Isaac
4/5 • This is a thriller on the publishing industry. It's a risky book to write so I admire Rebecca for doing it. Writing a Goodreads review for this one feels weird, considering the topic of book reviews is discussed in the book, even making up an important plot point.
This novel feels like a r/HobbyDrama post, turned into a fully-fledged 300 page novel. I mean that as a compliment though. Anyone who's ever stumbled upon the aforementioned subreddit, knows it's a rabbit hole. You'll be immediately hooked by tales of messy drama in niche fields you've never heard about. Yellowface feels like an first-person account from the woman at the heart of a drama within literary fiction, and she's delightfully problematic.
The story reminds me of the Cassandra Clare plagiarism debacle, or JK Rowling descent into transphobia. Only this is a fictional story of bestseller Juniper Song, and her plagiarism from her dead Asian best friend. Then her descent into racism, narcissism and perfectionism.
I enjoyed this novel more than I expected. I've just realised I've not read enough books by the villains, or the unreliable narrators. Juniper Song, our main character, is a narcissistic bitch , that's the point though. It's interesting to explore the psyche of such a person. It also brings attention to the difficulties of racism in publishing, along with the unintended effects of diverse voices in fiction. Rebecca's writing works well, the pacing of this one is perfect, managing to include many twists, that had me quite literally gripped, wanting answers.
5/5 • I liked this more than the first one. It's truly a warm hug of a book. Our robot and monk continue on their travels, this time into more human settlements. There's a lot more world-building and characters in this novella. That's a good thing! I loved the first, but I very adore seeing Mosscap's interactions with the human world. We got that in the first book, but this one explored it so much more, but visting various different towns - and so beautifully described.
I am curious for the decision to make this series two novellas, instead of one full book? I can see the divide, but it feels very much like those books that have “part 1” and “part 2” inside. The same themes and meaning is embedded in both, and this is a direct continuation of the first novella. You know, I would have loved to have gotten a special full combined hardback edition with spray-painted edges, instead of these two separate novellas. Regardless, loved both very much, such a cozy read. ☕️
5/5 • Oh, Becky Chambers, you are becoming one of my favourite authors. This book is a warm hug. It is somehow so peaceful, yet also made me rather teary.
This is cozy science-fiction and it works. A travelling tea monk and a robot meet in the wilderness, they travel, drink tea, converse about the differences in robot and humans, and their overall purpose in life. That's really it. The plot is simple, but written in such beautiful prose. I love these kind of oddball friendships- between characters that are so different (a robot and a monk). Chambers manages to really explore this friendship, seeing both their differences and similarities.
I don't normally listen to music alongside reading, but for this one, I decided to do something different. I picked an instrumental and ambient spotify playlist- and gosh that made this even more cozy and immersive. Much of this book is set in the wilderness, so listening to ambient sounds of birds and forest made this even more cozy. This was a chill hour just reading and I loved every moment.
I also loved the social commentary. Though I feel this one isn't so much commentary, more showing a social alternative. What an interesting world. Also the philosophical discussions on life's purpose really hit me in a time that I needed it. This is also the second time I've been in a reading slump and it's a Becky Chambers book has been made fall in love with reading again, so thank you.
3.5/5 • reread • I never finished The Lunar Chronicles and it's being sitting on my shelf forever, so why not? This is peak YA for me - like it feels like a young adult book, with all the right trends, here I mean it as a compliment. I love the premise, retelling of fairy tales in a science fiction world. Cinderella but make her a cyborg! This is just a comfort book for me. Quick, easy to read, makes some interesting twists to classic fable.
5 stars • Oh what a fascinating book! Maeda is perhaps one of the most influential names in creative coding. For good reason, he created the programming language, Design by Numbers (DBN). And that laid the foundations for our present-day Processing and p5.js. And this book shows more of his visions and insights of art and computation, with specific emphasis on his student work. I loved seeing the absolute variety of projects, so inventive, visionary and creative. I really love the concept of using the computer or even ‘code' as a tool for art. This showcases a lot of artwork from the 1990s to early 2000s. It was quite inspiring. I got many of my own ideas from reading this book. I also wish I was a student at the MIT Media Lab
4 stars • Oh, I really enjoyed this book. I find many of the scholarly books on creative coding are often just coding tutorials. This one is a bit different. While, there are some tutorials here and there... it is also filled with so many examples and profound insights on the area. Really useful for own research. Definitely have more of an appreciation on creative coding after reading this.
