I've read the entire series and I now own the deluxe edition 1 (waiting to own deluxe edition 2) because I wholeheartedly adore this series and am rerI've read the entire series and I now own the deluxe edition 1 (waiting to own deluxe edition 2) because I wholeheartedly adore this series and am rereading favorites for my fortieth.
This reminded me how much I love the dark mystery as well as the sweet relationship between Teacher and Shiva. Their tea parties, his want to protect her. The atmosphere and overall mood with the movement, the woods, the little home they have, all of it. ...more
How can a book this short be this powerful? I can see why it's getting award nominations and accolades because this is a powerful story about a girl lHow can a book this short be this powerful? I can see why it's getting award nominations and accolades because this is a powerful story about a girl learning about the history of her family in which they were sent to residential schools and stripped of their way of life, culture, language, hair, and ideals but through deeper connections, she discovers what people digging around the residential schools are finding-- bodies and stories hidden.
Taking place in Alberta over the summer where Summer's family spends time on a ranch, Summer's learning deepens with her dreams and her conversations with family. The frustration of what happened to them in the past needs to be healed but they are living in the present, which I value in the story as well.
They had to do something for the sixty-ninth issue of the comic, so there you have it. We've got a few flashbacks hearkening back to the old days thatThey had to do something for the sixty-ninth issue of the comic, so there you have it. We've got a few flashbacks hearkening back to the old days that'll freak a reader out and the excitement of Lying Cat. And then there's poor Squire who's having a rough go- he's done a little self-harm and Alana has to figure out how she can help the robot kid.
I had high hopes but I didn't like the way the book was written. It's about a serial killer in France who sought out women and when he killed them, goI had high hopes but I didn't like the way the book was written. It's about a serial killer in France who sought out women and when he killed them, got their money but it wasn't the primary motivation- instead it was his conceited world that he wanted the power over these women who were "feeble".
The trial and story would have sucked me in but I found the writing convoluted. I wanted more facts and less pomp and circumstance though it was vivid to have the photos from the trial in the story as Landru has a fascinating look.
I know it'll go out but it doesn't have the umph that a book like Fleming's Murder Among Friends. ...more
An absolutely entertaining mystery that's long on dead bodies and intrigue and humor and short on boring. It's highly active for a reader whether listAn absolutely entertaining mystery that's long on dead bodies and intrigue and humor and short on boring. It's highly active for a reader whether listening or reading from the names of all of the Swift family characters and now the hijinks in another country, namely Paris, France as they investigate a museum heist with more bodies.
It's a good time from start to finish and the more unique and creative mystery to hit shelves in the last few years. Pay attention! ...more
A book that tugs at the heartstrings especially for its intended audience, this is based on facts of orphanages converted to mental institutions to maA book that tugs at the heartstrings especially for its intended audience, this is based on facts of orphanages converted to mental institutions to make a bigger buck. In this case, a young woman is forced to give up her newborn baby and the quest to find out what happened to her after all of the years bring them back together in a way to share Eloide's horrific experiences.
I do think that while it shared historical details there was an arc to the story that's been done before, but it's also what readers are looking for. I recognize both....more
I think I'd need the context of the original book it's retold from to better lay the groundwork that doesn't exist at the start of the book. I think II think I'd need the context of the original book it's retold from to better lay the groundwork that doesn't exist at the start of the book. I think I was looking for EK Arnold or A Drop of Venom that came out of the gate with dark, elegant rage with a visual to boot but didn't get that level of intensity and creativity in the writing so I was plodding along with a girl hellbent on revenge and ends up back in the universe of the boy who put her in prison and was a former love interest.
Points for the Pakistani representation with fantasy elements, but it didn't work for me.
For a book this size, I was expecting an epic and/or generational story, which existed but not in the way that I as a reader woulI'm in the minority.
For a book this size, I was expecting an epic and/or generational story, which existed but not in the way that I as a reader would have been sucked in. I can see how dropping in facts about Jude's life makes someone want to know just exactly what happened but I was impatient and (*gasp*) unsympathetic to knowing because I wasn't connected to the book the way others have become connected to it and fallen for the hardships and friendships throughout a lifetime.
