Wants to read Recollections of My Nonexistence: A Memoir
book
Rated Quietly Hostile: Essays 10/10
<div>Very few writers make me cry-laugh while reading, or really do anything more than that amused rapid nose-exhale we do while writing LOL, but Samantha Irby is one of them. Maybe it's because I too will overshare about the various ways my body is falling apart, but I appreciate someone being funny about all that. Also, this book features my favorite way to consume Sex & The City (or AJLT) — which is through other people making jokes about it. (I've only ever seen a few episodes, and they were the edited ones on CBS or whoever aired them in the late-'00s.)<br><br>Also, if you're not subscribed to her "who's on judge mathis today?" newsletter, get on it because that too will be the peak way to consume the show.</div>
(This is one of those times I wish I had half-stars because this is more of a 2.5)<br><br>I'm with Horan on the interesting nature of his project, and the potential it has for reforesting the descendants of old trees, as well as reminding us that some moments cannot be contained to a "sterile" museum. However, I wish <i>Seeds</i> were a better book. He needed to either go the straight history route, or — as I suspect straight history would be difficult for him to write — he needed to be more complete with the memoir side of his project. Though he says that these people were important to him, we don't know a lot about why. Bits and pieces, sure, but like I said, it's all very on the surface. I know what it's like to be engrossed in a fun, personal project, and so I want to know all that very personal stuff. So it's not that <i>Seeds</i> is a bad concept for a book; it's that I wished the approach and execution were different. As it stands, it is a decent library check-out, but likely a disappointing purchase.<br><br>(My full review appears on <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2013/02/seeds-by-richard-horan.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>)<br>
Rated Self Portraits: Fictions [Hardcover] 6/10
I’m not going to lie — This book went a bit over my head. Though I did not feel dumb while reading it, I spent the entire time feeling as though I did not have the right points of reference. Filled with allusions to art and literature, Frederic Tuten’s Self Portraits: Fictions would likely be loved by a reader on the same mental trip, but that reader, despite some effort, was not me. <br><br>(Read the full review over on <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2010/12/self-portraits-fictions.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)
Wants to read Sex Criminals Volume 1: One Weird Trick by Matt Fraction
Rated Shadowshaper 8/10
<div>I've had this book hanging around forever, and just finally got to it. A really great YA fantasy that uses metaphor without beating readers about the head with it.</div>
Rated She'd Waited Millennia 8/10
I love the succinct way Hutton creates images. I see the wiry muscles, the flowering yards, and swirling nights out. We feel the speaker’s yearning throughout, her desire to bring just a bit more (yet <i>so much more</i>) life into the world. This boy, <i>her</i> boy. Her descriptions of motherhood and marriage, while they do not necessarily resemble my own, feel very real.<br><br>(My full review appears at <a href="http://persephonemagazine.com/2012/09/19/book-review-shed-waited-millennia-by-lizzie-hutton/">Persephone Magazine</a>.)
Rated Shift 6/10
Bensel has a talent for creating very specific images that imply multiple meanings. It is easy to see the places in which these poems exist. There is also a definite connection to nature, with birds and water making frequent appearances, and the temperature is often chilly.<br><br>Not every poem was amazing for me, and a few like “Get Nailed” and “Instructions on How to Write a Screenplay” seemed out of place amidst the gritty diner-types and army vets <i>“gettin’ raw.”</i> It’s not that they are bad poems, of course, but they felt like inserted afterthoughts because they were available.<br><br>Still, Bensel has written a very promising chapbook that suggests great writing to come. I do hope we one day see a more expansive collection with her very capable command of theme.<br><br>(My full review appears at <a href="http://www.wordriot.org/archives/4774#">Word Riot</a>.)
Rated The Escape 8/10
<div>Very much enjoyed this prequel look at the Snowpiercer story. It's a little different than the TV version (which I also like), but the basic premise is the same: Man from the tail manages to work his way to the front of the train, and shady stuff is going down with some of the citizens the whole way through. The art is good and adds to the sense of cold temps outside, and I'm looking forward to reading the following collections in this series.</div>
Rated Sherlock Holmes: The Speckled Band 8/10
A very good, suspenseful [original] Holmes tale given the full Big Finish audio treatment, which added to the story for me. Enjoyed listening to this more than I did reading one of the other original Sherlock Holmes stories last year (though doing that was fine enough).
Rated Silver Lining / UNIT: The Coup [Promo] 6/10
More of a 3.5, but I'm rounding down. The UNIT story is more of a jumping off point for further UNIT stories and isn't overly captivating on its own. The Bernice Summerfield story, on the other hand, does well with the short format and has a lot of humor as well.
Rated Snowpiercer, Vol. 2: The Explorers 6/10
Rated The April Dead 8/10
<div>Ooh a cliffhanger. </div>
Rated The Black House 8/10
Finally, a break from the constant murderin’. Oh sure, people still die, but The Black House features fewer sudden blows to the head. Most of the time, the characters act with good intentions, only to have their situation spin out of control. <br><br>Unlike some of her other short story collections, <i>The Black House</i> is likely the one that’s most appealing to a wider audience — entirely compelling and complex, in an easy bite-size form.<br><br>(Full review can be found at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2009/12/selected-stories-of-patricia-highsmith_30.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>)
Wants to read Sloppy: Or, Doing It All Wrong
Rated Tank Girl Vol. 2: Forever 6/10
Fun, but not my usual thing. I liked the bonus art pages.
Rated Network Effect 10/10
**NO SPOILERS**<br/><br/>Amazing. Fun. Human (yes!). If you've liked all of the Murderbot stories so far, you'll love <i>Network Effect</i>. It is everything the previous books have been and more (and longer).<br/><br/>Martha Wells again does an incredible job of blending humor and action and classic science fiction tropes, though slightly turned on its edge. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll keep this short and just repeat that if you're a fan of the previous books, this one will not disappoint. <br/><br/>Get it!
Wants to read La Révolution française - Vérités et légendes