73% Geek

I was very much looking forward to reading the third instalment of the Road To Nowhere trilogy, and thanks to NetGalley I got to do it even earlier than I'd hoped.

The Book of Flora continues the tale first started in The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, and links directly to events from The Book of Etta. Fair warning to those new to the series, I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed this book as much as I did had I not actually read the two preceding novels.

Though the Road to Nowhere series is set in a very grim dystopia, The Book of Flora felt less dark to me. Flora, the protagonist and narrator's journey is the main focus, and we follow her exploration of the world, her place in it and how it relates to her. I loved learning more about Flora, she was such an interesting character in the previous novel. I just wish (as always) life wasn't so hard for her. Elison and her world can be very rough on her characters. I did feel the end was a little rushed, and I really wanted to delve into both the happier, more peaceful times implied in Flora's retrospective narrative passages, as well as the revelatory change discovered at the very end.

I find the Road To Nowhere novels quick reads, but not because they are easy. On the contrary they are set in a grimdark world full of terror and violence which strike me as uncomfortably plausible. Even so, the first novel, The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, remains my favourite of the trilogy, and one of my all-time favourite novels.

Anyone who has enjoyed any of the other novels in the series should definitely read The Book of Flora, and those who haven't should give them a try! Meg Elison's writing is compelling, flows well, and her ideas are as fascinating as always.

Thanks to NetGalley I received access to a digital ARC of Fashion in the Middle Ages by Margaret Scott in exchange for an honest review.

A foreword by Elizabeth Morrison is followed by an introduction and then the three main chapters, Dressing for the Moment, Dressing for the Job, and Dressing for Another Time, Another Place, before a glossary of terms, and suggestions for further reading.

This book is fascinating and I'm so grateful for having the chance to read it. Tons of interesting information illustrated by lots of pictures with illuminating (heh) captions. In my copy many photographs were of very low quality making it hard to make out the details described by in the text, but I assume that is a feature of the digital ARC and not part of the final copy.

I enjoy reading historical fiction, biographies of historical figures, and playing faux-medieval fantasy roleplaying games, so this book was very much a delight for me. The glossary alone is exceptionally helpful when trying keep the difference between miniver and ermine straight in my head, or remembering just what samite was again. I will happily add a copy of this book to my collection as soon as possible.

I'm, at best, passable with a pencil, but I would like to get better. As such, I'm always on the look out for instructional material which can help me improve. Thanks to NetGalley I got to read The Little Book of Cartooning & Illustration which looked very interesting.

The Little Book of Cartooning & Illustration bills itself as a collection of tips and techniques for drawing characters and expressions in a traditional cartoon/animation style. It definitely looks stylistically traditional to me, a novice and know-nothing.

The book begins with a brief overview of physical tools and materials, and an even briefer aside about digital ones, before getting straight to business. As a beginner I would have liked a little more handholding, but after a very short intro to the basics of drawing a human head, a page with a template follows for your own attempt.

Assuming you now have assimilated the rules, the book delves into how to break them for conveying emotion, character or motion cartoonishly. Quickly moving through drawing heads, body parts, emotions, and bodies, and adding colour, part 1 ends with a series of full step-by-step character drawings.

Part 2 concerns itself with animals and inanimate objects, and driving home the point that in cartooning, less really can be more. Part 3 spends about 8 pages on two step-by-step walkthroughs illustrating scenes and gags, respectively. Part 4 consists entirely of two step-by-step caricatures, spending about 5 pages per character.

I'm so happy I got to read this book, but ultimately it isn't for me. I'm not interested in the style taught in this book, and I also found it a little intimidating as someone who isn't proficient enough with a pencil to be able to simply draw a character. I need more info on the basics of how to draw characters, not just how to change the style or expressions of them.