and other's like it's nothing. And i've never acknowledged how fucked up it is until these past few years. And i got more intrigued after reading "Hunger" by Roxanne Gay and "Why we eat (too much)", two excellent books about fat. The first is an emotional personal take, the second is an exposition by a medical expert. Both equally valid perspectives. Aubrey Gordon tried to do both.

As an introduction to this topic, it's not so bad. But to me, it's long and redundant. Her points can be made into few pages without repeating them over and over to prove something.

There's a lot of info in there. Anecdotal and scientific. Both are good, but sometimes, i get lost in her arguments. Either i'm stupid or distracted, or she puts clauses just for the sake of stating them with no relation between them and i'm like: okay, where are you going with this?.

Overall, she's a good writer but i don't think her essay game is simple enough to keep reading. So i didn't finish her book.

#book review #booklr #bookstagram #must read #books #must reads #bookish #bookworm #mental health #booktube #fat shaming #fatphobes #fatphobia #aubrey gordon #what they don't tell you about fat #feminism #racist feminism #everyday feminism

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readwithem · 2 years

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I know everyone has something to say about anything, but when it comes to non-fiction, i always have a bit of judgement like "who are you to say anything about this subject?" Since i'm used to read from experts of the field. The problem sometimes of writing something you're expert in is the bland exposition form of it, and i tend to lose interest fairly quickly. It's a jackpot when the experts are also writers but since they're not as prevalent as the others, i gravitate more to non experts since they're mostly better writers.

This is not the case. This writer is a comedian talking about something that is not comedy, even though sex, power and money are pretty ridiculous. She's not bad but i couldn't finish her book. She didn't really bring anything new to the already saturated subject. Perhaps some wit, but nothing special.

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readwithem · 2 years

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When i was reading the first two novels of the Montague series from Mackenzie Lee, i loved the piracy parts because they had Pirates of Caraibbean vibes. It got better in this one.

Adrian is the youngest of the Montague siblings. The only reference of him in the previous books is being called the Goblin, as a baby, in the first one. No other mention of him after that, until now. I didn't expect him to be this way.

Oh boy, Mackenzie did him bad. He's the definition of anxiety with an undercurrent of depression. She made him so anxious it triggered mine.

I mean it's nice to see a representation of mental illness in its raw form, but bloody hell, almost every other paragraph is him spiraling down, and it made me feel like anxiety is his only identity and i didn't like that. He is not just an anxious person. He is a brother, a partner and a savy political mind. I wanted more of those other parts of him. His fiancé Louisa and his involvement in the political scene took only a few pages at the beginning and the end, that at a certain point, i was like: I wonder what Louisa is doing.

Back to the brother part. Thankfully, it had more space in the story since Monty and Felicity have a huge part in his character development (and they made the book, tbh) during his adventure to find The Flying Dutchmen and get answers about their mother's death. Btw, his parents disowned them and didn't tell him about them, so this book was the very first meeting of the siblings. And their conversations, even though they were short and sparse, were my favorite part of the book.

This sequel seemed to be gearing towards being emotional with Adrian's story and his relationship with his mother by the lyrical description of his feelings but, to me, it failed at that and i didn't get attached to him like i did with Monty and Felicity.

The fantasy is a crucial part in this trilogy and i lost the intrigue of it in this sequel. I don't know if it's the writing or the half-assed rushed plot, but it was underwhelming.

Mackenzie said she only meant to write the first book and i can see how that affected the quality of the sequels, and the last one was the worst, in my opinion.

However, she nails the dialogues and the active conversations. The wit is her strong suit. Maybe she ought to write plays instead of novels.

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readwithem · 3 years

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Fuck off im so in love with this fictional man it’s embarrassing

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readwithem · 3 years

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This have been my way of procrastinating, and it didn't disappoint. I've only noticed lately that i run to books when i didn't want to do something. Luckily, this soon-to-be a trilogy was pretty entertaining.

This is the story of the Montague siblings. White, rich, entitled and privileged English young adults in the 1800s unintentionally (or rather intentionally) put themselves in tough situations, and get to meet other people that are different from their usual social circle.

The first book is mostly about Henry Aka Monty, victim of domestic abuse by his father and in love with his childhood bestfriend, Percy. They plan to go on a Grand tour around Europe with his sister, Felicity, and along the way, Monty gets himself in trouble while perusing his promiscious ways. The second book revolves around Felicity who wants to get into a medical school to become a doctor and is rejected everywhere. So, she seeks her medical literary idol Alexander Platt to teach her during his expedition and it turns out he's a douchebag.

Three things make this series. D'abord, fast pacing. The books are based of adventures around the mediterannean, so the parts revolves around each city they go to. And they don't stay too long. Ensuite, the character dynamics. Monty cracks me up almost all the time, and his quarrels with his sister are pretty amusing. Enfin, the bonus essays at the end where the author explains some aspects of the book in relation to how things were really back then.

Honorable mentions:

- This is a historical fiction and i love that shit. The ambiance is captivating and the writing is simple and catchy enough to drown you in that period.

- The books emphasize the moral state that was prevalent back then. The racism and homophobia, for sure, even though the writer didn't dive as deep in them as she did with sexism and misogyny especially in the second book.

- i'm a bit meh about how Felicity was sporting the "i'm not like other girls" persona. It became annoying at some point but, thank God for Johanna, her bff, for putting her in check. However, Felicity is definitely a tough girl and i loved how she answered the academy old bitches when they didn't want to let her in because of her gender.

- To be honest, the fantastical aspect of the series dimmed my excitement a little. And the white saviorism of it all definitely unnerved me a bit.

Overall, great entertainment.

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