Posted on September 19, 2023 in Books
My husband grew up with Tintin and had been collecting the hardcover editions of the Adventures of Tintin. I have nice memories of watching the French and Canadian made Tintin animated series in the 1990s which is probably one of the most faithful comic adaptations. I maybe read one of the books as a kid. I remember browsing them at the library. Recently, I’ve been trying to read the books that we own and also read books which are important to my partner.
As of this writing, we own eight of these books. He had collected seven of the books in hardcover and one softcover given by a friend. His goal was to buy one hardcover every year or so. He hasn’t really been doing that the last few years so I ordered one to this collection before I started reading. They are imported books and take awhile to come in. I am going to read the ones we don’t have in French from the library. They are middle grade and would be great practice for me.
Tintin in the Congo (TinTin #2)
We do not own the first one which is “The Land of the Soviets” as that was not part of the canon when he was a kid. He also never read this Congo one because it was likely restricted due to its racist content.
It was hard to read. Originally published in 1931, Herge coloured it and published it again in 1946. He said it was an experimental early work. Let’s start with the good. Some of the drawings are fun. Snowy goes “Woooaaah”. I learned the word psittacosis. Snowy is adorable except when he said, “Missionaries are the tops!”
The bad. Belgians were arguably the worse colonizers which is saying something. Their view of Africans was problematic even when this book was written. The Africans are not drawn well literally and figuratively. It it was extremely patronizing. Tintin is a white saviour figure. The hunting is awful as many animals are shot at or tortured for comic relief. The plot was really flimsy. Also why is it that Tintin is so popular as a journalist? He was offered $10,000 to be a correspondent making him one of the most in demand journalist in history. I didn’t really see the Tintin character or appeal at in this comic book.
2/5 stars. Read August 9, 2023.
Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (Tintin #1)
My husband never read this one either and I didn’t expect much due to Wikipedia article which noted that it was “joyously bizarre” and allegedly Hergé’s worst.
The worst part is up for debate. I think the Congo was worst in some ways because of the racism and animal abuse content. This one had racism too but it wasn’t there as much and it wasn’t in colour. This one moved at an even faster pace yet I became bored me with how many messes Tintin got himself into. Tintin lacks personality in both these books. Snowy is still sassy at least. Overall, the book felt very dated and not really a classic. I look forward to when the stories and characters get better.
2.25/5 stars. Read August 30, 2023.
Tintin in America (Tintin #3 )
This one was better than the first two because of its satire on America. It still has racist depictions of Native Americans, but the satire about how America treat them in the story was not bad. I still found Tintin a blank slate of a character. I don’t understand why he’s so special. The pacing is very fast because these are comics but this was less overwhelming than the first two books.
2.5/5 stars. Read September 16, 2023.
Posted on September 16, 2023 in Books
The Book that No One Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade
Cute and amusing but didn’t knock my socks off.
3.25/5 stars. Read on Libby app. Sept 1-4, 2023.
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosch
This was suppose to be a funny webcomic collection. This was a bit hard for me to read since it deals heavily with depression and suicidal ideation. The author is severely depressed and I could relate to some of the things she wrote about. Some of the comics amused me but the humor didn’t always work for me. I admire the author’s ability to create art. It is good but it doesn’t lift me up so I won’t read her next works.
3.5/5 stars. Sept 5, 2023.
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty
Narrated by the author. Another Reading Glasses recommendation. Doughty has a nice voice. As someone with an interest in death, this was right up my alley. I didn’t love all the locations but I enjoyed Dougthy’s observations and reflections in many of them.
4.25/5 stars. Sept 1-6, 2023. Mostly 1.4x.
We are never meeting in real life by Samantha Irby
Narrated by the author. I have mixed feelings. The author and I are very different people. There was too much sexual content for me. There was aggressive humor which I didn’t find funny most of the time. On the other hand, I’ve heard Irby on a podcast and reading between the lines in this book, I find myself respecting and even liking her. She is raw and upfront about who she is and her life. I also liked how she discussed depression, anxiety, and death. I got the feeling she is a great friend. Considering her life circumstances, she’s faced things with her head held high. I do admire that. I have her next two books on hold as well and they are actually easy to listen to in some ways so I’ll likely try the next one.
3.25/5 stars. Sept 5-8, 2023. Mostly 1.5x.
Monstress Vol 5-7 by Marjorie M. Liu, Illustrated by Sana Takeda
I hadn’t caught up to this epic fantasy graphic novel series since pre-pandemic. I forgot almost everything but started remembering some as I went through. The world building is so deep and complex. As a character and setting reader, this series is very intense.
