Govind

I have seen The Martian, but this is the first time I am trying a work by Weir. Given the high acclaim, I had high expectations, but it fell flat, and the writing quality leaves a lot to be desired. I was surprised at the amount of cringy, unfunny jokes and bad jokes based on stereotypes. It's 2021 and it's sad that we still doing the bit about foreigners working in sciences not speaking good English. They can figure out all this hard science, but apparently English Garmmar is insurmountable. I just can't with bad grammar to show accent.

I personally didn't enjoy the ending, as I felt it could have been fleshed out more. The last paragraph read just like the last scene from a screenplay. However, even with all its flaws, it's a quick enjoyable read and the plot is way too Intresting to make you stop reading. The middle part in space is really enjoyable.

I will definitely watch the movie (I am sure it will be fantastic) and try more works from the author. I just can't rate it higher though. The writing quality is just not there.

This manga has a lot of potential. The art is great, the pacing is excellent, and I really like how it gets us to the main premise so quickly. Even though the book is less than 200 pages, I got a good taste of what is to come. The characters, atmosphere, and feeling of mystery are all done well. Even with these all positive impressions, I am only giving it a three. While it is well rounded, nothing really stands out. I enjoyed this volume, but it wasn’t good enough to make me want to go out and buy the next one.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for the advance review copy.

The book starts off heavy. The first chapter is a bit grim and violent (non-graphic). This might put some people off, but it then mellows a lot from there and balances despair and hope very well. We follow the story of two souls that are reincarnated as five different animals (some endangered). Even though the stories are connected, they all could stand on their own also .My favourite one was that of a sea otter.

On the surface, the book is a heartfelt tale about hope, the environment, and the future, but it also goes deeper than that. The book can be seen as an allegory for the population decline crisis in Japan. The novel explores the different ways one cam deal with or approach this issue. One of the stories shows how a person can have a hard time finding personal happiness when facing immense societal pressure to help the species as a whole. I am not going to explain more and ruin the joy. It’s much better to go in without too much information beforehand. This is a fantastic read, and you won’t regret giving it a try.

Thank you Kodansha and NetGalley for the advance review copy.

This book is a satire on the “American Dream” and capitalism. The time period it is set in is unclear. It evokes a pre 90s image with the characters yearning for the suburban live and convertible coupes, but at the same time the internet and Amazon is a thing in the book. This contradiction was a bit jarring, but the plot was interesting so I kept going.

There are just four main characters. The MC, the dad, the daughter, the mom, and the Money Master. Most of the characters are a bit flat and one dimensional. The dad is shown as a plato obsessed naive hard worker who suddenly transforms into a greedy money grubber. The mom feels like a character taken straight out of a misogynistic “my wife doesn't appreciate my work” rant. It's almost comical how selfish she is written to be. The Money Master is an absurd character too, but I will skip any comments on them as that would be very spoilery. The author really dialed the weirdness meter of the characters up, but given it's a satire I didn't think too much of it at first. The daughter is the only likeable character in the book.

The book starts off strong and hooks you. he setting and pacing feel a bit surreal, and then things start to get strange. I thought the sense of absurdity might get smoothed out as it went on, but that was not the case. It gets more and more bizarre, and the middle of the book is just stretched out too much. Then the last act and the resolution happen way too fast. By the end, you are just left feeling confused. The book really feels half baked. It had a lot of potential, but it was all thrown away. The author just needed to balance out the absurdity with a bit more development and proper pacing in the middle. Even with the draggy middle, it was a quick read, so that was a positive.

Overall, I do not recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley, for the advance review copy.

This is a fantastic book. It's as entertaining and engaging as short-form etymology videos, but it keeps that energy from start to finish. From the way the chapters are divided to the way each chapter starts and ends, you can kind of get into a rhythm. The way the author transitions from one topic to another is also done very gracefully. There are a ton of references and jokes to keep you company. The history of a word, rather than being told in a matter of fact way, is kind of told like a story, with all these little trivia pieces thrown in. It really is an enjoyable experience.

I also liked that we get a brief look into some newer Gen Z terminology and its history. I was also really happy to spot words with Indian or Sanskrit origins pop up. My own mother tongue, Malayalam, also makes an appearance in one of the sections (see if you can spot the etymological feature “Malayalam” has). You also don't have to know anything about etymology to start this book. It's very accessible. So, in conclusion, this book is an easy recommendation from me.

Thank you NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy.

