vyhurz
This book is the second in the Millennium series. The first book, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is basically a stand alone novel you could read, and then never read another Millennium book. Girl who Played with Fire, however, is a complete set-up, beginning to end, for the third book. That annoys me. I still love it, so my 4 stars is completely subjective, but just know if you're going into this for the first time that there is virtually no resolution by the end of this book. However, I love the series as a whole. (Well, I've only read the three books by Larsson, and I have no plans to read the other ones they're creating based on his notes or whatever.) I talk more about this in my review for February, March, and April wrap up on my channel, and I plan on doing a series review once I reread the third book.
I had to read this book on my own in order to write a paper for my American Literature class this semester. I highly enjoyed this book. It's a memoir, written in the 1850s, about a woman who escapes slavery. The way she does it is amazing and shocking. The things she experiences before escaping are heartbreaking. She also describes what she sees other slaves going through. Even though I had to read this for school, which is often reason enough for me to not like a book, I couldn't put this book down because it was so interesting. I talk about this more in my February, March, and April wrap up on my channel, and I plan on doing a full review as well.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. I went into this thinking it'd be a fun, silly, humorous road-trip novel, and while it hits some of those points, I felt the story was trapped between wanting to be funny and wanting to be dramatic. Most of the story focuses on the Wangs - there's Charles, Barbra, Saina, Andrew, and Grace. Some chapters are dedicated to one character and his/her thoughts, and others will jump around between characters. There are even two chapters that are from the car's point-of-view, which was definitely strange. There is tension between the family members, but then the story falters because it wants to be amusing. Absurd scenarios take place throughout the novel, and I was particularly annoyed with the third and final leg. If the author had focused on one or the other - either humor or drama - the story would have been much more successful. I did decide on a three star rating because the writing, at times, was very poetic and moving. I believe this is Chang's debut novel, and I would definitely pick up her next book, especially if it were more subdued and didn't strive to be humorous. Additionally, I did keep reading it! I wanted to know how it would all turn out. However, around the 70-80% mark, I was getting very frustrated and considered putting the book down. At that point, though, I figured I'd come far enough. I might as well finish it. I don't know if I would recommend this book to anyone, though. Like I said, it's trapped between two worlds - the family drama and the absurd, humorous plot devices. I suppose if you interested in both of those things, you can check this one out.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. However, I decided I didn't like reading a graphic novel on my ereader, so I purchased the volume in hard copy. Trigger warnings should be noted for intense violence and gore. Overall, I thought this fantasy/horror story was somewhat muddled. There is a lot happening right from the beginning, and it wasn't until the third chapter/issue that I really felt stable in the world. Even so, by the end of this volume, I was confused and a bit annoyed. I haven't read many graphic novels or comics, but with the ones I have read, I run into this same issue: The authors seem to be holding something back so they have something for the next issue. But with telling a story, everything you want to say should be in the words you're writing NOW. I almost feel like it's a grab for money, to string the reader along. Can anyone recommend a comic that doesn't do this? With that said, I did enjoy MONSTRESS, VOL. 1 because the world did seem so vast, even if it was a bit confusing and muddled. I want to know more. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. The art was really beautiful. I particularly like darkness and horror and violence with my fantasy, so this fit me. Sometimes the gore seemed over the top, but I think the authors wanted to express how desolate this world is. I can't wait to find out more of the mythology within this story.
Merged review:
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. However, I decided I didn't like reading a graphic novel on my ereader, so I purchased the volume in hard copy. Trigger warnings should be noted for intense violence and gore. Overall, I thought this fantasy/horror story was somewhat muddled. There is a lot happening right from the beginning, and it wasn't until the third chapter/issue that I really felt stable in the world. Even so, by the end of this volume, I was confused and a bit annoyed. I haven't read many graphic novels or comics, but with the ones I have read, I run into this same issue: The authors seem to be holding something back so they have something for the next issue. But with telling a story, everything you want to say should be in the words you're writing NOW. I almost feel like it's a grab for money, to string the reader along. Can anyone recommend a comic that doesn't do this? With that said, I did enjoy MONSTRESS, VOL. 1 because the world did seem so vast, even if it was a bit confusing and muddled. I want to know more. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. The art was really beautiful. I particularly like darkness and horror and violence with my fantasy, so this fit me. Sometimes the gore seemed over the top, but I think the authors wanted to express how desolate this world is. I can't wait to find out more of the mythology within this story.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. I thought this was a cute book with a great start. The illustrations were absolutely beautiful. However, the conclusion of the story felt rather flat. I feel like the author was trying to tackle a big subject - racism - and let a very simple thing - won't say because of spoilers - solve it. I would have loved to see more resolution here. I felt bad for Lila in the beginning, but then felt angry at the end because of how things worked out. This may just be me. There also could be a disconnect for me because I'm white and I've never had to face things like this. I'm not sure how a person of color would react to this book, but I won't be buying for this for anyone.
