This book wrecked me in the last 30 minutes. I almost DNFd it a few times near the beginning when it felt like there was nothing happening, or when itThis book wrecked me in the last 30 minutes. I almost DNFd it a few times near the beginning when it felt like there was nothing happening, or when it felt like the same things kept happening, but I'm so glad I kept with it. ...more
CW for animal death (both natural and unnatural) (view spoiler)[as well as for dissection. (hide spoiler)] I didn't have much of a hard time with it wCW for animal death (both natural and unnatural) (view spoiler)[as well as for dissection. (hide spoiler)] I didn't have much of a hard time with it when I was reading, and I'm usually very sensitive, but YMMV. I mean, the cover is basically a trigger warning in and of itself.
It's so funny that Kingfisher brings up Mexican Gothic in her author's note at the end because that was, naturally, exactly what I had in mind when I realized What Moves the Dead was a fungi horror. The two books aren't in competition but I do think a nice boxed set would be a fun little thing Tor could do. I would buy it.
Anyway, this book is delightfully macabre, sad and melancholy without being depressing, funny and charming in a way that enhances the horror. Unpretentious almost to a fault, but I prefer that to the novellas that gild the lily. Not perfect but one of the better horror/horror-adjacent books I've read lately. Don't read the author's note beforehand if you're a no-spoilers kind of person....more
I'm not totally convinced that a lot of this book is actually about monastic distraction specifically, but I don't actually care because this general I'm not totally convinced that a lot of this book is actually about monastic distraction specifically, but I don't actually care because this general topic of religion in the Late Antiquity/early medieval periods is one of my favorite things to read about for any reason whatsoever. I feel like buying the book would be more than worth it if you're interested in further reading, too; there are 65 pages of (dense) Notes and Sources. As entertaining as some of the stories are, further reading sounds great to me....more
The art is stunning - the colors and the shadows and the expressions! Somehow Andrews made the world feel enormous and expansive, even with the low stThe art is stunning - the colors and the shadows and the expressions! Somehow Andrews made the world feel enormous and expansive, even with the low stakes of the story itself (which is not a dig, I love low-stakes stories). Nothing felt like a thin metaphor for anything like childhood innocence or the loss thereof; the places Nathaniel and Ben went and the people they met were weighty and real, like they existed for themselves and not to Teach A Lesson.
A lot of adventure stories like this end up feeling flighty and fun, which is fine for kids' stories, but I really admire how grounded Andrews kept this story, which is a weird thing to say for a story in which a talking fisherbear features heavily, but it IS grounded. It's fun, but it's also somehow bittersweet; the occasional voiceover narration from Ben gives it a kind of melancholy or gravitas. I feel like I'm talking too much now but it really does have a special tone/atmosphere that was perfect for staying up late at night to read a couple nights before Halloween. It's not spooky or eerie, but the darkness of the story - both visually and a little bit tonally - are chef's kiss. I love it....more
I often use Jeeves books as something in the middle of the spectrum between "audiobook" and "white noise," because the inanity of it all is so comfortI often use Jeeves books as something in the middle of the spectrum between "audiobook" and "white noise," because the inanity of it all is so comfortingly low-stakes, so maybe I'm missing things. But I do feel like this book is the first Jeeves story I've read where Bertie actually feels like a character and not a narrator. And I really, really like Bertie-as-a-character.
I'm aware that usually Bertie is depicted as a homely gangly type of guy, the type of guy who could conceivably be played by Hugh Laurie, but it greatly increases my personal enjoyment of the story to imagine him as, like, ridiculously good-looking. Stupid hot with the most airheaded personality of any man you've ever met. A bimbo. A himbim. A hot, aroace himbim. That's my shallow hot take (pun intended) and I'm sticking to it. ...more
**spoiler alert** so in the evening months of 2021, rooting for a plague-spreading unkillable monster man summoned by a sad little rich boy feels like**spoiler alert** so in the evening months of 2021, rooting for a plague-spreading unkillable monster man summoned by a sad little rich boy feels like the height of tone-deafness, but BOY am I rooting for a plague-spreading unkillable monster man summoned by a sad little rich boy! I am very sad about both Florian and Kanya (sp? for both, I listened to the audiobook) but I'm glad Johann (also sp?) is getting global revenge. you love to see Problematic Queer Monsters winning, even if posthumously.
I'd also love more stories set in this world. ...more
No, but seriously, Jacks is my new favorite witch. The queer stuff is natural and organic, which is my favorite I laughed, I cried - it moved me, Bob.
No, but seriously, Jacks is my new favorite witch. The queer stuff is natural and organic, which is my favorite kind of queer story - the love story was one of the sweetest graphic novel romances I've ever read. The dialogue is great, the expressions are great, the magic system is great. Even the animal death wasn't too triggering to me; I love a story about taking care of animals in life and respecting them after death.
tmi section of the review: It's weird that I read this graphic novel just as I've been a lot of "dead animal sadness trance" spirals, since I have a long commute and roadkill is, unfortunately, extremely common. This is a much kinder, gentler approach to roadkill than my headspace tends to be and maybe it'll ease my mind. ...more
this was absolutely stunning. As with any poetry collection, about 50% of the poems were fine, a handful I was bored by, but Harjo's voice is so stronthis was absolutely stunning. As with any poetry collection, about 50% of the poems were fine, a handful I was bored by, but Harjo's voice is so strong, and she's so skilled at drawing emotion. Her language is straightforward without being conversational, her imagery is evocative without being flowery. "Washing My Mother's Body" was when the collection clicked for me, and it was definitely the highlight, but there were so many other gems to be found.