I love this series. It is dark and emotional and even spiritual and humanistic. It has female relationships and found families. It’s also amazingly illustrated. I actually think this is my favourite graphic novel series now over both Sandman and Promethea. Since the story was created by two Asian female writers and has influences in East Asian history and symbolism, I can relate to it much more. I would really like to reread this series when it is done. I love how so much has unfolded. There is a lot of emotionality. I look forward to the next edition.
4.25-4.5/5 stars. September 9-10, 2023.
Posted on September 2, 2023 in Books, The New Yorker
Garlic & the Vampire and Garlic & the Witch by Bree Paulsen
Very cute and extremely low stakes (pun intended) middle grade graphic novels. I liked the second book slightly more but I liked how easy both were to read. I think I prefer the Tea dragons more for poignancy, but really liked this series and its very lovely artwork.
4.25/5 stars. Read August 27, 2023.
Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper
Narrated by the author. My favourite book podcast and a someone in my book club recommended this in the same week. Over the years, I have consumed less memoirs because they started to feel more packaged due to the influence of publishers and ghost writers. They weren’t bad exactly, but they felt a bit more self-indulgent as an industry. Cooper is not a celebrity in the same way though and he does have a background as an editor and writer. He is intelligent, reflective, and considerate telling his story. His audio narration is great. He is expressive and warm. I am so glad I listened to it. I was really engaged and really wanted to finish the book after I read my print ones. I found the writing about his love of birds, nature, and family quite moving. His stories about traveling were good too. The book had the right amount of reflection for me. There are bird songs in the audiobook! I loved that. Probably one of the better memoirs I’ve read in the last couple of years.
4.5/5 stars. Listened August 17-29, 2023. 1.3x most of the time.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Narrated by the author. This is a short YA novella in verse. I borrowed it because I had read a great interview about Jason Reynolds in the New Yorker and then watched more interviews with him. His championing of children’s literature is wonderful. This novella is about gun violence and the endless cycle of revenge especially in youth gangs. The poetry aspect of it is well done and I am glad I listened to the audiobook.
4/5 stars. Listened August 29, 2023. 1.3x.
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Narrated by the author. The book that named a genre. While cozy fantasy has always been a thing especially in my world, this book led the charge of the genre being prominent in book culture recently. I lined up the audiobook for it and the library hold finally came in. I decided to start with the audiobook or go between them. Baldree has been a prolific audiobook narrator for years. I was not sure about his narration at first but when the voices started, I was impressed. In the end, I listened to the whole thing on audiobook. It wasn’t long and it did have a cozy vibe. The plot is rather slow and there is a lack of depth in some ways. I found the romance was not built up well enough. I wanted more character and relationship development. It’s not an essential read nor is it my favourite cozy fantasy of this year. I do think it has its charming moments especially as an audiobook. I enjoyed how easy it was to listen to it while I did my chores or physio exercises. This book is a vibe as the kids say. I had a chocolate chip cookie because it featured one prominently. I look forward to listening to the prequel.
3.75/4 stars. Listened August 29-31, 2023. 1.3x.
Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa Sweet
This is a favourite of some friends in my book club. It’s a well done middle grade biography with great illustrations and art. I learned a lot of things about E. B. White and the book is a lovely homage to his writing. I read this during a silent book club meeting with a couple bookish friends.
3.5/5 stars. Read August 31, 2023.
New Yorker
July 24, 2023: I found this newer edition beginning of August. Since I had been reading all these 2021, I was glad to find a newer one. Maybe it was the not great weekend that I read it but I found this edition on the grim side. It had stories about M.S., Haiti and its gangs, changing Nashville, bears, and neoliberalism. Maybe I shouldn’t read these on my off days.
August 9, 2021: This had a David Seders essay which I read in his most recent book and did not have many articles I was interested in.
August 16, 2021: The James Webb Space Telescope. Learned about Jason Reynolds and watched some interviews with him as a result too. I skipped the Fiction and was reminded about Ted Lasson S2. I read the review about “Annette”. I like the actors in the cast but probably won’t watch it since I watch very few movies and TV these days because of books.
Posted on August 30, 2023 in Books
I will need three parts this month because of all the children, middle grade, and audiobooks I have been consuming. Wow!
Continue reading →Posted on August 27, 2023 in Books
The second book in the Daughter of the Moon Goddess duology. I have had this book for many weeks from the library and they kept allowing me to renew it. I wanted to start it many times. It took me two non consecutive Saturdays before I could finish it since it’s just shy of 500 pages and I wanted to give it time and full attention.
Continue reading →Posted on August 23, 2023 in Books
GoodReads suggested one of these books to me. I don’t usually find that many recommendations on GoodReads but the author and the reviews sounded promising. I requested all three books from my library. All of the books are children’s picture books, two them have no text in the story, and all have themes of being lost and found.
