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AT (1676 KP) rated Angel Catbird, Volume 1 in Books
Feb 12, 2020 (Updated Feb 12, 2020)
I had no idea what to expect when I started to read Angel Catbird. Before running across this graphic novel, I wasn't aware that Margaret Atwood had written a graphic novel. (I just ran across another one that I'll also have to check out.) Of course, I am familiar with Margaret Atwood's novels being about various, interesting things. A source of vivid imagination. So when I read Angel Catbird, I wasn't surprised by the imagination. However, it's also definitely not her best work by a long shot. Angel Catbird is full, and I mean, **FULL** of cat puns. Some were okay, some were too much, and some were downright terrible. There were also cat facts added at the bottom of some pages, in reference to actions that had taken place on that page. I think those were unnecessary. It was silly, but also violent in some parts. Overall, the story was okay. It passes. It does the job. This is exactly what you'd expect to read if a crazy cat lady decided to try her hand at writing an action-type graphic novel. Not terrible, but not phenomenal. Get ready for some cat puns.
TT
The Travels of Hildebrand Bowman
Book
The Travels of Hildebrand Bowman is an eponymous novel purportedly written by a midshipman left...
ClareR (6081 KP) rated Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation in Books
Sep 8, 2020
Kindred is the story of a black woman who is repeatedly transported from her 1970s apartment to Antebellum Maryland - and it’s not a place where any black person would really want to be.
I haven’t read the original novel, so I can’t compare them - but this is really good in its own right. It’s rich in both dialogue and artistry - the pictures are at times graphic (when Dana, the lead character, is whipped and her ensuing injuries), and there is talk of the white plantation owner raping ‘his’ slaves. Dana learns that her purpose is to keep the plantation owners son, Rufus, alive - which isn’t easy when he seems set on doing things that put his life in danger. Dana learns that Rufus is in fact her great great (great?) grandfather, and he has yet to sire the child that will ensure Dana’s existence.
This isn’t a book for the faint-hearted, and I’m so glad I’ve read it - all thanks go to my local library, who have started providing graphic novel ebooks. A graphic novel habit is an expensive one, so it’s great that they’re able to do this!
I haven’t read the original novel, so I can’t compare them - but this is really good in its own right. It’s rich in both dialogue and artistry - the pictures are at times graphic (when Dana, the lead character, is whipped and her ensuing injuries), and there is talk of the white plantation owner raping ‘his’ slaves. Dana learns that her purpose is to keep the plantation owners son, Rufus, alive - which isn’t easy when he seems set on doing things that put his life in danger. Dana learns that Rufus is in fact her great great (great?) grandfather, and he has yet to sire the child that will ensure Dana’s existence.
This isn’t a book for the faint-hearted, and I’m so glad I’ve read it - all thanks go to my local library, who have started providing graphic novel ebooks. A graphic novel habit is an expensive one, so it’s great that they’re able to do this!
Erika (17789 KP) rated Shuggie Bain in Books
Jan 30, 2021
I don't typically read bildungsromans, I find them tedious, and I can't really relate to them. I decided to give this one a try, after it won the Booker Prize.
I don't think I ever need to read another coming of age story ever again, this one was so good. Now, this is a 'novel', but I think it's pretty obvious that it may be pretty close to the author's life.
This was the second book I read in 2020 that was named after the child 'Shuggie', but, in truth, it was about his alcoholic mother. It was mostly focused on her, which really made me think.
This book stuck with me because as I read it, it made me wonder if some of this was what my own father went through. He was the youngest, left by all his siblings, to care for his alcoholic mother after his father cheated on her and left her (exact story line of the novel). I have to thank Douglas Stuart for this novel, it really helped me understand my father's family dynamic and situation.
Damn, it was so good.
I don't think I ever need to read another coming of age story ever again, this one was so good. Now, this is a 'novel', but I think it's pretty obvious that it may be pretty close to the author's life.
This was the second book I read in 2020 that was named after the child 'Shuggie', but, in truth, it was about his alcoholic mother. It was mostly focused on her, which really made me think.
This book stuck with me because as I read it, it made me wonder if some of this was what my own father went through. He was the youngest, left by all his siblings, to care for his alcoholic mother after his father cheated on her and left her (exact story line of the novel). I have to thank Douglas Stuart for this novel, it really helped me understand my father's family dynamic and situation.
Damn, it was so good.
Becs (244 KP) rated Saving Beck in Books
Oct 2, 2019
This novel was so fast-paced and Saving Beck is such a well-written book. I was fully invested in the entirety of the novel and couldn’t wait to find out more about what happened with Beck when he was AWOL for two (2) months. I truly loved the fact that the author did flashbacks (past and present) for both Natalie and Beck. It helped to get a better understanding of what was truly going on. The switching of POV’s was also very interesting.
The whole novel is not only action-packed but also has tons of twists and turns that will leave you wanting just a tad more. The multiple of POV’s work very well with this storyline and it actually ends up helping the reader get a better understanding of what each character is feeling. It also allows the reader the opportunity to get the story and character background that is much needed.
Questions asked while reading:
What caused Beck to start using heavy drugs?
What was going with him and his girlfriend?
Why didn’t Natalie seek out help after her husband passed?
“Because I killed my father.”
The whole novel is not only action-packed but also has tons of twists and turns that will leave you wanting just a tad more. The multiple of POV’s work very well with this storyline and it actually ends up helping the reader get a better understanding of what each character is feeling. It also allows the reader the opportunity to get the story and character background that is much needed.
