kalira's reviews
355 reviews

Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things by Josh Clark, Chuck Bryant

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3.5

I found the book interesting, but not super engaging; the topics are scattershot (which can be fun, or can feel a little off balance) and the tone is very . . . well, as one might expect, given the source, the tone of the whole thing is very Dudes Who Have A Podcast. (Not in a negative way, just very identifiable. Funnily, because I don't actually listen to podcasts, and yet I had that feeling immediately.)

Some of the topics are silly, some serious, some painful or depressing to dig into, and of course there's no telling what you might come across with the next turn of the page - and that can be fun, if you're in the mood!
Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson

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dark funny mysterious fast-paced

4.5

Absolutely delightful and deliciously tropey; for someone who grew up on English Countryside Mysteries it was even more so! The illustrations mesh quite well, with (not too) hidden threats or peeks, and the splash of red in each one is an excellent touch.

It's a quick read, but whether a threatening location, person, or event is highlighted with one sentence or a paragraph or two, they are all worthy of a chuckle.

It probably won't save you if you choose the wrong Quaint English Village for your holiday, but then, nothing will, will it?
猫川柳 週めくり 卓上/壁掛 [2024年カレンダー] by

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lighthearted

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Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk by Anna Jackson

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informative inspiring slow-paced

4.0

I was surprised (and delighted) to find the depth and breadth of history displayed in this book! Yet, while it covers many years and across the globe, it never forgets its central focus, giving it a cohesive and sensible feel.

I knew kimono are anything but a static garment, for all they are a very old tradition - I did not know how much they've changed in things like cut and layering, as well as patterns, colours, and methods of manufacture.

I also had no idea how early kimono began being a notable export (even if misidentified in their eventual destination countries) across Europe. The book nicely displayed the entire progression of this, and both the changes made to kimono for an export market and the changes that came to Japanese fashion along the same times (in kimono and out of them).

The majority of the book does focus on this history, complete with many photographs of surviving kimono, old paintings and prints, pattern books, and advertisements; also on the people that wore them and the differences in how different classes, professions, and people in different locations wore kimono.

It progresses through to more recent history and a range of interpretations, in Japan and around the world, focusing especially on celebrities and designers. (I had a bit of a moment flipping through Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Madonna, Björk, Katy Perry, Netta Barzilai, Kiryu, and Hatsune Miku within a few pages.)

The very end of the book focuses on the very modern, an array of designers, and I found some of them more interesting (and some more aggravating) than others. I suspect that's rather how the fashion world goes, however, and that section is very much focusing on modern fashion. (The end sections also sometimes go over the same thing repetitively; not unexpected, as each is written by a different author and they are covering a lot of the same recent history and referencing/drawing upon the same parts of history.)
The Sister: North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the Most Dangerous Woman in the World by Sung-Yoon Lee

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dark informative tense

3.5

While delivering a sobering, horrifying (as one might expect), and precise account of wider events in recent history (and decades), when the view closes in on the woman who is the titular focus . . . the author often seems to step to suppositions and imaginings. Not entirely unexpected - certainly there's a very harsh limit on the up-close information and observation anyone might be capable of in this case - they are only rarely accompanied by the statements occasionally seen such as 'as if [...]' or followed by discussions of why the supposition was made, and more often treated as fact.

The impression frequently given is that the author is describing precisely the thoughts going through his focus' mind (occasionally literally, with italicised sentences supposing the precise words) - in a manner that would be entirely expected . . . in a fictional narrative.

Indeed, the author seems to make a number of these suppositions not exactly supported by the information he provides - including the many assertions as to Kim Yo Jong's rank, power, and even that she would naturally be her brother's choice of heir as well as his most trusted.

I don't doubt she is powerful (and orders terrible, terrible things), those facts are proven . . . but little more. (In fact she still, evidently, hasn't even been acknowledged officially as part of the ruling Kim family.) Again, speculation and inferences are to be expected, and some of the ones proposed do have support - but some seem to have been put out there to hang on their own.

In terms of an understandable narrative, I found it falling short occasionally - the author jumps around the timeline frequently, and while sometimes that is necessary, it is also necessary to be clear when one is jumping to (and when one is making such a jump). There were also some places where military or political acronyms were not defined even the first time they were used (though for the most part they were, at least the first time they appeared, which made it more surprising when left to confusion).

The author also at times swings into adulatory tones speaking about Kim Yo Jong, the most powerful princess, most dangerous woman (and some dubious tones of admiration for her being a woman who the author expects to take the position of supreme leader of the most thoroughly established dictatorship), the cleverest and most brilliant manipulator in a family bred and taught to be so. While certainly he never shies away from displaying the vicious, violent side of her.

While one could hardly argue the incredible horrors wrought by the family over the ruling generations since the split of Korea and their rise to power, the author also declares that every last member of the family is by nature cruel, selfish, manipulative, and violent . . . from birth. Generations of an entire family are not simply irredeemable from birth, not in the real world. (And some of the things he holds up to 'prove' this are . . . things that are not uncommon in the raising of royal or similar children around the world; not to say these practises might not be without issue, but it's not a unique sign of the family being evil from birth for example that the children are addressed by titles by adults, and address those same non-familial, lower-ranked adults by name or with less care.)

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A July Bride by Beth Wiseman

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  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Wow, if I'd thought the June Bride lacked agency . . . well.

Alyssa is heartbroken when her fiance leaves her at the altar - and he promptly begins huge over-the-top gestures (filling her house with flowers, gifting her a kitten with a note You make my heart purr, banner pulled by low-flying plane) to try to win her back. From two days after the wedding-that-wasn't on for two months, until he finds her out on a date with someone else.

('Someone else' seemed to suddenly develop several red flags rapidly, perhaps as though the author belatedly remembered he was not supposed to be the HEA and had to make him less appealing. It worked very well - for the reader, at least. Especially as he repeatedly made implications his ex-girlfriend was less than human or didn't have feelings for such things as 'not crying at sad movies'. Which the discussion questions suggested
might justify his cheating on her???
)

Alyssa begged Brendan to stop (understandable), then . . . regretted it and wanted him to sweep her back. Begged God for a sign! Was delighted when she thought she had one! Only to be dashed when she interpreted it towards Dalton and not Brendan. . .

(Girl, that is a sign, right there. . .)

The number of times she had thoughts that seemed to boil down to being unhappy or unsure, but- but- well, it's God's Plan for her to be with Dalton, she knows, and she can't stray from that. Maybe consider your choices? (And not just wish for
Brendan to change your life; you're an adult woman! make choices for yourself!
)

Plus. . . The storyline in the background with Brendan's (alcoholic, abusive) parents, his mother's cancer, and the magical improvement . . . it put me off perhaps even more than Alyssa's dearth of sense or Dalton's incredible self-centredness and excuses.

Alyssa
getting left at the altar again
by Dalton as well, I. . . Wow.

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