Georgette
Cabot Howard is not a nice man.
I go into most stories expecting to root for the protagonist, but this hits a little too close to what???s happening in the world right now ??? a pandemic caused by airborne viruses, a lingering paranoia, deniers who are too full of themselves to be part of the possible solution, and no traffic on the roads. In any case, this is my first encounter with pandemic fiction resulting from COVID-19, a genre we will no doubt see more of in months and weeks to come.
Anyway, we find Cabot racing his fancy car to his ex-wife???s hometown because Leana took off with their son ???without his permission???, which is already a red flag on many levels. He wants Porter back, of course, but things take a turn for the weird when he gets to Rookfield. Sure, the adults are wearing masks and he doesn???t get any service if he doesn???t put one on, but what???s with all the kids wearing full-face Plague Doctor masks? And what???s with the town???s bird obsession?
I won???t exactly call Rookfield a pleasant read. Cabot???s headspace is a cringe-worthy place to be idling in while he attempts to barge his way through people who don???t like him and don???t want him around. But the author keeps his protagonist just interesting enough for you to go along for the ride to see if this will end in redemption or comeuppance.
And the strangeness of what???s actually up in Rookfield also proved to be a great hook, or even THE hook, which unfortunately leaves us wanting at the end. I want to know more about how the town and its residents fell into this creeptastic scenario. Should Rookfield be a novel instead of a novella, we might have learned more about this strange little backwoods town and its avian secrets. Something for another book, perhaps?
Gordon B White isn???t an author I???ve read before, but this isn???t surprising since my reading habits have stayed local lately. I came across his tweet quite by chance, and the genre was right. It???s been a hot minute since I reviewed anything because my iPad 2 finally died, and I can???t afford a new reading device. Turned out that my new (bigger!) phone worked well enough. So, more reviews forthcoming?
This ARC was courtesy of author Gordon B White in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start with this: “A Letter to Sarah Contemplating Superpowers” just flat out made me bawl. Being a spoken word poet myself, I went looking for the video on YouTube, which is a far more visceral experience than just reading the words.
I wish we didn't live in a time where we get taken by surprise when someone we know, a friend, a loved one, turns up dead by their own choice. But we live in a time where a lot of us do to various degrees. What can we say to that, other than:
“If I could travel through time, I would go back
to the moment before it was too late.
Right before you wrote a suicide note that started
Dear Jared:
I???m doing this now because I know you will be the one to
find me. Of all of my friends, I think you???re the one who???s
strong enough to take it.
What made you think I was strong enough to take this?”
There was a lot of poems about this topic. I'm not sure if they were about the same person or if Singer had to experience more than one. But if that sampler wasn't enough to clue you in, ‘Forgive Yourself These Tiny Acts of Self-Destruction' is in part, raw with pain and in other parts, breathtaking in how an image was woven out of words.
The other piece that stood out for me was ‘Artifacts', excerpt:
“Why do you think rich men buy the
instruments of famous musicians
and put them behind glass instead of playing them?
To protect a valuable object? Do you see their
families in cases? Their egos? Their legacies?”
I can't relate to his poems about being Jewish, but I can appreciate how poetry allows us to talk about things we each experience differently.
This eArc was courtesy of NetGalley and Button Poetry.
“there is a man
I can only talk about in metaphor,
the way his tattoos make
an avalanche of my mouth”
There's very few (if not none) of Button Poetry's books that aren't about some kind of excruciating life experience or another, but that's what makes the medium so compelling as an outlet. Abusive relationships, grief and suicide were laid out in both the usual classic/tired metaphors as well as more contemporary ones (ie Harry Potter, Survivor, Disney). A bit hard to get into at first, but it eventually pulls you in. I won't go as far as to call it riveting from cover to cover; some of the pieces started sounding the same and I skimmed over it thinking I might have already read that page. Loved the one addressing audience members who are tired of hearing yet another rape poem.
