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twicomb's reviews
846 reviews
Night Stories: Folktales from Latin America: A TOON Graphic by Liniers
adventurous
informative
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
A charming little collection of three traditional folk stories from Latin America, illustrated in a bright, whimsical cartoon style. The book also includes a few pages of preface about the Mesoamerican cultures, and a few pages of afterword that discuss the origins of each story. Both the preface and afterword have plenty of interesting illustrations so that even younger readers will find something of interest among those pages. But of course, the main appeal is the three folktales themselves. They're presented in a light-hearted way, through the framework of a brother and sister lying awake in their bunk beds at night, telling one another stories. My only tiny complaint with this book was that it felt short, but I'll also be the first to say that I am not the target audience (nor am I familiar with how long this sort of book typically is, when the audience is children, so the length may be exactly right for them). That is also a compliment to the creator, Liniers, that I was sad it was over so quickly. This book has encouraged me to look up more titles by Liniers.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
Clever Girl: Jurassic Park by Hannah McGregor
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Intelligent, well-constructed essays that present interesting insights and interpretations with a feminist slant of Jurassic Park (mainly the first film, although the other films come up from time to time; the book is not really discussed). Obviously recommended for those who already know they enjoy reading pop culture analysis essays. But I would also recommend this as a nice way to tip your toe into the space if you're interested in the idea of pop culture analysis (especially through a feminist lens) but haven't done a lot of reading on it yet. This is a slim volume and the essays and language are accessible, not dense or overrun with terminology.
Here are a few quotes I particularly liked:
-On the dinosaurs: "Their ferocity is the ferocity of deep time: they aren't just dinosaurs, they're chthonic forces, ancient goddesses who have awakened furious and hungry. ...[These] dinosaurs come from the earth and from the past as well as from the lab. And they don't arrive alone: they bring their wilderness with them."
- On the term "nature": "Is it [nature] the opposite of civilization - that which humanity hasn’t intervened in - or is it the opposite of the unnatural, something that is innate or inherent in the world?”
- "Patriarchal cultures throughout history (the Mesopotamians, the Ancient Greeks, the early Christians) have associated chaos with femininity and order with masculinity."
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
Here are a few quotes I particularly liked:
-On the dinosaurs: "Their ferocity is the ferocity of deep time: they aren't just dinosaurs, they're chthonic forces, ancient goddesses who have awakened furious and hungry. ...[These] dinosaurs come from the earth and from the past as well as from the lab. And they don't arrive alone: they bring their wilderness with them."
- On the term "nature": "Is it [nature] the opposite of civilization - that which humanity hasn’t intervened in - or is it the opposite of the unnatural, something that is innate or inherent in the world?”
- "Patriarchal cultures throughout history (the Mesopotamians, the Ancient Greeks, the early Christians) have associated chaos with femininity and order with masculinity."
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
Fog & Fireflies by T. H. Lehnen
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
An ambitious fantasy novel that is so chock-full of creatures, machines, landscapes, and new characters at every turn that it sometimes loses sight of the forest for the trees. I wish the author had broken this up into a trilogy; the story has some natural points where books could have started and ended, and it would have given him more breathing space to try to cram in everything he wants to include. So what are all these things, you ask? Well, here is just a brief sampling: killer fog that can shape itself into animals; levitating fruit that spontaneously combusts; a headless monster with nostrils in the palms of its hands; a giant feathered serpent; people turning into marble statues (that maybe come back to life?); armor made out of a beetle carapace; a magic caster who can dash on gusts of air; tongue tattoos that translate languages instantly; non-concurrent time streams; a communication system made of various bells rung in different ways; shadow people who are faceless and communicate with semaphore; tiny gnomes, one of which is dressed like Michael from Peter Pan (pajamas and a teddy bear); a wizard with amnesia who can blot out the sun; a horse costume woven out of wicker that comes to life when inhabited by its puppeteers; villages that shift location without explanation; an origin legend carved into an ancient bell; and the list goes on, and on, and on. If this sounds both fascinating and overwhelming, then you understand exactly what it's like to read this book.
I desperately want the author to get a great editor who can help him take all of his enthusiasm and energy and creativity, and shape it into a truly coherent story that flows from beginning to end, and doesn't leave the reader wondering about all the macguffins along the way. I love stories that twist and turn, with many different locales and characters along the way, but there needs to be a thread connecting everything all together. After I read a book, I sometimes read the reviews (only after I've read it, and have my own opinion; never before). I noticed many other reviewers making a similar comment. I still really enjoyed this book, and will be watching for the author's next book with the hopes that he'll take these comments to heart and keep working on his craft. He clearly has tremendous creativity and if he can get the story arc and structure work built in a little more firmly, I have no doubt he will excel.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for sheer abundance of creativity that went into this tale on the part of the author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
I desperately want the author to get a great editor who can help him take all of his enthusiasm and energy and creativity, and shape it into a truly coherent story that flows from beginning to end, and doesn't leave the reader wondering about all the macguffins along the way. I love stories that twist and turn, with many different locales and characters along the way, but there needs to be a thread connecting everything all together. After I read a book, I sometimes read the reviews (only after I've read it, and have my own opinion; never before). I noticed many other reviewers making a similar comment. I still really enjoyed this book, and will be watching for the author's next book with the hopes that he'll take these comments to heart and keep working on his craft. He clearly has tremendous creativity and if he can get the story arc and structure work built in a little more firmly, I have no doubt he will excel.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for sheer abundance of creativity that went into this tale on the part of the author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
A Brief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of the World by González Macías
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Scientific fact: everyone loves lighthouses.