3 stars • Reading this for my university dissertation. Twisty Little Passages is the first scholarly book on interactive fiction (IF). Think Zork, Colossal Cave Adventure, Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy, modern Inform works and more. For the most part, it's a comprehensive history of the genre, interspersed with some critical analysis of each game.
Montfort also spends a good deal of time comparing IF to the riddle. It's an interesting point. And never knew the riddle had such a rich history! But it did go on for so long, and felt he dragged that point on for too long. Regardless, this is a comprehensive book to IF, and valuable for any researcher looking into the area.
4 stars • I really liked this. It has some faults, but I adore the premise of small time travelling coffee shop. This kind of soft fantasy, with a focus on realism is my favourite. And I really love this book's depiction of time travel. There are rules to it... a lot of rules. And this creates quite an interesting story. ☕️
I also liked the format of the novel. The story is split into four chapters, each focusing on a different character. Some chapters are better than others. I really adored the second chapter the most. It's a bittersweet story of a man with Alzheimers and his wife. Really moving. Some chapters I didn't like much and felt needed some improvements (specifically the first one).
The writing style is written like a play. Pretty much all of the story takes place in the coffee shop with characters leaving and entering, feeling very much like a play. This style is not for everyone! But it didn't affect my enjoyment too much. And I really wish this was a play I would go watch it for sure.
(also the cover of this book betrayed me! There's a cat on it. I was expecting more cats. I am disappointed by the lack of cats in the novel.
4 stars • audiobook • recommend the audiobook!
If I had chosen to read this as physical book, I would have been given it a lower rating. Probably like a 3 star at best...but the audiobook!
Oh wow. It just elevates this story. The performances are top-notch, not just read aloud, but performed, acted. The way the book is written makes a strong transition into audio format. Daisy Jones & The Six is written in an oral story format, a set of interviews with different characters, spliced together to form a fictional documentary about the band of the same name.
No surprise, this format works better in audio. And I enjoyed it a lot! The characters are realistic. This is fictional history, but done so well, that I needed to remind myself that Daisy Jones & The Six were not a real band. I also loved the 70s rock and roll culture, the messy drama, and the rawness of the characters recounting the past. Another thing I liked was the usage of unreliable narrator. The book's format with the different characters perspective brought to light the unreliability of some of the perspectives.
There were a few things I disliked. I didn't really believe Daisy and Billy were in love. It felt so fake and one-dimensional? We are told they are amazing musicians and gorgeous people. But I didn't feel the chemistry. Also, this book is so full of infidelity and addiction. Most of the characters are, to some extent, unlikeable because of this. Despite that, still an enjoyable read, especially liked the ending. The final Daisy and Camila interactions felt really moving and impactful.
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3.8 stars — oh I so love cozy Klune
Soo I read this back-to-back with Cerulean Sea and that may have been a problem. It gave me high expectations and they were not quite met. I still love this one, but I felt it could have been better?
It has all the right ingredients to make a five star rating and a place on my favourites shelf. There's a cozy tea shop, kind reapers, a queer romance, Klune's trademark humour and a wonderful character journey on finding a family and home...
But I think it just suffers in the execution. Klune has all the right elements, but it just doesn't impact in the way that Cerulean Sea does. It's a hard one to beat, and both books have similar themes, but frankly Cerulean Sea does it better.
I love the entire concept for this one with a tea shop before you pass on. There's also an adoring cast of characters that I grow to care for. Klune's iconic humour makes me laugh outloud. There are scenes I loved, cried at, laughed and more.
But man there are so many things I would change with this book! For starters, I didn't like the ending. It felt like the ending was too happy and perfect. And Wallace. He starts out as this asshole, but his development felt too quick? I love the idea of learning kindness, but it felt the character had changed drastically in only a few pages.