(It was also startling to me that Harjo's family had roots in Alabama before the trails of tears. Her grandfather was from nearby Opelika, the city where I was born.)...more
What a fun and clever and hyper-competently executed idea. I can count on less than one hand (ha ha) the books that successfully communicated the themWhat a fun and clever and hyper-competently executed idea. I can count on less than one hand (ha ha) the books that successfully communicated the theme of “people who are different from you are still PEOPLE, prejudice and bigotry are destructive and harmful” in a well-integrated, non-preachy way, and even less than that which are actually fun and funny and engaging to read both on the Theme level and on the Story level.
It’s the buddy comedy aspect, really. All Theme novels should include a buddy comedy angle. I am such a sucker for the “two opposites overcome their distaste for each other through hardships and become fast friends,” and Werfel and Spurge’s friendship felt organically built, rather than just what the plot required to work. I love these two nerds. ...more
There is something about being a dumb queer kid who adores Brandi Carlile's music, reading about Brandi Carlile as a dumb queer kid who adores Elton JThere is something about being a dumb queer kid who adores Brandi Carlile's music, reading about Brandi Carlile as a dumb queer kid who adores Elton John. It's about the lineages we make for ourselves, I guess. Fingers crossed I get to meet her like she met (and BEFRIENDED!!) him one day.
Pre-read: THE WAY NO ONE INFORMED ME THIS WAS HAPPENING
This is not a ‘want to read’ book, this is a ‘sitting in the library parking lot staring at the cover and wanting to start it so bad I would eat the dang library book if it made the experience happen just a little sooner’ book....more
I really thought this would be a simple, fun-but-forgettable little romp for the MG crowd, but it's actually kind of a twisty, weAMAZING AND FANTASTIC
I really thought this would be a simple, fun-but-forgettable little romp for the MG crowd, but it's actually kind of a twisty, well-plotted adventure full of doppelgangers and betrayal and well-constructed relationships, both platonic and romantic!
(view spoiler)[My one and only quibble is that Chirp turned on June super quickly. It was set up a little bit, but I would have appreciated more. Still, it's a really interesting place to take the character and story, so I'm not too mad about it. (hide spoiler)]
Rose is my absolute favorite, Chirps and her family was GREAT, and I couldn't help but hear Goro's dialogue in Ice Bear's voice, which was cute. And the Baron and Verona were surprisingly compelling. I really, really hope there's a sequel in the future. (view spoiler)[WE GOTTA GET HORSEBOY SOME PAGETIME (hide spoiler)]...more
This is the first how-to book that I've personally read that had the incredibly helpful advice of, "Don't wait until you're perfect to make something This is the first how-to book that I've personally read that had the incredibly helpful advice of, "Don't wait until you're perfect to make something - start making something, and keep improving one little thing at a time." For as many inspirational-type books that I've read, I've never seen that concept so concisely stated and it's actually, genuinely, realistically encouraging....more
What a beautiful little story. I did cry near the end. Lora wrestles with some issues I haven't really seen verbalized in a story like this, and thereWhat a beautiful little story. I did cry near the end. Lora wrestles with some issues I haven't really seen verbalized in a story like this, and there was an immediacy to her fears that made her feel very real. I loved Alexa's part of the story, too. Wholehearted recommendation for anyone who's looking for an MG graphic novel that's beautifully illustrated, with some serious themes but in a way that makes you feel lighter and more hopeful at the end.
Actually, this would make a GREAT companion read for autumn days alongside Over the Garden Wall....more
Disclaimer: as there was with the Watchmaker duology books, I have just a creeping discomfort with howOkay. I'm going to have to lay down for a while.
Disclaimer: as there was with the Watchmaker duology books, I have just a creeping discomfort with how Pulley treats discussions of race/ethnicity, especially since (view spoiler)[Merrick remains employed with the British East India Company after the bulk of the story, which... yikes! Not all historical fiction will be about abolitionists and groundshakers but I'm not, like... the most comfortable with it here. Merrick starting out as an EIC smuggler would be great but - dude, you fell for a Peruvian demigod/saint and you STILL work for the British Empire when you leave? Sigh. (hide spoiler)] It's very clear that Imperialism/Colonialism Isn't Great, but there are just portions that leave me with uncertainty. (view spoiler)[It's great that Merrick arranges for the lack of destruction/colonialism in Peru, but that land in the Himalayas where they plant the whitewood trees is, you know, also colonized. I guess it's an "better to just use one colony more than add another on" but it still felt squicky for me. (hide spoiler)]
I love Pulley's romance brand, though. Take a beefy, mild-mannered but troubled Englishman and throw him in with an intimidating man who has The Most Traumatizing Relationship With Time/His Own Body Conceivable, watch the literal and emotional sparks fly. Her writing is exquisite - there is NEVER enough of what you want so you cling to and demand more from what you get. It's the exact polar opposite of YA where the drama and emotion are overwritten and emphasized and one-line-paragraphed to death. Powerful details, incredible bits of characterization, and beautiful lines are tucked inside much broader paragraphs, so it's like a treasure hunt. You have to read slowly to catch the significances.
Again, if you like The Queen's Thief series, Natasha Pulley's works are the only stories I know that stand up to that level of technical skill, quiet, powerful maturity, and emotional nuance.
I laughed so hard at a couple of these comics that it sounded like I was crying, and then I actually did cry during the last chapter. It’s been a weirI laughed so hard at a couple of these comics that it sounded like I was crying, and then I actually did cry during the last chapter. It’s been a weird day and it isn’t even lunchtime but this is a good book.
Be aware of some pretty heavy chapters about death, mental illness, and one with animal death sprinkled in. I wasn’t expecting it but it’s presented in manageable ways, at least for me, so it didn’t get me too down, but, yeah. ...more
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