Thank you Button Poetry and NetGalley for this eARC.
Catana Chetwynd's comics on being in love with your best friend is nothing short of wholesome and sweet and never fails to leave me in a good mood. Life with a long-term partner in its many little moments are captured in snapshots in ‘Snug'. Probably a great gift for someone you're having similar moments with.
This eARC of ‘Snug' is courtesy of NetGalley.
This is a pretty book to pick through, exploring how people around the world find their zen and surrender to a calmer way of life through a collection of untranslatable words like ‘abbiocco' (Italian for post meal coma) and ‘fjaka' (do-nothing chilling), both of which I'm experiencing right now. Interspersed with relaxing activities and interesting factoids, this book is nice if you want to learn to slow down.
This eARC was courtesy of NetGalley.
Fun fact: I attended my first life drawing class not long before I found this eARC. The class was eye-opening and although my drawing skills are basic at best, I had a lot of fun and it got me thinking about how to look at a model and transfer what I see onto paper.
Chris Legaspi's Life Drawing for Artists was exactly what I needed to answer those questions, plus other questions I haven't thought of yet. Starting off with the basics such as material and the theoretical aspect of why we draw from life, the book then talks about shapes and gestures, how to find lines and how to put shapes together. Legaspi talked about how to work with light and shadow, before moving on to how to get the best out of your very brief one/two-minute poses and how to work on 20-minute poses.
Useful to enlighten the process for newbies and hone the art for old hats, this is an essential step-by-step guide into the world of life drawing.
This eARC was courtesy of NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group ??? Rockport Publishing.
I first heard of Michael Lee through Button Poetry, specifically the beautiful cinematic rendition of his poem ‘Pass On', which dealt with the grief of his friend Stephen's murder. This poem (along with Neil Hilborn's OCD) became the bedrock of me venturing into spoken word poetry and establishing a community in my city.
I snatched this ARC up as soon as I found it on NetGalley.
It took me a surprisingly long time to get through, partly because a lot of the pieces didn't resonate, and partly because there was a lot of grief and death that I didn't want to process in one sitting. Stephen makes cameos here and there, which is expected and represents a passing milestone that I can recognise. Poetry is how we make sense of a senseless world, no?
Here's a snippet of Lee digging through the mess and finding lines:
I curse archeologists
for their basic tools telling us
basic things.
Sometimes I think scientists are lazy. I too
could dig a heart out of a chest,
but what do any of them know
about pulling the history from a body
without killing it?
This eARC was courtesy of NetGalley.
Anjou Kiernan's The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft is one of the most accessible “Witchcraft 101” books I've come across, helped along by the gorgeous photos in the theme of her popular Instagram account. It covers all the topics you'd associate with witchcraft - crystals, herbs, astrology, cartomancy, spells, how to work with seasons and lunar phases, etc - serving as a good launchpad if you are looking for an overview of the practice.
The topics are arranged to demystify misconceptions first, followed by the gradual layering-on of various aspects that tend to overlap with or can be incorporated into another aspect. Kiernan also pointed out early on that this is a guide; practitioners are free to pick and choose what works for them ... something that I personally find appealing about this practice.
It's no secret that people are looking into ways to get in touch with their spirituality and that witchcraft is rising in popularity, maybe because it demands us to listen to the natural world around us and to take time out for focusing our minds. This book is timely and will make a lovely addition to a budding witch's library.
This eARC was courtesy of NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group ??? Fair Winds Press.
Creative Journaling was a great deal of fun and full of wonderful ideas on how to take your journal to the next level. Completely accessible, fully-illustrated (for those of us who don't want to destroy a perfectly nice blank page). The sections on junk journaling, travel journaling and mixed media journaling opened up further possibilities to explore. And you can work with whatever you have lying around the house. We all have pretty scraps of paper and hoards of stationary to work from.
This eARC was courtesy of NetGalley.
