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alisarae's Reviews (1.65k)
Gorgeous collection of poetry about the Hmong people of Laos and their flight during the travesties of the 20th century. The author, Mai Der Vang, is Hmong-American and recounts her family's journey from Laos, to a refugee camp in Thailand, to a ghetto in Minnesota, to California. She constantly plays with the connection between body and land, interweaving the physical and spiritual parts of being human with descriptions of land, stones, flora, and fauna. I used Google image search a lot while I was reading because these poems are so visual. Laos is a beautiful country, and I feel the sadness of what has been lost after centuries of conflict.
I confess that I haven't read much Afrofuturism, but everything I have read is unlike anything else I have ever read. If you want sci-fi that will kick you into new territory, go find some Nnedi Okorafor.
What is really cool about this intergalactic diplomatic mission is that Binti is OmuHimba from Namibia (Google Himba people right now), and the otjize paste that the Himba use on their braids and skin is an integral part of how she saves the universe. There's also colonialism and octopus-jellyfish aliens. The only let down in this novella is that it is a novella! I wish soooo much that it had been fleshed out into a 350 page book.
What is really cool about this intergalactic diplomatic mission is that Binti is OmuHimba from Namibia (Google Himba people right now), and the otjize paste that the Himba use on their braids and skin is an integral part of how she saves the universe. There's also colonialism and octopus-jellyfish aliens. The only let down in this novella is that it is a novella! I wish soooo much that it had been fleshed out into a 350 page book.
I've given Neil Gaiman so, so many tries, and this was the nail in the coffin (heh heh no internal joke intended). It was so boring. I literally fell asleep THREE TIMES during the big battle scene and then my library loan expired and I had to read a text version.
I liked Shadow's character. He seems like a really nice dude with a lot of potential. Problem is that he does nothing the entire book, including down to choosing what food to eat—other characters suggest what he should have and he accepts it, multiple times. Then when his wife shows up to tell him that it seems like he isn't alive because he DOES NOTHING, I was like, "Oh, so Neil IS AWARE that he is writing a main character that DOES NOTHING, so aware in fact that he has another character call him out, maybe this will be a turning point and Shadow will be inspired to order his own hamburger for once." NOPE. Shadow mopes about his wife trying to move him to positive change, and then continues doing whatever a random side character suggests that day.
Alternative suggestions for this book if I were the editor:
1. Write travel essays about Americana. That's what you wanted to do anyways, Neil.
2.
3. Maybe show how the old gods have blended in and adapted to the new land instead of creating new gods like Media? For example, Bacchus (god of entertainment) hijacks Vulcan's (god of tools) invention: the internet. After all, we know that gods change names as they move through time and culture, but there is nothing new under the sun.
4. That's enough ideas for today.
I liked Shadow's character. He seems like a really nice dude with a lot of potential. Problem is that he does nothing the entire book, including down to choosing what food to eat—other characters suggest what he should have and he accepts it, multiple times. Then when his wife shows up to tell him that it seems like he isn't alive because he DOES NOTHING, I was like, "Oh, so Neil IS AWARE that he is writing a main character that DOES NOTHING, so aware in fact that he has another character call him out, maybe this will be a turning point and Shadow will be inspired to order his own hamburger for once." NOPE. Shadow mopes about his wife trying to move him to positive change, and then continues doing whatever a random side character suggests that day.
Alternative suggestions for this book if I were the editor:
1. Write travel essays about Americana. That's what you wanted to do anyways, Neil.
2.
Spoiler
The cop in the UP has been requiring human sacrifices of young girls every year for YEARS and the whole town is in on it?? Why not make Shadow investigate that and face resistance and solve the mystery of why such a small town has had so many disappearances of teenage girls?? SUCH A MORE INTERESTING STORY THAT I ACTUALLY WANT TO READ, NEIL.3. Maybe show how the old gods have blended in and adapted to the new land instead of creating new gods like Media? For example, Bacchus (god of entertainment) hijacks Vulcan's (god of tools) invention: the internet. After all, we know that gods change names as they move through time and culture, but there is nothing new under the sun.
4. That's enough ideas for today.
Boys just wanna have fun! Monty, his sister Felicity, and best friend Percy set off on a grand tour of Europe before they each have to go their separate ways. Raucous chaos, romance, and fast-paced adventures ensue. And well, a bit of growing-up happens too.
I really enjoyed the audio as Christian Coulson's (Tom Riddle from HP) flirty British accent is perfect for the book.
I really enjoyed the audio as Christian Coulson's (Tom Riddle from HP) flirty British accent is perfect for the book.
Basically just confirmation of what we've known all along: the White House is in complete chaos, with inexperienced power-hungry factions grabbing as much as they can before they are pushed out or (hopefully) imprisoned. Don't come to this book looking for analysis or new info; this is a chronological order of events with brief backgrounds on the main players. For an essential read-along with deeper analysis and criticism, see Seth Abramson's thread: https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/949330818056454145
The best thing this book did for me was crystalize the term "neoliberal" that I see thrown around so much (no discussion of this in the book btw; I was just thinking about it). Ivanka and Jared are the personification of this: progressive on the streets and same-old same-old in the sheets. According to Wolff, it was Ivanka's idea to trade DACA for the border wall, for starters.
So, meh, can be skipped, but good that it exists for posterity's sake.
The best thing this book did for me was crystalize the term "neoliberal" that I see thrown around so much (no discussion of this in the book btw; I was just thinking about it). Ivanka and Jared are the personification of this: progressive on the streets and same-old same-old in the sheets. According to Wolff, it was Ivanka's idea to trade DACA for the border wall, for starters.
