I happened across this book while looking for something else and it just sounded cool, so I put it on hold. And it is SUPER cool! Beautiful illustratiI happened across this book while looking for something else and it just sounded cool, so I put it on hold. And it is SUPER cool! Beautiful illustrations based on real photographs of seven kids around the world and their families, their houses, their meals, their schools, their games, their beds, their clothes, their names... It’s fun to see the similarities and differences among all of these kids, and learn more about where and how they live. It’s a very simple concept, but done just perfectly! I would love for there to be more books like this for sure. ————- Update: Elijah has now gotten hooked on this book as well. At this point you can name any of the kids or any of their family members and he can point them out. He knows who all the clothes and houses belong to. He gets really disturbed by the fact that one Japanese girl is not in her seat and yells, “No, girl!” at her whenever we get to that page, and he also doesn’t like that apparently kids in Russia don’t raise their hands all the way up in class. He loves saying “Bonka” (which is what he calls his little brother) when he sees Kian helping take care of his little brother. He always tries to grab the bike at Kei’s house out of the book, and he is weirdly fixated on Romeo’s dad Oscar.
All that to say, my not-quite-two-year-old also thinks it’s super cool, and I am kind of amazed at how well a book this long has held his attention! We have read it about 25 times now, and he just seems to get sucked in deeper and deeper.
Am I regretting bringing it home now? …Maybe a little? But mostly I still really love it....more
This was...I dunno. Not what I was expecting? And I really, really loved that.
It’s long, and has a million chapters, and it’s not a romance. Instead This was...I dunno. Not what I was expecting? And I really, really loved that.
It’s long, and has a million chapters, and it’s not a romance. Instead it’s about friendship and family and expectations and finding and being who you are when the world tries to drown you out. It’s about losing each other and finding each other and letting each other in. It’s about the choices nobody tells you you’re allowed to make and finding the strength to make them.
And Universe City. My gosh, do I ever wish this was a real thing! I had absolute chills at the end, and then burst into tears. Just, Oseman makes all of it feel so real and huge and compelling and I want that whole story, not just the excerpts she’s posted on YouTube. Universe City is basically the third main character. It’s going to haunt me for a long time, it really is. I’m totally gonna go look up Universe City fan art now.
I wasn’t sure what I would think about a novel by Oseman, as I’ve only ever read Heartstopper. Clearly I should not have worried! I’m now definitely looking forward to reading Solitaire. ...more
I know not everyone has this opinion, but this was already my third time reading this book and I still love it, possibly even more so now that I've liI know not everyone has this opinion, but this was already my third time reading this book and I still love it, possibly even more so now that I've listened to the audio version. Adjoa Andoh does an incredible job, and besides the fact that I was a little confused at how many different accents members of the same family have, and was never quite sure about the voice she gives Tic, everything else about it is...SO well done! I also see that now her version of Ancillary Justice is available on Audible, which excites me to no end. I know what else I'll be rereading again soon!...more
Why do I always take so long to read the books in this series??? Sometimes I'm dumb. Why do I always take so long to read the books in this series??? Sometimes I'm dumb. ...more
Wow, this book was good. I actually had no idea what it was about when I started it, but I'd read a couple other Robin Benway books before and liked tWow, this book was good. I actually had no idea what it was about when I started it, but I'd read a couple other Robin Benway books before and liked them, so it was on my to-read list just for that. Anyway, it turns out this book is super relevant to my life right now, and really beautifully written, and I basically cried all through the entire last fourth of it. I mean, I absolutely fell in love with everyone and other than one small detail (view spoiler)[seriously, why do so many people in books die by walking out in front of a truck?!? I feel like this does not happen anywhere near as often in real life as it seems to in fiction (hide spoiler)] I loved the way everything fits into place in the end (perhaps it's not 100% realistic, but it's definitely lovely and hopeful). And the audio is really great!
