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Book Reviews

Irriducibile

While Faggin’s theories are thought-provoking, I found it challenging to understand much of the book, even though I read it in my native language. The first part was extremely difficult to grasp, requiring significant effort to stick with it. The second part was less complex and more interesting to me.  Despite the glossary at the end, I don’t believe it explains the concepts in a way that’s accessible to a broad audience. For this reason, I wouldn’t consider it a popular science book; one needs… Read More »Irriducibile

The Highly Sensitive Person’s Guide to Dealing with Toxic People

Unfortunately, we all have a few toxic people in our lives. Sometimes, they’re easy to recognize, while at other times, they manifest subtly, and we only realize how dangerous they are after they’ve hurt us. They leave us with psychological and emotional wounds, and it’s usually more painful when the toxic person is a close family member or within our inner circle. Also, if we are highly sensitive individuals, we can be an easy target because we’re especially vulnerable. We need to learn to recognise… Read More »The Highly Sensitive Person’s Guide to Dealing with Toxic People

Daisy Jones & The Six

This book is about sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing is fantastic and makes it super easy to imagine everything in your mind as you read. She’s so good at making the characters feel real that the story is vivid. From start to finish, it’s like you’re watching a movie. Speaking of which, I think they’ve just released an adaptation of this book. But, even though the writing is clever, I didn’t get deeply into the story and unfortunately, I didn’t… Read More »Daisy Jones & The Six

Songbirds (by Christy Lefteri)

I read more non-fiction, and when I do read fiction, I expect the words to evoke emotions in me. I want to feel emotionally engaged. This didn’t happen right away when I started reading this book. In fact, it wasn’t until the last quarter of the story that the narrative truly gripped me, turning the reading experience into an emotional and reflective one. It’s a blend of sadness and empowerment. It isn’t merely a work of fiction; it brings to light the muted perspectives of… Read More »Songbirds (by Christy Lefteri)

Who Moved My Cheese? (by Spencer Johnson)

I’ve come across this book countless times in bookshops. It was so in my face that I could hear it shouting: “Read me! You keep seeing me, yet you keep ignoring me!” Now I feel relieved that I’ve read it, although it didn’t have a significant impact on me. In fact, I could have happily continued living without having read it. This book is about change. It tells a very simple story, illustrating the point that nothing is permanent; things keep changing. The four characters,… Read More »Who Moved My Cheese? (by Spencer Johnson)

The Madness of Grief

The Madness of Grief (by Richard Coles)

While I was indulging in one of my favourite activities, wandering in a bookshop, my attention was caught by this book. When I realised it was written by a priest who is gay and in a love relationship, I had to read it. Coming from a Catholic background where the traditional religion doesn’t accept homosexuality or allow priests to have partners, I was immediately intrigued by the unique perspective this book could offer. I started to build my expectations, by assuming it would offer self-help… Read More »The Madness of Grief (by Richard Coles)

Fruit of Knowledge. The Vulva vs. The Patriarchy (by Liv Strömquist)

We’re all familiar with the story of Eve being held responsible for the fall of humanity. Not only did Eve commit the first sin, but she also influenced Adam to do the same, leading to their expulsion from Eden. Naughty girl, Eve. However, humans haven’t always lived in a patriarchal culture. In fact, in many ancient cultures, God was a woman, and menstruation was seen as sacred. The author of this book cleverly explores the condition of being female throughout history, with a focus on… Read More »Fruit of Knowledge. The Vulva vs. The Patriarchy (by Liv Strömquist)

Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West: Love Letters

Virginia and Vita loved their husbands, and they also loved each other. This book is a selection of letters that they exchanged, and some extracts from their diaries which offered some additional interesting insights. Their correspondence was highly intellectual, yet also so intimate that at times I felt like I was intruding. I learned lots of new English words; with almost every sentence containing one I had never heard of before. I was pleasantly surprised to find pictures of both of them on the inside… Read More »Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West: Love Letters

The Five (by Hallie Rubenhold)

This book is not about Jack the Ripper, who has already gained a lot of notoriety. This book is about the lives of his victims. Their names were Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Mary Jane. I felt overwhelming sadness while reading it, and this was due to the deplorable conditions in which these women lived. There was clearly a great deal of research behind this book. It was heart-wrenching and enraging to learn that just over a century ago, women were considered less important than… Read More »The Five (by Hallie Rubenhold)

Buddhism Plain and Simple (by Steve Hagen)

If you are curious about Buddhism and seeking a simple, accessible introduction to its basic concepts, this book is for you. I really enjoyed reading it and found it insightful. My favourite part was the explanation that there’s no permanent “self”. This really got me thinking about the impermanence of everything around us. Everything changes, even the concept of “I”. Another aspect that I liked about this book was its modern and pragmatic style. While it’s rooted in ancient Buddhist philosophy, it speaks directly to… Read More »Buddhism Plain and Simple (by Steve Hagen)