In 1998, this was probably one of the highlights of the graphic novel industry, and among my favourite comic styles. I followed what I could find of Michael Turner's Witchblade series but never got around to starting Fathom until this collection. I don't think I'll proceed; it was laborious trying to follow the story. While the art is what I remember from that era, I don't think it dated very well unless you're unto oversexualised portrayals of the human form, which was also popular and expected of the same era. Fans would probably find this pleasingly collectable. 2.5 stars for the art, 0.5 star for the nostalgia.
This eARC was courtesy of of NetGalley.
Raych Jackson and I may hail from opposite sides of the earth but the (former) church girl and Christian guilt heaped upon us is the same everywhere, which makes me both feel a kinship and yet sad at the same time. Using Job from the Bible as a running theme, Jackson takes us on a trip through problems in both religious and reality, pointing out that human behaviour will always be in conflict with religious teachings. I have experienced and questioned the same things. It resonates. I hear you.
This eARC of ‘Even the Saints Audition' is courtesy of NetGalley.
I often enjoy titles from Button Poetry authors because it is an extension of the glimpse we see of them on YouTube. This book is a deep dive into Blythe Baird's world, full of difficult topics that would warrant trigger warnings, but then again, what poet doesn't use words to give voice to difficult topics on their journey to healing? Raw and candid, Baird talks about eating disorders and body image, mental health and sexual assault. If you can relate, it is gut-wrenching to see yourself in her words. If you can't relate, it still packs a punch.
This is a nice, fluffy read with plenty of tension and sexy moments and heart. Exactly what the doctor ordered to clear up a dry spell of not being able to get any reading done! Oliver's career as a model was drying up and he was nearly broke. Upon eavesdropping on some ladies, he struck upon a plan that is both desperate and genius - why not play the role of a desirable book character taking lonely, unfulfilled women out on dates?
While the idea took off, Oliver proceeds to get wrapped up with his first client Bailey, creating a rift between him and his best friend Skye. Turned out that both Bailey and Skye were vying for political positions. That drama played out mostly in the background while Oliver's Book Boyfriend business found success with the help of his neighbour Janine.
Everything finished off tidily but that didn't detract from the enjoyment of getting there. This is a fairly quick read.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley.
Another useful, step-by-step guide on how to pick up a new hobby and create beautiful things. I must state my appreciation for such detailed books because my interest is very entry level and commitment free: a spare eraser, a penknife, and an ink pad. Block Print Magic shows the full depth and potential of the art with beautifully shot photographs and clear explanation. Each tool is shown and described. Projects start easy and layers on the complexity. A great addition to your library if you ever want to start block printing.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley.
I think what caught me off guard about this book is that it's set in 18th century London but originally written in Japanese. But that was what originally drew me to The Resurrection Fireplace - I do enjoy some Japanese authors as well as most novels set in the dawn of medical forensics.
This book had a somewhat confusing start but as things unfolded, we find that Dr Daniel Barton's school of anatomy is in possession of three bodies, one of them an unexpected discovery in their special hiding place in the fireplace.
The plot progresses into a dual timeline in which we soon realise that we were following the footsteps of the bodies before they ended up on the slabs. At some point, a blind magistrate got into the investigation, which proved to be so interesting a character that I was starting to think that this book was about him.
The plot twist was not something that I expected, and was the kind of thing that could be fully appreciated with a rereading. An entertaining read and satisfying finish once you get past the first chapters.
The few times I encountered Manfried the Man on Facebook left me with a feeling of amusement mixed with the uncomfortable feeling of how I don't want to see naked men being owned by cats .... although the very idea was full of hilarious potential. Doubly so when the men (no women?) here says “hey” (rather than “meow”).
Manfried's owner Steve Catson has a job making comics and a girlfriend Henrietta Catface who runs the local man shelter. Things were looking rosy, until a fat cat arrives in the neighbourhood wanting to develop the area, including the land where the man shelter is. Henrietta refuses his offer to relocate. She and her friends enter their men into the Manflower Show, aiming for the prize money to buy the land so they won't be run out. Meanwhile, Manfried struggles with having to share his home with a new stray man named Garfield.
