Reviews and Comments

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meliache

meliache@bookrastinating.com

Joined 10 months ago

I'm a PhD student in high energy physics. I like reading

  • Fiction

    • SciFi: Iain M. Banks, Greg Egan, LeGuin...
    • Fantasy: mostly Terry Pratchett
    • Literature: occasionally

  • Non-Fiction

    • popular science
    • self-improvement
    • cooking and fermentation books
    • occasionally history books and biographies

Most of my general ramblings can be found at @meliache@hep.social. For more online identities with cryptographic proofs that they belong to me see my keyoxide profile

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reviewed Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

Merlin Sheldrake: Entangled Life (2020) 4 stars

When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting …

An appetizer for the world of fungi, not a beginners mycology textbook

4 stars

Fungi are incredibly interesting and this book does them justice. It does an excellent job of describing their importance and the hidden connections between Fungi and plants, but also Fungi and humans. And it's written in a way that you feel close to the author, as he takes us on this journey.

I just wished there was more. More about different kinds of Fungi, more about recent science, about the importance of Fungi in different cultures etc. But I assume this is just no the scope and also not the ambition of this book, it's not meant to be an intro into mycology.

If I could I would give it 4.5 stars. It was very interesting and it made me want to dig more fungi related books, but it was not perfect. E.g. I felt a bit less invested than when reading "Never Home Alone" by Rob Dunn last …

reviewed Human Acts by Han Kang Hong

Han Kang Hong: Human Acts (Hardcover, 2017, Hogarth Press) 5 stars

From the internationally bestselling author of “The Vegetarian,” a rare and astonishing (The Observer) portrait …

This book had a deep impact on me

5 stars

This book caught my attention in th bookstore due to the cover (I love magpies) but my girfriendewho had read "The Vegetarian" recommended the author. The author managed to create a deep connection between me and the characters, I felt their hope and tragedy, like I have rarely experienced. And I learned a chapter of Korean history that I had not known about, but that is only on the side, this is not a Korean history book. Anyway, this changed how I view news of conflict and war, e.g. recently the Ukraine war. Usually I am a very rational and not the most empathetic person, I followed the war from a point of view of military strategy and tactics, but this book encouraged me to think about all the suffering, all the courage and anl the "human acts" that are hidden from puplic view but surely must be happening.

finished reading Human Acts by Han Kang Hong

Han Kang Hong: Human Acts (Hardcover, 2017, Hogarth Press) 5 stars

From the internationally bestselling author of “The Vegetarian,” a rare and astonishing (The Observer) portrait …

This book caught my attention in th bookstore due to the cover (I love magpies) but my girfriendewho had read "The Vegetarian" recommended the author. The author managed to create a deep connection between me and the characters, I felt their hope and tragedy, like I have rarely experienced. And I learned a chapter of Korean history that I had not known about, but that is only on the side, this is not a Korean history book. Anyway, this changed how I view news of conflict and war, e.g. recently the Ukraine war. Usually I am a very rational and not the most empathetic person, I followed the war from a point of view of military strategy and tactics, but this book encouraged me to think about all the suffering, all the courage and anl the "human acts" that are hidden from puplic view but surely must be happening.

started reading Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Dr. Anna Lembke

Dr. Anna Lembke: Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (2021, Dutton) 4 stars

This book is about pleasure. It's also about pain. Most important, it's about how to …

Got interested in the book "The Dopamine Nation" after listening to the hidden brain podcast episode The Paradox of Pleasure, in which the author was interviewed. Probably would have not picked it up in the bookstore otherwise as the message seems clickbaity and obvious, I though that I don't need a book to tell me that modern technology and (social) are designed to make us addicted via dopamine spirals. But the podcast was more interesting than expected and I could identify with some addiction-like behaviors (which I only escaped from due to my partner and friends), so I thought I should give it a shot and I might learn something adaptable to my own life.

wants to read The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin: The Dispossessed (Hardcover, 1991, Harper Paperbacks) 4 stars

Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, …

Got it for free in English in an open bookshelf and feel incredibly lucky. From LeGuin so far I only read "The Left Hand of Darkness", which I really enjoyed, the short story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and the collection "The Unreal and the Real Volume 2: Outer Space & Inner Lands"