I was excited to see this new book from Lucy Knisley, but I didn't realize they were all previously published comics on her website that I had read whI was excited to see this new book from Lucy Knisley, but I didn't realize they were all previously published comics on her website that I had read when they were released. Still, nice to have them all connected in one place. I've missed Linney comics....more
I love this series more with every book, and this one really amped up the stakes emotionally. I'm excited to see where it all goes and also how much mI love this series more with every book, and this one really amped up the stakes emotionally. I'm excited to see where it all goes and also how much more weird shit I will get to read about. I will be buying Dungeon Crawler Carl fandom stuff as soon as it makes itself known to me. I shall become unbearable once I reach book five.
"STOP PRESSURING ME, CARL."
[4.5 stars, rounded down for now, anything could happen in the future]...more
A zany adventure mystery, with Osman's signature humor. Might have more thoughts later, might not.A zany adventure mystery, with Osman's signature humor. Might have more thoughts later, might not....more
This one got extra ridiculous. I was about to say that I really needed more movement on the plot front though, and then the ending happened. I hope moThis one got extra ridiculous. I was about to say that I really needed more movement on the plot front though, and then the ending happened. I hope more plot comes soon, this one was a bit too side-questy for me. I hope Yor gets more to do soon. But I still love everyone, especially Anya....more
As you did it to the strangest of my sisters you did it to me
MATTHEW 25:40
Next time I read this, I need to have the Bible and other resources with me
As you did it to the strangest of my sisters you did it to me
MATTHEW 25:40
Next time I read this, I need to have the Bible and other resources with me because I'm sure I missed a lot. The prayers and liturgy and scripture I recognized that she had referenced did hit harder than the ones I didn't. But the reason this isn't getting five stars is because some of the actual verse in the poems flopped pretty hard. The ones that were bangers made up for those, but still can't give this a five. Seemed very much like a debut poetry collection (says the person who knows nothing about poetry and doesn't like it that much). But dang do I love Emily Austin's style. (Former and lapsed Catholics, this one is for you. Hope you don't mind a bit of well-intentioned blasphemy.)
[4.5 stars]
Read Harder Challenge 2024: Read an indie published collection of poetry by a BIPOC or queer author....more
Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
Glorious Exploits is a semi-unhinged historicalThanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
Glorious Exploits is a semi-unhinged historical fiction novel about two dudes living in Sicily during the Peloponnesian War who decide they're going to take advantage of the Athenian prisoners of war currently being kept in their town's quarry in order to put on a production of Euripides's Medea, a super cheerful play about child murder.
Two things drew me to this: that cover (I mean . . .) And the fact that it was set on Sicily, the home of my ancestors. For all I know, one of these two dudes is the reason I'm alive! Or someone like him, anyway. Also, it sounded ridiculous, and indeed it was! Did I mention that the author is Irish and the Sicilian characters talk in Irish vernacular?
I think I would have rated this higher had I done the audiobook, as I did have a bit of a hard time keeping my attention on the e-book, but this is a funny and surprisingly hard-hitting book that executes a very weird premise with skill.
This is a ridiculous book that I loved very much. Also, because I have low spoons at the moment and also because I couldn’t do better, here are some kThis is a ridiculous book that I loved very much. Also, because I have low spoons at the moment and also because I couldn’t do better, here are some key moments from the blurb:
"Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she’s fallen in love."
"Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor."
"Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent co-parent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen’s eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out."
"Eating her girlfriend isn’t an option."
"And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life."
I think you’ll agree whoever wrote that blurb deserves an award of some sort. And in my opinion, it perfectly represents what you will get in the book: a tongue in cheek, weird little story about a monster who learns to be a person, while gross and funny things are constantly happening to and around her.
Also, I WILL NOTE LOUDLY, both of the love interests in this book, Shesheshen and Homily, are not only homoromantic but ASEXUAL. There is also a tertiary character in here that is called the offspring for most of the book that made me CACKLE every time it was on page. The last time I laughed this hard at a book and tabbed so many memorable, funny, and utterly weird lines was Gideon the Ninth.
I don’t know what to tell you about all the mediocre reviews of this one. They just don’t get it. I thought this book was perfect and exactly what I wanted, and I can’t wait to see what John Wiswell and his weird little mind do next.