That being said, I still loved this one, and Klune is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors for his whimsy and heartwarming books. Keep at it Klune, you are amazing at doing cozy books!
2 stars • meh but an interesting concept
I think this could have been an interesting memoir, but I didn't enjoy this one. Most of this book is just transcripts of the author's therapy sessions.
It's an interesting way of telling's one life, but I think it would have benefitted with more regular memoir writing. I don't feel like I know much about the author, like her history, or family. It centered mostly on their feelings. The novel also tries to be part-memoir, and part-self help, and I don't think this combo works.
5 stars — Oh, wow. It's been some time since a book has made me so full of feelings- like I feel like crying and sobbing. Not because this book is sad, not at all, but more because this is such a beautiful novel.
One of the author reviews describes this book as ‘wrapped up in a big gay blanket'. I've never seen a more apt description of a book. The story is about Linus Baker. He's an everyman, with a good office job and getting older by the minute. He's content with his life, or so he says, but for a job assignment he sent to inspect a magical orphanage (think like an Ofsted worker).
I really like characters like Linus. He reminds me of Bilbo Baggins or Arthur Dent. Those characters who are content with their lives, are a tad pompous and set in their ways, but against their wishes are sent on magical journeys. Linus learns a lot. The character development is rife, all of the characters here grow and develop. It's beautiful to watch.
It's very much a book of being ‘different' but learning to cherish differences and who you are. I think it's interesting that the most common criticism with this book is that it's actually too wholesome. It is, but that's why I love it, so much happiness and comedic moments. It tackles discrimination and has a message of embracing difference. It is a simple message at it's core, but turned into a wonderfully cozy story.
Oh gosh, I don't know what is left to say, this is 5/5, on the favourites list for me. There are times that I laughed out loud- Linus character is endearing but also downright funny (reminds me a little of my own dad). The children are wonderful and the development of every character makes my heart warm. The magical creatures are wonderful. The queer relationships was a beautiful touch. All in, love this book so much, literally made me sob and all emotional at the end.
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(And in terms of the controversy with the Sixties Scoop. It's not a good thing. But I don't think it's enough to purely hate this book- this book is trying to promote good values and it's clear it had a very surface level impact on the story. But despite this, I think there is a more nuanced conversation needed around the topic and its fair to make criticism.)
A cute follow-up! God I love Nicholas and Seiji, their dynamic is hilarious. Most of these issues take place over the same 24 hours. They do a great job at making fencing thrilling, though I do wish we get some more character development. This series hints at a gay romance, but we only get little scenes here and there with our main guys. I want more!!
Whimsical and enchanting! I liked this more than the first one. The art is absolutely gorgeous. One of my main difficulties with the first book is the lack of plot, and here it's improved. Still a bit muddled at time, but nevertheless this was simply beautiful cozy vibes. I really loved Erik, he's my favourite. Also the depiction of sign language was beautiful, and I loved the glossary of dragons at the end.
A cozy wholesome tale of tea dragons. Not sure how to rate this– for the art it's a 5/5. It's gorgeous sequence of images with bright colours. I love the variety of character designs. However, I felt the book felt more like a vibe than a story. It's cozy, warm, and bright but it's lacking a coherent plot. I know this is middle grade, but it feels like it could do with a stronger plot. I heard the second one does, so I might pick it up. I love the concept though- tea dragons!! ☕️
4.5 stars • a dark tale that makes you think and possibly one of the best short stories of all time!
I went into this story expecting a plot twist. That happens. But I was originally left underwhelmed. I was expecting something more dramatic and out of the box. I was expecting some horror to creep me out, something unrealistic, but this isn't a tale of monsters, it's almost a tale of realism.