Definitely one of my favorite books that I've read this year--highly recommended!...more
Here I go, reading short stories again! With names like Ellie Marney, Amie Kaufman, and Jaclyn Moriarty on the cover I obviously couldn't resist. WillHere I go, reading short stories again! With names like Ellie Marney, Amie Kaufman, and Jaclyn Moriarty on the cover I obviously couldn't resist. Will update as I read each one so I don't forget by the time I get to the end which ones were good!
One Small Step by Amie Kaufman: Super cute--loved the background and the setting (Mars!) and the two main characters. BUT I WANTED MORE! Amie, can you please write a whole book about this now, please? Seriously, everyone wants this!
I Can See the Ending by Will Kostakis: So good. SO GOOD! Funny, sad, sweet, great dialogue, super intriguing premise... Why haven't I heard of this guy? I need to read more of his stuff ASAP.
In a Heartbeat by Alice Pung: This one...it took me a little time to get into it. I wasn’t totally sure about the voice at first. But man, by the end, I really loved it, and the relationship between Kim and her mother. I should read something else by Alice Pung ASAP too!
First Casualty by Michael Pryor: This one’s real heavy-handed. I could never really buy into any of it because the metaphor is just so obvious—it felt really off-putting to me. I get and appreciate the message, but...I guess I prefer more subtlety in my messages? I dunno.
Sundays by Melissa Keil: While I feel like I didn’t totally connect with the utter disaster of this Saturday night, and found a few things sort of out of place, I still really liked something about it. It’s cute. And sweet. And hopeful. I’d definitely give more of Keil’s stuff a try! As a side note, this is the second story in this book with a character named Lara. I approve!
Missing Persons by Ellie Marney: PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT! Just. I love Watts and Mycroft so much, and this story about their first meeting is exactly what I needed. I should reread the whole series, like, right now.
Oona Underground by Lili Wilkinson: Strange and unexpected and...good! I feel like I’m still not completely sure what I feel about it, but the magical realism very much worked for me, and the...darkness of it, and then the light. I would for sure like to read more by Wilkinson, if her other stuff is at all like this.
The Feeling From Over Here by Gabrielle Tozer" Oh, man, I liked this one so much as well--I really liked getting both characters' perspectives and basically just wanted an entire book about this. Will definitely plan on reading Remind Me How This Ends soon!
Last Night at the Mount Solemn Observatory by Danielle Binks: Sweet story about a little sister wanting to hang out with her older deaf brother on his last night in town. I liked the sign language aspect of it, especially as I'm doing a sign language storytime in a couple days at work, and I found it super interesting how American and Australian sign language differs. My heart ached a little for King, and I loved how Bowie comes around to see his leaving in a different light. Guess this is yet ANOTHER author I need to check out!
Competition Entry #349 by Jacklyn Moriarty: Last, but certainly not least, Jacklyn Moriarty, who is just kinda fabulous. This one has a similar sense of humor as the Ashbury/Brookfield series, similar whimsy as the Colors of Madeleine series, involving family, a first kiss, and a little time travel. It's funny and cute and a great example of what I like so much about her stuff.
And now it's over! And you know what? I'm pretty sure this is the best anthology I've ever read. There was really only one story in the whole collection I didn't quite connect to, and multiple authors that I feel the need to track down more work by as soon as I can. It's a great variety too--some magical realism, some sci-fi, some contemporary teen romance, some family life... I think it really worked not having a theme (other than being YA and Australian) like most anthologies do. I 100% recommend!...more
THIS is the kind of cookbook I love! Gavin does not spend these pages and pages on herself, telling all about how she got into cooking and where she fTHIS is the kind of cookbook I love! Gavin does not spend these pages and pages on herself, telling all about how she got into cooking and where she first encountered such-and-such recipe and spouting philosophy and superfoods every which way.
Okay, wait. Before I go any further, yeah, to be fair, a lot of the cookbooks I read are by people who own restaurants, and so maybe readers (besides me) actually do want to know all about their lives. But that shit bores me. I do not care where you first tasted quinoa or have any interest in reading a funny story about your cousin and brussel sprouts.
