Scan barcode
writingmidnight96's reviews
47 reviews
Blue Flag, Vol. 3 by Kaito
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I am loving this one so far. The characters are great and I adore the development that we're starting to see from most of the principal cast. This particular volume has one scene where one of the key conversations lost me a bit. It's an important conversation that lets us into some of the main character's mental state and sets up a good chunk of the conflict for the volume (and I suspect moving forward), but as it comes off from a conversation with similar themes it feels like it just goes on a bit too long, and I feel like that has more to do with the dialogue. This author has so far done a great job keeping me engaged, but this one just felt a tad repetitive and it took a bit of the bite out.
This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I really liked this book. The very rapid but extremely easy to follow evolution of the two main characters and their relationship to each other is truly the driving force of the story, and it is brilliantly executed.
In the first part of the book I couldn't shake the feeling that there were references being made that I wasn't catching, and I never quite figured out if these were references to our modern day or if the characters were self-referencing things that don't exist in the real world and that was just a little disruptive to my personal reading experience for about the first fourth of the book.
However as the plot ramps up that little niggling that I was missing something clever started to fall away and the first 1/4 of the book is really only about 50 pages so all and all it wasn't a barrier to actually getting into the plot once it had started taking off.
In the first part of the book I couldn't shake the feeling that there were references being made that I wasn't catching, and I never quite figured out if these were references to our modern day or if the characters were self-referencing things that don't exist in the real world and that was just a little disruptive to my personal reading experience for about the first fourth of the book.
However as the plot ramps up that little niggling that I was missing something clever started to fall away and the first 1/4 of the book is really only about 50 pages so all and all it wasn't a barrier to actually getting into the plot once it had started taking off.
Art Nouveau by Gabriele Fahr-Becker
challenging
lighthearted
slow-paced
4.25
Okay, It took me a year and a half, but I have finished the book cover to cover. I love Art Nouveau, and picked this up thinking it would be a relatively quick read with a broad overview of the movement that a flip through showed included a lot of very high-quality photographs of the artworks being discussed.
Clearly, I was wrong about the pace, because while the photos are numerous and large the text is dense and tiny. It is a very in-depth overview of Art Nouveau. It is an excellent resource that is well organized. The writing style of the main text is not dry, but it is very straight to the point, intermixed with quotes contemporary to the movement that add quite a bit of color to the individual sections.
I'd highly recommend this book either as reference or as a cover-to-cover read if you're very interested in Art Nouveau, It is also a lovely page though if you read art historical texts more for the images than the text. I would not recommend sitting down to read the whole thing at once, I basically worked through it 1-2 chapters a month some months with some months taken off when I didn't have the time or the brain space for something this dense. But it is an Excellent history of the movement.
Clearly, I was wrong about the pace, because while the photos are numerous and large the text is dense and tiny. It is a very in-depth overview of Art Nouveau. It is an excellent resource that is well organized. The writing style of the main text is not dry, but it is very straight to the point, intermixed with quotes contemporary to the movement that add quite a bit of color to the individual sections.
I'd highly recommend this book either as reference or as a cover-to-cover read if you're very interested in Art Nouveau, It is also a lovely page though if you read art historical texts more for the images than the text. I would not recommend sitting down to read the whole thing at once, I basically worked through it 1-2 chapters a month some months with some months taken off when I didn't have the time or the brain space for something this dense. But it is an Excellent history of the movement.
Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I picked this up on a book swap recommendation where the prompt for the book swap was "A Genre I didn't read much of last year". I gave a historical Fiction and received Horror/Thriller in return and I absolutely loved it. As the person who recommended it stated "this book is bonkers." The plot is very entertaining though not exactly Fun, and the main character's simultaneous descent into madness/ascent into her own agency makes her fascinating and highly sympathetic. Though, I weirdly kind of loved most of the characters in the book?
Blue Flag, Vol. 2 by Kaito
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Okay, so I'm mad at the ending but that has more to do with the fact that it's a cliffhanger and because of how I buy my Manga I couldn't just turn around and pickup volume 3. Aside from that I love it SO MUCH.
Blue Flag, Vol. 1 by Kaito
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Adorable. Wonderful. All main characters must be defended at all costs. It’s so cute. I picked it up off a table at the bookstore which proposes at as LGBT+ romance, which in my experience tends to be distinctly horny in manga. This so far lacks that distinct Horniness which is a nice change, reading a little closer to what you might expect from an older shook romance. I’m hoping that it doesn’t turn into 100 chapters of will they won’t they wherein the characters aren’t allowed to kiss until the last chapter. But it’s hopeful hoping. So far I’m not rooting for any ship over the others all the characters are great.
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Continuing with the series. I did have to restsart this one about 2 months in to reading, but that had more to do with a lack of time to read and then worry that I had forgotten things, than any flaws of this book .The suspense builds a bit more slowly in this entry, but there are enough high drama points to keep the tension building as the plot waits to ramp for a good old fashioned Robert Jordan Finish. As a warning, when you hit the last 200 pages or so, you're not going to want to put the book down as tension hit's it's peak.
The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
informative
medium-paced
4.0
So I've been listening to Dave's show for a while, picked up the book when I had a chance to go to the studio, but didn't actually read it until after I had paid my debt off. For someone like me, it's interesting but not super useful. The book and the Radio show are very true to one another in terms of the advice given, so you can supplement one for the other. The anecdotes from the success stories scattered throughout are very sweet but also VERY Brief so they are uplifting but the brevity does sort of make them all run together to an extent.
If you're in my situation I'd say continue to listen to the radio show and you'll get the same fix this book provides.
However, if you're still in the midst of paying off debt, or just thinking of getting down to the business of paying off your debt, or (in debt or not) unfamiliar with Dave and curious what he's all about, I'd pick it up. It's a much more concise and focused variant of the advice given on the show, which would be much more helpful to someone working through the steps. The back of the book also has worksheets to help you get organized about your money, which would be very helpful to many people who are still on their debt journey. If you're serious or Curious about getting control of your finances, I'd recommend picking up the book. Dave is full of good, common-sense advice and enough tough love to make it stick. Also, if you're still working on your debt, I know it sucks, stay with it and you'll get there.
If you're in my situation I'd say continue to listen to the radio show and you'll get the same fix this book provides.
However, if you're still in the midst of paying off debt, or just thinking of getting down to the business of paying off your debt, or (in debt or not) unfamiliar with Dave and curious what he's all about, I'd pick it up. It's a much more concise and focused variant of the advice given on the show, which would be much more helpful to someone working through the steps. The back of the book also has worksheets to help you get organized about your money, which would be very helpful to many people who are still on their debt journey. If you're serious or Curious about getting control of your finances, I'd recommend picking up the book. Dave is full of good, common-sense advice and enough tough love to make it stick. Also, if you're still working on your debt, I know it sucks, stay with it and you'll get there.
Witch Hat Atelier, Volume 4 by Kamome Shirahama
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Things are ratcheting up and I am so invested.
Witch Hat Atelier, Volume 3 by Kamome Shirahama
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This series is so cute, in spite of the darker themes that are still (for now?) lurking underneath the surface. This is partially due to attempts by the adult characters to protect our younger heroes from the depths of what's going on, though things seem to be ramping up in spite of their best attempts.
I will say I was surprised by the new information about Tartah, and his silver wash. His experience is very analogous to the disability community, and I wasn't expecting such from this series. I really liked the way he and Coco came together in the second half of this volume, and the representation of his emotions at finding a tool to make the world more accessible.