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What I Finished Reading This Week
Something Is Killing The Children vol. 1 – James Tynion, Werther Dell’edera, & Miquel Muerto
This came highly recommended to me by a good friend. When a second good friend who does not know the first also highly recommended it, I took the plunge. The plot and characterizations feel far more developed than in many other titles' first volumes, the horror is well done, and the protagonist's character design references Death Note's L and Bleach's Vizards in all the best ways. I hear the worldbuilding in subsequent volumes is pretty great, and definitely look forward to reading them.
What I Finished at Some Point in the Past 3.5 Months
The Shadows of Men – Abir Mukherjee
For the first time in the series, Mukherjee narrates part of the story from Surendranath’s perspective. I'd been hoping for this since the first book and enjoyed how it opened up more opportunities to tell the story. I also really enjoyed Ooravis (a Parsi) and the Bombay setting (so many crossover possibilities with the Perveen Mistry novels!). That said, the plot was as full of holes as were those in previous volumes. ( Read more... ) But oh man, that ending. These aren't the most well-written books, but they're quick, fun reads, and that ending. Give me the next volume, please!
This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends – Nicole Pelroth
Parts of this book—namely, where Pelroth engages with the actual subject matter—are fascinating. Unfortunately, she’s far more interested in trying to write herself into a bogus cloak and dagger action movie narrative. Hint: if you’re citing years’ worth of interviews, articles, and books in your “Notes” section, your sources are neither exclusive nor hard to contact and you are not uncovering any earth-shattering revelations. Similarly, if you spend 90 percent of your book criticizing what you claim are completely inadequate responses to a problem, it’s a pretty bad look—to say nothing of disingenuous—to propose the exact same responses as solutions in your epilogue. Give this one a skip.
Indonesian: A Comprehensive Grammar – James Sneddon
Nobody publishes a better grammar than Routledge, and this volume is no exception. I absolutely recommend this excellently organized and (yes) comprehensive volume to anyone with an interest in the Indonesian language.
What I Am Currently Reading
[ ] – [ ]
For reasons.
Holly Black – The Book of Night
Holly Black writes some of the best trailer trash protagonists around. Even still, I have yet to read more than the first few chapters. Why? Because I’m 90 percent certain I forgot to submit my receipt to get the publisher’s free shwag for preordering this book. Would I have preordered this book even if no shwag had been offered? Yes. Is this reaction therefore silly? Yes. But there you have it.
Dracula – Bram Stoker
For Dracula Daily, just like the rest of you.
Rouge Street – Shuang Xuetao
These novellas remind me of vintage Yoshimoto Banana.
[ ] – [ ]
A different unnamed book than the above; also for reasons.
What I’m Reading Next
I acquired no new books this week.
これで以上です
Something Is Killing The Children vol. 1 – James Tynion, Werther Dell’edera, & Miquel Muerto
This came highly recommended to me by a good friend. When a second good friend who does not know the first also highly recommended it, I took the plunge. The plot and characterizations feel far more developed than in many other titles' first volumes, the horror is well done, and the protagonist's character design references Death Note's L and Bleach's Vizards in all the best ways. I hear the worldbuilding in subsequent volumes is pretty great, and definitely look forward to reading them.
What I Finished at Some Point in the Past 3.5 Months
The Shadows of Men – Abir Mukherjee
For the first time in the series, Mukherjee narrates part of the story from Surendranath’s perspective. I'd been hoping for this since the first book and enjoyed how it opened up more opportunities to tell the story. I also really enjoyed Ooravis (a Parsi) and the Bombay setting (so many crossover possibilities with the Perveen Mistry novels!). That said, the plot was as full of holes as were those in previous volumes. ( Read more... ) But oh man, that ending. These aren't the most well-written books, but they're quick, fun reads, and that ending. Give me the next volume, please!
This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends – Nicole Pelroth
Parts of this book—namely, where Pelroth engages with the actual subject matter—are fascinating. Unfortunately, she’s far more interested in trying to write herself into a bogus cloak and dagger action movie narrative. Hint: if you’re citing years’ worth of interviews, articles, and books in your “Notes” section, your sources are neither exclusive nor hard to contact and you are not uncovering any earth-shattering revelations. Similarly, if you spend 90 percent of your book criticizing what you claim are completely inadequate responses to a problem, it’s a pretty bad look—to say nothing of disingenuous—to propose the exact same responses as solutions in your epilogue. Give this one a skip.
Indonesian: A Comprehensive Grammar – James Sneddon
Nobody publishes a better grammar than Routledge, and this volume is no exception. I absolutely recommend this excellently organized and (yes) comprehensive volume to anyone with an interest in the Indonesian language.
What I Am Currently Reading
[ ] – [ ]
For reasons.
Holly Black – The Book of Night
Holly Black writes some of the best trailer trash protagonists around. Even still, I have yet to read more than the first few chapters. Why? Because I’m 90 percent certain I forgot to submit my receipt to get the publisher’s free shwag for preordering this book. Would I have preordered this book even if no shwag had been offered? Yes. Is this reaction therefore silly? Yes. But there you have it.
Dracula – Bram Stoker
For Dracula Daily, just like the rest of you.
Rouge Street – Shuang Xuetao
These novellas remind me of vintage Yoshimoto Banana.
[ ] – [ ]
A different unnamed book than the above; also for reasons.
What I’m Reading Next
I acquired no new books this week.
これで以上です
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