Given how the back of the book mentioned short stories, I was kind of expecting a journal style book. However, it was more of a non fiction, with each chapter tackling a subject (mostly related to relationships and life experiences) and giving a small lesson at the end. Some parts felt repetitive, and the book tried too hard to be relatable by adding in examples relating to jobs, when it could have just kept the focus on life and relationships. The parts about jobs felt tacked on. That said, there are some very relatable chapters that make you smile as you think about old memories of a relationship or heartbreak. Overall, it's a decent, quick read and I am happy that I bought this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! The art is great, and it's a quick read, but the story has some major drawbacks. There is a totally unnecessary rape subplot, and the character is shown as apologetic to the rapist. They could have avoided that and focused on the relationship between the leads. The book would have been so much better that way. The Russian historical setting, while interesting, is confusing and half-baked. Characters are sometimes shown living longer than they did in reality, mixing fact and fiction without clarification. The presence of a character profile area that doesn’t point this out adds to the confusion. A part near the end explaining the changes made versus reality happened would have helped a lot. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend going out and buying this book, but it’s an alright to read if you are borrowing it from someone.

This was a really fun, simple read. There isn't much to complain about, and there is no unnecessary nudity that adds nothing to the story like the last ARC manga I read. Here, the art was great, it's easy to read, and I loved the conversations the characters had. The characters have pretty good chemistry, and the author sprinkled in a fair share of cultural references and discussion about cars in a natural way to keep it interesting. There are surprisingly some very well done fourth wall breaks, and it was funny how the author justified a certain decision they took through that wall breaking. Overall, it is a decent book. Nothing too special, but it is not bad either.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

I had huge hopes for the book. It started out great, and up until the last quarter, it was going well. The author was juggling a lot of topics smoothly, until it all combined into a mess by the end. The ending ruined the novel. It took away the progress and kind of made the story feel meaningless.

Even though the ending was realistic, the epilogue/last chapter's time skip and the sudden foray into science fiction ruined the story's groundedness, making it even more unsatisfying. I have never experienced a tone shift like that in a novel before.The characters don't have much chemistry, but you could feel it increasing, and when it felt like it was improving, the author put a stop to it. It felt like the queer character here is used as a token. She is written as shallow and one dimensional. There isn't much character development. The other lead also isn't properly fleshed out.

Even though the author did a fair bit of research and integrated many topics well, there is a fair share of stereotypes in the book. From the stereotype of the strong, cold, career oriented woman who is depicted as not caring for her partner, to several others.The novelist favours a traditionalist narrative. This wasn't apparent at first, but as the novel goes on, it becomes clear where the book is headed, and the story becomes predictable. Even then, I hoped the author wouldn't take the easy way out and do something creative but that wasn't the case here.

Well written literary fiction with good romance is one of my favourite genres to read and this book had the potential to become one of the best l had read all year, but ultimately, it fell short. Though there were plenty of genuinely enjoyable moments and the writing flowed well at times, I finished the book feeling disappointed.

Thank You NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

This was my first foray into horror comics/manga, and it turned out to be an interesting read. Except for one story (Family Portrait), there was a fair bit of creativity, and the shock elements went along with the story well. It's written in a way that makes you want to keep on reading. Family Portrait was uncomfortable to read due to some forced elements. It felt tropey and shoehorned in. But the others were written better.So overall, it was a decent read. If you aren't put off by shock elements when they fit the narrative, it's a book worth checking out.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced review copy.

This was a short, quick read. The story had a lot of promise, but it could have been much better. The relationship honestly was a bit bland, and throughout the story, the taller male lead takes most of the initiative. The smaller guy is portrayed as slightly meek and passive. The story and the chemistry feel built upon heteronormative notions. I don't really like the reinforcement of stereotypes, so that took away some of my enjoyment. That said, if you overlook those issues, it was actually an easy, wholesome read, and the artwork was good. I'm giving it 3 stars here, but it is more of a 2.5 than a 3. Also note that unlike the usual romance Mangas, this book leaves nothing to the imagination and contains explicit sex scenes. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

The book is a quick read. It dumbs down many of the complex cyber security concepts into an accessible manner, with diagrams and charts. Anyone would get it regardless of their familiarity with the matter. I liked how the author incorporated details about Asian culture and religious harmony in a great, tasteful way, especially with the interaction between the friends.The author gave an unnecessary backstory for a side character, I felt that could have been avoided.

Coming to the story itself, it's kind of weak. The fast pace feels alright at the start, but by the end, it feels like everything resolved too quickly. Plus, the story is too simple to be really engaging. I feel like if they raised the stakes up and the made the novel a little longer and fleshed out, it would have been much better.

So overall, it falls flat and can only serve as a quick, simplified PSA about the scope of new age cyber crimes, something which is a little more for fun and warm to read than an article. Thank you NetGalley for providing the advanced copy for review.

