31 December 2015

Review: The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses

The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses by Kevin Birmingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ulysses is not a book I've read. Yeah, I've read close to 1000 books in the last four years, but Ulysses is not one of them and is likely never going to be one of them. This book, however, is sort of a biography of Ulysses, from Joyce's writing it to the publication of it to the censorship battles waged over it.

I'm always curious about how society and governments handle subversive art in whatever forms they come in, so the benefit of this book is less the discussion of whether Ulysses was art or obscene or both (although there is some discussion), but rather how the work survived some of the worst times in semi-modern history for this sort of censorial activity. Especially coming from a time where we discuss banned books even though the ban usually amounts to not being on the shelf you'd expect, the sort of smuggling operations for a work like this were impressive to read about. That we get a glimpse into the character of James Joyce is also a plus, especially considering how fundamental it is to the overall tale.

A good read overall. Maybe more meaningful to those who enjoy or appreciate Ulysses, but I got a lot of out this book in a lot of ways.

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Review: An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A compendium of fifty unrecognized and largely unnoticed states

An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A compendium of fifty unrecognized and largely unnoticed states An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A compendium of fifty unrecognized and largely unnoticed states by Nick Middleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been intrigued about micronations and unrecognized nations for a long, long time. I used to make little maps as a kid, devour atlases and such. It's just always been there. I was told about this absolutely gorgeous book a while back and knew I needed to own a copy.

In terms of presentation, this is one of the best I've seen. The maps are cut out from the pages before them, allowing for basic demographics on one page and capsule histories on the following. You get a very basic look at each "nation" and then move right on to the next one. It's a lot of fun, and perhaps more of an introductory piece.

The book ultimately loses points for me because of the overall lack of detail and the choices made as to which to highlight. For every oddity like Sealand, you get a lot of indigenous lands or annexed provinces that maybe don't belong in a volume like this in this sort of presentation. Plus, giving what amounts to one page of detail for each nation (for example, much of Sealand is given to the armed attempt to take it over by the British government and not much else; even the 99% Invisible introductory piece gives more detail in their shortform piece than this does) simply doesn't give the sort of weight or depth that a lot of these deserve. I wanted more!

Overall, though, this is just as much a conversation piece as it is a conversation starter. Absolutely a must have for those who love pretty books or want a good starter to the micronation/lost nations discussion, but if you're already well-versed and data presentation isn't your cup of tea, you might want to look elsewhere.

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30 December 2015

Review: Welcome to Night Vale

Welcome to Night Vale Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can't remember exactly when the first time I listened to Night Vale was, but it wasn't too long after they started. While it's maybe gotten a little long in the tooth even as a trailblazer, the book version of this was a welcome surprise. A story within Night Vale even if it's not just like the podcast (although it does have interludes of the radio program within), the benefit of this story is twofold:

1) It gets the charm and feel of Night Vale down pat. You feel like you're there, and the tone and quality of the writing holds up in a more narrative format.

2) It's a great entry point. You don't have to know the show for this to work, but it absolutely helps. Even on its own, it's a solid stand-alone weird fiction tale. I would have enjoyed this without the Night Vale brand, and maybe even might have liked it more.

So if you're still into the podcast, or even feeling a little burned out on it, this is worth some of your time. It's a solid read and one you'd probably enjoy if weird stuff is your thing.

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Review: George

George George by Alex Gino
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've read a lot of middle grade/YA trans experience books recently, and George, at least in my circles, is commonly referred to as The Book in this subgenre. For me, it's a solid, quiet story, but suffers from a lot of the same issues the other books like it are suffering from.

In this one, George is in fifth grade and knows she's a girl, but no one else does. The class is doing a school play of Charlotte's Web, however, and that may be her opening to be who she really is.

For now, I'll put aside the point that this is a complicated issue for kids to start for a lot of reasons, and dive in more that the book, like many others, doesn't really delve into that complexity for most readers. The result is a book that scratches the surface of the issue, but still makes a lot of references to issues and concerns that are too old for the intended audience. While it's probably impossible to discuss the issue without having the characters in question discuss genitalia, for example, having read many of these books indicates at least a lack of trying to get there.

Then again, I could be approaching this one incorrectly. The intended audience in this case may in fact be trans kids, which is a very laudable goal but also an exceptionally small market, so it may be why there's a lack of resonance here that we get from other books in the subgenre. That's not a knock against the book, but may be why it's just okay to me. While there's merit to the idea that books need to reflect the broad audience out there, there's also the ability of books to expose readers to characters and people not like them, and this might be a failure in terms of grabbing them.

Overall, though, the story is probably just a little too quiet. We're asked to feel for George, but the emotional weight isn't there. We see some positive developments at the end, and it leaves with a message of hope, but in terms of books that get the weight out there, this one might just be too quiet to be the one.

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28 December 2015

Review: The Sculptor

The Sculptor The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Man, this book.

So Scott McCloud is sort of legendary in graphic circles, and for good reason. I heard great things about this one, but I really honestly didn't expect this sort of great story. It's sort of a love letter to art and creation and such, but also really grasps what trying to be an artist can be like.

