January Book Wrap Up|2019

Hello, people of the interweb!

It’s never too late for a wrap up if it is let me believe it since we are already in the middle of February! I managed to read six books in January which was a great start, two of them because of my internship, but I’m still counting them for this wrap-up.

Let’s get on with this wrap-up!

First, we have Death by Black Hole and other cosmic quandaries by the one and only Neil deGrasse Tyson!

My rating: 4/5 stars
Recommend to: Shameless nerds like me with a bit more than the high school understanding of physics.
Genre: Science, Nonfiction
Sinopse: “Tyson compiles his favourite essays, which were first published in a monthly column in “Natural History.” One of the worlds best-known astrophysicists, he is at his best here, as a natural teacher who simplifies the complexities of science while sharing his infectious excitement for our universe.” (via wook)

The second reading adventure I had last month was Sweethearts by Gemma Gilmore.

My rating: 2/5 stars
Recommend to: I don’t know…
Genre: LGBT, Young Adult
Sinopse: “When seventeen-year-old Ingrid Harper realizes she may not have the talent to pursue a scholarship for the most prestigious art school in Australia, she turns to pink hair dye as a distraction.” (via Goodreads)

 

After that, I read Introduction to High-Temperature Superconductivity by T. Sheahan and Introduction to Superconductivity by Michael Tinkham. Since they are both academic books, it doesn’t make sense to rate them, but they are amazing books on the topic of superconductivity if any of you need to do research on this specific area of study.  I read them because of the internship I’m currently doing and they made me feel much more knowledgeable on the topic.

Then, I picked up Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, once again by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

My rating: 5/5 stars
Recommend to: Once again, shameless nerds like me. This one is a bit easier to follow than Death by Black Hole and other cosmic quandaries, so if you haven’t had a look at anything science since high school it is still quite an easy read.
Genre: Science, Nonfiction
Sinopse: “The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist.” (via wook)

 

The last book I read this January was The Mother by Maximo Gorki, and if you read my review on this book you know how emotional it was for me.

My rating: 4/5 stars
Recommend to: Everybody
Genre: Classic
Sinopse: “This novel tells the story of the common proletariat who protested against the czar and the capitalists which eventually led to the October Revolution…Mother represents hundreds of workers who are concerned with living their lives.” (via Amazon)

What was your favourite read of the month?

I’ve been struggling for the last seven minutes, trying to figure out what else to say here, but there isn’t much else I can say really. So…I hope you enjoyed this post. If you read any of these books please let me know!

Bye, keep on reading!

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Mother by Máximo Gorki – Book Review

There is a story behind this book and I feel like I need to tell it before I review it. If you want to go straight to the review go ahead, I’ll use a line to separate this from the review.

The first time I ever saw this book I was probably around 12. It was on a living room cabinet, which meant it wasn’t my mother’s since her books have always been kept at our home office bookshelf. I remember asking my father what book it was and remember him saying it belonged to my grandmother. For 12 year old me this was meaningless and I just went on with my life.

I came across this book again about a month and a half ago (on my twenties). I once again asked my father about the book. This time the story was more detailed. You might not know but Portugal had a dictatorship that lasted about 41 years, which ended in 1974. My grandmother only ever lived inside this dictatorship, but I’d say she was pretty different from the women of her time.

This book was basically forbidden due to its socialist message, which means that if she had been caught with it she would have ended up as a political prisoner and most likely tortured to death. According to my father, she always kept the book under her bedside table just in case there was a swoop.

Even though I never met my grandmother I can for sure say that all my rebellion comes from her. Not mention that from the stories my dad tells me, she was probably an extraordinary lady who valued both education and culture, which is something I look for in every person I ever encounter.

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REVIEW:

Mother follows the life of Pelágia (Pelagueya for the English edition), Pavel’s mother as she enters her son’s world when he embraces socialism and starts bringing home forbidden books. The author describes a group of factory workers in the small Russian community at the beginning of the Russian revolution.

It’s mainly a story about a woman, from the beginning of the last century, overcoming her political ignorance to become involved in the revolution, and for me, she is the true protagonist of this novel.

It was slow at times but the reality brought out by the author was outstanding. The way the author described the struggle of the working class from the perspective of a mother, was honestly outstanding. I really liked his style of writing: having lines spoken anonymously by anyone in the scene, it’s like we are inside the characters minds. Given its revolutionary intentions nowhere does the book become preachy.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster but it is for sure not just another book to pass the time, you need to take time to connect with the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone that likes history or is at all interested in this “revolutionary” type of book.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

Bye, keep on reading.