Anna Tschetter
I wanted more from this. Definitely cute but there were so many characters I didn't feel like they all got their due.
This was GREAT! Sure to be a hit with the Raina Telgemeier crowd and just a really sweet story about twins. I'm excited to see the full color version!
This was very sweet and fun! It's perfect for fans of Dungeons and Dragons and anyone who enjoys reading about magical creatures.
A really sweet inter generational story about facing the past and understanding the different “stories” each person can tell. It made me want to hug my mom. Katie, Mary, and even Caroline are very relate-able once you learn the reasons behind some of their actions.
A beautifully illustrated story about the challenges of Blackfeet citizens and border crossings between Canada and the U.S. I loved the mother's strength and insistence that they were Blackfeet not American or Canadian but it made me sad that border guards on both sides clearly didn't understand the issue.
A decent Raina Telgemeier read alike about learning to be a better sister. Part of my wishes that the author addressed what seems like some mistakes from her parents but maybe this isn't the best venue for that.
I thought this was super interesting! I had heard of “Tokyo Rose” but I didn't know the full story at all. I found the whole propaganda machine of Japan - and other countries including the US - to be just fascinating!
I really enjoyed the is and it was super fascinating. I do think Yoo maybe left the LAPD off the hook and would have been interested id she pressed them a bit more. But overall, a great resource for teens wanting to learn more about the events.
I think this is such a WEIRD choice of manga to exist and also be translated/officially released in English. People have been clamoring for other Gundam manga like Crossbone and Moon to be officially released in English for so many years and . . . this is one of the ones that was picked?! A manga adaptation of a “lost” episode of the original Mobile Suit Gundam that was recently animated as a full length movie in the style of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's: MSG: The Origin?! Truly a wild choice.
Anyway . . . it assumes that you have seen the OG MSG and/or the Cucuruz Doan's Island movie to understand WTF is going on. They pretty much jump you into the One Year War with very little explanation of what is happening. The best part is the Yoshikazu Yasuhiko inspired art and most much needed respect for Zeon's Gogg.
[I'm realizing that anyone who reads my regular reviews is going to be like, “WTF are you talking about Anna?!” and you know what? Get on that Mobile Suit Gundam bandwagon, my friends....]
A spooky spaceship tale with surprising depth. I found some parts didn't quite work for me -Tucks character felt a little forced - but the concept of the subjugation and the terrorists were Rey well done!
This didn't quite work for me. I found there not to be enough world-building/exposition to make it make sense. Nice art tho.
The monsters in this book are genuinely creepy and they reminded me of the Crawler (?) from annihilation which is a top 10 creepy book monster for me. I wanted a little more about the horror of the troubled teen industry but I think teens will really enjoy this one.
I'm appreciate more background info on Kaji and Dr. Akagi but knocking off a star for (tw: animal abuse) Kaworu killing a kitten! Uncalled for!
Ok, officially hooked on this now. The feelings of being “other” are so well explored. And the WIG MONSTER?! I'm so glad we dont have a hub!!
A really intriguing concept but I'm not sure I will continue with the series. Possibly? The art is gorgeous but the story felt a little flat to me. Maybe the next volumes will help.
A bittersweet ending to this wonderful series! I love that we got to see many of the characters grow up and Alpha's understanding of life deepen. Really wonderful.
I don't remember when I first read Hyperion but I know I loved it. It must have been before I started keeping really accurate records on Goodreads so possibly between college and starting a library job; maybe between 2008-2012? It only matters because I think I've changed as a reader since the first time I read it. I remember loving it in all of its wackiness. Previously, I had it listed at 5 stars but after this re-read, I'm bumping it down to four stars. I still really love parts of the book and think they are absolutely brilliant but to me, other parts don't hold it. Could it be that I just didn't notice them the first time I read it or was I so enthralled with the storytelling that any discomfort was easily ignored? It's hard to say.
The parts that don't hold up for me are the things that I assume stem from Dan Simmons' right-wing politics - and I think he's gotten worse over time! The man has never created a female character without commenting on her breasts every time she is present in the text. His characters are pretty overwhelmingly white, the culture he draws upon from “Old Earth” is mostly Western-focused, and it's weird that everyone is apparently straight? In the future?! With evolved humans and AI and other things? That seems unlikely but perhaps that's just me.
Even though I'm sure no one cares about my second read of a science fiction book from 1989, I want to talk about it because it is a pretty influential book and the fact that when it's good it's SO GOOD and when it's bad . . . it's bad. It's so interesting and infuriating!
