Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
#FrenchPolynesia
review
Suet624
Playground | Richard Powers
post image
Pickpick

I‘m all over the map on this book. Here are my random thoughts:
1. Don‘t listen to the audiobook. Apparently you can‘t tell that there is a section of the narrative that is in italics which is an important feature of the story. (At least that‘s what Reddit readers said.)
2. It took me forever to get into it and I really had to push to finish it.
3. You have to finish it. But it will give you a headache.
4. The ocean is magical. AI sucks.

BarbaraBB Great review. It‘s my favorite read of the year so far even though I ended up with so many questions 🤯 2d
Suet624 @BarbaraBB I think it will take time for the book to settle within me. I so dislike Todd/AI/what these creators have done that I angrily squirmed through it. Of course much of it was brilliant and I loved the ocean passages. 2d
BarbaraBB Angrily squirmed through it 😀 oh Sue I so like the way you are! 2d
See All 6 Comments
Suet624 @BarbaraBB Hahaha. 2d
Bookwormjillk Good to know about the audiobook! 2d
ErikasMindfulShelf I listened to it. Had no clue. 🤦🏻‍♀️ 2d
60 likes1 stack add6 comments
blurb
ImperfectCJ
Playground | Richard Powers
post image

Valentine's Day gift for my spouse. Slightly self-serving because I REALLY want him to read this so I can talk to him about it.

Hooked_on_books That whale sculpture is beautiful! 🤩 🐋 6d
BarbaraBB I want my husband to read it too but he keeps refusing unfortunately 6d
ImperfectCJ @Hooked_on_books SoCal upscale mini-mall decor. :-) 6d
See All 6 Comments
ImperfectCJ @BarbaraBB Mine loved The Overstory, and he wants to read this one, he just keeps postponing it. I decided to remove an energy barrier for him (and I'm kind if interested in re-reading it myself) 6d
LoverOfLearning What a stunning cover! 4d
Suet624 That sculpture is gorgeous. 2d
60 likes1 stack add6 comments
blurb
BarbaraBB
Playground | Richard Powers
post image

#WeeklyFavorites

The last favorite of January is my favorite of the month too! I can‘t stop thinking of Playground!

Read4life What a great reading month! Thanks for playing along. 💙📚💙 3w
BarbaraBB @Read4life Thank you for organizing! 3w
sarahbarnes You‘re convincing me I need to read this one! 3w
Suet624 I‘m with @sarahbarnes 3w
BarbaraBB @Suet624 @sarahbarnes I think you both need to indeed 😀 3w
61 likes1 stack add5 comments
blurb
ImperfectCJ
Playground | Richard Powers
post image

I have read some great books this week, so it was tough to choose, but the tagged edged out Poor Deer and Martyr! by just a little (even with how grouchy the ending still has me feeling).

#WeeklyFavorites @Read4life

BarbaraBB That #ToB25Longlist has given us so many good books!! (edited) 4w
Read4life Having to choose between good books is a great problem to have 😉 4w
46 likes2 comments
review
BarbaraBB
Playground | Richard Powers
post image
Pickpick

I loved this book right up until the end. It‘s probably me but I don‘t get the ending.. I am left with so many questions, it‘s such a thought provoking story.
I loved the friendship between Todd and Rafi, I loved Evelyn‘s diving, her love for the ocean and her marriage, I loved Makatea, its inhabitants, I loved Powers‘ style and love for nature. But I feel like I have to start it again to really get it. All the stars nevertheless! #ToB25Longlist

ImperfectCJ Thank you for tagging me on your review! I still can't quite get over that ending, but the feelings I got with the rest of it are still hanging on and coloring my daily life, too, which really says something for Powers's writing. 4w
BarbaraBB @ImperfectCJ I think it will stick with me for some time to come. There‘s so much going on in the book and in my head now! 4w
squirrelbrain Yes, I didn‘t really ‘get‘ the ending either. 🤷‍♀️ 4w
See All 14 Comments
sarahbarnes I‘ve been waffling on whether I want to read this one. Good to know you liked it (except for the ending)! 4w
Suet624 Hmmm… guess I need to find this one. You‘ve got me curious. 4w
Hooked_on_books I had a pretty similar response. I really liked the storylines but not really together as a whole. 4w
BarbaraBB @sarahbarnes @Suet624 It‘s soo good. I didn‘t get the ending, or at least have to give it some more thought, but it‘s still the best book I read this year (which doesn‘t say that much, I admit!) 4w
BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_books I did like them together as well but I didn‘t get the time thing: that Rafi lived on the island as well as died in Illinois? @squirrelbrain @ImperfectCJ 4w
ImperfectCJ @BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_books @squirrelbrain I read it as the whole thing was written by Todd's AI as a kind of happy ending for him to listen to as his Lewy Body Dementia progressed. It's similar to "it was all a dream," which feels like a cop-out. 4w
GatheringBooks I‘ve only read tagged book which I found to be quite interesting - love how much you have traveled - and we‘re only in February! ✈️ 2w
BarbaraBB @GatheringBooks Sometimes I am so fed up with American fiction 🤷🏻‍♀️ and I enjoyed Overstory but this one is way better! 2w
GatheringBooks @BarbaraBB i hear what you‘re saying - fiction from US, Canada, UK - hence the reading challenge. I am aching for stories from elsewhere and everywhere else. Btw, powell‘s made a list of 25 books to read before you die - world edition. I was hoping to get to them this year (and the next), hopefully. 💕 https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/cca42756-6a6c-49de-93ab-cf4f3f7... 2w
BarbaraBB @GatheringBooks Thanks. That‘s a cool list. I read most of them when reading Boxall‘s #1001books to read before you die 2w
84 likes3 stack adds14 comments
quote
BarbaraBB
Playground | Richard Powers
post image

