A Comprehensive Breakdown by Peak Afflatus

Rating:

3 Stars

Themes:

Non-Fiction, Biography

Thoughts:

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. The essays in this book are short and easy to read in smaller sittings meaning I was able to pick it up whenever I had a moment with no worry of being disturbed in the middle. I thought the author took an interesting approach by remaining anonymous as I feel it made it easier to reflect myself onto the essays and it also means that readers aren’t swayed in their interpretation by their knowledge of the author. I myself really related to the essays on pain and its management as that is an experience I have in depth knowledge of and it allowed me to relate more. I did notice that the essays aren’t in chronological order but instead jump around which can be a little confusing but the author says in the beginning that it represents how their mind works which actually gives us a deeper insight into their experience than if they were to order it for the publication.

Favourite Quote:

“Like a ghost in the machine, I spun the cogs unseen, trying not to break the mechanism. The inner voice grew louder behind the veil of coping. It was not just agitated but cruel. Being human felt exhausting and unnatural”

Comments

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

Shame-Sex Attraction by Lucas Wilson

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, LGBTQ+ Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is definitely a difficult read and it took me quite a while to get through it for that very reason. It is split up into 17 different peoples experiences with a foreword and afterword. It’s definitely an important read for many as these practices are still legal in many countries, including my own, and without knowledge of the damage of the practices many may not join in the protests or sign the petitions to try to get laws in place. As a member of the community myself I found some of these stories such as the ‘Sniffing the Gay Away’ and ‘Convert’ especially difficult to read and reminded me just how lucky I was to have such a supportive and loving community around me. I appreciated that the afterword highlighted the limitations of the collection such as having little to no religious, geographical or racial diversity but that they did try to ga...

Broken Glass by Sarah Kay

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Poetry Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This collection is mixed for me, some of the poems were really good and all were definitely emotive but I think so many poems on the Hamas attack and subsequent war which is highly politically charged a little difficult to tackle. Favourite Quote: "What good is it to open my heart when in the end, you will stab it in the back?"

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