Sigrid – Page 4

Categories: Books

Surveiller et Nourrir

[French]

Lu en un après-midi, “Surveiller et Nourrir” de mon amie @LucieInland. De la Bastille aux couloirs de la mort américains, elle condense de nombreuses enquêtes et témoignages et pose la question de comment nous nourrissons les personnes incarcérées et pourquoi, ainsi que ce que ca dit de nous en tant que société (humaine?).

L’écriture est fluide et bien documentée, ce livre mérite sa place dans votre bibliothèque si vous vous intéressez aux questions carcérales.

[English]

Read in an afternoon, “Surveiller et Nourrir” by my friend @LucieInland. From the Bastille to American death rows, it condenses numerous investigations and testimonies and asks the question of how we feed incarcerated individuals and why, as well as what it says about us as a (human?) society.

The writing is fluid and well documented, this book deserves its place on your shelf if you are interested in prison issues.

Categories: Books

January / February Reads

It was a short read but it overall was disappointing and felt like a fantasy version of the JonBenét Ramsey case.

This is a romance novel – not my favorite genre, but the author knows how to build tension between her characters. In a way you know what’s going to happen, but it doesn’t, doesn’t, and doesn’t again and again and you’re about to explode as they are at some point lol. The main character is a strong woman who prioritize her career over everything but her sister. And she will not give up on it for a man, even if he’s the right one.

Categories: Death Penalty, Prison

Anti Death Penalty Protest

The Governor signed a death warrant and I joined Death Penalty Action at the eve of the execution for a protest outside the courthouse.

Watch a video about it.

We were protesting tonight’s execution of Donal Dillbeck and all executions everywhere. It was a small but very interesting gathering of passionate people.

Tonight I am sadden we are going through with this barbaric act and I will hold my little a little tighter hoping he ends up growing in a country where this doesn’t exist anymore.

Categories: Books

December reads

How to Get Run Over by a Truck by Katie McKenna

First, this is an incredible story because the author, Katie, should not have even survived that accident – she was literally run over by a semi. Her recovery and bravery through it all is amazing.
It was original in its structure as it is not chronological but by theme per chapter. Because of it, it is sometimes confusing about the timeline and leads to some rambling too.

I read a review talking about the privileges in the book and how they were not recognized or even mentioned at all. I agree with this as you can’t help but wonder how much did this all cost and how was she able to keep her New York apartment during/after months in the hospital – all while her family was also able to visit and care for her all day every single day. As someone who doesn’t have a lot of money, I personally was stressed about her bills the whole time I was reading and it would have been nice to know how this was never a worry for her. My biggest complaint is about all the missing elements: the truck driver, Gisele, but also how was she able to recover that much more than expected? I felt we skipped through a lot of interesting subjects.

The Witches are coming by Lindy West

It was a cool, quick and interesting read and I listened to it as an audiobook read by the author which I always like to do. It wasn’t groundbreaking but it was a snapshot of the #metoo era, the systemic misogyny full of cultural references. It felt like a discussion with a friend.

The Copenhagen affair by Amulya Malladi

I choose to read this one out of pure nostalgia. Sanya, who had the perfect life, had a full-on breakdown and to help her get better, her husband suggests a one-year expatriation to the happiest country in the world… my beloved Denmark. Needless to say we didn’t experience the exact same Copenhagen as they are full of money and I was a student lol. However, I loved all the references, especially those I had lived myself. The story itself, I couldn’t buy the ending at all, but it gave me what I wanted, a little piece of Copenhagen again.

Categories: Books

Fall reads

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

This was intriguing at first… It can be confusing because of different points of view and timelines and there is a lot going on with many characters. I wasn’t thrilled about it but I plan to read the sequel.

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

A dysfunctional family trapped in a gothic house on an island with tides getting higher through the night while a murderer is killing them one by one by the hour. Sounds promising, a “And then there were none”-type/inspired novel. It was an entertaining read, I liked the twist of what happened to Daisy but I was disappointed with the ending/fina twist/reveal that I didn’t find too believable.

Love in the time of serial killers by Alicia Thompson

Everything is in the title! If you think this will be a crime-book, no, it is a love story. However, you will enjoy all the true crime references (though they stay pretty general/wide-spread knowledge, or is it the true-crime addict in me talking?) if you are true-crime obsessed. It felt very modern and current, with many pop culture elements too. Like I said, it is a love story and I appreciated a main character with flaws, a wall up and some insecurities. Sometimes, it’s love that is waiting for you in the dark and it’s hard to protect yourself from it!

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

I thought I was gonna love it: cult, feminism, true crime podcast, maybe some BDSM, a lot of elements for a good read. Alas, it took me forever to read it; I could only get into the story at the beginning but as soon as we understand the “cult” and how it started I lost interest. I didn’t feel much interest for the main character (Shay) either.

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