So, meh, can be skipped, but good that it exists for posterity's sake.
In the Nigerian-esque city of Kos, there are basically three types of people: sin-eaters who take people's sins and live with them so the sinner can walk free of guilt, mages who call the sin-beasts out of the sinner so the sin-beasts can be eaten, and people who need their sins taken away. Beasts Made of Night follows an extra-special sin-eater who is asked to become the personal sin-eater of the royal family, and gets wrapped up in a political conspiracy along the way.
Things I liked:
* Nigerian influences—I really enjoyed the Arabic words that were woven into the story, the traces of Islam in the religion of Kos, the foods and even the way that characters interacted (if you have hung out with Nigerians before, you will recognize a lot ;)
* The concept of sin, the weight of guilt, and how the society of Kos revolves around sin, purity, and dealing with both.
Things I didn't like:
* I'm still confused about the political conspiracy??? What is the motivation behind people who already have absolute power and wealth to want to change an-y-thing about that power structure??
* I could care less about all of the characters except for the nerdy mage girl. She was cute. Let's have this story told from her POV.
* The story was setting up the world for a very long time (I was patient; I thought it would pay off), lots of key details of the world are poorly explained or not explained at all (I was patient; I thought the story would answer my questions eventually), then suddenly the MC gets wrapped up into a political conspiracy, there is a lot of demon fighting, and the book ends. I guess the ending is a cliffhanger and there will be a sequel. The pacing is weird though, and I'm disappointed that I was so patient without being rewarded.
There was such a strong concept and start to the book, but the end appeared to be way less polished than the beginning. I got the feeling that this one was taken out of the oven a little too soon and maybe the editor and author were just sick of working on it.
Things I liked:
* Nigerian influences—I really enjoyed the Arabic words that were woven into the story, the traces of Islam in the religion of Kos, the foods and even the way that characters interacted (if you have hung out with Nigerians before, you will recognize a lot ;)
* The concept of sin, the weight of guilt, and how the society of Kos revolves around sin, purity, and dealing with both.
Things I didn't like:
* I'm still confused about the political conspiracy??? What is the motivation behind people who already have absolute power and wealth to want to change an-y-thing about that power structure??
* I could care less about all of the characters except for the nerdy mage girl. She was cute. Let's have this story told from her POV.
* The story was setting up the world for a very long time (I was patient; I thought it would pay off), lots of key details of the world are poorly explained or not explained at all (I was patient; I thought the story would answer my questions eventually), then suddenly the MC gets wrapped up into a political conspiracy, there is a lot of demon fighting, and the book ends. I guess the ending is a cliffhanger and there will be a sequel. The pacing is weird though, and I'm disappointed that I was so patient without being rewarded.
There was such a strong concept and start to the book, but the end appeared to be way less polished than the beginning. I got the feeling that this one was taken out of the oven a little too soon and maybe the editor and author were just sick of working on it.
You know that book Eat This, Not That? My version: Read This, Not That.
Read Milkweed, not Boy in the Striped Pijamas.
Milkweed is far more honest and better-written to boot. I think younger readers would still need help interpreting the imagery and inferences (Nazi soldiers are called jack boots, for example), but a lot of very real, very hard things happen.
Read Milkweed, not Boy in the Striped Pijamas.
Milkweed is far more honest and better-written to boot. I think younger readers would still need help interpreting the imagery and inferences (Nazi soldiers are called jack boots, for example), but a lot of very real, very hard things happen.
People have been telling me for YEARS to read this book and they were so right. Middle grade fun adventures with swords, horses, and courtly intrigue at its finest. I forget how innocent and fun middle grade books can be. The story of this is: the whole royal family was poisoned and in order for the kingdom to not dissolve into various nobles scrambling for the throne, one scheming regent comes up with a plan to present an orphan boy as the kingdom’s long lost prince. Fun fun fun!
Character maturity is so strong in this one. Sage has gone from being a sassy boy to taking on the mantle of leadership and considering his choices in light of how they will affect others.
SO GOOD! I was sniffling like... a lot. This YA family drama set in the Southwest is about three siblings who were domestically adopted (well, one was in the foster care system his whole life) at young ages and find each other as teens. They each have a heavy secret that is stopping their relationships from moving forward, and all three have to learn about trust, truth, and what it means to be family.
The characters and dialogues are SO WELL WRITTEN, but it was the psychology and internal monologues behind the actions that really made this book ring true. Fears like, "What if they abandon me like my birth mom did after they know what kind of person I really am?" are true and can cause people to act out in destructive ways. Each of the three siblings deals with these fears in different ways, showing a broad range of emotions and actions. On a related note, pretty much every character in the book needs counseling/therapy AND they go get it—group sessions, rehab, one-on-one, family... it's all there. I think it is really positive to show that there are a variety of options available for people.
I loved this book and I am so glad that it won the National Book Award last year. *applause*
The characters and dialogues are SO WELL WRITTEN, but it was the psychology and internal monologues behind the actions that really made this book ring true. Fears like, "What if they abandon me like my birth mom did after they know what kind of person I really am?" are true and can cause people to act out in destructive ways. Each of the three siblings deals with these fears in different ways, showing a broad range of emotions and actions. On a related note, pretty much every character in the book needs counseling/therapy AND they go get it—group sessions, rehab, one-on-one, family... it's all there. I think it is really positive to show that there are a variety of options available for people.
I loved this book and I am so glad that it won the National Book Award last year. *applause*