To be honest, the man antics (man-tics?) on the side were more interesting than the cat drama carrying the story forward. Maybe older people like me are prone to rolling our eyes when asked to choose between work and helping the friend/SO's cause; not the kind of thing I want to think about when I just want to LOL at a chubby man trying to one-up a younger competitor while hey-ying for attention.
Perhaps what this comic succeeds in doing is making me think about how we treat our animal companions and vice versa in a “Things that your cat does that would be creepy if you did it” way, or “things we do to cats that we won't do to people”.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley.
As a dabbler myself, I have often admired people who have the artistry and patience to create pictures out of calligraphy strokes or writing. I just didn't have the artistry or patience to figure out how it's done. Luckily, Schin Loong demystifies the process from ground up in this book on Calligraphic Drawing.
The book starts with the basics, such as types of nibs, nib holders, ink and paper ... y'know, just in case you're an utter beginner. Even when you're not, the sections on troubleshooting and basic stuff are a useful reference. If not, just skip ahead to the point of the book.
I own a good number of the items listed and I practice the fine art of calligraphy. However, my skill level impresses mostly myself and non-practitioners, and my flourishes end up looking like I squiggled it on blindfolded. I'm looking forward to upping my game.
The drills were useful, and the section on flourishes made me face my lack of creative improvisation. I followed the exercises almost exactly, except when there were too many small lines, which I improvised to the best of my ability. Arriving at the first exercises with involved pigeons, I quickly found that I suck at visualising animals... or at least, I'm gonna need to practice at the speed of not reviewing a manual with a growing list of approved requests in my NetGalley shelf. My pigeon looked like someone stepped on it.
Fine. Skipped ahead to Lettering and Cartouches. This proved more immediately relevant to me, as a bulk of my skill revolve around lettering. Cartouches, which has nothing to do with touching a car, are those fancy things you see in ornamental calligraphy banners or scrolls.
Loong starts you off with basic lines, before adding more and more lines, and suddenly, you're looking at a fancy ornamental thingy of your own. Mine had lines bristling in every direction, but I could see my potential if I actually put some more hours into it.
And then, we're back to more animals. If I ever get around to half-assing or three-quarter-assing these, it'll impress myself and a maybe a few mediocre calligraphers.
All in all, useful reference to have on your shelf. I hope to get back to it when I'm more free and see if make that pigeon fly.
ARC courtesy of Quarto Publishing Group ??? Rockport Publishing and NetGalley.
Consuming poetry has become a chore as of late. As a poet and organiser of a spoken word event, I cut my teeth on Button Poetry ??? Neil Hilborn???s OCD, to be exact. My entire spoken word community (Wordsmiths of Kuching) has him to thank for even existing.
While much of our own spoken word is inspired by the likes of Button Poetry and poets such as Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye, I was also wary about letting too much Americanism hijack the kind of voices you might find in Sarawak, Borneo.
???that???s not entirely true. I couldn???t care less where my fellow local poets find their voice as long as they use it to speak their truth. I was the one struggling about my own voice and identity.
Andrea Gibson writes a lot about identity, identifying as queer and genderqueer, something that is hard for to comprehend if you???re not in the same position. ???Lord of the Butterflies??? sheds some of light into Gibson???s life. I read from another article that writing poetry helps them learn about their gender identity, and it???s helped me to understand it a little bit more through their eyes.
“With my gender it was never that I came to the page knowing who I was and wrote it down, but I would write to unpack my gender and learn my gender.” - Poet Andrea Gibson Shares How They Learned About Their Gender Identity Through Writing ??? Seventeen, May 2, 2018
As poets, we do this more often than not ??? unpack the big issues and the little details in our work. A lot of single-poet collections are a window into their lives at the time of writing, something that must be both difficult and cathartic.
