thekuster's reviews
397 reviews

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.5

Gorgeous artwork, but slightly hard to follow at times - perhaps because I was not catching on to the intricate details distinguishing each mouse guard? I'll most likely continue on and finish the series since it was such an easy read, but I wouldn't say it's really my type of graphic novel. 

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

 I didn't even know the definition of 'Anthropocene' until a few months ago when John Green mentioned his upcoming novel on vlogbrothers. Plus, I'd never actually read any of his other novels - but having watched and enjoyed his short vlogs on all sorts of random topics, I knew I was going to enjoy this.

For avid listeners of Green's podcast, this is nothing new - just a collection of what has already been broadcasted monthly. But for those of us not in the know, listening to this as a full collection was absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend this audiobook or just binging the entire podcast series at once!

Green as always is eloquent, sincere, humorous and emotional - covering topics from Canadian geese to Humanity's Temporal Range, from Googling strangers to plague - never once losing my focus or interest.

Without a doubt, I give John Green's Anthropocene Reviewed 5 out of 5 stars. 

You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism by Amber Ruffin, Lacey Lamar

challenging funny informative sad fast-paced

4.0

This book is both hilarious and how-the-hell, WTF, are-you-kidding-me kind of ridiculous. The kind that makes you want to reach inside this book and smack someone (ie. the racists). It also makes me not want to ever visit Omaha because yikes (though that's not the point - this can happen anywhere). This book will make you laugh out loud and cry on the inside, and be an eye-opener for those of us lucky enough not to have to experience this blatant racism day in and day out.

Oh and be sure to read it in audiobook form. 

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

I've never read the bloggess and had no idea who Jenny Lawson was prior to picking this up. I just really like to listen to well-rated audiobooks of memoirs that promise to be funny... I didn't expect to almost cry by the end of chapter 1.

Jenny Lawson is hilarious, but she is exasperating, brilliant, honest, flawed, so incredibly brave and a voice that needs to be heard and celebrated. 

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

3.75

3.5* Audiobook. Stanley Tucci is enjoyable, warm and as always, classy. Between his descriptions of incredible Italian cuisine and name dropping of Ryan Reynolds, we get glimpses into his life and battle with cancer with a touch of humour and a splash of posh. I could fall asleep to his descriptions of simplistic pastas and rich ragus and be guaranteed to have the most delicious dreams. 

The Storm of Echoes by Christelle Dabos

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

4.5* A thrilling end to the quartet! Unlike the previous 3 instalments, there was no initial fumbling about - it was action packed from the start. And with our main characters Ophelia and Thorne finally confident and steadfast in their feelings for each other, there was no drawn out emotional angst - which in hindsight is probably what I hated most about the previous books.

The final reveals, I thought were unexpected and interesting. And the conclusion with its tinge of bittersweet was a fitting end to such an epic journey.

Fangs by Sarah Andersen

funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

I love Sarah Andersen's art style and sense of humour, but I think this just wasn't for me. I also didn't realize this was a collection from a webcomic series, so was expecting something less like vignettes and more story-oriented. To me, it seemed to be the same joke over and over and though I do love fantasy - vampires and werewolves have never inspired much interest. 

Lumberjanes, Vol. 5: Band Together by Grace Ellis, ND Stevenson, Kat Leyh, Shannon Watters

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

The collected volumes are definitely the way to go! Field guide pages are a great added bonus to the issues. Super fun read!

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

Really enjoyed this weird and unique story - heartwarming and thoroughly charming! 

A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost

funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

Honestly didn't expect to enjoy this quite so much, but Colin Jost is an incredibly entertaining and funny story-teller. Never found him particularly funny or much of stand-out onstage at SNL, but he's proven himself as a great comedic writer. The chapter about his mother was emotional and the highlight for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed every other chapter as well. Definitely had some laugh-out-loud moments and one of my most surprising reads of the year.