Chalk one up for ethical research, hurray! 😬🔪😁

Just a lovely time. Really all about one person's observations of the birds in her backyard. Wasn't sure what the tone would be from the preface, since it had a memoir feel, and mentioned her mother's repeated threats of self-harm, but the rest of the book is full of faithful reproductions of excerpted journal entries and truly gorgeous illustrations by the author.1/?

Emotive! 😆

Still super stressful and sad, but I felt like there was a bit more hope in this one than the last one. If I've untangled the continuity properly, it looks like what started out as DC vs. Vampires in six issues bound into two parts became DC vs Vampire: All Out War, also six issues bound into two parts , which is now continuing as DC vs Vampires: World War V - 1/2

Bleak. Brutal. Appreciably stylish in reducing the colour palette in respect to the mostly dead and very violent world. It remains interesting to see how classic characters are portrayed as vampires: what remains of their personality, what is twisted/opposite, but it's not exactly an uplifting read as it's very much the post-apocalyptic last-gasp-of-humanity flavour of vampire story. A good example of such, if you're into that sort of thing.

Ah, Florida. Can it truly be stranger than all its depictions in fiction?

Better every time. I love rereading Discworld books, I just feel I grow to appreciate the story and the writing and the world that much more each time. It's part of the City Watch collection, featuring Sam Vimes and a the usual suspects and so it's a favourite, but it's also spectacular as a work on its own. The gender politics, and the regular politics, the contrast of civilization and savagery, 1/?

It's done! Apparently knowing a book exists outside copyright and can be fetched at any time for free by accessing Project Gutenberg or YouTube audiobooks means I do not make it a priority to actually finish it. With fairly LARGE caveats: the racist stereotypes of indigenous people tossed around in casual speech (no actual indigenous characters), 1/?

Vimes.™

Oof, the entry packs a punch, but the ending sentence really knocked me out.

Hee hee. Spicy for birdy, not for squirrel! 🌶️

I had no idea this book would be so focused on the nature of work, but I loved it for that: business owner vs being a company person, part time work vs full time, the corporate tendency to offer contract over permanent position, needing to be seen as a success, the rat race, the need to make an income, make a profit vs work/life balance, 1/?

Another important realization I'm wishing on all those in the workforce.

As always, knowing there's a finite amount of this author's writing in the world makes me a little sad everytime I encounter work I haven't read. Despite that, this collection is very good at giving me the giggles, and, as with the Discworld series, the writing gets better as you go along. Stories are presented chronologically for the most part, with a split between: 1/?

Should have read this one yesterday: No truer devotee to the spirit of St. Valentine's Day than Nanny Ogg. 😉😘♥️

Written in the '90s, feeling very relevant ...🤨😤

Dear 20-year-old me...😏

Embrace complexity. 🙂‍↕️

Ow, ow, ow, ow,ow. I don't think Barbarians wax....😬

Oh, Terry, of course you did. 🥹

Le Cackle. 🇫🇷 😁

New motivational phrasing just dropped! 🔩😄

Um, that sounds amazing. Why would anyone mind?! 🌌💨📚😌

Sy Montgomery's distinctive voice, a mix of perky and reverent, just isn't a match for the overwhelmingly sad tone of the material. If dismal statistics and a flood of accidental, neglectful, cruel, and gory turtle injuries and casualties recounted wasn't enough, references to the COVID-19 pandemic and other hellish aspects of 2020 enter the story to depress the reader further. 1/?

Even better than I remembered. What is it about the ancient Greek playwrights and their ability to pack in the most momentous action, significant dialogue and impactful lessons in such a short space? Is there some kind of collected background built up from previous reading and study that makes this feel like the story is familiar and I'm walking in at just the right moment, 1/?

While I absolutely adored the writing style, there's something not quite dreamy about the way this story was told that didn't fully gel for me. At 207 pages, it's a short novel that tried to say too many things and at the same time, was content to meander in doing so. A novella about fifty pages shorter would be a meditation on the perspectives of astronauts, their links and separation from humanity, 1/?

Ooohhhhh, I needed that. 🥹 A beautiful story of diverse queer representation and self-acceptance. Addresses not just young people figuring out who they are in the sense of gender identity and sexuality and community/culture/language and mixed families, accepting themselves and being accepted by loved ones and community, but also leaving space for those who haven't figured it all out yet, 1/2

Well, THAT feels timely.

