-
Waterfire Saga: Deep Blue Review
In the darkest deep, there be monsters and despite centuries of protection and magical spells, the circumstances have converged to allow Abbadon break free, and the ancestors of the original Six Who Ruled to rise.
(more…) -
Book of the Month: Little Women
Little Women is close to a global phenomena. From Japan to Ecuador to the U.S. where the author originates, people around the world know about the March sisters and their highs and lows as they grow up in the 1860s.
Except my friend who somehow lived under a rock. She never seen any of the movies, never read the book, she didn’t even know the names of the sisters much less the major plotlines. I didn’t think that was possible since it is so well-known in pop culture. Like Jane Austen. Or at least Pride and Prejudice. You just know it.
Which brings to one of the points we discussed that it is interesting that both books occur in the 19th century but are vastly different culturally with Austen being more constrained with emphasis on class differences (and much more romance obviously) while Alcott focuses on the character’s inner journeys like Jo’s career as a writer.
Not that there isn’t romance to discuss like the infamous Jo/Laurie/Amy. Perhaps it is because she didn’t grow up with it but her feelings about JoxLaurie vs LauriexAmy aren’t that intense. I dislike the pairing because it is basically a spite pairing by Alcott and Jo and Laurie jsut have chemistry. Even if they are too similar and argue, it’s like those arguements aren’t fierce debates but they challenge each other. My friend gets why Laurie and Amy get together but she too admits it’s not OTP like Jo and Laurie would have been.
Let’s see, there’s not much else to retread but she cried when Beth died, I did not. I found Marmee to be a bit hypocritical in letting Amy get away with stuff. Like yes, there’s the infamous burning Jo’s only manuscript but also when she’s older and she basically decides that she’s going to marry rich. After pages of preaching about being good Christians, does Marmee say anything about this sinfulness? Nope, doesn’t say a word. Like if that was any of the other sisters, there’d be talks about Christian duties to let the Lord provide what he can. There was nothing!
Also Marmee’s lesson about laziness by not reminding the girls of their chores and essentially lets Beth’s bird die. Not cool. I thought it was part of the Christian duty to look after God’s creatures, not let them needlessly starve to prove a point. Yeesh.
So yeah, Marmee doesn’t come out well in these modern eyes.
Anyway, my friend has finally join the rest of the known world in reading Little Women and the next book on our list is the manga, Spy x Family.
-
Ian Flynn
Ian Flynn is the writer of many beloved comic boo properties but may be best known for Sonic the Hedgehog. He graciously took the time to answer my questions about Sonic, his writing journey and new works coming out. Enjoy!
1. Who were/are your biggest comic influences?
A few that immediately spring to mind are Jeff Smith, Peter David, Fabian Nicieza and Joe Madureira. I’m certain there’s many, many more I’m forgetting.
2. What drew you to the comic medium?
I think it’s the unique way it approaches storytelling. Straight prose is fine, but comics present their narrative with the art as much as it does with the text. How each element in each panel is designed invites you to linger and contemplate it. You can breeze through it or be meticulous.
3. You got your start by literally knocking on editor’s doors, what was your first job when they hired you for the company and how did you go up from there?
I began with data gathering and consolidation on a freelance basis. I chronicled characters and events, compiling by narrative relevance and by published date. I collaborated with a professional friend of mine to pitch plans for the book as well. In a few short months I was offered the role of lead writer.
4. How would you describe your writing style and evolution?
I have a hard time categorizing myself like that. I don’t think I can objectively step back and label myself by a style or say how things have changed. I am what I am, and that’s all I know.
5. You provide a variety of services like ad copy, localization, creative consultation etc. Do you find that it exercises different parts of your writer skills or do they overlap?
Definitely. Each one has an entirely different goal and builds from a different foundation. For instance, ad copy requires an understanding of the product and delivering that to as wide an audience as possible in a succinct and engaging way. Localization requires the same kind of understanding, but trying to convey its intent within a language and culture that might not perfectly sync, and often within the constraints of time or character limits.
