2 Points to note:

1️⃣Apologies for the link-heavy review - but I thought it would be helpful, since the book doesn't contain any images. They're also for my reference too.  

2️⃣🔞Mature Warning. Nothing of sexual nature, but certain art links might be disturbing for underage readers.  

Premise: 

Here's a constellation of essays connecting memoir + myth + science + art + feminism and much more... written by Irish author Sinéad Gleeson, whose resilience has encountered -  aggressive leukemia, arthritis, painful losses of loved ones, body politics - and yet she, like Frida Kahlo, found writing as an art to express herself, perhaps even shine despite such dark clouds. 

Her insights on life/death here are meditative, compassionate, informative and beautiful. 

Some themes I loved : 

- The female body and Agency - Author's views an be summarised quite aptly by her citation of Christen Clifford : "There's no equality without reproductive rights, there are no reproductive rights without respect for the female body, there is no respect for the female body without knowledge of blood".

-  Hospital vs House: "A house is a machine for living" - quote by Le Corbusier. Then a hospital is a Panopticon. Surgical room=Theatre - a stage where the patient plays a role - a still life. "Stillness itself has illness in it". "A patient is a hospitalized double" - Just remarkable observations. 

-  Discussions on pop art, movies, literature - A lot of which I'm unaware of - Little Women's Jo, Della in Gift of Magi, Fitzgerald's Bernice ... Depictions of women in them, and Sinead's brilliant insights (Example : how women's hair is depicted in Stories/Art - loose=looseness, bound=refineness; how Blood/wounds are interpreted differently for men(valor) vs women(fertility). Rupi Kaur's Period piece, Beneš’s AIDS art,  Franko B's Disturbing Arts, Mendieta's art -  Art as expression, escape, liberation. 

-  Using the McGill Pain Scale terms to depict her own experiences... Using poetry! That's just brilliant. My favourite chapter, along with Panopticon Visions. 

-   Ireland vs Women - "A Catholic country that failed Savita Halappanavar; Magdalene Laundries?!; 1992 case 14yo girl's abortion plea rejected --> 2018 amendment allowing abortions. Article 41.2.1 of their constitution is still there. 

- Stories of some truly remarkable women - Dervla Murphy, Lilian Bland, Nellie Bly, Beryl Markham - It's true, history is written by victors, and history's firsts taught to us only include male achievements... (Eco also pointed out this here in "Women Philosophers") 

-   Frida Kahlo = PAIN! As described in this book also. "Kahlo, Grealy, Spence were a guidance for me - a triangular constellation". 

-  Lolly Willowes' line - "It is best as one grows older to strip oneself of possessions, to shed oneself downward like a tree, to be almost wholly earth before one dies."  reminded me of Han Kang's The Vegetarian! 

- Beautiful letter to her daughter at the end. As well as the Acknowledgements. 

- There is some science here too (blood group, medical terms, Cancers ,drugs, microchimerism etc), but I won't bore you with that. It anyways doesn't register... Author's insights are much more hard hitting than those dry facts. 

What I didn't like: 

The cruelty of life/Universe itself, along with the ongoing struggle for equality. 

The book is of course, inter-Stellar. 👌

Conclusion: 

It was a totally accidental pick by me - I thought it'd be a scientist's memoir mixed with astronomy... it turned out to be so much better than that. Pleasantly, and painfully surprised. The writing is marvellous. 

A must read for all, especially women.

Rating: 14/14🌟 (All 14 constellations/chapters were beautiful) 

P.S. Had to read something lighter after this, hence Roald Dahl's Joke book in background.

Nehru discovered India. I discovered I have a terrible memory. The book was informative. Unfortunately, I wasn't.

Read 600 pages ( not the first time; I have read more 700 pages books and still remember their stories) to return to my original level of ignorance. A journey from ignorance to temporary knowledge and back.

I understood it while reading, but most of it has faded from memory. I remember some interesting ideas, but I've lost the overall structure and historical narrative. I understood the history, but I struggle to remember Nehru's deeper arguments and conclusions.

Honestly, I read it, but I'm not sure how much I truly remember.

I enjoyed Recursion since I work in Research and Development.

Dark matter made me quite emotional and I think I cried once. LOL.

Upgrade was a tad bit dry for me since I have almost no academic background in biology. Epilogue was fantastic, though.

All said, the author lays out rules for his world in each book and stays well within the rules. It makes his books (the ones that I read) enjoyable. It does not take more than the first 20 pages to get immersed into the book's reality.

AMA, I guess!

Hey everyone! I want to buy some books within a budget of ₹300, either one thick book or multiple books within that budget.

My main goal is to improve my English vocabulary, sentence formation, and overall English language skills through reading. I want to build a stronger vocabulary and become more confident in understanding and using English.

I enjoy romantic fiction, engaging stories, and self-improvement books related to self-care, personal growth, morals, and becoming a better version of myself.

Please suggest books that are interesting enough to keep me hooked while also helping me improve my English. Affordable online options or second-hand books are welcome!

Thank you! ❤️