AAAAAAnyway, Gavin does not do any of these things. Instead she talks about the history of Jewish food in different parts of the world--where various recipes originated, how they're eaten in different areas, when they're typically eaten and with what and what different ways of making them exist. She talks about Jewish holidays and which foods symbolize which concepts. It's super interesting! I'm not Jewish, I know next to nothing about Judaism, but I love food, and I love the idea of introducing people to different ideas through food.
The recipes do get a little more complicated as the book moves towards the main courses, but there's so much in here that's simple and easy and fast and just sounds good. There aren't photographs of everything in here, but what photos there are make the food look totally delicious, and my one disappointment is that there is only one recipe for kugle, which I developed a (possibly unhealthy) obsession with, thanks to the days when our then library manager's mom would make it and a bunch of other stuff for us and just...I miss that kugle so much! I should just ask her for the recipe.
This reminded me of Bryan Terry's Afro-Vegan: Farm Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed in it's approach, and I think I just want more cookbooks to explore the history of food in this way. I totally put off bringing this one home for a long time because there aren't really many pictures, but man! I was dumb.
If you have any interest in Jewish food, or just food in general, and especially in food history, I think you'll appreciate this one....more
I've been meaning to reread this in audio format pretty much since immediately after I finished the print version and I finally got around to doing itI've been meaning to reread this in audio format pretty much since immediately after I finished the print version and I finally got around to doing it and I love it just as much, if not more, than I did to begin with. Seriously, if you like literary fiction and space, I feel like we'll be on the same page here, even though so many reviews are kinda meh. I'm convinced that at least 80% of the meh reviews are because people thought they were getting another version of The Martian and that's not what this is even a little bit.
I think it hit me even more this time through how masterfully Howery plays with metaphor here, and how the Mars sim really kind of mirrors the internal thoughts and experiences of the characters--and not just the astronauts. I'm now almost completely certain that (view spoiler)[Prime did, indeed, send the crew to Mars without telling anyone (hide spoiler)], and I think there are a lot of clues that point to this, buuuuuut at the same time, there are also clues that can point in the other direction, so no matter how you look at it, it's still a mystery, and one that I still find completely satisfying.
And I have so much fondess for every one of these characters (except maybe Luke, but we just don't really get to know him as well as we do the others), and the ways they all grow over the course of the book is just so beautiful.
I honestly don't read a lot of literary fiction, but for whatever reason, this one has kind of become one of my very favorite books of recent years, and I think it deserves way more praise than it's gotten. Plus, the audio is just about perfect. I can easily see this becoming a yearly read for me, and that...just doesn't happen often at all.
So yeah. If you're looking for something that's pretty much the exact opposite of The Martian in every conceivable way? Give this one a try. You might fall just as in love with it as I have....more
Spied this on a shelving cart this morning and couldn't resist, and I'm so glad I didn't even try! I already read the entire thing!
So, first of all, Spied this on a shelving cart this morning and couldn't resist, and I'm so glad I didn't even try! I already read the entire thing!
So, first of all, I don't really watch a lot of movies, so it might seem weird that I'm so excited about a book full of them. I've seen/heard of about three of the movies in this book, but the way Rao talks about them is so engaging that I just added about twenty of them to my Netflix/Amazon Prime watch lists. There's a really wide variety of movies, and Rao goes into their histories and what makes them stand out, and then also offers three watch-alikes for every film featured. There's a lot I didn't know about Bollywood films, but he starts out with a Bollywood 101 and gives so much good background info in a very entertaining way. And then with the meal pairings, most of which sound suuuuper delicious? SOLD!
Anyway, I have not actually cooked anything out of this book, but the recipes mostly seem easy and healthy and not too fussy. It's not a vegetarian cookbook, but most of the recipes are vegetarian or could fairly easily be adapted, and he lists a bunch of info on ingredients and where to find them and what to substitute if you can't.
Just. So much great info, an entertaining writing style, and pretty pictures of both food and Bollywood stars. Ba-cha!...more
I always love these Persona art books--seeing the original idea behind the various characters, and how they evolved into their final versions is superI always love these Persona art books--seeing the original idea behind the various characters, and how they evolved into their final versions is super interesting to me. And plus, the art is just so good!...more
This book made me cry so hard. Several times. If you've read it, you know exactly what I mean.
