kurtwombat's reviews
883 reviews

My Name Is Barbra by Barbra Streisand

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informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

 There is no way that I would ever attempt to read this book—my interest level is not quite strong enough to wade into a 1000 printed pages. However, delving into the audiobook—even a daunting 48+ hours (a good 20 hours longer than my previous high)—was a mostly a joy. Read by the author still sporting traces of her Brooklyn accent, Streisand keeps most of the book light and conversational—supplying momentum even when your interest might flag. At points amused or emotional—it might be acting but she’s good at it. For me some of the “I’m building a house” stuff wasn’t as interesting but the author’s enthusiasm comes across. Also, discussing her interest in politics was interesting but a little hard for me to take suffering as I currently am from a bit of  post-election malaise. I was all in on the nuts and bolts talk of Broadway, Hollywood and her musical career. I know Streisand fans who probably started crying before getting past the table of contents—I’m not that fan but this is quite a mammoth accomplishment (the life and this book). There is also something to be said about this as a gender equality text—you could edit this down to 300 pages of her pushing back at gender restraints in America. Sometimes she won, often she did not and paid the price. Of course, this is her presentation—who knows how close to the truth—but you can’t deny that much of her celebrity backlash comes down to her acting in ways acceptable for men but not for women. 
Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Anna Waterhouse

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

 Mildly disappointing. Read this in small part because I’m a Kareem fan and in large part because I am generally mesmerized by all things Holmes. I knew going in Sherlock would only be tangentially involved—the disappointment comes from the inconsistent quality of the writing and because Mycroft isn’t even quite Mycroft yet. His Sherlock like deductive skills are on display but often feel like flourishes or afterthoughts versus integral to the goings on. I did enjoy the broadening of the Holmes universe to include Mycroft’s best friend being a Trinidad native (well crafted)  but the fiancé angle – the book would be better if her whole existence were excised. That time and emotion would have been better devoted to Holmes and his friend Douglas. That is a solidly created relationship that nicely reflects the unique perspective of the author. Secondary characters get very little flesh though there is some nice historical detail. I thought the central mystery perhaps a little too heavy (globally) for an intro to this character and this series—though ultimately it was interesting and dramatic (but what exactly happened to the 2 million dollars? Unclear). In the books favor,  there was one haunting image that will long linger in my imagination—the believably set up and well executed use of a human being to trigger a bomb. Despite my feelings I plan to read at least the first part of the next book in the series. We’ll see if that one frees me from my mesmeric trance or deepens it. 
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 There is Fantasy to escape and there is Fantasy to step outside to better look back upon ourselves. TO SHAPE A DRAGON’S BREATH takes a serious approach within the young adult fantasy genre to reflect the failures of our world. A thinly veiled but richly imagined alternative history of earth with enough sign posts to keep you on track—an indigenous culture clashes with a European white culture. Dragons happen to be the sticking point here but as with all such clashes, the dominant culture will always find something. I quickly became engrossed in the characters and indigenous cultures are my soft spot so the 500 pages immersed and swept me away.  This avoids the nonsensical romantic fawning prevalent in young adult lit—instead tenderly sketched relationships mesh together people who care about each other. The world will not end if hearts are broken—the stakes are indeed much higher than that. For which I am immensely grateful. Would love this tale of a non-white non-superhero young girl taking on the world so far with only her wit and guile to gain more traction. Appreciate that a series spotlighting dragons dared to have an entire first book with a dragon too young to fly. That is confidence in your story telling—when you don’t have to rely on something flashy to bail you out. You may be surprised how little happens over 500 pages but more surprised by how much you don’t mind. Waiting for the next. (I should also mention that it is LGBTQ friendly in fantastic and non-patronizing ways) 
R.U.R - Rossum's Universal Robots by Karel Čapek

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challenging dark funny sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I cannot prove this was the intent, nor can I rule it out but this little absurdist 1920's sci fi play struck me as equal parts H G Wells and Marx Brothers. (The fact that this was originally conceived as a play is enough to blow my mind.) Famous for coining the term "robot", it has also served as a template for robot themed story arcs up to the present. Not just that robots in one form or another (see AI) will ultimately seek to take over, but also the anthropomorphic application of human traits upon robots (Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, etc.). In fact, spoiler alert, making the robots more human is what dooms mankind. Is our fear of robots just projection--if robots created mankind (and who says they didn't) wouldn't we seek to take over? Gets a little wonky and dated in the last third  but still deals with important themes-responsibility, dignity and capitalism. The image of one character attempting to buy his freedom from the robots ("for half a billion I'll be safe") only to be killed by a human engineered booby trap--delicious. 
Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin

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challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