I'm going to talk pilgrim by pilgrim because that's how I think of the book and clearly Simmons' intention. Spoilers abound, so beware....
The Priest's Tale: “The Man who Cried God” - 5/5 stars. For me, this is the best part of the book! This is the story that hooks you, that pulls you into this wild, gory, and fucked up story, and gives you a high that keep you chasing the rest of the novel. I think Simmons does something interesting with the concepts of salvation and eternal life and turns them into horror, which makes a lot of sense from some points of view. Father Dure's eventual crucifixion on the tesla tree in an attempt to die sets up a looming tone for the rest of the book, with the characters and reading anticipating eventual suffering and crucifixion on the Shrike's Tree of Pain.
The Soldier's Tale: “The War Lovers” - 3/5 stars. I like this one and I like Kassad's character arc from soldier to anti-war activist. I really like the idea of the lovers meeting through time and war but I wish Mystery/Moneta was a real character. Truly, you'd think by Simmons' description she was simply boobs and a nice ass. It's so frustrating. I will also say that reading about a Palestinian survivor and badass in a time of genocide against Palestinians made me tear up.
The Poet's Tale: “Hyperion Cantos” - 4/5 stars. Martin Silenus is my least favorite character in the book because he's just so odious and annoying and self important. But I really like how his story touches the trials and tribulations of artistic inspiration, writing, and honestly just being a human.
The Scholar's Tale: “The River Lethe's Taste Is Bitter” - 5/5 stars. The Weintraub family's story is so tragic. I think the renewing of and commentary on the story of Abraham and Isaac is interesting and well done. The pain that Sol and Sarai go through as they watch Rachel forget and grow younger is truly heartbreaking . . . but I wish that Simmons hadn't been like, “Oh and Sarai died off page WHOOPS.” Come on! Rude.
The Detective's Tale: “The Long Good-Bye” - 4/5 stars. Brawne Lamia - a clumsy call back to Keats' fiance Fanny Brawne, in my opinion - gets less objectification than the other female characters, but it's still there. She is allowed to be strong and smart, as well as beautiful. This section is really great because it does do a lot of expansion on the worldbuilding of the TechnoCore and the AIs and how they are influencing Hegemony politics. Brawne and Johnny's love story wouldn't make sense without the Keats/Fanny Brawne connection so I wish it was a little more fleshed out.
The Consul's Tale: “Remembering Siri” - 2/5 stars. This one I struggle with. I find the jumping back and forth in time a bit hard to follow and feel weirded out about Merin and Siri's “romance” starting when she is 15 - Simmons talks SO MUCH about how she's barely sixteen! GROSS! - and he is 19 (?). I do like the Romeo and Juliet references within the fight between Siri's cousin and Merin's friend as well as the anti-colonialist and environmentalist message, I just think it just muddled in the narrative.
Overall, the stronger parts outweigh the weaker parts. I'm glad I re-read it and am excited to read The Fall of Hyperion. I never read Endymion and the Rise of Endymion because I heard they weren't great but maybe I will this go around.
Beautiful and hard to read about depression and loneliness and parental expectations. I think this is a relateable story for many, many teens.
A great middle grade read about making friends - I LOVED Aubrey - speaking up, and history!
These books are so cute I can't handle it! I'm glad Waffles seems like he's going to be OK. He got himself into a real “Gravity” situation which seems terrifying.
This was amazing! My heart just breaks for Genesis but I'm also so proud of her. She's brave and kind and resilient in a way that she shouldn't have to be.
It was also nice to see parents in a middle grade/tween book so humanly depicted. Her father is deeply flawed and not a great dad but I do think he was trying. And he did try his best to love her.
This was a good primer and introduction to the idea of trauma-informed care to librarians. I wished there was more time spent on the more practical aspects of applying this to libraries but I found it interesting.
Chapter 10 “Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues” should be required reading for most librarians, specifically white, straight, cisgender librarians. It talks about historical traumas endured by Black patrons, Indigenous patrons, and queer patrons. With the profession being like 90% white women it is paramount that we keep things like microaggressions, the history of segregated libraries, and the harm of white supremacy always in our minds when serving our communities.
I also appreciated the points about so-called “problem patrons” and how dehumanizing that term can be and to ask, “What is this person's history/what have they experienced?” instead of “What is wrong with them?”