The Malay Archipelago
Book
Of all the extraordinary Victorian travelogues, The Malay Archipelago has a fair claim to be the...
Parasite (Parasitology, #1)
7.2
Rate It
Book
A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease. We owe our good...
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt, #1) in Books
May 25, 2018
Kate (355 KP) rated Apple iPad Pro in Tech
Mar 29, 2019
Kinsa Smart Thermometer
Medical and Health & Fitness
App
Let Kinsa guide you from the first sign of sickness through recovery and beyond! As seen in...
My Freemasonry
Lifestyle and Reference
App
The all new My Freemasonry Pro App provides you full access to the My Freemasonry website and...
A Monster Calls (2016)
8.3
Rate It
Movie Watch
The monster does not come walking often. This time it comes to Connor, and it asks for the one thing...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Dreamers in Books
Apr 4, 2019 (Updated Apr 8, 2019)
"Whatever this is, it comes over them quietly; a sudden drowsiness, a closing of the eyes. Most of the victims are found in their beds."
I found this book to be utterly fascinating and such a wonderful change of pace. It was almost like reading a horror film at some points (and I'm not the type who likes scary movies). It was compulsively readable--I read it in five settings, completely drawn into the creepy, amazing, and sometimes horrifying story.
The book is told from the point of view of a variety of characters--all in short snippets--and through an often impassive narration style. Still, you grow to care for the few characters you do get to know: Mei and some of the other college students; kids Libby and Sara and their apocalyptic-fearing father; professors Ben and Annie and their new baby, Grace; a biology professor, Nathaniel, and his partner, Henry; and Dr. Catherine Cohen, a psychiatrist called in after the sickness starts.
There's really no way to describe this book, and I do not want to reveal too much about the plot. It's beautifully written, which is amazing, considering it's mostly a book about a near plague spreading through a town. The characters, even though their chapters are often short and sparse, are fully-formed. It's easy to get attached to them and pulled into their lives, which are so quickly altered by the sickness. And it's amazing how quickly the sickness changes life in Santa Lora: how a town can nearly become a war-zone due to illness. It was really intriguing to read about, especially when the narration style is so mesmerizing and presents such a creepy helplessness (I wish I could describe it better).
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book. The subject matter was not what I usually read, but it was a fascinating, captivating read. I was drawn to the characters and the narration style. The book presented such an interesting scenario to think about too--what would happen if this occurred in real-life society? Walker's writing is beautiful, and I've already tracked down her novel, The Age of Miracles, on Paperbackswap.com, and look forward to reading it soon.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
AJaneClark (3962 KP) rated The Handmaid's Tale in Books
Oct 18, 2019
This tale of a dystopian future, where many practices such as reading are illegal, and the struggle to create new life, brings in a class structure that rivals history was beautifully written. Atwoods use of language and descriptive imagery allows for you to immerse yourself in how it would feel for Offred.
I’m not normally a reader of these type of stories (hence the lower rating) but I enjoyed this and would certainly be reading the next instalment.
Cosmos, Gods and Madmen: Frameworks in the Anthropologies of Medicine
Roland Littlewood and Rebecca Lynch
Book
The social anthropology of sickness and health has always been concerned with religious cosmologies:...