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shanaqui's reviews
914 reviews
Final Acts: Theatrical Mysteries by Martin Edwards
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Final Acts is another collection from the British Library Crime Classics series, edited as always by Martin Edwards, and this time all themed around the theatre and acting. It's a fun spread of stories, not all using the theatre in quite the same way, and as usual demonstrating a bit of a spread across time as well.
The one thing to note is that there's a repeat story in here, by Christianna Brand. I'm not sure which other anthology it appeared in, or whether it was maybe included with one of her novels, and I'm also not sure (because of that) whether this is the repeat or the other is the repeat. Still, bit disappointing.
Still, as usual, a fun handful of stories.
The one thing to note is that there's a repeat story in here, by Christianna Brand. I'm not sure which other anthology it appeared in, or whether it was maybe included with one of her novels, and I'm also not sure (because of that) whether this is the repeat or the other is the repeat. Still, bit disappointing.
Still, as usual, a fun handful of stories.
Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi
challenging
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
Alex Pavesi's Eight Detectives is certainly a fascinating idea: the odd-numbered chapters are short stories, written in-world by one of the characters, which each have strange contradictions and illustrate a mathematical theory -- the mathematics of mystery fiction, no less. One of the characters thinks that each story also holds a clue to a particular murder, and spends her time trying to pry into it and figure out the puzzle within the mysteries.
It all fell apart a bit for me with the alternative endings to each of the stories -- too much recapping, and sometimes the story as you first read it makes more sense. Of course something like it is needed to bring the stories together and complete the puzzle around in the frame story, but it felt clunkily done. Maybe if there had been just one or two changed endings, or if the changed endings were shorter.
Also, it's a silly thing to nitpick, but for some reason one of the characters says that nobody was interested in mystery fiction after the war, meaning World War II. I can't tell if that's supposed to be a genuine explanation (which would be ridiculous) or if it's meant to be highlighting a certain character's inconsistencies and lack of knowledge. I suppose I'd think better of it if it were the latter, and it would make sense given the givens, but hmm...!
It's an interesting puzzlebox of a story, all the same.
It all fell apart a bit for me with the alternative endings to each of the stories -- too much recapping, and sometimes the story as you first read it makes more sense. Of course something like it is needed to bring the stories together and complete the puzzle around in the frame story, but it felt clunkily done. Maybe if there had been just one or two changed endings, or if the changed endings were shorter.
Also, it's a silly thing to nitpick, but for some reason one of the characters says that nobody was interested in mystery fiction after the war, meaning World War II. I can't tell if that's supposed to be a genuine explanation (which would be ridiculous) or if it's meant to be highlighting a certain character's inconsistencies and lack of knowledge. I suppose I'd think better of it if it were the latter, and it would make sense given the givens, but hmm...!
It's an interesting puzzlebox of a story, all the same.
Petra: The Rose-Red City by Christian Auge, Jean-Marie Dentzer
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Before reading this, I knew very little about Petra -- I'd seen a few images of it, knew roughly where it was, etc, but I didn't know anything about the Nabateans and their lives in their city. Christian Auge and Jean-Marie Dentzer's Petra: The Rose-Red City is a pretty slim volume, but richly illustrated, and carefully contextualises the images in terms of what we know.
Which is less than I expected, to be honest. Not much archaeological work had been completed in and around Petra relative to the size of the ruins at around the time of writing, and preservation work had barely begun, if at all. I'd love to find something more up-to-date about Petra, but it was fascinating to get this glimpse.
That said, sometimes the organisation of text, images and captions left something to be desired. The pages are very busy, and the flow is unintuitive sometimes.
Which is less than I expected, to be honest. Not much archaeological work had been completed in and around Petra relative to the size of the ruins at around the time of writing, and preservation work had barely begun, if at all. I'd love to find something more up-to-date about Petra, but it was fascinating to get this glimpse.
That said, sometimes the organisation of text, images and captions left something to be desired. The pages are very busy, and the flow is unintuitive sometimes.
Foxes in Love: Volume 2 by Toivo Kaartinen
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely adore Toivo Kaartinen's Foxes in Love comics. I've read most of them, over time, but I was glad to get a copy of this as well to keep on my shelf and support the author. The comics are sometimes just funny, sometimes really romantic, sometimes a little bit profound... it's a mix.
It's perhaps best not to read the whole thing in one sitting: charming as the comics are, they don't have a storyline or anything, and it can get a little "samey". I picked up volume 3, but I'll give it a little time before I read it.
Obviously you can also just follow the comic online in various places if you want to see if it's to your taste.
It's perhaps best not to read the whole thing in one sitting: charming as the comics are, they don't have a storyline or anything, and it can get a little "samey". I picked up volume 3, but I'll give it a little time before I read it.
Obviously you can also just follow the comic online in various places if you want to see if it's to your taste.
Foxes in Love: Volume 1 by Toivo Kaartinen
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’ve loved the Foxes in Love Twitter feed for a while, so I haaad to have this collection of the various strips once it was announced… and a friend obliged. I’ve seen them all before, but they’re still so delightful.
There’s no overarching story or anything, so you can dip in and out as you wish. Instead, it’s a collection of slice-of-life strips, showing the lives of Blue and Green, who love each other very much. You get their musings about how lucky they are to be together, how they deal with setbacks like depression and bad days, little bits of silliness… it’s always delightful, or when it’s a little sad, it’s still always sweet because the foxes have each other.
Also, sometimes it’s just too real, e.g. this one: into the pit of irrational conclusions! I’m better about that than I used to be, but ooooh boy that rang true.