(more…) -
This Book Won’t Burn Review
All Noor Khan wanted to do was to get through the last three months of her senior year undetected. After all, her mother moving them to small-town Braybarry after their father abandoned them doesn’t mean she has to make friends. She can blend in, graduate and go back to Chicago to regain her normal life. Or whatever sense of normalcy she can after her father’s betrayal.
But it’s never easy to fly under the radar when you’re in a 90% white town, and when Noor finds out that her one safe haven, the library is dealing with bigoted censorship requests from the so-called Dads and Moms for Liberty, Noor ends up the face of anti-censorship and woke liberalism, and there’s plenty of people who want her and her outsider ways to get out of their pure, wholesome town.
But books and words matter, that’s why they’re feared in the first place and Noor knows she cannot be silence about books that are meant for everyone.
I think this quote sums it up.
“Books help us see ourselves but they’re supposed to challenge us, too, show us worlds and experiences that are different from our own Books help us open doors. We’re here asking you not to slam those doors in our faces. Let us read,” (Ahmed 356).
(more…) -
My Dear Hamilton Review
As anyone who got on the Hamilton fever train a decade knows that without Eliza Schuyler, her husband’s sory would never have been known. Literally, because she spent the last decades of her life com[iling his millions of correspondence and batting away the obstacles of his enemies who wanted him to be forgotten and his former friends who blamed him for the dissolution of the Federalist party. Ontop of founding and running the first two orphanages in New York, a free-black education center, an Onedia-Hamilton school for Natives, raising funds for Washington’s statue, soliciting funds for charity, overseeing the the rise and fall of sixteen presidents, twelve whom she personally knew, went on a trip to Illinois/Wisconsin territory in her eighties, and yeah, she packed a lot in the fifty years after her husband’s death.
So it’s about time someone told her story.
(more…) -
Twisted Tales: Set in Stone Review
What if Arthur wasn’t supposed to be king?
This took awhile to get to as it was only sold in the UK and Australia but I finally got my hands on it! Set right after Arthur pulls the sword out of the stone, Arthur is having a hard time adjusting to royal duties. Sure, he got Excalibur but it doesn’t mean he knows what he’s doing. Worse is that since his fight with Merlin, his mentor has been off in Bermuda. Arthur is truly on his own.
Unbeknownst to him, the sword is not the famous Excalibur but a clever fake planted by Madam Mim so that she could choose a nice patsy to pull out the sword that she could easily control. She hadn’t realized that patsy was Merlin’s protegé who immediately rejects her suggestions to prove his kingly authority by going to war. But she had a plan b, her adopted daughter Guinevere will be the one to stick to Arthur’s side and get him off the throne.
(more…) -
April Books
Spy x Family vol 11 by Tatsuya Endo
Endo’s delightful spy family goes on a field trip!
Okay, only Anya is going on a field trip and she’s determined to step up her role in becoming friends with Donovan Desmond and the rest of the Desmond family. Which she has the perfect opportunity to do when their bus gets hijacked by a terrorist group.As usual, Endo blends humor with action-packed hijinks as the rest of the class is an awe of Anya’s bravery by allowing the terrorists to put a bomb on her (that she knows is fake because she’s a telepath), prompting a surprising wave of courage from Anya’s friends and enemies alike. Endo also adds some heartfelt string tugging by allowing a look inside the grieving terrorist’s mind so we can see how much the war has hardened everyone and how there is still hope for the future by sticking to one’s morals.
It also has an interesting mystery in regards to the Donovan matriarch, Melinda and her feelings of disdain towards her husband and even her own son. I can’t wait for the next volume.
Marked Man: Frank Serpico’s Inside Battle Against Police Corruption by John Florio and Ousie Shapiro
Frank’s story is one made for movies.
