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shanaqui's reviews
1072 reviews
Breaks: Volume One by Emma Vieceli, Malin Rydén
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Breaks (Emma Vieceli & Malin Rydén) is for some reason being marketed with comparisons to Heartstopper, and the similarities are basically: queer British boys in a Sixth Form setting, there's some sport, there's bullying, and someone's got to come to terms with his sexuality. That's it -- and that might sound like a reasonable amount, actually, but it's the tone that's most important, and that's worlds apart. Breaks is much grittier -- even where Heartstopper deals with difficult topics, there's a general sense that things are going to be okay, because they have each other and they're both good boys.
Cort and Ian are not particularly great people (nor particularly likeable), there's a good deal of violence, and we certainly don't get to see them cuddling adorably. The art is also a touch closer to realism, which also reduces the cuteness factor.
It didn't help the book at all that the reading experience via the Kindle version is bad, and while it's also available free online (https://tapas.io/series/BREAKS/info), that also has its problems: the choice of background colour doesn't provide a great contrast, and it's difficult to know what part numbers correspond to which volumes. Really irritating.
That said, on its own merits it's... alright? I think it's ultimately not my thing, but I enjoyed the supporting characters like Amilah and Rennie, and I'm kind of curious about Harvey and where things are going between Cort and Ian.
Cort and Ian are not particularly great people (nor particularly likeable), there's a good deal of violence, and we certainly don't get to see them cuddling adorably. The art is also a touch closer to realism, which also reduces the cuteness factor.
It didn't help the book at all that the reading experience via the Kindle version is bad, and while it's also available free online (https://tapas.io/series/BREAKS/info), that also has its problems: the choice of background colour doesn't provide a great contrast, and it's difficult to know what part numbers correspond to which volumes. Really irritating.
That said, on its own merits it's... alright? I think it's ultimately not my thing, but I enjoyed the supporting characters like Amilah and Rennie, and I'm kind of curious about Harvey and where things are going between Cort and Ian.
My Lover, The Writer by Yumi Sabatama
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
It was too short to really make me feel for the main relationship -- which seemed like it was one guy being badgered into being the other's boyfriend? -- and I wasn't a huge fan of the art.
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? No
3.0
Agatha Christie's The Secret Adversary has aged fairly badly in a number of ways, with her right-wing politics on display and various classic stereotypes. It's the first Tommy and Tuppence book, and it was interesting to read it in light of the biography of her I read recently: written during her first marriage, Tommy and Tuppence have elements of Agatha and Archie.
The more of Christie's work I read, though, the less I seem to like it... The plotting just isn't as good as people would lead you to believe. Could I do better? Probably not, but I can point to a number of writers who could. It's entertaining, and I can understand people who get attached to her characters, but it leaves me cold. Once she's tricked you once, it's easy to see through her other misdirections; even if you don't quite know where things are going to land, you can at least say "nah, that's just a red herring".
So overall, it was alright, but I think I'll wrap up my reading of Christie's work once I get to the end of the ones available in Serial Reader, at least for now.
The more of Christie's work I read, though, the less I seem to like it... The plotting just isn't as good as people would lead you to believe. Could I do better? Probably not, but I can point to a number of writers who could. It's entertaining, and I can understand people who get attached to her characters, but it leaves me cold. Once she's tricked you once, it's easy to see through her other misdirections; even if you don't quite know where things are going to land, you can at least say "nah, that's just a red herring".
So overall, it was alright, but I think I'll wrap up my reading of Christie's work once I get to the end of the ones available in Serial Reader, at least for now.
They Came to Slay: The Queer Culture of DnD by Thom James Carter
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I'm not personally into D&D, though I know a lot of people who are and I'm close enough to the periphery that Thom James Carter's They Came To Slay sounded interesting. It's full of enthusiasm for D&D and its possibilities -- possibilities for everyone, not just queer people, but especially for the opportunities it allows for queer people to explore and be recognised.
I'm vaguely aware of some critiques of Wizards of the Coast, and this book is largely positive toward the company, often suggesting that things are trending toward the better as far as queer representation goes. I don't know enough about it to know if that's true, and as far as I understand it, that's not the only reason to be wary of the company, but it is interesting to read about the queer-positivity.