Questions asked while reading:
What caused Beck to start using heavy drugs?
What was going with him and his girlfriend?
Why didn’t Natalie seek out help after her husband passed?
“Because I killed my father.”
Awix (3310 KP) rated Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader in Books
Oct 10, 2019
Fair to middling Star Wars tie-in novel, dealing with the aftermath of Episode III. For a novel named after Vader with his mush all over the cover, much of the novel deals with Palpatine (which was fine by me) and much with a band of rather bland fugitive Jedi (which unfortunately wasn't). Vader himself doesn't turn up until well into the book, giving it a slightly lopsided feel; the new characters aren't as interesting as the ones from the movies.
Luceno writes quite capably and the book does have a certain Star Warsy feel to it; some of the cameos from well-known characters do feel a bit laboriously contrived, though, and it almost feels as though it's pandering to that desire to have every last detail of the galaxy far, far away's history explained in detail. More seriously, it never feels like it gets a grip on Anakin/Vader as a character in the middle of a psychological transformation - at least not to the point that you really care about it. Easy to read, some good bits, but nowhere near the standard of (say) Matthew Stover's Episode III novelisation.
Luceno writes quite capably and the book does have a certain Star Warsy feel to it; some of the cameos from well-known characters do feel a bit laboriously contrived, though, and it almost feels as though it's pandering to that desire to have every last detail of the galaxy far, far away's history explained in detail. More seriously, it never feels like it gets a grip on Anakin/Vader as a character in the middle of a psychological transformation - at least not to the point that you really care about it. Easy to read, some good bits, but nowhere near the standard of (say) Matthew Stover's Episode III novelisation.
Gisell Middleton (189 KP) rated The Furies in Books
Oct 11, 2019
This novel may be better than expected, simply due to the disservice done by comparing it to The Craft. Inevitably, one begins reading this story actively looking for likenesses and parallels with the movie which most likely masks the true plot that, in my opinion, is much more realistic and powerful than witchcraft and “friendships”. The need for adolescents to belong, especially those who feel left out or different is so strong that they often forgo their own identities and end up with a “mob mentality” of sorts which contributes to actions they may not otherwise engage in on their own. As an adult reading this novel, I had to remind myself of my own adolescence and the possibilities portrayed in this novel, every time I began to roll my eyes at the thought of people behaving this way. The “academics” depicted were a bit unnecessary for me, dragging the story into a lull more times that advisable. The slight element of the supernatural or the hint of it enhances the minutiae people will cling to in order to believe and belong. Not my favorite read but certainly more layered and real than some others.
Mentor, The
7.0
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Kyle Broder has achieved his lifelong dream and is an editor at a major publishing house. When Kyle...
David McK (3721 KP) rated Sharpe's Assassin in Books
Oct 10, 2021
It's been 15 years or so since Bernard Cornwell last returned to perhaps his most famous creation Richard Sharpe, in Sharpe's Fury.
In chronological order, that was then, novel # 11 of 23 (including short stories in that count).
While Cornwell continued on with his 'Saxon Stories / Last Kingdom' series starring Uhtred of Bebbanburg (read those. Enjoyed those), I've always held a soft spot for the soldier-up-from-the-ranks of Richard Sharpe, so I was quite happy to hear that he would be returning to that character.
This is that return, chronologically novel # 23 of 24, taking place almost immediately after the Battle of Waterloo (worth reading Sharpe's Waterloo again - you don't need to, but it gives context). There's no historical battle (for the setting) this time around; instead we have Sharpe getting caught up in/foil an a plot to assassinate the Duke of Wellington - who, here, seems to have mellowed somewhat towards Sharpe - and the returning King Louis XVIII, with a large portion of the novel set in and around the environs of Paris (in particular The Louvre).
Good to have Sharpe and Harper back together!
In chronological order, that was then, novel # 11 of 23 (including short stories in that count).
While Cornwell continued on with his 'Saxon Stories / Last Kingdom' series starring Uhtred of Bebbanburg (read those. Enjoyed those), I've always held a soft spot for the soldier-up-from-the-ranks of Richard Sharpe, so I was quite happy to hear that he would be returning to that character.
This is that return, chronologically novel # 23 of 24, taking place almost immediately after the Battle of Waterloo (worth reading Sharpe's Waterloo again - you don't need to, but it gives context). There's no historical battle (for the setting) this time around; instead we have Sharpe getting caught up in/foil an a plot to assassinate the Duke of Wellington - who, here, seems to have mellowed somewhat towards Sharpe - and the returning King Louis XVIII, with a large portion of the novel set in and around the environs of Paris (in particular The Louvre).
Good to have Sharpe and Harper back together!
Sonofdel (6291 KP) rated 77 Shadow Street in Books
Jun 3, 2022
scarily realistic but futuristic novel
I have always loved Dean Koontz because of the way he immerses you in the situations in his book. Its not many authors that make you feel as if you are actually in the book not just reading it. Loved this book because whilst it is a work of fiction there are a lot of instances that ring true, particularly the way we are giving AI too much power and information. At first glance this is just your run of the mill horror house novel, but once you get into it, its so much more. Great character and development and i love the way that he does not concentrate on just one persons story. There are lots of different characters ranging from a small girl with autism to a contract killer and its blended in well to create an atmospheric, horrific and frightening novel. Its split into two books and i must admit that when i was about half way through i thought it was drawing to a close, how wrong i was. Well worth a read A++++