Actually it was made one in fact in 1973 with Al Pacino but I think it has fallen in the wayside. Too bad since his fight against polie corruption in the 1970s is as timely today as it was back then.
Frank almost always wanted to be a policeman starting from when he was a little boy listening to Gangbusters which was a radio serial about authentic police case histories, as well as Mayor La Guardia’s readings of Dick Tracy stories to kids. This as well as the values instilled in him by his working class parents and trips to Italy where he got a close up view of the carabinieri arresting notable mafia members. Frank wanted to be just like them, he wanted to help people, he wanted to see justice done.
So he was very surprised and disgsted by the rampant bribery and corruption he saw among his own unit. Almost everyone from captain to plain clothesmen accepted protection money from the gambler rackets, turning a blind eye to how these men used those moneys to bring narcotics and other drugs to the street.
Worse, was when Frank tried to alert the brass to these dealings, he was brushed off and warned off. It was clear that the corruption was contained to his unit. It was everywhere, and if he tried to speak, he could be killed by his fellow men in blue.But Frank wasn’t willing to accept the dirty money nor let others continue the system. If the people were to trust the police, they had to stand by the values they were supposed to represent. So risking his life, his reputation and copious amounts of reassignments and isolation, Frank sought to change NYPD.
Florio and Shapiro’s writing is quick and efficient, clocking a decade of work in 110 pages like a fast-paced police proceural where Frank is unsure of who to trust, and an overwhelming feeling that his mission might be impossible. But just as strong is Frank’s belief that if he doesn’t do anything, nothing will change and someone has to light the way for other uncorrupt cops to speak out.
Besides the prose, each chapter ends with a recollection from Frank on what he felt. It repeats what was alreadyin the book but it’s nice to hear it in his own words as one can feel how much he cared about his work as well as the remnents of disbelief that the police force cared so much more about money than their jobs that they tried so hard to silence him. He also offers suggestions for how the police force could improve itself today as the issues of racial profiling, corruption and lack of training are still sadly needed since the wall of silence is as deadly as the omereta.
Florio and Shapiro also have side brackets detailing other important figures of the time like Mayor Lindsey, the Harry Gross Scandal, the roots of NY police corruption, the Michael Dowd Drug Ring among others.
Meticulously researched from newspapers to interviews, this fascinating read reminds us that there are real life heroes still fighting the good fight.
(more…) -
Book fo the Month: 23rd Midnight
So the latest book club pick is another thriller by the prolific James Patterson. In this case, Cindy, our intrepid journalist has hit the big seller list with a biography of serial killer, Evan Burke whom readers will remember from previous novels. Cindy has worked closely with the psychopath in hopes that getting an insight into his mind will let readers know how people like him work, and how to protect themselves in case.
But true crime fans aren’t the only ones who are eager to get their hands on Cindy’s book. A Burke fanboy who dubs himself, Blackout has taken upon himself to replicate Burke’s crimes ontop of creating his own kill count and he has his sights on Cindy and the rest of the Women’s Murder Club.
I’ve read a lot of the series a while ago, and by read I remember the first three but reading more than ten in a row makes my memory very blurry. But that doesn’t matter here as Patterson and his co-writer Maxine Paetro have gotten this series down to a science with stand-alone cases that new readers can jump into while older readers will probably appreciate the steady character growth over the series.
I would be one of the former so while I know Lindsey Boxer, our main character got diagnosed with cancer in the first book and has gone through a long journey of recovery, falling in love, getting married and pregnant, the others feel more one-dimensional to me. More like plot devices to move the story along. The writing style echoed that with simple, declarative statements and formulaic thriller tropes of Lindsey feeling burnt out and emotionally scarred by her work but not ready to quit it (Because if she did, there’d be no series obviously).
Nonetheless, the story delivers plenty of frustrating near-clues from a killer who is thorough and confident in hiding his tracks. You can’t guess where and when he’s going to strike next, building up Lindsey’s dread whenever he sends her a video of his kills as a taunt that he’s getting away with everything.
