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jonmichaelnoise's Reviews (149)

informative medium-paced

The breadth of history presented is admirable, but devotees of any one of the genre chapters will realize how shallow those histories are. 

The personal reflections are more  interesting but not delved into enough to sustain the book’s momentum.

The last parts of the book, especially the pop chapter, seem to shift into what I suspect might be the book’s intent overall, to discuss the importance of genre categorizations.

If I find it tedious when people argue about what is and isnt “metal”, let alone any of the infinitely divisible subgenres within, I can only suspect that other genre’s similar purity tests are likely similarly tedious.

Unfortunately, if this was the point of the book, more of the book should have been about that, and not shoved into the last chapter.
dark funny tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Probably not the deepest Ito story but it escalates insanely fast and never really lets off the gas pedal. I read it in one sitting. No notes.
emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

Varda famously loved to put herself into her art but it was never straightforwardly herself, and she often kept at least some separation between her public and private selves.

While Carrie Rickey’s book doesn’t remove all of that separation, she does a commendable job in presenting Varda’s life that is compelling and approachable.

The Last Ring-Bearer

Kirill Yeskov

DID NOT FINISH: 20%

The best thing this had going for it was a Wicked-style retelling of the War of the Ring, which given how much Tolkien criticism already exists in academia and art already, makes this feel like a trifle. 

Which would be fine as that was the intent, but then it wraps that up 20% into the book, and i have no interest in the few pages I read after that.
emotional hopeful slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging dark funny mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging dark funny medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes