The idea that activists should have some kind of mindfulness practice to stave off burnout and avoid succumbing to hopelessness is definitely one thatThe idea that activists should have some kind of mindfulness practice to stave off burnout and avoid succumbing to hopelessness is definitely one that resonates with me, but I found this book fairly jumbled in its explanations of what Lynne Sedgmore actually considers ‘presence’ - as she terms it - to be.
Some of her descriptions just sound like fairly basic meditation and mindfulness. At other times she talks about out of body experiences, and the ‘transmission’ of presence as an energetic connection people can make with others. The sections on ‘personal’ and ‘professional’ presence read like a self-help/business type book, talking about confidence and effective leadership. Overall I just don’t think I came out of this book with a clear idea of what presence is, or how to achieve it if I wanted to.
Also adding to the feeling of disjointedness were the random chapters talking about the climate crisis more generally. It seems a fair assumption that most people picking up a book subtitled ‘A Profound Antidote to Climate Anxiety’ probably already have some knowledge of climate peril, and don’t need it re-explained by Sedgmore simply summarising things other people have said about it. Similarly the section on what individuals can do about it - which essentially boiled down to ‘eat less meat and avoid fossil fuel-powered transport methods’ felt fairly reductive and not particularly useful within what this book purports to be about.
Thank you to NetGalley and Collective Ink for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I read five of Courtney Milan’s books in a single week, and I have Thoughts, so… here is a long and itemised list.
In terms of the actual romances, as I read five of Courtney Milan’s books in a single week, and I have Thoughts, so… here is a long and itemised list.
In terms of the actual romances, as you would expect, some of them have worked better for me than others, but in general I’m just really loving her overall approach to storytelling and the historical romance genre.
1. I read a few of CM’s older books a couple of years ago and didn’t super love them, but her recent work has been working for me a lot better!
2. Her latest few books have tended to have no real third act conflict, and I am Here For That. In one author’s note she talks about how she’s been thinking through alternative plot structures for romance, and you can see how she’s been playing with that in the last few years. Possibly that’s why these books have worked better for me than other genre Historical Romance of this type has?
3. CM clearly does so much historical research and I love it so much. She writes these fantastically detailed author’s notes about incredibly niche topics (e.g. the history of soy sauce, pottery in the Song dynasty, telegraphy with a Chinese writing system, etc.) and is so clear about what’s in the book and what she took creative license with, and I’m obsessed with her attention to detail
4. It’s an interesting choice to go for a Victorian setting when this type of historical romance so often tends to Regency, but I think it works really well because there’s just that level of technological advancement that allows for some really interesting storylines. Also this was the absolute peak of the British Empire and she’s so intentional about the way she’s exploring that.
5. Obviously love to see entirely historically accurate characters of colour in a historical romance! Pretty sure this is the first I’ve come across Chinese characters in this genre.
6. Some of her themes about racism/colonialism/etc. can be a little heavy handed, but I’m finding the whole thing so refreshing relative to the genre as a whole that I don’t really mind.
7. One other criticism is that the books could do with a tighter edit (it’s unclear to me whether she actually has an editor). A lot of her characters’ internal monologues tend to be quite repetitive - by the third or fourth time they’re reiterating the One Major Issue that’s preventing their happy ending, it can feel a bit wearing.
8. I really appreciate how soft all her male main characters are. Even though not all the pairings worked for me as well as others, in general I just love how supportive and understanding all her men are.
9. There are some really beautiful explorations of parental and sibling relationships here, and I appreciate how she makes it a point to write fleshed out side characters and focus on more relationships than just the main couple.
10. I’m really interested in the macro-plot she’s developing with the Worth Saga. Of the main family, so far I only really love Judith, but the way she’s weaving in the background politics/history/economics works really well
11. Judith deserves way more credit!! Whenever we finally meet Anthony, if there isn’t a proper acknowledgment of how much Judith has done for their family, I will riot.
12. The Wedgeford Trials series doesn’t have as much of a macro plot, but I just really love the Wedgeford community. I will read as many Wedgeford books as she wants to write...more
CW: Death of a loved one, grief, addiction, attempted rape, murder, stabbing, hanging, discussion of sex work, abusive family dynamics, brief forced iCW: Death of a loved one, grief, addiction, attempted rape, murder, stabbing, hanging, discussion of sex work, abusive family dynamics, brief forced institutionalisation...more
Well this was delightful. Plot-wise I’m not sure it totally stuck the landing, but I don’t really care because I just love these characters so4.5 stars
Well this was delightful. Plot-wise I’m not sure it totally stuck the landing, but I don’t really care because I just love these characters so much. Especially my girl Arista (which is pretty incredible character development considering how frustrating I found her in the first 1.5 books?!)
I’m curious about the prequels now, because although I did enjoy Hadrian a lot, he and Royce were not the most interesting thing about this story to me - but I wonder if that will change. Also, if there’s going to be more Gwen, I’m here for that....more
Royce and Hadrian are fine, but it’s the side characters who really make this series for me. Arista especially has grown on me SO much since the firstRoyce and Hadrian are fine, but it’s the side characters who really make this series for me. Arista especially has grown on me SO much since the first book.
I absolutely loved Radiya Hafiza’s Rumaysa duology, so I had high hopes for this book – and overall I did enjoy it, even though I don’t thin3.75 stars
I absolutely loved Radiya Hafiza’s Rumaysa duology, so I had high hopes for this book – and overall I did enjoy it, even though I don’t think it quite lived up to the author’s earlier work!
This is a lovely little story about family and courage, and I love that the core of it is really Aya’s relationship with her mother. I think a lot of middle grade readers will relate to her frustrations at the secrets her mother is keeping, and the themes of beginning to wonder who you really are.
I would say this is the kind of middle grade that’s intended for children and may not necessarily work for adults – mainly because it’s extremely generic, in the sense that absolutely nothing that happened was a surprise to me. Honestly, I would expect an intelligent middle grade reader to be able to predict the ‘twist’ fairly easily too, but equally I don’t necessarily thing that’s a bad thing, and just because a book is predictable doesn’t negate the value in the themes and characters!
The main thing that didn’t work for me in this book was the pacing. We’re 50% through the book before the plot really gets going, and I felt Aya learned to use her powers far too easily! At one point, I felt certain there would need to be a sequel to allow enough time for everything that needed to happen, but there isn’t: we get to the final standoff and Aya suddenly has full control of her powers and is able to defeat the Big Bad almost instantly, despite having had no real training or practice. [This feels like Not a Spoiler because, again: entirely predictable!] Maybe I’ve just read too many books like this, but it just rang hollow to me to have everything wrapped up so easily!
Still, overall a very sweet and beautifully illustrated little tale, and I probably will be getting this for my sisters to read at some point....more
Unfortunately, I just don't think this book was for me.
I picked it up because I tend to appreciate novels in verse and was intrigued by the synopsis, Unfortunately, I just don't think this book was for me.
I picked it up because I tend to appreciate novels in verse and was intrigued by the synopsis, but this isn't really a novel - it seems to be more of an extended metaphor for overcoming depression.
There's not much in the way of either plot or characterisation - the book doesn't give you any kind of sense of who the main character is. Which I think was intentional, but for me it was a struggle not to have anything to really hold on to. At the same time, the poetry style just wasn't for me, which meant I couldn't really feel the emotions that you're supposed to take away from it.
I'm not going to rate this, because that seems unfair when it's not *bad*, it's just not at all for me personally. Looking at other reviews, this book seems to have found plenty of people who appreciate it, and I'm glad - I truly hope it is able to reach more readers who will be able to take something from it.
Thank you to BookSirens and the author for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review....more
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