Heartstopper: Become Human by Alice Oseman
emotional
fast-paced
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This New Noise: The Extraordinary Birth and Troubled Life of the BBC by Charlotte Higgins
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
The BBC is a British institution, and one which has been agonised over a lot. It sometimes feels like that's something which happened only in recent years, but Charlotte Higgins' This New Noise makes it clear that we've agonised over the BBC for as long as it has existed -- and we've never had the halcyon perfect days that I think many people imagine. It's always been what it is now, and as contentious as it has been now.
At times, I think Higgins tells the story a bit out of order, making references to events she explains properly later. This might work well for someone who has been alive for a bit more of the BBC's lifespan, but I was not yet very engaged with the news for some of these! I also wasn't really aware of the various directors-general, so just mentioning their names didn't really contextualise things.
It's still an interesting history, especially where it discusses people I didn't know about at all, whose roles have been forgotten, like Hilda Matheson. She sounded pretty great (though of course it's easy to make idols of people). All in all, an enjoyable read, and a useful point of view.
At times, I think Higgins tells the story a bit out of order, making references to events she explains properly later. This might work well for someone who has been alive for a bit more of the BBC's lifespan, but I was not yet very engaged with the news for some of these! I also wasn't really aware of the various directors-general, so just mentioning their names didn't really contextualise things.
It's still an interesting history, especially where it discusses people I didn't know about at all, whose roles have been forgotten, like Hilda Matheson. She sounded pretty great (though of course it's easy to make idols of people). All in all, an enjoyable read, and a useful point of view.
Monarchs of the Sea: The Extraordinary 500-Million-Year History of Cephalopods by Danna Staaf
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Danna Staaf's Monarchs of the Sea is a fascinating tour of the evolution of cephalopods. I'd never quite understood that ammonites were cephalopods before, somehow, so that was a surprise, and I was delighted to read more about them and the diversity of their shells. It'd be nice if some modern cephalopod was evolved from an ammonite, really, but Staaf does suggest it's pretty unlikely.
This is the kind of non-fiction I really enjoy: a deep-dive on a particular subject, not afraid to get into the weeds, and glowing with the author's fascination for the topic. I don't know if I could stomach dissection, but she makes even that sound fascinating -- I bet she's great at teaching it.
I was especially fascinated by the discussion of the modern cephalopods and what's become of their shells, the very last vestiges thereof. Fun!
This is the kind of non-fiction I really enjoy: a deep-dive on a particular subject, not afraid to get into the weeds, and glowing with the author's fascination for the topic. I don't know if I could stomach dissection, but she makes even that sound fascinating -- I bet she's great at teaching it.
I was especially fascinated by the discussion of the modern cephalopods and what's become of their shells, the very last vestiges thereof. Fun!
A Short History of Tomb-Raiding: The Epic Hunt for Egypt's Treasures by Maria Golia
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Maria Golia's A Short History of Tomb-Raiding is a slow, thorough thinking through of the different times and political/economic climates in which Egypt's tombs have been plundered. Often we think of early archaeologists and antiquarians, or even current archaeologists where big institutions are trying to grab and keep priceless, culturally important objects, but Golia begins in the past.
It's a bit of a dry read, ultimately, but it's more sympathetic to the Egyptian tomb raiders who raid their own ancestors' tombs than most accounts. Sure, they destroy context and thus knowledge -- but there's a reason they do what they do, mostly grinding poverty.
I'd honestly expected more commentary on European thieves, though; in one way this really centres the Egyptians themselves, but... European demand is also a huge part of that, and even men like Petrie (who was at least methodical) were digging among the bones of someone else's ancestors, and not always sharing that knowledge with the descendents.
It's a bit of a dry read, ultimately, but it's more sympathetic to the Egyptian tomb raiders who raid their own ancestors' tombs than most accounts. Sure, they destroy context and thus knowledge -- but there's a reason they do what they do, mostly grinding poverty.
I'd honestly expected more commentary on European thieves, though; in one way this really centres the Egyptians themselves, but... European demand is also a huge part of that, and even men like Petrie (who was at least methodical) were digging among the bones of someone else's ancestors, and not always sharing that knowledge with the descendents.
The Lost Gallows: A London Mystery by John Dickson Carr
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.0
The Lost Gallows is, I think, one of John Dickson Carr's earlier novels, so I went in with fairly low expectations -- the melodrama and bombast of his other Bencolin books isn't entirely for me, but he's still a plotter of ingenious mysteries. I don't know if it was because I went in fully prepared for that, or maybe I've learned more sympathy through enjoying his later books, but this one wasn't so bad.
It is of course very colourful and highly dramatic, with some surprisingly prosaic explanations; it's full of atmosphere, using the London fog as a device in a similar way (though a very different tone) to Christianna Brand's London Particular. It's funny thinking about how ubiquitous that fog was, and yet I can barely imagine fog being so thick, so awful.
If you like a bit of adventure in your mystery novels, this one has that as well -- the narrator puts himself in the thick of things, and there are a couple of very breathless scenes.
It all ends up feeling almost too prosaic for the fantastic atmosphere, but it works out interestingly enough.
It is of course very colourful and highly dramatic, with some surprisingly prosaic explanations; it's full of atmosphere, using the London fog as a device in a similar way (though a very different tone) to Christianna Brand's London Particular. It's funny thinking about how ubiquitous that fog was, and yet I can barely imagine fog being so thick, so awful.
If you like a bit of adventure in your mystery novels, this one has that as well -- the narrator puts himself in the thick of things, and there are a couple of very breathless scenes.
It all ends up feeling almost too prosaic for the fantastic atmosphere, but it works out interestingly enough.