D&D still isn't for me, but it does sound like there's a joyous queer community around it, and that's lovely.
I'm vaguely aware of some critiques of Wizards of the Coast, and this book is largely positive toward the company, often suggesting that things are trending toward the better as far as queer representation goes. I don't know enough about it to know if that's true, and as far as I understand it, that's not the only reason to be wary of the company, but it is interesting to read about the queer-positivity.
D&D still isn't for me, but it does sound like there's a joyous queer community around it, and that's lovely.
Forgotten Beasts: Amazing Creatures That Once Roamed the Earth by Matt Sewell
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Much the same as with his book on penguins, there's some cute art and some fun facts, but it's not very substantial.
Dinosaurs: and Other Prehistoric Creatures by Matt Sewell
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Much the same as with his book on penguins, there's some cute art and some fun facts, but it's not very substantial.
Owls: Our Most Enchanting Bird by Matt Sewell
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Much the same as with his book on penguins, there's some cute art and some fun facts, but it's not very substantial.
Penguins and Other Sea Birds by Matt Sewell
informative
fast-paced
3.0
I think the major reason to pick up Matt Sewell's Penguins and Other Sea Birds is really for the art: though it does contain facts about each bird, each bird only gets a short paragraph. There is some neat info included, like the fact that certain birds (male crested auklets, if you're curious) smell uncannily like tangerines -- but it's mostly just titbits.
The art is cute, though sometimes I think he does choose to emphasise odd features of the animals, probably to give the images more character. So it's not a great resource for recognising the birds that you might be likely to be able to spot for yourself in the wild.
The art is cute, though sometimes I think he does choose to emphasise odd features of the animals, probably to give the images more character. So it's not a great resource for recognising the birds that you might be likely to be able to spot for yourself in the wild.
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Laurie Gilmore's The Pumpkin Spice Café just... isn't very good? The characters feel flat, even though they're given quirks and identifying features: the way they see each other doesn't match up at all with how they're thinking and feeling and describing themselves, but not in a way that feels like "whoa, yeah, this person has self-esteem issues". Jeanie acts neurotic and terrified of everything (and her internal monologue tells us that she is), and Logan reads "perky and cute". It feels like two paper cutouts being pressed together, "Now kiss!"
The insta-love doesn't help.
It mostly feels like someone wanting to write a small town romance and then making really, really sure that we know we're in a small, quirky town. It's small! And quirky! Don't you know that it's small and quirky? Look at how small and quirky it is!
There are several sex scenes, which I completely skimmed because they didn't really advance characterisation much, and I did not believe at all in the chemistry between them, because I kept being told how much chemistry there was.
Some reviews are saying it's a Hallmark movie in book form, and yeah, I see that.
The insta-love doesn't help.
It mostly feels like someone wanting to write a small town romance and then making really, really sure that we know we're in a small, quirky town. It's small! And quirky! Don't you know that it's small and quirky? Look at how small and quirky it is!
There are several sex scenes, which I completely skimmed because they didn't really advance characterisation much, and I did not believe at all in the chemistry between them, because I kept being told how much chemistry there was.
Some reviews are saying it's a Hallmark movie in book form, and yeah, I see that.
Blind Spot: Exploring and Educating on Blindness by Maud Rowell
informative
medium-paced
4.0
A while back, I was a volunteer for the RNIB (that's the Royal National Institute for the Blind, in the UK), which means I have a bit more awareness of the accessibility options for the blind in the UK (and in general). Even so, I was trained by a sighted person, and all the volunteers I knew were fully sighted. Maud Rowell's Blind Spot makes me wonder what, in consequence, we missed.
If you're curious about accessibility for blind people (not just in the UK, but also in Japan), about experiencing art and museums as a blind person, being a visual artist while blind, and lost blind role models, this is definitely one for you.
It's short, like all books in the Inklings series, and thus it can't possibly be exhaustive -- but it's a window into that world, nonetheless.
If you're curious about accessibility for blind people (not just in the UK, but also in Japan), about experiencing art and museums as a blind person, being a visual artist while blind, and lost blind role models, this is definitely one for you.
It's short, like all books in the Inklings series, and thus it can't possibly be exhaustive -- but it's a window into that world, nonetheless.