I can relate. Not to their experience as a person, but to the inevitability of deep self-examination and revelations that may be impossible to bring up in casual conversation. Some of these revelations are relatable to everyone. This for example:
Of all the violence I have known in my life
I have never known violence
like the violence I have spoken to myself,
and I have seen almost everyone round me
hold the same belt to their own back,
an ambush of every way we???ve decided we???re not enough,
then looking for someone outside of ourselves
to clean that treason up.
Boomerang Valentine ??? Andrea Gibson
And this delightful moment of cheese meets wit meets me cry-laughing:
When she???s down I want to give her my best
pick-up lines. What???s your sign?
My sign has historically been STOP
but since meeting you I???ve changed it
to MERGE.
Give Her ??? Andrea Gibson
This is the kind of word-fu I stayed around for when I found spoken word. I am constantly moved by those who can take their journey and turn it into an art form that tells the rest of us we are not alone. Yes, our pain comes in different shapes but the power of voice brings us together.
Most of the pieces in ???Lord of the Butterflies??? are also on Gibson???s album ???Hey Galaxy???, which can be found on Spotify.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley.
Oh my gosh, how cuuuute is this manga? The cover is gorgeous. I was hoping the manga would also be in colour but it was in B&W line art. Not sure if that's because it's an ARC?
Blissful Land is an adorable story about 13 year old doctor-in-training Khang Zipa, who lives in a small mountain community somewhere in Tibet. He is dedicated to his future vocation and is an absolute nerd for herbs. He returns home from foraging one day to find that his future foreign bride has arrived. It was an arranged marriage he knew nothing about, but Moshi Rati is not only super cute but has an agreeable personality. No conflict there.
Also, no sarcasm from my end. This manga felt like a relaxing holiday between the more “serious” books on my current reads.
This is probably the second book I've read that takes place in Tibet (the other was far more serious) and I enjoyed the detail that went into it. Blissful Land packed the herbs, medicine, food and culture into the story, and because Khang Zhipa and Moshi Rati were strangers to each other's culture, we got to listen in as they explained it to each other. without feeling like it's an info dump.
Zhipa has a lot of heart and potential for his age. Rati is resourceful and hardworking. Parts of the story already hint how well they will complement each other. Both are young and learning to grasp the idea of being together. I keep expecting some nasty surprise to pop up, but it's been wholesome.
Perhaps my only complaint is that I can't tell the parents apart from the teenagers!
As far as art style goes, the cover is gorgeous. It's B&W on the inside, starting out with tonal washes, but progressing into line art, shading, and more typical manga art such as exaggerated facial features. I wish they kept this more consistent, or better yet, make it full colour like the cover. But it does make you wanna take some colouring pencils to the page and do it yourself!
ARC courtesy of NetGalley.
This book is set in an era that I find fascinating, particularly how easily it is for uncooperative women to get shut away in an asylum and subjected to torture masquerading as treatments. I say “uncooperative” because you can get committed simply by being headstrong and embarrassing your family in public.
Phoebe Smith committed one too many social “errors” and ended up in Goldenglove, a mental asylum for women. Her sister Charlotte plotted and got herself committed, planning to find Phoebe and get them both out. Easier said than done. Once inside, she was Woman 99, having to hide her socialite status and navigate wardens and fellow inmates who may or may not be insane.
If you've read literature about the mental asylums of the 19th century, particular the investigative works of journalist Nellie Bly, you pretty much know what to expect. It was hard to tell whether the asylum was interested in curing their patients or interested in receiving fees keeping them locked up. It was hard to tell who was really in the grips of mental illness, who was feigning it under an agenda, and who was forced to submit. The mind games and fragile bonds of trust added to the tension, creating a possibility that Charlotte could fail in her mission.
The conclusion stayed on my mind for a long time. This was one of the best books I've read in a while.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley.