Tanya Lisle

Category: Reviews

  • The World Before Us review

    The World Before Us review

    I had been having a rough time of things, so I just needed to read something. Anything that was available. none of my holds had come in and I was not able to get into anything that was in my digital purchases TBR, so to the library and picking something at random!

    Normally I would talk a little about what the book was about, and there was a story to this book, but I cannot do that. I am aware that there is a character named Jane, that a girl named Lily went missing, and that there is an asylum with a bunch of people in it, but I cannot tell you much more than that. I cannot remember this book at all, and I just finished it last night.

    Some of it is likely due to the aforementioned inability to get into anything,1 but also some of it is the framing device that made it hard to get attached to anything happening. The story is told through the perspective of a bunch of ghosts that are watching Jane as she goes about her life, which made her story feel like it was so distant from what I was supposed to be paying attention to. Even though Jane was the throughline, I never felt like I was supposed to be paying attention to her so much as the characters in the foreground, and those characters did not stay on topic.

    I think this was ultimately just not for me. I’ve never had a book vanish from my mind so quickly after reading it and, though the prose did have a nice quality to it, I think it was just not a good match for what I was looking for.

    Amazon
    1. And health issues flaring up again, yay brain problems [↩]

  • Range review

    Today in books I added and completely forgot about, I have a feeling I thought this was going to be another book like How to be Everything. And it kind of was, but mostly was not.

    Range is an argument for and a series of stories about not specializing and instead getting a broader background in terms of education and experiences. Each chapter takes a slightly different perspective on how either specialization doesn’t provide the insight that might be required to accomplish some big endeavour and gives them a limited view, or how people with very wide and varied background were able to bring perspectives that were able to create something great.

    I thought it was a really interesting read. As someone who has often been in work situations as the only one who has a broader background, it’s come in handy and it’s interesting to see how that can be applied much more broadly to wider applications. It’s good to see that this personal experience appears to be not so isolated to just myself.

    Overall, I thought it was a really interesting read. Definitely worth checking out if you have some time, and especially if you’re feeling like you’re meandering in life.

    AMAZON

  • Our Iceberg is Melting review

    You know when you pick up a book that was recommended as a business book because you tried to read something fictional and you just couldn’t get into it, but it turns out that business book is actually just a whole allegory told as the story of penguins? Yeah, I didn’t either.

    The book follows a group of penguins as they discover that the iceberg they call home may not survive the winter. It starts with one, Fred, who finds the problem, and then spirals as he finds people to help figure out a solution to the problem, resulting int he penguins changing their whole way of life as they get buy in from more and more of the colony and deal with the detractors. And the whole thing is an allegory for how to approach change management within a company.

    I thought it was fantastic, honestly. Not everything is going to translate one to one to an actual organization and it does paint a somewhat ideal version of how things could end up going, but overall I thought it was a pretty effective way to get the message across in a way that wasn’t as bland or overly “This is the only way to do it and I am the only one is right”-ish as many of the books I read do it. It really was a lot more showing than telling, which I appreciate, and illustrating how this whole thing could happen.

    If you’re looking for a bit of a business book that is honestly a lot more effective than other books out there, definitely check this one out. It’s pretty great, informative, and also has some really lovely illustrations throughout it.

    AMAZON
  • Four thousand weeks review

    Four thousand weeks review

    Time to tackle the digital TBR! There’s not as many books in there as I thought (Or maybe I just haven’t been looking at the right place) and it’s been ages since I got these so this should be interesting. I don’t even remember when I got these ones…

    Four Thousand Weeks looked like a productivity book and even started like one, but quickly devolved into a discussion on time and what the purpose of productivity is. It’s an interesting intersection of what productivity practices teach and why being productive isn’t necessarily the best thing for us as people.

    As someone who has been learning an awful lot about rest the last year and trying to make life better for myself in the long run, I really resonated with some of the discussions around how the things you once did for enjoyment become things you have to do for income and the loss of enjoyment in the name of productivity in general. The idea that you can just… not for a while is strangely comforting.

    Overall, I really liked it, even if it wasn’t what was expected. There are legitimate tips in the book, but if you’re looking for something that goes more into the purpose and intent of productivity and rest, this one is a great read.

    AMAZON
  • Sway review

    Sway review

    Did I forget I had a digital TBR as soon as I finished off my physical one? Yes. Did I just pick the pretty cover off of my books to maybe read from the library instead of looking at the blurb to find out anything about it? Also yes. Did I even read the subtitle that is directly on the cover? You know the answer here.

    Sway is a discussion about unconscious bias and how it’s an underlying part of life in general. It’s a lot of research around how there is a lot of historic and structural bias, which then leads into how people interact with one another, and some of the more subtle forms of how it shows up. It was a more difficult read than Design Justice, which covers a lot of the same subject matter, but I found myself liking it more because it didn’t feel like it was trying to offer solutions1 so much as just highlighting that the issues exist, how they appear, and how they affect people.

    Also will say that the one star reviews on this one are a lot of fun.

    Overall, it’s an interesting look at the pervasiveness of unconscious and implicit bias and how it affect people in their daily lives. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, check it out!

    AMAZON
    1. Which ultimately didn’t feel like actual solutions [↩]
  • The Extra review

    The Extra review

    This was the last physical book on my to be read pile and I am finally through it! At last, the whole pile is gone! After this I can start on the digital one and then finally I will have read all the books I have! AT LAST! And then get more books as a reward. Anyway…

    We follow Frankie as she heads to Hollywood with her friend, Connie, to pursue a life as an actress. Things go wrong on the way there as they end up giving a truly awful person and famous director a ride into town and get caught up in the glamour and mystery of Hollywood, along with all the disappointment that comes along with it.

    The story doesn’t really kick off until more than half way through the book when the murder mentioned on the blurb actually happens. Before that, it’s a lot of set up to understand the inner workings of Hollywood and just how terrible just about everyone in the book is. Once the murder happens, it feels almost like a completely different story, with Frankie going underground and trying to solve the crime while evading the police.

    While the story is pretty well paced once the murder happens, I found that I didn’t like any of the characters. People are vindictive or self serving, and even when there’s a moment of redemption where I think someone might make a good decision, that is soon undone by their following actions. I was rooting for no one in this even though I’m pretty sure I was supposed to be.

    Honestly, I preferred her Stella Ryman book more, but this might be a good fit for someone looking for some of the old Hollywood glamour and a more traditional read. If it sounds interesting, check it out!

    AMAZON
  • Gatekeeper’s Key review

    Gatekeeper’s Key review

    Back to my physical TBR and another book from the Pulp Lit event! Naturally, I did not remember what the book was about and just picked it up because it was the next one on the list, but I am pretty happy with what I found! It’s been a while since I’ve read some fantasy.

    The story follows Kyer as she ends up being recruited into a party on a mission. The country is being slowly overtaken by another power on the edges, but Kyer is mostly just trying to figure out her own life and along for the ride and the experiences. Due to a duel at the start of the story, she is pursued by a man named Ronav whose plans she has thrown a wrench into and he is on a mission to get what she owes him as a result.

    This may be because I’m currently putting together my character for a new campaign, but this whole story had a D&D feeling to it where the campaign is based around one character. The magic and the worldbuilding just felt like I was in that world, which felt both very familiar and a bit off at different points, and I was waiting for more side quests that would allow other characters to shine as well.

    Despite that, it felt like a familiar journey back into my fantasy days where there was a quest to be fulfilled and a lead with a mystery about themselves that made them the chosen one. It’s a fun read and I’m interested to see how the rest of the story goes. This is, after all, only the first book and I would like to see how some of the threads about Kyer’s past progress. Check it out if you have an itch for a fantasy book!

    Amazon
  • The Hollow Places review

    The Hollow Places review

    Today in I don’t remember why I put a hold on this book but it came in and I did not even read the summary to find out what I was getting into, body horror! Do I normally have absolutely no issues with this kind of thing normally? Yes. Is my brain pretty fried from work burnout and stress and still recovering from all the brain issues, making it much less okay with this kind of thing? Also yes!