Conflicted. It's a recounting of real moments in the author's life, and it's not so much the moments themselves, but the way they were presented, selected, that rubbed me the wrong way. Decent writing, though sharp-edged, seemingly often aimed to shock. Some moments feel important to share, gain perspective on a woman's life, relatable experiences, but other moments, 1/2

Well that was way better than I thought it was going to be!
Clarifies a thesis I've been developing about my mystery/crime novel preferences: it's not simply that I prefer good/sympathetic detectives as main characters in this kind of book, it's that I need to be invested in the character, in their motives, even if they're not as warm and fuzzy; 1/?

Adjectival awesomeness.

Safe to say I'll never think about that phrase the same way again. Probably a lot of new parents already understood that nuance! 😅

Felt the need for a reread after reading Glorious Exploits, was not disappointed. Euripides' version is shorter than I remember, but I did enjoy the modern feel to the language in Michael Townsend's translation (the version I read came from Classical Tragedy Greek And Roman: 8 plays edited by Robert W. Corrigan). 1/?

WOW. I feel strangely that it's crucial and at the same time the wrong moment to explain that while I grew up listening to his most popular songs, I can't say I'm overly familiar with Elton John's discography, or life. That seems a necessary preface to me absolutely GUSHING about this autobiography. 1/?

As much an educational piece as a memoir and a travelogue, McCreesh cares deeply for the lands she's lived in and visited in the North, and takes time to talk about the history and experience of the indigenous people native to the areas, the heritage and historical and current threats to geographical communities. 1/?

Well, I wish I was coming to the end of this series with a more pronounced thought than 'thank goodness that's over'. The premise, which this book seems to be partly justifying the departure from the early idea to the later watering down, is appealing, the world-building for the most part, and a number of the characters. There are several reasons I stayed invested. 1/?

DRAMA ✨ giggles ✨DRAMA ✨giggles ♥️ heartfelt talk ♥️ DRAMA ✨ giggles ✨DRAMA ✨giggles ✨DRAMA!!! I find this a winning pattern. The art is by turns beautiful, inventive and hilarious, and the plot bounces between tense interpersonal stuff and wholesome vulnerable stuff and truly ridiculous stuff. Still my favourite portrayal of the Olympians, especially Hades and Persephone. 1/2

Honesty and communication: hallelujah. 👏🏻🙏🏻🙌🏻

I LOVED this book. And yet, I immediately feel the need to very sparingly recommend it, because it's one of those ones that I would not have thought I would love, if I knew what it was before I read it. Sure, the ancient Greek part, the discussion of Euripides' plays is a draw. I can get on board with bringing a smaller scale, down-to-earth focus on a few characters to historical or 'from the distant past' events, 1/?

Major caveat here: if I didn't have a vague idea of how this trilogy ended, I wouldn't be continuing to the next book. At the moment, I deem it worthwhile to continue, because I think having the full story told in this manner will add to the catharsis/emotional impact of the ending. But, from a 'single book' perspective, Evans has made a bold choice in making the entire work background for the narrative 1/?

Whoa. That was A LOT. A lot more than I thought it was going to be. I'm sure part of that's on me for browsing available non-fiction audiobooks and choosing one based on title alone. But even within the realm of 'economic crisis leads to more rustic accommodations', that was a lot. 1/2

A beautiful and delightful tribute to art, imagination, creativity and the city of New York. I love to discover dialogue free books, purely visual storytelling, There's such a wealth of possibilities, I feel like there's so much more to explore and experiment with in such a medium that there should be more out there than I've found. Happy to take recommendations!

So much fun! Sharing is caring, collaboration is key, and proper seating and attention to load restrictions is important for flying transportation. 😉

Clever mouse. 😏 I can definitely see why it's a classic. I'm a sucker for a rhyming tale with good illustrations, especially when the protagonist succeeds by outwitting those who thought they had the upper hand.

Hooooohhh, my goodness, what on earth can I say that isn't a spoiler? This was at least as awesome a read as the first book, I continue to love the tandem audio and print book experience. I cannot WAIT until my turn with the third in the series, once my library's order arrives. Fingers crossed for a short hold list! Stellar character development for everyone involved. 1/?

Valid. 🐎

Obviously there are more serious implications, but I love how happy Skedi is with the shiny giftie! ☺️

I'm struggling to resist the urge to call this pleasantly packaged fatalism, because it's definitely a reductive way of looking at the story as a whole. I usually enjoy sci-fi stories that are more human-focused, that address the interpersonal, exploring how humans/beings deal with life and each other, but this narrative walks the less trod path of addressing 1/?

I love when sci-fi authors solve language puzzles presented by telling a story with aliens in a language created by humans.
How do you say something's man-made, when it wasn't made by man? [ Yeah, you could say artificial or not natural, but this is more fun 😊].