Here's the thing. It's a predictable story. But the meaning of the story is powerful and is one that sticks with you. After reading this story, I looked up the analysis. It's a dark story about mob mentality and tradition. The dangers of continuing tradition, blindly following it for ‘the sake of tradition'. This is quite a powerful short story and one I will remember. 4.5/5
2 stars • Well, unlike everyone else in these reviews, I wasn't a fan of this one :(
I love the premise- Victorian M/M with magic, lords, warlocks and more! But I just couldn't care for the plot and all of the supporting characters. I liked the interactions between the leads, the smut was alright and the magical victorian setting was cool...but the mystery plot. It just failed to capture my interest and I was forcing myself through the pages, sorry to say.
oh my gosh, they were roommates
Oh, gay fencing. I love it. This is clearly inspired by sports manga, you know the ones: Free, Yuri on Ice and Haikyuu. It has that sport rivalry with gay undertones. (I presume it's gonna get gayer right?)
There's a lot of cliches and overused tropes, but this case I don't mind at all. It's a tad cheesy, but in all the right ways. The characters are entertaining, and I am already shipping Nicholas and Seji!! Looking forward to reading to reading more of these two.
3.5 stars • I like this one. A sweet story about acceptance featuring a love story between a ghost and a human.
PROS
First, I read a lot of fantasy and I like the fantasy of this story. The magic system is a gendered. This is not a new concept in the genre. We have witches and wizards already. But in this world, we have the Brujx. A community who possess the power to see spirits and heal the living. And the community is built on gender. Men are brujos, protectors who help spirits cross over into the afterlife, while women are healers.
I really like how Yadriel's trans identity intertwines with the plot. The magic accepts him for who he is, but his community does not. It's very much a story of acceptance for trans people. I was rooting for Yadriel, so much. My favourite scene was where he uses the men's bathroom for the first time. As a cis guy, I've never had to experience this, but Aidan Thomas writes it in a way that gave me so much triumph. I basically yelled “Go Yadriel!!!” like it was sporting event. And felt so proud of this fictional character.
The romance is sweet. He meets a ghost called Julian. A sweet gay romance with a ghost and a magic boy. Then hijinks and romance ensure. Both characters felt developed and well-matched. I often feel in romance genres that characters blend together and are written the same, but I think Aidan has done a good job of making them strong characters on their own.
CONS
By far the weakest part for me, was the plot. It felt muddled. Some scenes dragged forever, and the writing has this way of including too much exposition. The premise of this book started so well. A ghost and a magical boy team up to solve a possible murder and find a missing person. That's awesome...except it wasn't and dragged. The romance took priority for some time, and the mystery felt boring. It was also a predictable mystery. I worked it out early on and our villain even gets a stereotypical monologue at the end.
OVERALL
I liked this one. A strong own-voices story of a trans Latinx teenager and a story of acceptance in a world where the magic is gendered. Feels like a YA book, and not in a positive way, the writing has this YA feeling that I can't describe well. But despite this, a lot of fun.
4.5 stars — This is such a weird little book and I love it. I would would call this a silly dystopian. In the fictional island of Nollop, a totalitarian government are so extreme, that they decide to ban letters of the alphabet.
Yes, sounds silly, but I guess that's the point, to create satire about fascism by creating an absurd dystopian scenario. And you know what? It works! This is a wonderfully written book told only through letters. The citizens of Nollop don't use technology, and communicate through means of written letters. As the government begins by banning the letter ‘Z' (believing this to be what their founder Nollop would want), and then so on with more letters of the alphabet, the way the residents communicate changes.
It was interesting to read. Mark Dunn is great at blending dystopian horror with humour. Yet, I wouldn't call this comedy, it has its funny moments, but Dunn has also managed to create a world where the impact of banning language seems realistic and sad. It is also lipogrammatic tale. Once a letter is banned, Dunn stops using that letter for the rest of the book. This must have been an difficult feat to write- impressive!
3.5 stars — A beautifully written coming-of-age novella about Ru, a migrant from a land of dragons who moves to India, but feels like an outsider due to his mysterious heritage he knows little about.
This feels like a novella about identity, culture and immigration. I like that this is more-or-less a realistic story of a boy stuck between two cultures, but one of the cultures happens to be one infused with dragons and magic. But instead of having traditional fantasy tropes of chosen ones and the like, this is very much grounded in reality, of a boy that wants to live in the present, but also wants to honour his family's culture.