The people of Makatea in French Polynesia have to decide about their future in this book. The mayor‘s wife is mostly quiet but I love that she speaks out about future generations. In real life people in power hardly seem to think of the future of next generations anymore. This quote touches me deeply ❤️‍🩹

TrishB Agreed. What are we leaving for future generations. 4w
BarbaraBB @TrishB Have you read this book? It‘s very good. 4w
BarbaraTheBibliophage I loved Overstory and need to read his more recent books! 4w
See All 8 Comments
BarbaraBB @BarbaraTheBibliophage I enjoyed Overstory and this one is even better so far. 4w
TrishB No- I‘ve got a couple of his but I‘ve not read any of them yet! 4w
BarbaraBB @TrishB I am not always a fan but this one is excellent 4w
JenP Loved this book 4w
BarbaraBB @JenP Me too. Just finished it. The ending left me with many questions though. 4w
59 likes8 comments
review
ImperfectCJ
Playground | Richard Powers
post image
Pickpick

I have very strong, mixed feelings about this novel. On the one hand, it's beautiful, focused yet expansive, easy to get lost in. One section had me in tears, which rarely happens for me when reading. On the other hand, I feel cheated. I will not go into details, but I do not like how the story wraps up. So, 99% I loved, 1% really pissed me off.

#tob25 longlist

BarbaraBB You‘ve made me very curious. I hope to finish it this weekend! 4w
ImperfectCJ @BarbaraBB I'll be interested to see what you think. Based on reviews, I don't think many other people had as strong a negative reaction as I did. It's possible mine was at least partly a side effect of how much I loved the rest of the book. 4w
56 likes2 comments
blurb
ImperfectCJ
Playground | Richard Powers
post image

The wind is blowing like crazy, and I'm trying to distract myself from worrying about fires. Playing piano has been soothing (grateful that after a year of playing, I have enough skill so it can be something besides frustrating), and I'm enjoying reading the tagged, but it's increasing the sense of foreboding that started with the wind and the news. I might resort to housework to expend some of the restlessness if this keeps up.

TheBookHippie Thinking of you…. 1mo
Readergrrl Same here! I am thinking of you too! (edited) 1mo
dabbe 🩵🩶🩵 1mo
See All 7 Comments
Butterfinger I hope it calms down soon. 1mo
ImperfectCJ Thanks, all. I appreciate it. There's a chance of rain this weekend, so I'm very, very hopeful we'll get a little relief. The air is just so incredibly dry. Of course, last year at this time we had flooding. If only there were a happy medium. 1mo
ImperfectCJ Just for reference, it's 6pm, and the relative humidity is 6%. 1mo
BarbaraBB Feeling your worries. I hope it calms down soon 🤍 1mo
62 likes7 comments
blurb
ImperfectCJ
Playground | Richard Powers
post image

Although it ate into my reading time, I enjoyed spending half of the day exploring a bit of my lovely city, situated in the most biodiverse county in the United States. Hopefully, in the years to come, we can make choices as a community to help support this biodiversity while also helping the humans of this ecosystem to live healthy, happy lives, regardless of what happens on a national level.

BarbaraBB I am happy for such places in the US. I hope it‘ll be an example to other counties, especially these coming years. 1mo
51 likes1 comment
blurb
BarbaraBB
Playground | Richard Powers
post image

#WeeklyForecast 04/25

I didn‘t get to Moshi Moshi last week because I had to read Short War first. I still haven‘t finished it because I went hiking this weekend with my girlfriends (cold!!!).

So that one will be next and also I can‘t wait to start Playground, where I‘ve heard such good things of!

squirrelbrain Bbrr- chilly for hiking! 🥶 1mo
68 likes1 comment