It's in the category of books for adults that show the difficulty with little glimmers. Maybe that's not my life so I don't have the patience for it. Does that show I lack empathy? Maybe a little in tolerating the book, because there are others that I have fallen all over. Could also have been the difference between reading it versus listening to it as I listened to the audiobook. ...more
Exploring several injustices done to her, Elvira at a very young age is embroiled in the Mexican drug wars when her mother is kidnapped and held for rExploring several injustices done to her, Elvira at a very young age is embroiled in the Mexican drug wars when her mother is kidnapped and held for ransom. Then, as she tries to find a way to excel, after a bout in a difficult juvenile facility, she begins doing hurdles. But this is done under the cover of early morning at a school where she becomes the apple of a coaches eye and the dangerousness of her situation leads to a predatory sexual relationship.
Quite a bit of hardship, Gonzalez finds a way through these difficult situations and how she found a way to triumph and be inspirational to others who read her story. Featuring a heavy dose of Spanish without translations, it would be a comfortable read for a native Spanish speaker.
A worthy autobiography with a woman dealing with unimaginable situations but coming out on top. ...more
This was a hard one to read because the writing was unnecessarily verbose and obtuse. I think it was an intentional way to tell the story but it came This was a hard one to read because the writing was unnecessarily verbose and obtuse. I think it was an intentional way to tell the story but it came off as pretentious in addition to being, truly, hard for me to read to grasp her meaning and what she was trying to share. I tried and wanted to get into it, but I couldn't. ...more
Everyone has a story to tell and Aziz wanted to share his story as a brown boy who felt misplaced often in a world but sought out people to uplift himEveryone has a story to tell and Aziz wanted to share his story as a brown boy who felt misplaced often in a world but sought out people to uplift him and focus him be it Obama when he took office or his family. There was always a battle within himself to fit in and find purpose which he did over the course of his life and career in law and politics. ...more
I wished I could have gotten into this one but I kept picking it up and putting it down and finally decided to stick my nose into it and finish it butI wished I could have gotten into this one but I kept picking it up and putting it down and finally decided to stick my nose into it and finish it but it wasn't fireworks, gut wrenching, thrilling, and darkly funny, or doing anything different than a lot of the mysteries out there though with the Meg Medina/ Mindy McGinnis focus on unlikeable female characters, I was hoping it could be unique and different enough to set it apart (the only thing making it eye-popping is the word b*tch in the title with a headstone on the cover).
Disappointingly, I wanted more from it than it could offer. ...more
Recounting the story of how the Salem Witch Trials began with featured people like Tituba and Reverend Parris, it was easy to see how Tituba was goingRecounting the story of how the Salem Witch Trials began with featured people like Tituba and Reverend Parris, it was easy to see how Tituba was going to be the scapegoat for whatever the girls were thinking-- whether it was all in good fun and quickly became out of hand or was sinister from the beginning (though one theory is that they were intoxicated with a plant that could have explained it).
Either way, it was a tragedy on many levels and the Who HQ that uses a graphic novel with intermittent text to explain the scenes lays the groundwork to understand texts like The Crucible but history in general around this topic. I always learn something new when I'm reading one of these books in the series whether it's the text or graphic novel format. ...more
I know it's getting a lot of hype but I don't think the audience matches the writing and in reading it, the vagueness of the story from start to finisI know it's getting a lot of hype but I don't think the audience matches the writing and in reading it, the vagueness of the story from start to finish made me frustrated. I wanted more substance because it felt more ethereal than real though Quigley's message is one of taking back power and showcasing Indigenous folks who don't live on reservations in the middle of the United States but in urban areas like Tomah and Ariel, the two characters from the story. Ariel is struggling because her auntie is a missing woman. There's a lot of past and present to unpack and uncertainty about the future that maybe Tomah and Ariel can band together to help muddle their way through.
The verse works for the concept but I wish it was more literal than figurative to drive home the point of missing women in the community for a younger audience. I don't know if readers would come away with the knowledge and understanding if they didn't already have it before.
