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drj's reviews
85 reviews
Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Baleen by Josephine Croser
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The illustrations, a series of etchings of the key moments of this story of whales, are beautiful. Sometimes dark and forboding, other times more reflective.
But the text and the story and weak. The book’s story is a battle between two whales, and explains the great split in the two groups of whales: the baleen whales of the title, and the toothed wales (although it is an entirely non-scientific fictional explanation).
A commendable appendix, only slightly dated, has lot of fun facts about both groups of whale and a small amount about krill; good scale pictures.
But the text and the story and weak. The book’s story is a battle between two whales, and explains the great split in the two groups of whales: the baleen whales of the title, and the toothed wales (although it is an entirely non-scientific fictional explanation).
A commendable appendix, only slightly dated, has lot of fun facts about both groups of whale and a small amount about krill; good scale pictures.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
The Geometry of Type: The Anatomy of 100 Essential Typefaces by Erik Spiekermann, Stephen Coles
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.5
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is a delight to read. The writing and the translation are beautiful. The trivial to-and-fro of island life, and in particular the relationship between a young girl and her grandmother, becomes a whole world for the reader and the inhabitants to explore. A wonderful space is created on many levels. The space of the island, its surrounding islands, and the sea; the space between short pieces of dialogue; and, the space between each of the short episodes.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
Patternalia: An Unconventional History of Polka Dots, Stripes, Plaid, Camouflage, & Other Graphic Patterns by Jude Stewart
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
A whirlwind tour through the world of patterns. Checks, spots, squares, grids, and curves are described and discussed, related to each other and our societies.
A barrage of "fun facts" that at times threatens to overwhelm the reader, while at the same time not delivering any substantial thesis to grapple with.
The illustrations it has are nice enough but it desperately needs more, and they need to engage with the text. A description of a Jacquard Loom without a picture of even a punched card? Several pages on camouflage without a single illustration of one?
Occasionally the researcher is stretched and this shows through in clumsy sentences and inaccurate assertions.
I like the book design. Largely black and white with occasional use of a third accent colour: usually cream ranging to pale apricot. A generous space at the bottom of every page is used for footnotes and references to other parts of the book, with cute symbols to mark each one, like a whimsical hyperlink in print.
A barrage of "fun facts" that at times threatens to overwhelm the reader, while at the same time not delivering any substantial thesis to grapple with.
The illustrations it has are nice enough but it desperately needs more, and they need to engage with the text. A description of a Jacquard Loom without a picture of even a punched card? Several pages on camouflage without a single illustration of one?
Occasionally the researcher is stretched and this shows through in clumsy sentences and inaccurate assertions.
I like the book design. Largely black and white with occasional use of a third accent colour: usually cream ranging to pale apricot. A generous space at the bottom of every page is used for footnotes and references to other parts of the book, with cute symbols to mark each one, like a whimsical hyperlink in print.
The AWK Programming Language by Alfred V. Aho, Peter J. Weinberger, Brian W. Kernighan
challenging
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Racism
10 Print Chr$(205.5+rnd(1)); Goto 10 by John Bell, Patsy Baudoin, Nick Montfort
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
The book's entire subject is a single one-line program:
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
This is a BASIC language program that RUNs on the C64
to produce a maze that scrolls up the screen as more of it is
produced.
It's a neat tricky for a one line program.
The book is an exploration of the program, the historical
context in which it appeared, the computer (playfully referred
to as the "taupe unit"), the social act of sharing code, mazes,
and alternative possibilities that the program suggests.
I grew up in the 1980s and loved the microcomputers of that era,
though i never had ready access to a C64 until emulators became
easily available. But i had never known of this program until
quite recently.
Both the program and the book are delightful. The discussion is
wide-ranging and diverse, from Greek mythology to 6502 machine
code instructions.
The discussion is thorough without being complete, as it should be.
It is deep enough to show that the text has been engaged with
convingly, without closing off all further avenues. Like the
mazes produced by the program itself, the edges are unframed,
left open for other workers to explore.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in 1980s
microcomputers or the close reading of computer programs.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
This is a BASIC language program that RUNs on the C64
to produce a maze that scrolls up the screen as more of it is
produced.
It's a neat tricky for a one line program.
The book is an exploration of the program, the historical
context in which it appeared, the computer (playfully referred
to as the "taupe unit"), the social act of sharing code, mazes,
and alternative possibilities that the program suggests.
I grew up in the 1980s and loved the microcomputers of that era,
though i never had ready access to a C64 until emulators became
easily available. But i had never known of this program until
quite recently.
Both the program and the book are delightful. The discussion is
wide-ranging and diverse, from Greek mythology to 6502 machine
code instructions.
The discussion is thorough without being complete, as it should be.
It is deep enough to show that the text has been engaged with
convingly, without closing off all further avenues. Like the
mazes produced by the program itself, the edges are unframed,
left open for other workers to explore.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in 1980s
microcomputers or the close reading of computer programs.
Ghost Signs A London Story by Sam Roberts
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
The selection and glossing is a bit dry, but the quality of the pictures and the charm of the signs themselves make up for it. I read it from beginning to end, but it would be a good book to dip in and out of too.
If you have any interest in public signs or lettering then i would recommend it.
If you have any interest in public signs or lettering then i would recommend it.