Jill
I read this for a class, and while I enjoyed it in that context, I wouldn't recommend it for pleasure reading. It was written in the late 1800s and very popular in its time, but it feels dated now. Really intended as a utopian political piece, Bellamy added a romance to appeal to a wider audience (it felt creepy to me). The main political part of the novel is not as dated–in that Bellamy addresses many issues we are still facing in society today. Bellamy gained many followers after the publication of this book, and they tried to implement some of his plans. It's easy to see why they found his vision appealing–his ideas are thoughtful and detailed, and for the most part, his story does depict a better place.
The Last One follows the adventures of a woman named Zoo, a contestant in a wilderness survival show. It employs two timelines which switch between the early days of the competition and later when Zoo is on her own.
The highlight of the book is the commentary on how reality shows such as Survivor manipulate both the contestants and the viewers through clever editing and casting personality types for maximum drama. This was further shown by the inclusion of forum posts by viewers of the show, which provided insight as to the viewers' opinions as well as information on what was happening in the world outside the show.
A minor complaint is that the characters were referred to by their stereotyped nicknames throughout the great majority of the novel, so on the few occasions when characters address each other with their real names, it causes a moment of confusion and breaks immersion. A much larger problem is the inconsistency in Zoo's character. Without spoiling, she is repeatedly described as independent, intelligent, and resourceful... but fails to recognize the reality of what is happening around her for much longer than is believable.
Despite these problems, The Last One is a promising debut with an original premise. A fast-paced, fun read good for fans of both post-apocalyptic settings and reality shows.
Provided for review by NetGalley.
I've had great luck with some of Stephen King's recommendations ([b:The Troop 28054442 The Troop Nick Cutter https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1448994479s/28054442.jpg 24510359], [b:You 20821614 You (You, #1) Caroline Kepnes https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1411958102s/20821614.jpg 39913517], [b:Rebecca 17899948 Rebecca Daphne du Maurier https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1386605169s/17899948.jpg 46663], among others). According to King, The Poison Artist is “terrifying.” I'm baffled by this, as I found it disappointing, predictable, and not the slightest bit scary. I will say Moore's San Francisco setting is atmospheric and enjoyably noirish, and his writing is perfectly fine. However, the characterizations and plot are lackluster. The main character, Caleb, is unbearably boring, his girlfriend Bridget is whiny and cries constantly, and Emmeline, who is meant to be mysterious, is a completely stereotypical femme fatale in every way. Even bearing in mind that she is a figment of Caleb's imagination, the cookie cutter quality of the character was unbearable.Worst of all though is the plot, the twist of which can be easily figured out early on, certainly if one has read books with a similar plotline... of which there are many. Sad to say I can't recommend this at all.
The Somnambulist follows the adventures of Edward Moon, magician and detective, and his partner, the mute Somnambulist, as they attempt to solve a series of mysteries in Victorian London. [return][return]The book has its good points. I enjoyed the dark sense of humor in which it is narrated. Barnes effectively conveys the feel of a grim turn-of-the-century London. Many characters were in some way bizarre and unlikable, and I found them all the more interesting for it. Overall, I liked the tone and the writing. [return][return]I enjoyed the first part of the book much more than the ending, which seemed to fall apart, as if the author had lost his way. Once we discover the identity of the narrator, the plot becomes convoluted. A disappointment in a book that began promisingly. [return][return]Promotional materials liken this book to Susanna Clarke and Neil Gaiman. I didn't find that to be the case, although The Somnambulist features two characters who could be taken for pale imitations of Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar from Gaiman's Neverwhere. Read Neverwhere for the vastly superior versions.
“I'm a shark!”
Nimona is a young shapeshifter who more or less bullies (not very villainous) town villain Blackheart into accepting her as a sidekick in his battles against hero Goldenloin.
Nimona is a great character, adorable without being cloying, lovable but with violent tendencies. The history of Blackheart and Goldenloin is explored in an entertaining way here, but especially charming is the connection that develops between Blackheart and Nimona herself. There is a father-daughter aspect to their bond that is endearing.
The art is simple but beautiful and fitting for the story, which includes tropes of medieval fantasy and also science fiction. This combination works well and adds a bit of visual surprise and humor.
The story itself is sweet but not syrupy, and a bit wistful. Perfect.
Wait, this is a joke, right? How could this book possibly have so many high ratings?