Blakeslee tells the story of the reintroduction of wolvThis book made me cry so hard. Several times. If you've read it, you know exactly what I mean.
Blakeslee tells the story of the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone, through the eyes of those involved--mainly Doug Smith, the Yellowstone wolf reintroduction project leader, and Rick McIntyre, wolf biologist, as well as dedicated wolf watchers, but also various ranchers and lawyers and hunters. But the stars of this show are obviously the wolves themselves, especially 21 and 42, 06, and 755 and 754, who we get to see grow up and start families and (thus, the tears) die. And you really get a sense of their personalities and dynamics here, and absolutely will fall in love with them (I guess unless you just really hate wolves, which clearly some people do).
While I think Blakeslee definitely comes down strongly in favor of wolves, I feel like he actually does a great job of not making out the ranchers and hunters to just be horrible villains. As much as I hated reading about (view spoiler)[06's death (hide spoiler)], the man responsible is right--he did absolutely nothing wrong according to the law, and should not be tarred and feathered over it (though I 100% don't like or understand the practice of (view spoiler)[trophy hunting (hide spoiler)]). But it breaks my heart the way these laws are made--and I think the book highlights this really well--how much of wildlife management is decided by politics and not science, and how agencies of the same government can be so at odds with each other, and how people can see small parts of complicated and interconnected issues and think those parts are the whole, in black and white, and refuse or are unable to see things from any other angles.
06's story has definitely changed the landscape of wolf reintroduction and the laws surrounding it, and I hope this book reintroduces wolves to America in a way that many have not experienced before. For me, it reaffirmed my love of and respect for wildlife of all kinds, and, having followed what was going on with the Yellowstone wolves for awhile before these events took place, made me even more determined to make it out there sometime to see Yellowstone wolves in person. ...more
* The illustrations are lovely! There are very few photos (though many feature a cute dog) or even illustrations of fiReasons for rating this 5 stars:
* The illustrations are lovely! There are very few photos (though many feature a cute dog) or even illustrations of finished dishes, but all the colored pencil art here is so cute and cheerful and fun and frame-worthy. Mission accomplished there, Jade O'Donahoo!
* It brought back fond memories of my childhood in England by describing Mustard-Maple Baked Beans with Goat's Cheese on toast as "breakfasty." O'Donahoo is Australian, but either way, in America, this is not considered breakfasty AT ALL because America is super ridiculous about what is considered a breakfast food and what is not and people get very snobby about it. I want to make this recipe for breakfast ASAP and tell anyone who challenges me HA!
* I love how in pretty much all of her recipes she's like, "hey, just throw in whatever you have--it's fun!" This is how cooking is meant to be!
* It includes a recipe for labneh, which I used to be able to get from our favorite Mediterranean restaurant until they took it off the menu like a BUNCH OF JERKFACES! Ahem.
* Some of these recipes literally take like ten minutes to make. This is my 100% kind of meal.
* Also I got to brush up on my British/Australian with words like capsicum and yoghurt and dishy, BUT (v. important distinction after my Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall tragedy) all the measurements are in both metric AND non-metric!
* Did I mention lots of photos of a cute dog? I feel like me and Jade O'Donahoo could be good friends.
Anyway, I love it, and btw this book is on sale for like $3.00 new on Amazon right now, which is CRAZY cheap, so if it sounds like your thing you should probably go snap one up and then you can be my good friend too (especially if you also like dogs and eating "weird" things for breakfast).
I...loved everything about this book so much! It actually made me laugh out loud until I cried and sometimes I did both at the same time and since I cI...loved everything about this book so much! It actually made me laugh out loud until I cried and sometimes I did both at the same time and since I couldn't stop reading it (I read the entire thing in one sitting), and stayed up way too late to finish it, I had to try really hard to craugh quietly and not shake the bed since my husband was trying to sleep! It's possible I was a little delirious since I felt like crap all day and then stayed awake past 8:30, which is when I've been going to bed lately because I'm an old person, but no, I think it just really is that good.