Anyway, other thoughts included whether a newbie on the force, Sonia Alveraz would join the force as it seems she would make a good fit when she joined the unofficial meetings. But unlikely as it seems each woman has a role (a coroner, a journalist, a lawyer, and detective) and last time, they had two layers, they killed one off so it will probably stick with just four women in the club.
The one thread that does not fit in is Yuki’s (the lawyer of the Women’s Murder Club) story where she is defending a domestic abuse victim against her husband. The authors try to tie it into the case near the end but honestly, if they cut the tie-in, the plot would have been fine. If they cut Yuki’s chapters entirely, it would have no effect. It just felt very disjointed from the rest of the story.
Same goes for the freaking title. It was set during the day and night, and when it was night, midnight was not a specific important time. So it made no sense. Apparently, my co-reader said that a previous book in the series, 21st Birthday had the same issue where no one was 21 or turning 21, there was no birthday in general. With Patterson’s brand name, I’m sure he has the ability to make decisions about the title. Therefore, he and Paetro should at least try to make the title tie in with the book like 23rd Blackout or something like that. At least it would make sense.
So it was a good book, compulsively readable since each chapter was 1 to 3 pages long so you want to get to the next one and it keeps you guessing.
-
Warriors: The Broken Code
After a long break where the library constantly had one or all the books loaned out, I finally got to reading the last complete arc of the series, The Broken Code.
Of course, after a months long break, getting back into Warriors can get confusing but the character list reacquainted me with the clan heirarchies. Since the reintroduction of Sky Clan into the forests, the clans have seemingly lost their connection to Starclan. While life has continued on, the cats are wary of what this absence means and the unbroken winter that followed. Have they’ve been forsaken?
A youn medicine cat apprentice seems to have the answers. Starclan is only connecting with Shadowpaw and they have forsaken the clans because of codebreakers. They must punish the codebreakers and return to their ways, to truly become warriors again or else suffer death. These harsh decrees don’t sound like the Starclan of old but when innocent cats seem to be suffering or dying because of the lack of punishment on the codebreakers, the clans start a frenzy to root them out, draw cat against cat, clan against clan, once more.
I had mentioned before that I was starting to get tired of the constant in-clan fighting and the reoccuring doubts of Starclan before everything returns to the status quo. This one impressed me by enacting real change into how the clans’ rules and featuring not just Thunderclan but Skyclan and Shadowclan cats as protagonists, making it an exciting new arc in the series.
(more…) -
Marisa Kanter Interview
Marisa Kanter is a young adult author, amateur baker, and reality television enthusiast. She is the author of What I Like About You, As If on Cue, and Finally Fitz. Born and raised in the suburbs of Boston, her obsession with books led her to New York City, where she worked in the publishing industry to help books find their perfect readers. She currently lives in Los Angeles, writing love stories by day and crocheting her wardrobe by night. Follow her at MarisaKanter.com.
- What draws you to realistic fiction?
The quiet moments, the banter, the vulnerability that is required to love and be loved. As a consumer and writer of stories, I am most drawn to character driven ones. I love examining why people are the way they are and choices made while navigating a difficult, complicated world.
- You’ve covered book blogging in What I Like About You, and fashion upcycling in Finally Fitz. How has social media impacted coming of age narratives?
Social media is not real life, but it is a part of life that I have found myself (clearly!) drawn to exploring in YA. Being so online, to a certain degree, can and will impact our sense of sense. In What I Like About You, Halle is able to forge meaningful connections online that she isn’t able to in person due to her social anxiety.
In Finally Fitz, Fitz uses social media to build a brand and craft a narrative that she feels in control of, believing that people only like the ‘filtered’ version of herself. My character’s relationships to social media evolve throughout the book, as have my own over the years. But I do think that for better or worse, social media is here to stay and we’re not honestly delving into the experience of being a young person today if we shy away from it.
(more…)
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Rachel Reads & Reviews 