While doing research on contemporary poetry, I recently came across an interesting NYT article about the rise of “Instapoets”—newer poets who have found an audience on social media sites such as Tumblr and Instagram. In many cases these poets are selling huge numbers of books, far above what is normal for poetry, and Leav is one example of this. Based on this book, I am scared to try any of the other poets mentioned in this article.
Several other reviewers have said this would appeal only to 13-year-old girls. Having once been a 13-year-old girl, I'm not even sure I'd agree. Each of these very short poems reads as if written by an especially immature preteen. They are shockingly bad. I was able to finish this book only because it's so short.
If the following poem, a typical example from this collections, does not appeal to you, be warned:
A Rollercoaster
You will find him in
my highs and lows;
in my mind
he'll to and fro.
He's the tallest person,
that I know—
and so he keeps me,
on my toes.
And it just keeps getting worse and worse:
His Cause and Effect
He makes me turn,
he makes me toss;
his words mean mine
are at a loss.
He makes me blush!
He makes me want
to brush and floss.
These are not cherry-picked examples of the worst. They're ALL like this.
The one positive thing I have to say is that Leav's illustrations are fine. Not my style, but serviceable if you like that sickly sweet sort of thing.
That NYT article said Leav gained much of her attention when her poem “Closure” was shared on Instagram by one of the Kardashians. So I guess I should have known right then. I still just can't believe this is so popular. No wonder poetry gets such a bad rap. Truly a painful experience.
This volume is largely set up for things to come, and is a step back after the events of Vol. 17. Four stars earned by the character of Negan, the best villian in this series since The Governor.
After reading Moby Dick earlier this year, this seemed like an interesting companion piece, but it turned out to be much more enjoyable than expected. Instead of being dry, as I feared, it has a lovely conversational tone and is full of fascinating details of not only Melville's life, but also of his associates and various biographers. Much of the subject matter is serious, often recounting cruel and upsetting behavior, but somehow this novel still manages to feel charming and even funny at times.
I listened to the audiobook version and thought Janet Metzger did a wonderful job with the narration, especially during the conversations between the couple. These feel remarkably natural, like listening to a friend tell a story.
The authors are married and considering the themes of this book, it's sadly ironic that the “follow author” section on this book page lists only Bachelder. Possibly this is GR's fault and only allows for one author to be displayed, but if not this should be corrected. Or at least Bachelder's bio could mention Jennifer Habel by name instead of just referring to her as “wife.”
Otherwise no complaint, this was a surprisingly fun read!
I liked this, although it's not among my favorites of King's work. I do think it will be a good recommendation for readers who might be turned off by some of his creepier books.
There are many things I enjoyed about Reamde. The first half was well-paced and fun, with a focus on tracking of the virus named Reamde and it's creators. Unfortunately the last half or so turned into mainly an action story. It wasn't bad exactly... but very long-winded. A little extra editing would have gone a long way here. I began reading this in print, but soon switched to audiobook. Towards the end, I was counting down the tracks, anxious to move on to something else. There was a great deal of running around outdoors with guns. Also, there were guns. And more guns. Guns, guns, guns. And hey did you notice... GUNS! It gets old.
Speaking of the audiobook though, it was narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner, who did a spectacular job. Many of the characters are not native English speakers, and he did such a wonderful job giving each character a unique voice, many with accents. I usually prefer reading in print, and find different voices distracting or even annoying. Not so here.
It was interesting to me to read some of the other reviews which point out racism and sexism present in this book. I see the racism angle, with Muslims pitted against red-blooded Americans (though that's a VERY simplified version of the plot), but didn't get the sexism at all. On the contrary, probably my favorite thing about the book was the three main female characters. Each had a distinct, strong personality, and none of them filled the classic girlfriend/sidekick role (let's forget the epilogue–really, let's forget it). I was pleased with seeing these characters, especially in a tech and firearms sort of thriller.
This was my first book by Neal Stephenson, and I did like it well enough to read some of his other work. Despite my criticisms, it was a good read overall.
This tiny book of verse, written by Sam Beeson, with illustrations by Jesse Draper, follows the story of Lily, a young girl who despises Valentine's Day. It is charming almost in spite of itself. Featuring beautiful paintings done with a dark sense of humor (the best part), the story is delightfully tongue-in-cheek. The book also has perforated cards that you can tear out to give to your own “UnValentine.” This book would make the perfect little Valentine's Day gift for that cynical someone you hold dear.
"Milo was standing back at the Sienna. He'd fetched his turtle, Morty, from his tank in the backseat."
Oh no.