I love Claudia and her perfect awkward sarcasm and her relationship with her brother Alex and with her parents and her friendship with Zoe. Gideon is freaking ADORABLE, and his friendship with Noah is super sweet. But IRIS! She is so my fave in this book, and I loved her prickliness and her boy band obsession and just...the way Claudia's and her relationship progresses throughout the book is beautiful.
I also appreciated that even though Claudia is a not-so-rich kid going to a rich kid school, this book never really does that thing where it's all about the rich kids being snobby assholes. I mean, some of them are kind of assholes at times, but it's because they're just assholes, not because they're rich, you know? I appreciated that it didn't follow those tropes about everyone who has money being entitled jerks.
But also...did I mention that it's just really funny? The banter is so spot on and surprising and I just found it perfect. Also the part where Gideon is in Claudia's MMORPG (I can't remember the name...Battle Something?) and his character is doing all the dances and can't stop emoting? I just about died I was laughing so hard. That might have been when the tears started.
ANYWAY, now I'm going to put every single Emma Mills book on hold and read them all! ___________ Reread! Aaaaand, I stayed up late AGAIN, and then finished it while eating lunch in the break room at work, laughing and crying the whole time. I just love Iris and Gideon so, so much!!!
That's all. ——————— Was very, very badly needing a comfort book Thursday night and this is the first one I thought of. Then I decided to just reread the first volume of Food Wars instead, and that actually worked out pretty well…for a bit. But then when things were really bad in the middle of the night and I’d only managed about two hours of sleep I started this one and was pretty much immediately smitten with it all over again. It didn’t really make life any easier once I stopped reading, but it’s at least let me focus my brain on something else and made me laugh. Perfect comfort book indeed!
But…now I need another one. Probably a whole series of them. :(...more
This is probably one of my favorites of the short stories so far. It's Matthew's first Christmas home with Max and Leon, and he's worried about his frThis is probably one of my favorites of the short stories so far. It's Matthew's first Christmas home with Max and Leon, and he's worried about his friends. Max, looking for a way to connect with him, especially after Leon's news that (view spoiler)[he's pretty sure Matthew will choose to stay with the Time Police instead of living with them (hide spoiler)], of course decides to follow tradition and make an illicit Christmas Eve jump in order to give Matthew's friends a treat and help in what ways she can. It's less comedic than usual (possibly owing to (view spoiler)[Peterson and Markham staying behind (hide spoiler)], though there are still funny bits, but I really loved her interactions with Matthew, and as well as with Leon afterward.
Two five-star reviews for Jeff Lemire in one day, what what!
So, this reminded me, very pleasantly, of B.P.R.D. Maybe the quote from Mike Mignola on thTwo five-star reviews for Jeff Lemire in one day, what what!
So, this reminded me, very pleasantly, of B.P.R.D. Maybe the quote from Mike Mignola on the cover ("I don't read many comics these days, and I can't remember the last time I read a superhero comic, but I'm loving Black Hammer") influenced me in that somewhat, as well as the combination of the name Abe (I LOVE YOU, ABE SAPIEN!) and the characters of Barbalien and Talky-Walky. But in any case, something about it already felt familiar to me in a good way.
Part of it is probably that this is exactly the type of superhero comic I'm most interested in: superheroes who are not perfect, stories not about kicking villains' asses, but more about how to survive as a "normal" person when you're no longer a hero. What happens after.
I like that a full volume in, I know a little bit about each character's before, as well as what things are like for them in their now, but not a whole lot about the cause of their change in circumstances. I like that it's something to do with the title character, who we still know next to nothing about and have only even seen in flashbacks a couple of times. I'm interested in the fact that his daughter has shown up. I want to know more, about all of it. What happens with Barbie's and Abe's relationship dramas? How will Gail continue to deal with school, as a 55-year-old trapped in a 9-year-old's body, not to mention with her unrequited crush on a teammate/housemate? What is up with Colonel Weird? And Madame Dragonfly's cabin, and her baby? And how did they all get stuck on this farm out in the middle of nowhere? What happened to the Black Hammer???