I also learnt a new term called Third culture kid. Not mentioned in the book itself, but I think Ru can certainly be considered a third culture kid. The Dragoneer culture and the Indian culture intertwine.
The greatest success of this novella is the prose. It's beautifully written with this dream-like, evanescent quality, merging realism with the fantastical. The plot isn't always clear, and I struggled at times understanding its magic system, but there is this daydream wonder that kept me entertained. The relationship between Alice and Ru also feels endearing, a first love that ends, but not in a dramatic way, more a coming-of-age first love sort of deal. A wonderfully written book with some interesting ideas.
3 stars — There's one thing you need to know before reading this book. This is based on an popular audio drama called The Bright Sessions. It is essentially a tie-in, with parts acting as novelisation of the podcast episodes.While this book can be read without listening to the podcast. I would not recommend doing so.
This book is sweet, it doesn't add much to the series, and feels like official fan-fiction. It's a soft gay love story with an empath. The podcast tells it better, but I still liked this book. I found it really enjoyable to see Caleb's view of the world. I adore the podcast, but that medium lacks what books can do, explore thoughts and feelings in a more literal sense through descriptions. And Caleb is perfect for this and I loved seeing his viewpoint and how he feels others emotions and the effect this has.
Also Lauren Shippen surprised me, she is a good writer! I mean of course, she is talented audio drama creator, well-known in that scene for a hits like The Bright Sessions or Bridgewater. But books is a different medium, and I was hesitant. I sometimes struggle with authors of different mediums. Oseman's Heartstopper comics are some of my favourites, but her books less so. Rowling's Harry Potter is a delight, but her screenplays are awful. Lauren Shippen's prime craft is audio, but the transition to novel here, was done surprisingly well. An easy to read writing style, not overdone, but not lacking either.
I think a lot of criticism for this book comes in the last 20% where a lot of characters are introduced and the plot becomes more complex. I think Lauren Shippen had a difficult task here. This book is sweet and lovely. It begins as a low-stakes gay romance with a dash of science fiction. And it works well. But it couldn't stay that way. Adam and Caleb's story, coincides simultaneously with the bigger events occurring in The Bright Sessions podcast. I think the book would have been stronger if the book stayed as this sweet soft low-stakes romantic story. But in doing so would retcon the events of the podcast. As a result, I think it's best to see this novel as a novelisation of Adam and Caleb sub-plot in the series, instead of a standalone YA novel.
Overall, a nice easy read. I love Caleb and Adam and lots of moments were heart-warming and tender. If I hadn't listened to the podcast before reading, I probably would have given this less stars, my bias to these characters are showing! And if you haven't listened to The Bright Sessions, go now! It's free! The the plot is essentially “what if the X-Men went to therapy?” And since listening to it, it got me obsessed with the audio drama medium. 3/5
A cozy sequel to the first book. But I'll admit, I liked the first one more. This one's plot felt more convoluted. The first one had a simple plot. Garlic goes on an adventure to the Vampire's castle. Then this one attempts to broaden the world a bit. Some parts I liked, like Count having a boyfriend!! But then I disliked the vegetables turning into humans. I like my vegetables as they were. And for a book titled with ‘The Witch', there wasn't enough of the witch. But overall, was still a cute whimsical book that left a smile on my face. The art is absolutely gorgeous and charming.
3.5 stars — I like books that takes risks or are told in unconventional ways. This one is told through the notes on a dictionary. It is a non-linear story of love, or well, a love that failed. This is a poetic book, almost free verse.
I also like the non-linear way this is told, with how they fell in love and how it ended told all at once, changing our perception. My past relationships feel almost tainted by what happens at the end. A break up changes your opinion of a partner and I feel the non-linear aspect really conveys that. We learn they were cheated on early in the book, but we also get parts of their early relationship and love just after. You want to say “Aww” at the relationship moments, but since we know the ending, we don't and I think it changes our view of the the relationship.
I think love is an overall complicated thing, and Leviathan did a great job of depicting different stages of a relationship. At times, I found the prose to be a little dull, but I appreciate this book tried to be experimental and is a nice short read.