Murakami uses his signature writing of men and women in a slightly different direction here. Usually, the men have flawed character traits that are overlooked, and the women are written shallowly or remain impassive to the provocations of the man. Here, however, we see a slight departure from the usual, as the man's behavior is questioned more directly than is often seen in his works. The FMC, while still a classic Murakami character in many ways, is written with more depth, and we gain better insight into her thoughts as the story is told from her point of view. Overall, this is a good read and worth checking out if you enjoy the author's work.

One of the better short stories by Haruki Murakami. There wasn't much of his cringe worthy writing about women. Overall, a good, enjoyable read. I really liked how the story ended. It was kind of poetic.

It's abstract and strange, but an interesting read nonetheless.

It started off strong, and I really enjoyed the first 40% or so, which had a lot of hilarious moments. However, it became a bit repetitive as the story progressed, and the ending felt predictable. Overall, it was an alright read.

As a fan of libraries and fantasy, I was excited to read this book, but the experience wasn't as great as what I hoped for. The book starts off messy, with some confusion about who the main character is.Early on, not much happens. It's mostly exposition and world building, but it's not executed well, making it feel like an info dump. It only really finds its stride and picks up pace later on. But by the end, you're left wanting more.I feel like that intruige would be over by the next volume. This is a decent start for a new series, but it doesn't leave you feeling satisfied with just this volume.Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy of this book.

This was a straightforward read. It wasn't particularly angsty, and there weren't too many conflicts in the present timeline. The artwork wasn't particularly impressive, but the shading was visually pleasing and made things easy to follow. The story itself was a mixed bag though. Some parts were really enjoyable, but others felt kind of meh. I wasn't fully convinced by the backstory and the eventual resolution. It felt like the past issues resolved way too easily. Despite these flaws, it's an okay read if you're looking for something positive, simple and overall warm.

Received this book as an advanced review copy from Fantagraphics through NetGalley. The book doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it was a good read. The classic feeling of impending doom when reading dystopia is there. The flow of the book is smooth, and there is enough intrigue to keep you reading. I loved the wacky art, and the consequences of unchecked fascism are shown well (Also, I loved that reference to a certain Jim Carrey movie I love). If you already read a lot of dystopia, it might feel a bit uninspired - but if you are new to the genre, you'll appreciate how accessible and easy to read it is. Overall, it's an easy recommendation from me.

The book is engaging from the get-go. I loved the fast pacing and the flow. The artwork is great and nice to read, but I am giving it 3 stars because of the predictability. Overall, it's a decent manga. While this volume doesn’t have anything that sets it apart, there is potential, and I am slightly curious to see if the next volume offers something more. Thank you, Netgalley, for the advanced review copy.

This was a great read. I loved the interaction between the leads and how their relationship grew over time. There were some weird moments, but they didn't ruin the overall reading experience. I loved the arc and how the story progressed from start to finish. It felt like a good feel-good movie. Overall, highly recommended by me. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

I loved the book. It was a great read. After the first three-quarters, I didn't want it to end. I wanted to keep reading about the characters. This is my second Rooney after Normal People. While NP is all about feelings, there were many parts that felt unnecessary. Intermezzo is a big improvement in that regard. It felt more organized and better composed, while still maintaining that flowing prose. The only disappointing part was the ending. I expected at least one of the resolutions to be different from what we got.If you have read any Rooney before and enjoyed it, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

I didn't really enjoy this read. I had higher expectations going in. The antagonist was more annoying than scary. There were some good moments but they couldn't make up for the overall experience, and the ending was predictable. The artwork was decent, though. I have no complaints about that.

Read this book as an eARC from Netgalley.This was the first time that I read a graphic novel adaptation of Sherlock Homes. The artwork is good and they haven't modernised the dialogues. You get the same classic feel as you would from the books.Even though I have read other Sherlock Holmes stories, this was the first time that I read ‘A Study in Scarlet' in any form. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

The book is a collection of one page, four panel comics with the theme of Earth and the environment. Along with the four panel ones, it includes several one-page or two connected pages of fully filled jokes or commentary spread throughout the book.There are many recurring themes and similar jokes, with several comics building upon, referencing, or continuing earlier ones.It's an easy read, but only a few of the jokes were actually funny and made me laugh. Besides the jokes, it includes some wholesome comics and a bit of sexual commentary. However, the varying mix added to a sense of messiness, even though all of it follows a common theme.Finally the artwork is alright, and I really liked the creativity used to make it adhere to the subject. It's a great effort but overall, it falls short of what I expected going in.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this advanced copy for review.