robertrivasplata's reviews
603 reviews

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

Depression, anxiety, isolation, and awkward sexual experiences. Has the feel of a diary kept by a very depressed person. I kept thinking about the Avalanches' “Frontier Psychiatry” sample repeating “that boy needs therapy”. Nagata definitely needed and (judging by the later memoir mangas) needs a good therapist. Has some rumination on the ways that porn influences sexuality. Depicts hiring a sex worker as being pretty much like booking any other sort of appointment (scary). I like how the agency Nagata found the sex worker through was pleased with the early webcomic version of this book. I wonder if Nagata has read any Sayaka Murata. There's a bit of overlap there, in that they both deal with the experience of being a 20-something woman who doesn't fit typical or traditional roles, but Murata has a more alien, anthropological perspective. Gender Queer is another imperfect comparison, with Kobabe's memoir more explicitly dealing with queer ideas and gender identity, and also feeling less like a diary. Might check out Nagata's latest memoir, which is being teased as more optimistic (I wonder though), but the Solo Exchange Diary feelings might be too much to handle. 

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Kind of the spaghetti western of the Murderbot series, with Murderbot as the wandering hero, who ultraviolently saves some innocent townspeople from bandits, while overcoming some double crossings. Murderbot is kind of a space ronin: masterless, mysterious, wandering, antisocial, protects the weak and clueless, leaves with hardly a goodbye. Rogue Protocol probably has the highest ratio of battling action of the series so far. Quite a page turner. Not sure how any screen adaptation could depict Murderbot's manipulation of various computer systems that are the source of its power. I almost feel like a cheesy 90s cyberpunk hacking-in-the-mainframe depictions would be the best template to follow. Can't wait to read the next one! 

City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways by Megan Kimble

informative sad fast-paced

4.0

Journalistic account of the efforts to oppose freeway expansion in Houston, Austin, and Dallas. City Limits shows that as bad as CalTrans is, they could be much much worse. TXDOT is the apotheosis of the State Dept of Transportation in the United States, obsessed with automotive traffic flow, mindlessly driven to add lanes to congested freeways like beavers driven to build dams. Highlights the point that environmental regulations like the National Environmental Quality Act (and state-level equivalents, like CEQA) mandate a process, not outcomes, and can even be brushed aside entirely given sufficient political will. Even when the NEPA process is followed, decision-makers can declare that any impacts are worth the benefits of the project they are approving, so long as they acknowledge those impacts. I like the way Kimble introduced the various people who live in the path of the various highway expansions, and show us what their homes (or in one case, school) mean to them. The story about how Escelita de Alma came to move into Richard Linklater's building is funny. This book could have had a lot more about all the topics. For instance it would have been interesting to see more about Cities in Texas's attempts to invest in more public transit, or more about the history and uses of traffic modeling. I could have read more about the transportation history of Dallas too. I was a little surprised that the chapter about Rochester NY didn't mention the Rochester Subway. Pairs well with The Lost Subways of North America. 

Two Heads: A Graphic Exploration of How Our Brains Work with Other Brains by Uta Frith, Chris Frith, Daniel Locke, Alex Frith

adventurous funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

Graphical explanation of the neuroscience of cooperation by the brother and sister-in-law of Fred Frith. Touches on such diverse topics as cognition, learning, bees, the Autism spectrum, electroconvulsive therapy, game theory, the age-old question of what is the mind anyway? and many others. Also touches on the ideas and accomplishments of many many neuroscientists, psychologists, psychiatrists, anthropologists, etc. I like how Pavlov is depicted with a bit of a tongue blep , as if the dogs he works with have rubbed off on him as well. If you're grossed out by dozens of cartoon brains, don't read this book. Many of the brain depictions kind of remind me of the brains from Fiend Without a Face. I like the coffee digression in the middle of the part about autism and schizophrenia. Has the feel of a television mini-series I would see on PBS, perhaps especially because I'm imagining their narration in posh British and German accents. That PBS feel reminds me I want to watch the Carl Sagan Cosmos. 

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Further adventures of the unnamed security android, in which it makes a robot friend/helper, makes some human friends/clients, learns some stuff about it's past, and we (the readers) find out more about the Murderbot universe. Less of a workplace novella, and more of a mystery or private eye story. I like the details about the various space transit centers' amenities and transit systems. Many of Murderbot's abilities to manipulate computer systems (including other AIs) kind of remind me of Moorcock's Elric, whose powers mostly consist of him being able to ask various gods and demons to help him. While definitely the sequel to All Systems Red, I think Artificial Condition can be read without first reading the previous book. 