One of the last chapters "Survive and Breathe" in Tomah's words was one of my favorites. ...more
I wholeheartedly adore this graphic novel that includes adventure, action, folklore, and tons of heart with a touch of danger and darkness! I didn't eI wholeheartedly adore this graphic novel that includes adventure, action, folklore, and tons of heart with a touch of danger and darkness! I didn't expect to love it as much as I did and instead sat right in my chair and finished it in one sitting, and I still didn't want it to end!
Anzu isn't fitting in, in particular she's started trying to make new friends and call herself Anne rather than Anzu. Then during some celebratory festivities, she ends up chasing this dog but falls and when she wakes up, realizes that she's in another world- Yomi- the Shinto underworld and she's being told she needs to return to the human world as soon as possible or she'll be trapped there. And not everyone is who they seem, specifically a queen who seems nice but instead is a little deadly and who has bad intentions for Anzu. Can she be the heroine to get herself out (and when she discovers there are others to rescue as well) them too?
Particularly entertaining was learning about the world. In Yomi the cardinal directions are where the gates are: high heaven, sea, night, and reeds. Then there are the mythological creatures Anzu meets. The mix of action adventure and journey challenge make it quietly intense and readers will love Anzu as a character. I fell in love with her as much as the graphic art approach with the blocky panels and colors.
I don't have a bookshelf for cults? Maybe I should start one.
Adored this middle grade story about Frankie/Fern who has enjoyed, what she thinks, is aI don't have a bookshelf for cults? Maybe I should start one.
Adored this middle grade story about Frankie/Fern who has enjoyed, what she thinks, is a productive bountiful life within the confines of the ranch with others and her mother and Dr. Ben. That is until her mother ferrets her away in the middle of the night. She's clearly been working to make this happen for some time and now that they're "out", Frankie/Fern's brainwashing is on full display. She doesn't like the synthetic clothes, the sugar in food, doesn't know much about technology, and wants to return to the safety and security of the ranch before her promised (ahead of schedule) ceremony- problem is she doesn't know where it is and needs to figure out a way to find out where it is and another step to get back there too.
What unfolds is a young girl and her mother learning a new relationship and I especially appreciated really hearing quite a bit about Frankie's mom since they move back to an area where her godmothers lived (one who is still alive and runs a bakery).
It's got a mysterious quality that's the foreboding about whether Frankie/Fern gets what she's asking for, but that comes at a price if it does happen. ...more
Who knew? Literally I always feel like I don't know enough about the ongoing political and religious arguments but now I have a good context for the sWho knew? Literally I always feel like I don't know enough about the ongoing political and religious arguments but now I have a good context for the site itself including the multiple rebuilds of the city, how the religious establishments came to exist and war with one another, and how existence has been historically.
Using the structures themselves for the three religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, I have a grasp on the layout and landscape. I can only imagine it's beauty and the stories it has told over time. ...more
Too slow for it's own good. A planned duology it could have been a nice 400 page-ish standalone (I'm assuming) with some editing, focus, and tightnessToo slow for it's own good. A planned duology it could have been a nice 400 page-ish standalone (I'm assuming) with some editing, focus, and tightness in the writing because conceptually I was pretty excited about it but then I couldn't muddle through the story when things were connecting snappily enough.
There's a new wave of vampires from the middle grade humor to the A Tempest of Tea but it didn't hit the right notes though the historical setting provided good atmosphere. ...more
A dive into disinformation not in a comprehensive view but in the political realm. McQuade had a well-organized book that features gaslighting, socialA dive into disinformation not in a comprehensive view but in the political realm. McQuade had a well-organized book that features gaslighting, social media, terrorism, and inciteful rhetoric under the larger umbrella of authoritarianism using Trump as the prime example and supplementing the information with examples from history.
There's a lot to unpack and one of her main reasons for writing the book is also to promote learning and understanding how it sabotages America (re: American politics and thus the American people) and the need for civics education in young people and a continued reliance on digesting and understanding how we get information because AI and social media aren't making anything easier.
I also continue to be amazed at the number of books that reference Bowling Alone, which I read in my Freshman Honors course in my first year at college. Little did I know what an important text it is and still remains.
A good one to finish on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11 today. ...more
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