The Only Child
This is the author’s most well known work. The story was based on their experience of growing up lonely under the one child policy in China. I really resonated with this story as we have similar backgrounds. Loneliness was a theme of my life as well. I still work on it in therapy and how to connect better to myself and others. I cried at the end of this book which is rare. I’ve been more emotional lately though. That’s not a bad thing and this book really captured specific feelings and experiences that I could really relate to. Beautiful artwork.
4.75/5 stars.
Stormy: A Story about Finding a Forever Home
This is a shorter story about a stray dog. This also made me cry at the heels of the last one.
4.25/5 stars.
The Flamingo
The colouring on this was the best of all. Ghibli vibes. I didn’t cry with this one but I almost did. Lovely stuff.
4.25/5 stars.
Read all three on August 14, 2023.
Posted on August 19, 2023 in Books, The New Yorker
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
A historical fiction novel about a woman doctor in the 15th century China. It’s been awhile since I read Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls. I really liked how she handled Chinese culture, history, and female relationships in that novel. Here again, she excelled in those things. The book has nuanced portrayals of women. The protagonist is flawed and privileged, but there is character development due to her many interesting female relationships. This was also a medical drama and there was even a surprise mystery. The medical content was not too gory but it was unavoidable. I think the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) would be hard to grasp or understand for most people. I got the gist of it due to my background. I will never understand the appeal of bound feet and it makes me cringe. It’s one of the reasons I don’t like reading these Chinese historical books. This was a nicely researched historical drama that would make a great Chinese TV series.
4.25/5 stars. Read August 5, 2023.
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
Like many women, I liked Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski. I’ve been exploring stress and anxiety research recently. I really liked the first chapter about completing the stress cycle and tips on stress management. I wish it had discussed this more. A lot of the other content I was familiar with such as gender roles. It was very feminist but any of these tips could be applied to all genders. I think it had some nice tips in the end but not as essential health reading.
3.75/5 stars. Started July 31, 2023 but I mainly read this August 6, 2023.
A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
This is another book which I bought over a decade ago and didn’t read until now. It was a pristine first edition hardcover too. I’ve read two Vonnegut novels. I really liked Slaughterhouse Five but not Cat’s Cradle and don’t remember why. While they were strange and dark, I liked Vonnegut’s unique voice. He was a good writer. I liked the essays and there was good dark humour in most of them. I did find it a bit depressing after the first few essays. It was a product of its political time so it’s a bit strange to think back on the George W. Bush years and the Iraq war. He was right about a lot of things that apply now. I do think it’s for the best he didn’t see what’s happened in the last 15 years. The book left me a bit hopeless which is why I can’t give it the full 4 stars.
3.75/5 stars. Read August 6-8, 2023.
The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill
Cute. Very Ghibli-esque. I like the Tea Dragon trilogy more but this was still a lovely cozy fantasy graphic novel. I liked the imagery and the gentle tone in O’Neill’s work. I understood and appreciated the theme of loneliness, isolation, community, and yearning.
4/5 stars. Read August 9, 2023.
These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
Audiobook read by the author. A lovely book of essays written by an author I’m growing to love. Intimate essays about her life, friends, family, death, illness, and books. I discovered that I had already read a couple of these essays in the New Yorker which told me that I am really a New Yorker reader and Patchett lover. These essays feel like hanging out with a friend. I have the trade paperback version, but decided to listen to the audiobook since she narrated it. I am going to keep my paper copy a little more before giving it away because I enjoyed this book so much.
4.5/5 stars. Listened July 31-Aug 9, 2023.
Posted on August 6, 2023 in Books, The New Yorker
Still lots of graphic novels and illustrated works. I achieved my 52 books very early this year as a result.
Continue reading →Posted on July 29, 2023 in Books
Chinatown Pretty: Fashion and Wisdom from Chinatown’s Most Stylish Seniors by Andria Lo and Valerie Luu
This was a pre-bedtime slow read. This is a photography book featuring the portraits and stories of seniors from Chinatowns across North America. Like the authors, I’ve also noticed this style in this community. My late mother was on the way to adopting this style completely. It’s a great book featuring really moving and touching stories of migrants who have made their lives here.
4.25/5 stars. Read June 8-July 1, 2023.
Nimona by N. D. Stevenson
Funny and great storytelling. I did find the font very small though. It’s not my favourite visual graphic novel but the characters made up for it. I wish there had been more.
4/5 stars. Read July 2, 2023.