Scientific fact: everyone has as some point secretly wanted to live in a lighthouse (or at least been curious what it would be like).
Scientific fact: this book will make you love lighthouses even more. But you may no longer want to live in one.
A heartfelt look at lighthouses all around the globe, from Siberia to New Zealand and many points in between (some you've likely never heard of). For each lighthouse, the author provides a page of interesting highlights in its history, then a full-page image, and then a line drawing of its external appearance with additional structural facts. There's much to uncover in here. I had no idea how difficult it was to build a lighthouse in many of the locations that are chosen, nor how difficult it often is to get to (and back from) the lighthouse from the boat that is dropping you off or picking you up. There are several stories of lighthouse keepers who went mad or perished...or even disappeared, but there are also many stories of keepers who excelled at the job and stayed for decades, sometimes their entire career. At least two of the stories are about girls who were raised as the daughter of a lighthouse keeper and who then went on to be the keeper of that same lighthouse in their adult years, which got me thinking about how natural it would be to want to stay if that was what you had always known. What an interesting life that must have been, to be more comfortable and at home there than anywhere else.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
Scientific fact: everyone has as some point secretly wanted to live in a lighthouse (or at least been curious what it would be like).
Scientific fact: this book will make you love lighthouses even more. But you may no longer want to live in one.
A heartfelt look at lighthouses all around the globe, from Siberia to New Zealand and many points in between (some you've likely never heard of). For each lighthouse, the author provides a page of interesting highlights in its history, then a full-page image, and then a line drawing of its external appearance with additional structural facts. There's much to uncover in here. I had no idea how difficult it was to build a lighthouse in many of the locations that are chosen, nor how difficult it often is to get to (and back from) the lighthouse from the boat that is dropping you off or picking you up. There are several stories of lighthouse keepers who went mad or perished...or even disappeared, but there are also many stories of keepers who excelled at the job and stayed for decades, sometimes their entire career. At least two of the stories are about girls who were raised as the daughter of a lighthouse keeper and who then went on to be the keeper of that same lighthouse in their adult years, which got me thinking about how natural it would be to want to stay if that was what you had always known. What an interesting life that must have been, to be more comfortable and at home there than anywhere else.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
Sentient by Jeff Lemire
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
6 out of 5 stars. This book has shot to my top ten for graphic novels, and there's some stiff competition up there. Where do I even start?
The story, first off. Oh, the story is So Good. I was deeply, immediately invested in these characters. The directions the story goes are both unexpected and brilliant.
The art is absolutely gorgeous. The detailed, careful linework that is deliberate and thoughtful - the watercolor shading and layering that gives the art a tactile feel - the complicated environments with strange and new architecture and machinery - I am convinced this artist grew up reading Moebius comics. There's clearly deep inspiration drawn from Moebius's work, but this artist has his own unique style as well.
The lettering (which people often forget about) is beautifully rendered. Be sure to notice how well it's done when reading these pages.
The ending actually got me choked up a little. That doesn't happen often, especially with graphic novels. I only wish this had been longer. Much, much longer. I wish this had been an open-ended series. But that could still be done - there's no reason the writer and artist couldn't collaborate on more graphic novels covering the time period between the climax and the ending.
I cannot recommend this graphic novel enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
The story, first off. Oh, the story is So Good. I was deeply, immediately invested in these characters. The directions the story goes are both unexpected and brilliant.
The art is absolutely gorgeous. The detailed, careful linework that is deliberate and thoughtful - the watercolor shading and layering that gives the art a tactile feel - the complicated environments with strange and new architecture and machinery - I am convinced this artist grew up reading Moebius comics. There's clearly deep inspiration drawn from Moebius's work, but this artist has his own unique style as well.
The lettering (which people often forget about) is beautifully rendered. Be sure to notice how well it's done when reading these pages.
The ending actually got me choked up a little. That doesn't happen often, especially with graphic novels. I only wish this had been longer. Much, much longer. I wish this had been an open-ended series. But that could still be done - there's no reason the writer and artist couldn't collaborate on more graphic novels covering the time period between the climax and the ending.
I cannot recommend this graphic novel enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.