Anyway, well done again, Jeff Lemire! I'm hooked!
Also, this was my last library book to finish before the start of my annual FINALLY READ WHAT YOU FREAKING OWN ALREADY month--I guess I'll have to start reading things I freaking own already a whole day early!...more
I just love Jeff Lemire more and more, and as much as I love his sci-fi stuff (Descender, Vol. 1: Tin Stars 💖💖💖!!!), I feel like his realistic storiesI just love Jeff Lemire more and more, and as much as I love his sci-fi stuff (Descender, Vol. 1: Tin Stars 💖💖💖!!!), I feel like his realistic stories are where he really shines. This is another of what I have dubbed his "sad hockey stories"--I called it that before I actually read it--but that description is pretty flippant and unfair.
It's about a brother and sister dealing with the messes they've made of their lives and coming to terms with the things that have lead them there--an abusive father, the traumatic death of their mother, drugs, alcohol, violence, running away from their problems... The resolution is really, really beautiful, while still staying true to the characters, and leaves them in a hopeful place (though with some ambiguity as to what actually happens, which I love). Lemire's art is perfect for this story--simple, sketchy, black and white and blue, with red used sparingly (and shockingly).
It's just...so well done. This one's definitely in the same vein as his Essex County trilogy, so if you liked that, this will be perfect for you....more
Okay, really, I don't think this book is PERFECT, but you know what? It's damn close. I know it's not the type of story that will work for everyone. IOkay, really, I don't think this book is PERFECT, but you know what? It's damn close. I know it's not the type of story that will work for everyone. It moves slowly, and quietly, and is all about main character Isobel figuring out what her job is, and how to do it, and who she is and who she should be and who she wants to be and how to reconcile all those things. And same for Gabriel. I love their relationship so, so much, and that it hasn't taken a turn for the obligatory romance, and that it's so much more beautiful and thrilling because of that fact. I love the mythology and the magic and the history of this alternate old-western world. I love the hardness of all of it, as well as the tenderness.
Just...I've been in a bit of a book slump lately, and this one? It just sucked me in immediately and completely and I'm so ready for book 3, and I feel in my bones that this is a series I will come back to. I FEEL IT IN MY LIVING SILVER BONES!
This is the kind of fantasy that really hooks me, that's all....more
I loved this! The art is perfect, and I could so relate to Aster and his discomfort with his family’s expectations for him and disapproval of what he I loved this! The art is perfect, and I could so relate to Aster and his discomfort with his family’s expectations for him and disapproval of what he wants. I feel like the message is pretty obvious, but really well done, and while it wraps up neatly at the end, I would definitely love for there to be more about Aster and his human friend and his family. More, Molly Knox Ostertag, more!...more
So, I listen to a lot of celebrity autobios, even celebs for whom I have pretty much no frame of reference. Sports dudes? Sure! Late night talk show hSo, I listen to a lot of celebrity autobios, even celebs for whom I have pretty much no frame of reference. Sports dudes? Sure! Late night talk show hosts? Ok! Former child stars? Sign me up! All that to say, I'd heard of Gabourey Sidibe before I picked this up, and knew she was that girl in Precious, a movie that I've never actually seen, because I pretty much only watch really dumb comedies and sci-fi, but that's about the only thing I knew about her.
And now? I WANT TO BE HER BEST FRIEND!
I've seen a number of friends say this about various other celebs, like Tiny Fey, and Felicia Day, and Anna Kendrick, and Mindy Kaling, but I don't think I've ever felt that way before. GABOUREY SIDIBE IS AMAZING THOUGH! She's hilarious, and honest, and sarcastic, and grounded, and smart, and completely without pretense, and just! So cool! This book made me laugh so many times in some of the same ways my actual best friends do, and is written (and narrated) in such a casual way, you really do feel like you're just, you know, hanging out. There's hard stuff, and sad stuff, and inspiring stuff, and funny stuff, and I loved it. I LOVE HER!
Ahem.
Seriously though, you want to know this girl. Read this book! Better yet, LISTEN TO THIS BOOK!...more
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