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jiayuanc's reviews
218 reviews
The American Mission by Matthew Palmer
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
I should have known from the Acknowledgements page that this was not going to be for me.
Palmer thanks his fellow colleagues in the Foreign Services Office for all their hard work to advance the interests of the United States. I should have just stopped reading there but I gave it a chance.
The prologue begins with Alex Baines over promising to Sudanese refugees that his peace keeping mission in Darfur would be able to protect the tribe against the Janjaweed militia. Alex doesn't have the authority to promise this sort of thing, then gets upset when the one who does have this authority refuses, citing that this would go against their mission, as stated by the UN résolutions that brought them to Darfur in the first place. Alex is upset and blames the Chinese for negotiating a tough resolution on the UN security Council. Hypocrisy abounds.
The one piece of nice symbolism was the part of the Janjaweed leader's white horse riding into the camp. I had just begun to think about what a nice symbol this was (the pale horse bringing Death) when Palmer literally has his character Alex quote the exact lines from Revelation.... Please I am begging authors everywhere to just trust your readers will understand the reference. And even if they don't, that's OK!!! The imagery of the white horse against all the darkness and chaos is a cool one regardless!!!!!
The rest of the book once the only female character is introduced seemed very predictable. After reading the first two chapters I predicted to my husband how the story would end and from skimming the remainder of the book i can happily say that I was right.
DNF and should have done so after hearing that Palmer got Madeleine Albright to blurb his book.
Palmer thanks his fellow colleagues in the Foreign Services Office for all their hard work to advance the interests of the United States. I should have just stopped reading there but I gave it a chance.
The prologue begins with Alex Baines over promising to Sudanese refugees that his peace keeping mission in Darfur would be able to protect the tribe against the Janjaweed militia. Alex doesn't have the authority to promise this sort of thing, then gets upset when the one who does have this authority refuses, citing that this would go against their mission, as stated by the UN résolutions that brought them to Darfur in the first place. Alex is upset and blames the Chinese for negotiating a tough resolution on the UN security Council. Hypocrisy abounds.
The one piece of nice symbolism was the part of the Janjaweed leader's white horse riding into the camp. I had just begun to think about what a nice symbol this was (the pale horse bringing Death) when Palmer literally has his character Alex quote the exact lines from Revelation.... Please I am begging authors everywhere to just trust your readers will understand the reference. And even if they don't, that's OK!!! The imagery of the white horse against all the darkness and chaos is a cool one regardless!!!!!
The rest of the book once the only female character is introduced seemed very predictable. After reading the first two chapters I predicted to my husband how the story would end and from skimming the remainder of the book i can happily say that I was right.
DNF and should have done so after hearing that Palmer got Madeleine Albright to blurb his book.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
dark
funny
3.0
It starts of so strong and genuinely hilarious, I rarely find books that make me laugh and this is one of the ones that do. But then it gets tiring. The joke of calling out every single brand name of what everyone single person is wearing does the job of telling us Bateman's way of looking at the world the first hundred times it happens, it gets tired reading it again and again and again. By the last 30% I felt myself starting to skim.
Gotham Central Omnibus by Ed Brubaker, Stefano Gaudiano, Kano, Greg Rucka, Michael Lark
4.5
Getting back into reading super hero comics and this is a great way to dive back in to the DC world. Some arcs concluded very conveniently but I suppose that's the way cases go sometimes when you've got Batman to rely on. Loved the police procedural look at living in Gotham city.
Batman: Year One by Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli
adventurous
dark
mysterious
3.5
Getting into superhero comics and was recommended to start with this one as an introduction to Batman. Enjoyed it for the Jim Gordon perspective and liked seeing Batman/Bruce a little more "human" way, in that he makes his mistakes as he learns how to be the caped crusader. I didn't care for the Catwoman as a prostitute origin story though.
Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
4.0
Redwall was my beloved childhood series. I have read "Martin the Warrior" and "Redwall" more times than I can count. This was my first time returning to the series as an adult and I'm so glad to report that the series still holds up. There is a comfort in the formulaic storytelling of dear Brian Jacques that makes reading his work cozy and warm like Cavern Hole, even when Mariel and friends are out fighting searats and facing danger and death. A lovely comforting read despite everything.
Moby-Dick by Hester Blum, Herman Melville
adventurous
emotional
funny
4.5
Ishmael my depressed ADHD friend.. he's just like me for real. I loved this book, but I could have done without a few of his whale tangents. Melville was so ahead of his time.
Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
5.0
I loved the section on the Oxford professor's diary entries on the days leading up and into the exhumation of St Cuthbert's tomb. It reminded me of the journal writing in Dracula in a lovely way. The final section was lovely too, though I thought the ending was a bit predictable. A wonderful read.