Read Harder 2024: Read a book based solely on the title.
r/Fantasy BINGO 2024: Book Club or Readalong Book (Hard Mode)
I loved this! I did the audiobook, and Maria Bamford's delivery makes this. I really enjoy her guileless brand of self-deprecation, hyperbole, and rawI loved this! I did the audiobook, and Maria Bamford's delivery makes this. I really enjoy her guileless brand of self-deprecation, hyperbole, and raw honesty, mostly about her mental health, but other areas of dysfunction as well. Leaving the two-week rented violin under her desk for three months, for absolutely no reason other than a nameless dread? I felt that.
As some people have done, please don't think this is a memoir about a woman who joins a succession of cults. It is a memoir of the author's mental health, and how she is continually drawn to groups with cult-like atmospheres, mostly 12-step programs. It's very tongue in cheek, and the author is aware that she has not actually joined a cult. Instead, we get very funny essays about her journey through life, structured around her various "cults" (the first of which is her family, with her mother as cult-leader). She walks us through her struggles with OCD (very distressing intrusive thoughts that she didn't understand at all), an eating disorder, vicious debt, depression, being hospitalized for a breakdown, and adjusting to living with Bipolar II.
It's very hard to convey the tone of this book. I recommend that you just head on over to your audiobook dealer of choice and sample the first five minutes. That will give you more than I give you here in this review.
Good job on this book, Maria, if you see this review! All those editors you gave all that money to were worth it....more
This was so fun! I almost want to round it up to five stars, but I actually think I wanted this to be a full novel, so I'll leave it rounded down for This was so fun! I almost want to round it up to five stars, but I actually think I wanted this to be a full novel, so I'll leave it rounded down for now. Might change my mind later. Cozy fantasy and found family readers, this is one to check out. I really like Em X. Liu's style; even more excited now for their debut novel in September....more
I gave We Are Never Meeting in Real Life 3.5 stars rounded down, but this one gets the full four stars because there's something about Samantha Irby aI gave We Are Never Meeting in Real Life 3.5 stars rounded down, but this one gets the full four stars because there's something about Samantha Irby as she gets older and somehow more self-indulgent yet anxious and overthinking about everything that really appeals to me. She likes what she likes and dislikes loudly what she dislikes, and she will tell you all about it. Also, she somehow leans even harder into her seemingly no-shame descriptions of bodily-functions and -mishaps that she believes with all her heart nobody else should have shame about either. The part where she describes herself as a trash goblin running around in her house scooping up evidence of her behavior while her family is gone (i.e. multiple unfinished Starbucks cups, days old) is very key to understanding the persona she's presenting here. Also it made me laugh.
If there was anything she was holding back, I kind of don't want to know.
Memorable moments for me:
* "This book is dedicated to Zoloft." * The entire "I like it!" essay. A phrase she uses now to disarm shitty people who want to shit on things she likes to make her feel inferior. I'm going to start doing this. * Her inexplicable love for Dave Matthews Band. She really likes that dude. * The chapter where she describes her favorite porno, and then has an unexpected reaction to actually watching the whole thing instead of skipping to the sex bits. * Her weird dog. * The chapter where she rewrites Sex and the City episodes from the original series (she worked on the new one). I only ever saw a season of this show but this essay was still fantastically entertaining. * Her near death experience, involving gel nail polish and anaphylaxis.
Anyway, a fun time! I meant to read Wow! No Thank You. before starting this but never got around to it. Should really do that sooner rather than later as I think it focuses on her new marriage and becoming a stepmother, something she only touches on briefly in this book....more
This was fun! But it didn't click perfectly for me. Think it would have actually been better to do hard copy this time. I stupidly thought it would beThis was fun! But it didn't click perfectly for me. Think it would have actually been better to do hard copy this time. I stupidly thought it would be the same audio narrator as The Soulmate Equation and it definitely wasn't! The narrators weren't bad, but I think I would have had a better time if I had pictured my own voices on this one, and gotten through it much quicker so that I wouldn't have time to dwell on the stuff that wasn't really working for me. Sad; I thought early on this might be a five star :\
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
This was incredibly, incredibly goofy, but still smart,Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
This was incredibly, incredibly goofy, but still smart, and I enjoyed it very much. I had a little bit of a hard time getting through it in a timely fashion because it was an e-book, but that's a me issue and not the book's fault. If you like well-done parodies and tongue in cheek silliness, this book might be for you. Don't complain about the silliness if you choose to pick it up, it's all-encompassing....more
Loading...