This was a re-read for me to hopefully get me out of my slump. I adore this movie and its movie adaptation. I don't think I can really give a true review since I know the story so well at this point, and I love it. I think the book is inventive and challenging. You're not supposed to like the characters or events. I think that fact trips up a lot of people, and they start to deconstruct the book and theorize about it being something else. It is what it is, and what transpires isn't warm and fuzzy. Love it!
Not sure what I'm going to read next, but I hope I read something.
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Full Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdd7NOQ5ciE
This was a strange one, but after taking some time to think about the story, I decided to give this four stars. The story's structure was completely new to me. It's told in three parts. Every part surrounds the character Yeong-hye, but we never get her point-of-view. Instead, we get her husband, her brother-in-law, and finally her sister. I'm not sure what's a spoiler, so I don't want to say too much else. I feel it's important to note that there are many disturbing images throughout this book, so it deserves all the trigger warnings. Sexual assault, eating disorders, mental illness, self harm, copious amounts of blood. The book is short, but it's powerful. There is beautiful writing in here, and I would definitely read this again.
Full Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8te-WLP2-jg
There were several essays that I really enjoyed and I thought, “Wow!” when I finished them, but the majority of the essays in this collection were just okay. This isn't a bad book. It's just very basic. I think it might be good for someone who is new to feminism, someone who is trying to find their way. At the beginning, there were several solid essays in a row and I thought to myself that I'd love to thrust this into the hands of all those people who say we don't need feminism. At the same time, the topics covered throughout the book covered a very wide variety. I thought the ordering was strange since it just jumped around, and one essay oftentimes had nothing to do with the other essays around it. I think the book could benefit from some better organization. Additionally, the book added in so many pages of “feminist” quotes, which made me feel like it was trying too hard. Some of these quotes came from people like Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, and Joss Whedon, and that did not impress me at all.
For more thoughts, I'll soon be doing a video review on my channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX7G3PoEDUyzlHHFSOYpDNg
I read Somebody's Daughter in about 3 days, which is amazing for me. I am a very slow reader, and I've been a horrible slump for years. Much of this is due to the fact that my mother died in 2018 and I'm still grieving. It still hurts. Her death was traumatic because it happened quickly, over a few weeks, out of nowhere. I didn't have a great relationship with my mother, and some of what I experienced can be found in these pages. Ford is my age and by hearing her interviews, following her Twitter, and reading this memoir, I feel like I'm not so alone. For me, childhood was a mix of good things and bad things, but I can really only remember the bad things. I feel guilty about that. I think Ford feels similarly.
Regarding the book itself: I loved it. I devoured it. I wanted more when it ended. I can't wait to read what's next. I've never read any of Ford's essays, but now I want to find them. The way it's written is so accessible and familiar. It makes you feel what she feels without pity or pride. Ford is writing about her experiences with the understanding of an adult. While the hurt is still there, she's not wallowing in it. In that way, I wasn't put off. There wasn't a wall. I could be empathetic to what was happening.
I struggled a bit between giving this memoir 4 or 5 stars because there was one thing that bothered me: I wanted more. Some questions weren't answered for me. Some things felt unsaid. Some things felt left out. But when I thought about it, I realized all the questions I had weren't about Ford herself. They were about the people around her. Allen, for example. What happened to him? Did he stick around or disappear? How did she grow apart from R.C. and why? Did her mother ever believe her about anything? This book is about Ford, her growth, her pain, her love. In it, we can see ourselves. We don't need fleshed out characters with their own backstories.
I don't read a whole lot of nonfiction. In fact, the last one I read was by Roxane Gay in 2017. Wow, that's a long time ago. But I haven't even read many other books between then and now. Ford's memoir made me want to read more memoirs, but I get nervous about being disappointed. However, it's important to take a leap of faith. I want to try to do that.
This review is a lot more personal than my others because this book feels so personal to me. I connected with it so deeply, even though Ford and I have very different lives. I learned a lot here, and the stories, the passages, the thoughts, the experiences, everything in this book made me want to keep going and keep trying and do new things. I am so happy I read this.
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