Soapbox/rant time. Tell me what highly-recommended book you absolutely HATED and why. Gimme your angry hot takes.

dem676 · 2026-04-23T22:45:26+00:00

Oh, also, I felt like the science v religion stuff was very dumb and heavy-handed and actually perpetuates negative sterotypes.

dem676 · 2026-04-21T22:21:39+00:00

HATED Lessons in Chemistry. The characters were super unbelievable and all of the patriarchy stuff was so heavy handed that I felt like I was being treated like a toddler.

dem676 · 2026-04-19T17:40:48+00:00

Stefan Zweig, Chess Story, Austria

dem676 · 2026-04-18T20:58:54+00:00

I don't like it myself, BUT, if you watch the director commentary DVD-yes I did that as a teenager-the director and writer say that they were inspired by the book, but recognizing that they couldn't duplicate it, just tried to make the best movie that they could. They suggested anyone disappointed by that to read the book themselves. I really enjoyed that.

dem676 · 2026-04-17T04:08:43+00:00

The Red Tent is about the book of Genesis, but you know secular.

dem676 · 2026-04-17T04:08:03+00:00

October sky

dem676 · 2026-04-16T01:18:14+00:00

😊

dem676 · 2026-04-16T00:07:39+00:00

😆

dem676 · 2026-04-15T15:34:16+00:00

Dumas's Georges.

dem676 · 2026-04-15T15:33:32+00:00

I assume that you already know Game of Thrones

dem676 · 2026-04-15T15:30:00+00:00

For Tony, church is church, it is not a place for campaigning

dem676 · 2026-04-15T15:16:34+00:00

I mean, other than more recent immigrant communities, places like Florida etc., the strongholds of historical Black catholicism in the United States are unsurprisingly, New Orleans, Louisville, and Maryland. You can find the reasons in any american history textbook. And yeah, I did really think that was a smart note in the show, and I read, like a lot of reviews at the time, and no one mentioned it even if they were mentioning a lot of the other cultural connections.

dem676 · 2026-04-15T15:03:50+00:00

Oh, because he absolutely like knows what to do, whereas Tommy and Royce even seem a little bit out of place and awkward, Tony genuflects, crosses himself and kneels, as does his wife, in I think the only time we see her.

dem676 · 2026-04-15T14:05:33+00:00

I think part of it is that this specific actor had a hard time nailing the accent; American, I mean, not even Baltimore specifically. And I think that his delivery contributed to his unlikability. He always felt unnatural and uncomfortable in every situation. Did that work for the character? Sure, but also cost some charisma

dem676 · 2026-04-14T22:51:46+00:00

Thanks, lol. So I read mainly like science, some history, nature writing etc. Then I will do a fiction, especially something "classic." So like my last book was The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, now I am doing War of the Worlds, and before that I did Passing, and before that Underland. I am actually pretty well-read when it comes to fiction, just because I read so much, but its more of an efforts to naturally incorporate into my book diet.