Justice Warriors Vol. 2: Vote Harder by Matt Bors, Ben Clarkson

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

The Swamp Thing and the Turd are back for some managed-democracy election intrigue. Perhaps even more ultra-violent and disgusting than the first volume. Main plot is an officer-on-leave-going-deep-undercover story. Asks us to imagine what if Deckard was a swamp monster with a Tindr profile. Oveerall, Justice Warriors is like a combination of Blade Runner, and Lynch's Dune, with some Michael Moorcock and Lisa Hanawalt thrown in too. I like the Bors art visions of the Bubble City online milieu. The more extreme sci-fi elements of Justice Warriors really highlight to me how thoroughly cyberpunk has become our reality. 

Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad

adventurous emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Novel about a group of Palestinian thespians attempting to stage Hamlet next to the separation wall in Bethlehem. Very much a novel about theatre, so a makes suitable gift for theatre kids. Makes me want to see the plays mentioned: Pierrot Assassin, The Maids, Al-Moharrij (by al-Maghut), and Al-Atmeh (Darkness). Also a novel about being both of a place, but not being from it, or returning to a homeland that one was never from. Also a story about family, memory, and family memories. About the divides and connections between Palestinians on both sides of the Separation Barrier. The Israeli occupation looms over everything, even for the Israeli Arabs, who are at one point described as ghosts who remind the Israelis of the Palestinians driven out during the Nakba, whose homes they occupy. Kind of reminds me of Joe Sacco's Palestine, where he's riding through occupied Palestine in various taxis and friends' cars, talking about relationships. Sonia's status as the person in the family who is the last to know whatever the rest of the family is talking about is very relatable. 

The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

90s retro-futuristic post techno-zombie apocalypse road trip now adapted into a movie (??). Doesn't really tell you the whole story, but gives you the clues to piece it together a bit. The scenery on the Eastern Sierra and Carson Pass makes me think that Stalenhag has taken the road trip from Barstow to Jackson via US 395 & CA Route 88. Many scenes of retro-futuristic derelict kitschy tech inserted into the various Eastern Sierra and West Marin landscapes. Similar to Labyrinth, features dangerous and endangered children, and has a wet ending, but is somehow less depressing. Maybe it's because the bleak ending is not as spelled out. Or maybe it's because much of the art consists of landscapes that look filled with some sort of life, even if they are also filled with bones and wreckage. I kind of want to see if the movie does it justice, but i'm not going to get netflix just to see it, especially since the lesson of The Electric State seems to be about the dangers of being too online. 

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

Coming of age memoir bildungsroman of moving from Korea to the American South as a teenager. The story arc of Ha's coming to America and finding her place there is heartwarming. Does not hold back about the shortcomings of either Korean & American society. Does a really good job of illustrating the experience of only being able to understand every third word or so of what everyone around you is saying. I kind of wish Ha had subjected us to the whole list of all her favorite Korean comics instead of having her read composite comic Queen's Quest. As a child of the 90s, I am amazed at how Korean pop has achieved a place in American pop culture today even larger than Japanese pop culture's in the 90s. The part where people are asking Robin about Korean pop culture,and she's like “I dunno, I only care about the comics” is pretty relatable. Ha does a pretty good job of explaining her mom's motivations and reasons for doing everything she did. Kind of surprised Robin's mom was able to convince her to get in the car to be surprised at the comix shop. I want to see the memoir that covers what their current relationship looks like. 

This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America by Navied Mahdavian

adventurous dark emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

Story of a couple of artists (filmmaker & cartoonist) who move to the country for cheaper housing and all around country living vibes. The introduction telling us that the rural living would only last them 3 years gives a sense of foreboding. What tragedy is being foreshadowed? Spoiler alert: nothing too dangerous, crazy, or dramatic happens. Mahdavian does a really good job of showing the beauty and charm of their corner of Idaho, while also showing the difficulties (cultural and environmental) of living there. I was constantly thinking “wouldn't be me here”, or judging Mahdavian and his wife for stupid reasons (e.g. “who can't tell a jay from a bluebird?”). I was surprised that the 4 hour trip to the clinic when the couple were trying to have children wasn't what convinced them to go back to urban living. Whenever I'm in a charming small town or appealing rural area I always think “how far to the nearest hospital?” followed by “how far is the grocery store?” & “Where is the library?” If I were doing programming for that little theater, it would take probably two requests for John Wayne movies for me to screen The Quiet Man, followed by The Shootist, and then True Grit & then I'd probably try to screen Seven Samurai and Jeremiah Johnson too. But that's less judgment than wishful thinking. Makes me grateful for the tiny weird-cinema theater in my mid-sized city.