The Tea Dragon Festival (Tea Dragon, #2) by Katie O’Neill
Such a a lovely and wholesome series. I like that the universe keeps expanding and it’s pleasant. I love dragons. I need this kind of gentle reading these days.
4.25/5 stars. Read July 7, 2023.
DNF: Selected Poems by Walt Whitman
Did not finish. I found this book and Leaves of Grass a few weeks ago as I have been decluttering my book collection. I read a couple from this book and decided that there was no way I would read the whole of Leaves of Grass. I put that in a Little Library. I remember liking Walt Whitman years ago but as I went through these books, I didn’t find it engaging. I kept trying but I have too many other books that I want to read.
Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery
I found two copies of this book last year. This edition was from a public school and had the 90s cover which I remember seeing as a kid. I really enjoyed this installment and one aspect made me laugh out loud very hard. I love Anne as a character. I was having a couple of rough days when I read this which likely affected my enjoyment. I debated about giving this 5 stars but while I loved the experience, I don’t think I will reread this book. I will likely give the whole series 5 stars.
4.5/5 stars. Read July 8-10, 2023.
Heartstopper, Volumes 1-2 by Alice Oseman.
The first volume took ages to come to me from the library. After that first one, I decided to get it via express ebook from my library. I quite liked using my iPad for graphic novels. Lovely, wholesome, light hearted goodness.
Both 4/5 stars. Read July 13, 2023 in book (vol 1) and ebook (vol 2).
Posted on July 1, 2023 in Books, The New Yorker
A great month and hopefully a greater summer of reading.
Continue reading →Posted on June 25, 2023 in Books
I have been following Kate Beaton and Hark! A Vagrant when it was still a Livejournal blog. I have loved her work and felt a kinship to her comics for many years now. I read both her children’s books. I was excited to read this graphic memoirs which I know she had been working on for over six years.
I am glad that more have discovered her talent with this work. It took me a few months to get it from the library because of the long wait list due to it being listed for and winning Canada Reads.
This graphic novel hit me like a bus. I knew it would be somewhat tough because the topic of the oil sands has been fraught in Canada for many years. However, I did not expect the trigger warnings of sexual assault, sexual harassment, misogyny, depression, loneliness, exploitation, classism, and more. My mental health has not been as great this year so I’ve been more sensitive to triggers.
Continue reading →Posted on June 20, 2023 in Books
It’s been a good reading month so far that I’ve realized I can split this into two parts at least. I’ve been consuming more books than usual for a variety of reasons including audiobooks.
Medallion Status by John Hodgman (audiobook)
I forgot to include this relisten in last month’s post. I listened to the audiobook again during insomnia nights after I finished Vacationland. I like Vacationland more but I still love Hodgman. I a bought a trade paperback copy at a local book store since I really should own one of these books at least.
Read original review here. 3.5/5 stars. Audiobook. Relistened early to mid May 2023.
The Art of Making Memories: How to Create and Remember Happy Moments by Meik Wiking
This took me awhile since I’ve been using this as an evening and pre-bed time book. I’ve been trying to read before bed and this was the right size and mood. I did not learn a lot of new information and most of the book are short capters filled with photos and recollections of Wiking’s life experiences. Like the Marie Kondo book last month, I am finding these lighter and slow self-help books relaxing. They are very gentle. These authors have privilege and these books don’t really add a lot of value in terms of information. They do relax me with their gentler tone about improving one’s life in small ways. There’s no drama or too much information to absorb. I have always found fiction too engaging to read before bed. I also like learning from nonfiction but it can also capture too much. I think I’ve discovered something new to my reading habits and reading routine.
3.5/5 stars. Read May 17-June 3, 2023.
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
This was a charming debut novel recommended by someone in my book club. It’s a lovely book with gentle characters who are going through life the best they can. They have to contend with families, grief, illness, growing up, and many other things. There are two central characters from two different backgrounds and a couple of side characters as well. The focus around this reading list made the writing tight. I had read all the books on this list and actually read A Suitable Boy last year when I read about this one. I don’t regret that as it was one of my favourite books from last year. The climax of this novel was very sad and almost made me give it a lower rating, but it reminded the characters and the reader how books are there for us. Good stuff.
4/5 stars. Started on Kindle May 23 and finished on book by June 5, 2023.
The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill
Cozy fantasy at its best. Very gentle and loving children’s book. I look forward to the other two books in the series.
4/5 stars. Read Jun 8, 2023.
A Prayer for Crown Shy by Becky Chambers
This was the right book at the right time for me. I liked it much more than the first one as the characters and story found its rhythm. It’s lovely, reflective, emotional, philosophical, and spiritual. I needed this gentle and hopeful novel with nice characters.
4.5/5 stars. Read June 13, 2023.