    The book follows Kara (Carrot to close friends and family) as she finds herself living in her uncle’s Wonder Museum and helping him care for it while he’s out having knee surgery. A small hole appears in the wall, likely caused by a tourist accident, she discovers a passage to a strange world between worlds where you hope desperately that the willows that cover the place are hungry, because if they aren’t they are curious and will find new and interesting ways to toy with the humans who are unfortunate enough to find themselves trapped there.

    The worldbuilding is a lot of fun, especially in how the willows become a very strange, alien force that creep into the minds of people. There’s also the fun that is seeing what was left behind by others, and how Carrot finds out that these are people who did not come from her world, but from parallel universes that are just a little off of her own.

    I also appreciated the interplay and relationship between her and Simon, the barista from next door who also ends up experiencing the horrors with her. There was a distinct attempt to ensure there was absolutely no sexual tension between Carrot and Simon by pointing out he was, in fact, gay, which was just a weird reminder for me that they would have been expected to end up together otherwise.

    Overall I really enjoyed it! It was a creepy story maybe not best read at bed time with some haunting imagery and an appreciated lack of a clean wrap up for the situation. If it sounds even vaguely interesting, definitely check it out!

    Amazon
  • Invisible Kingdom review

    Invisible Kingdom review

    I swear I’ll be going back to fiction soon, but a bunch of nonfiction has been coming in lately and I need to get through them all first! This one I’ve picked up pretty much directly as a result of my recent health issues, and the difficulties I’ve had about getting treatment and understanding it.

    Invisible Kingdom is mostly the discussion of how the author navigated the healthcare system to find a diagnosis and treatment for a condition that she had been dealing with for years, from doctors dismissing her to misdiagnosis to the desperation of trying anything to get some kind of relief, to finally finding something that made her life bearable and the understanding that this was going to be something she would have to deal with indefinitely.

    As someone who has more recently found themselves with a chronic condition1 and who has been struggling to get things like accommodations from work and a doctor who can advise me on what I can do to mitigate some of the issues, I really resonated with the ideas in the book. It’s not a plan or an outline for how to get treatment so much as a journey and discussion about the things that could be better. And on the whole, I agree with a lot of the sentiments and commiserate with the issues. It would have been nice to have solutions, but ultimately this is an issue that patients are not going to be able to resolve at this point, so familiarity is a great comfort.

    Overall, I did really like this, even if it wasn’t necessarily the hopeful read or guidebook that I wanted. If you’re also dealing with some strange health conditions and struggling to figure out how to manage a life where they may never go away or trying to navigate the healthcare system, this may be a good read for you too.

    Amazon
    1. Thanks Covid [↩]
  • Design Justice review

    Design Justice review

    Every once in a while, I will read books on purpose and not just because I randomly saw it in a search and figured that might be an interesting thing to read. For those who don’t know, I work in tech as a product designer and UX… everything lately, let’s be honest. So something about how to do research and design ethically is something that is very squarely something I am reading for work.

    The book outlines a lot of the issues that currently exist within tech and how some of it could be addressed. The vast majority of tech products are designed very specifically by and for a majority population (White, male, cishet, able bodied, etc.) which can cause issues for people who fall outside of those groups to access things. The primary solution to this is participatory design, or getting the larger community involved in the process of designing and creating these products so that they are inclusive of all people who might find value.

    The idea of participatory design is something I’ve been interested in, as has the idea of building off of what a community has already created for themselves and integrating those solutions into the larger landscape of a product or problem space. I do find it unfortunate that there was the acknowledgement that in order to get some of these opportunities and solutions prioritized, you really did need to frame them in a way that emphasized the monetary impact over the human impact, but I am also very aware of what tech in specific and business in general is like.

    No one is really doing this for the good of the people using a product. It’s for the profit.

    Overall, though, if you’re someone in product, design, or user experience, it’s a good read. I imagine the ideas aren’t going to be new, but the framing and context of them, along with the perspective, is interesting.

    Get it now