Sep 30, 2025
Well, no need to be so harsh
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Well, no need to be so harsh
May 2025 Reading Wrap-Up
I spent most of this month chipping through one book between various problems going on. And then several books through various, worse problems going on.
1/10 - Why Did They Publish This?
None applicable.
2/10 - Trash
None applicable.
3/10 - Meh
None applicable.
4 to 6/10 - Mid-Tier
Joy At Work: Organizing Your Professional Life | Marie Kondo, Scott Sonenshein
So, this book sucked and didn't suck to a far lesser extent than it sucked.
For the most part, in the Marie Kondo portions (except when talking about specific other people) Marie will use a lot of "we/us" and "me/I", while Scott will use a lot of "you" (direct you, not general you) and "he/she" in the narration instead.
Another thing that got me about this book is that it's...privileged, I guess is the word. The example people and the authors are all well-off enough that they can just quit their jobs and work solely because they want to work in whatever field, rather than having to keep an eye out for making sure they can cover all of their bills.
It also has a pretty heavy focus early on about making more money for the company being a motivator for tidying up around your work space, which also puts me off.
Most of this book was the Scott asshole. Ultimately, I think it comes down to this: The ex-Silicon Valley tech bro who's now a professor should not have been involved in the writing of this book. He was grindset-focused rather than paying attention to Marie Kondo's own lessons in the book.
Overall, 4 out of 10. There are some helpful things in here, but it's not worth it overall. Read Marie Kondo's other books on tidying instead.
7 to 8/10 - Good With Caveats
The Dharma Of Star Wars | Matthew Bortolin
So firstly I want to say that this book is actually meant for fans of Star Wars who are interested in a Buddhist analysis of episodes one through six, and that it was published in 2005 (well before most modern Star Wars stuff, obviously). My passing knowledge of Star Wars via the LEGO adaptation of it and pop culture understanding via Tumblr memes and shitposts managed to get me through it, but this was still a hefty little book that I struggled to get through. Regardless, I have come away from it with a better understanding of Buddhism, so...I guess I win anyways. Ultimately I would rank this as a 7 out of 10.
Devout: An Anthology Of Angels | Freydis Moon, Dorian Yosef Weber, Angela Sun, Ian Haramaki, Tyler Battaglia, Daniel Marie James, Morgan Dante, Cas Trudeau, Aurelio Loren, Rae Novotny, Rafael Nicolas, Emily Hoffman, Quinton Li
DISCLAIMER: Watch this video about Freydis Moon, consider it required watching because of all of the brownfacing.
If you like angels in a really horny way and don't mind a lot of heavy themes, this is the anthology for you. Each work has its associated content warnings at the top of the chapter so you can skip ones that don't interest you. It's mostly stories, but there are also poems and a few pieces of art. Overall, I give this an 8 out of 10.
9/10 - Very Very Good
Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated, volume 3 | Katsura Ise, Takuma Yokata
Yes, I'm continuing this series, and yes, I still love it. Honestly I'm living for the drama.
A Sign Of Affection, volume 1 | Suu Morishita
This is a series that I started because I saw it recommended in a BookTube "what I read this month/quarter/year" whatever video and it seemed interesting. Deaf characters aren't something I often see portrayed in manga, and the narrative respected the female main character and didn't shortcut past any of the realistic problems she would have.
10/10 - Unironically Recommend To Everyone
None applicable.
Emily
Emily Hoffman
Emily portrait 🌿
Here is Daniil, Loren and Emily. They are barmen’s in Santa Muerte club.
And here is their day off.
A Smile for your Friday
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW41uraS7GA&w=529&h=328]
This is more than just a music video (though it is a great song). I recommend you watch part or all of it just to enjoy the 11 year old gir dancer. She’s AMAZING. And, of course, the song…
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11-year-old hip hop dancer Emily Hoffman. Impressive.