We follow David Smith, who is a sculptor who can't seem to get any traction. He meets a man who offers him a deal he can't refuse: 200 days to be able to sculpt anything with his hands, but he dies when his time is up. What follows is a trajectory that's unpredictable and maddening.

I get it. I haven't been as creative as I used to be as of late for a myriad of reasons, but the sort of craziness that can sometimes inhabit you comes across in full force here. I feel like this hits upon a lot of the artists I know, along with the personality quirks that go with it. The book handles mental illness in a pretty real way as well, which is a nice change of pace even if the "mentally disturbed artist" trope has a tendency to be overdone. What's best, though, are the surprises. Even though this has a Faustian angle to it, I kept being surprised as the book went on, and that's always a good thing. And the artwork is gorgeous, and is definitely in the more traditional comic medium without sacrificing the clarity and beauty of it all - it's a different kind of gorgeous than what modern graphic novels with amazing art tend to be.

Still, this is a great example of the best graphic novels have to offer. Really should be up there in terms of required reading for those who love the medium or want to see what it's about. I know I would have fallen in love with graphic novels much earlier if I had seen this a decade ago. Simply a must read, amazingly done.

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Review: The Sculptor

The Sculptor The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Man, this book.

So Scott McCloud is sort of legendary in graphic circles, and for good reason. I heard great things about this one, but I really honestly didn't expect this sort of great story. It's sort of a love letter to art and creation and such, but also really grasps what trying to be an artist can be like.

We follow David Smith, who is a sculptor who can't seem to get any traction. He meets a man who offers him a deal he can't refuse: 200 days to be able to sculpt anything with his hands, but he dies when his time is up. What follows is a trajectory that's unpredictable and maddening.

I get it. I haven't been as creative as I used to be as of late for a myriad of reasons, but the sort of craziness that can sometimes inhabit you comes across in full force here. I feel like this hits upon a lot of the artists I know, along with the personality quirks that go with it. The book handles mental illness in a pretty real way as well, which is a nice change of pace even if the "mentally disturbed artist" trope has a tendency to be overdone. What's best, though, are the surprises. Even though this has a Faustian angle to it, I kept being surprised as the book went on, and that's always a good thing. And the artwork is gorgeous, and is definitely in the more traditional comic medium without sacrificing the clarity and beauty of it all - it's a different kind of gorgeous than what modern graphic novels with amazing art tend to be.

Still, this is a great example of the best graphic novels have to offer. Really should be up there in terms of required reading for those who love the medium or want to see what it's about. I know I would have fallen in love with graphic novels much earlier if I had seen this a decade ago. Simply a must read, amazingly done.

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23 December 2015

Review: Nest

Nest Nest by Esther Ehrlich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book broke my heart into a million tiny little pieces, and I'm still trying to find a way to put it back together again.

A little girl nicknamed Chirp lives on Cape Cod in the early 1970s. Her mother, a dancer, is quickly stricken with a disease, and later depression, and Chirp has to learn to kind of cope with everything that goes along with that.

It's a heartbreaker for a lot of reasons, both personal and otherwise. As someone who has his own depression issues and is a parent, this book hit close to home even if I'm not anywhere near the extremes of Chips's mom. But there were moments in this book where I literally had to toss down my Kindle in frustration and sadness because, guys, this book is so sad. And the way Chirp and her friend cope with everything in the end is both empowering and heartbreaking in its own way.

I don't have a relationship with this book the way I do, say, The Start of Me and You. There's one flaw in this, and that's the unfortunate fact that this is a story that's too heavy for younger readers, but written toward younger readers in a way that might lose the older ones who would benefit the most from it. Still, as a basic work of fiction? Geez. Just one of the more impactful and solid reads I've experienced in a long time.

This is one of those books everyone should track down and read. It won't take you long, and it will really do a number on you in a good way. I wish all books impacted me the way this one did, and I hope it finds its way into the hands of kids who would really benefit from it, if only so they know that there are other people who understand the sort of suffering in play.

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01 December 2015

Review: Not If I See You First

Not If I See You First Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes a book takes some time to hook you in, other times you can pinpoint the exact moment the book charms the heck out of you. Not If I See You First is a pretty great book, but the benefit of it is the little moments along the way that rope you in, making the whole so much more pleasurable.

The story follows Parker, a girl who was blinded in a car accident years earlier. Both her parents have since passed, she's in school, and things are about as difficult as you'd expect. She does have a good support group of friends and does enjoy running, though, so that's something, but now there's a boy involved and that's when things start getting a little complicated.

There's a scene about a quarter of the way through when she goes shopping for running shoes that changed this to a sort of standard teen romance with a twist into something a little more. The way Lindstrom handles the blindness issue, the way we get to see the personalities around Parker similar to how she experiences them is a nice touch, and there are some pretty great messages in here throughout. Is it perfect? Not at all. I'm sure many people could take some issue with the portrayal, but it got me thinking more about the issue and as a good starting point, I'm in favor.

If you like YA books, like teen romances, this one should really be on your list. There's a lot here to love.

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