4.25

This kind of reads like a war correspondent reporting from the front lines of autism--constant battles and adjustments to a world that didn't naturally jive with her programming. That autism is not behavioral, but that behavior is a symptom of what is going on underneath was a fascinating discovery. Grandin does a solid job of laying out the forms and terms of autism in a very readable if sometimes dry way. Any dryness is mostly tempered by discussion of her adapting during her childhood or her compassion for animals--a compassion that stems somewhat from a similar way of perceiving and interpreting the world as animals are also thought to think in pictures. I also like to think of this book as kind of a victory lap for having achieved professionally what Grandin has despite or because of her obstacles. In some measure she also critiques society by revealing it's structure from the outside as well as having an interesting take on her flirtation with religion. Like Grandin, I was particularly drawn to her relationships with animals and look forward to reading her ANIMALS IN TRANSLATION. 
Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined by Stephen Fry

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adventurous funny informative lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Loved this as I did the previous book in the series--that review:  
Stephen Fry’s take on Greek Mythology is just plain fun. Springing from his own childhood love of Greek Myths and injected with a humorous modern sensibility, the stories come alive. Fry’s MYTHOS shakes off the dust and makes the stories feel immediate and as valid as any other myths we live by. He has fun with the stories but never makes fun of them—allowing them to maintain their dignity and importance as the foundational elements of the Roman and Christian myths that followed (as well as the building blocks for language itself). There is very little analysis--just story after story offering delight. For a more scholarly approach Edith Hamilton’s MYTHOLOGY is accessible and fantastic. 
El Diablo by Brian Azzarello

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Rock solid old west horror tale that gripped from the beginning. Seems to be one thing but has a satisfying twist. Starts dark and just keeps getting darker until it’s pitch black. Only downside is there is not a lot to this one off story but I loved the art work and dialogue. Words were clean and true and the art was kind of a dark brushed chalk version of rotoscoping from the Ralph Bakshi animation days. Grizzly fun. 
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

 
This book has two tropes I find regrettable. Often each by itself is enough to make me want to pull out my bookmark and look for something else. 
 
The first is the obviously bad decision—the I REALLY DON’T WANT TO DO THIS THING AGAINST MY NATURE, MY BETTER JUDGEMENT AND THE COMMON SENSE OF THE READER BUT I WILL DO IT ANYWAY. In this case we could have avoided this whole escapade if the main character hadn’t waffled up a plot with a decision no one would make.  And that decision is a thorn that burrows annoyingly into the side of the book the whole way.  The main character even asks over and over, why did I do this? I kept hoping to get an answer but I never really did (the vague “I must have sensed something” concept is a cop out). 
 
The second is amnesia.  So frequent in fiction, so rare in life—annoying in both. It’s more a gimmick now than a legitimate plot device largely because you know the memories will flood back in a nick of time.  Despite this, I’m not mad about it’s use here. The amnesia element works quite well. It arises in a reasonable manner and the gradual return of memory is rather deliciously teased throughout much of the book. 
 
So with these opposing forces—how was the book? 
 
Surprisingly good. It moves quickly with a nice array of characters—each of which left an impression and continue to resonate long after reading the book. The use of location, landscape and house, heighten a tense atmosphere that kept feeling like it might veer off into horror—it's good when you are not sure if a “thriller” will become something worse. Kept wanting to get back to this one—wouldn’t have minded if it was longer. 
The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

 I had some concerns beginning this book. It’s been an overwhelming election year—practically an election decade—and I was afraid this book would just add to that stress. Somewhat amazingly it managed to do the opposite. Evangelicals were no longer a monolithic mass all voting mindlessly one way but instead a complicated mosaic of people at odds with each other over the direction of their church (which is likely in the process of becoming two separate churches). The history of this schism does not go that far back—pretty much born out of the Reagan era—so stemming from politics & power and not religion & faith. Deep research and dozens of interviews synthesized through the author’s personal life in and out of the church create a fantastic overview and detailed analysis of the Evangelical Church and how it became what it is. 
 
I have never been a fan of organized religion—preferring instead nature based belief systems. 
While I consider traditional Christian myths to have value, I have always felt let down by those delivering the message. So imagine my surprise when finding myself moved by the passion of the author and some interviewed for this book. I was not moved by those who consider America their Kingdom on earth.  I find them short sighted and empty hearted. I was moved by those who consider the Kingdom they seek not of this earth or this life. They had the courage of a faith not designed for an immediate payout. Realizing the difference between these two groups helped the whole book fall into place. It also spurred a compassion for those fighting to hold onto a genuine faith in the face of golden calf idolatry. Or at least a spray tanned idolatry. 
Aubrey Beardsley by Brian Reade

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

 
Odd to think now that this icon of cool art was virtually forgotten until the 1960’s. This book catalogues a giant exhibition of Aubrey Beardsley’s work that brought about his rebirth as an influential artist. As a child of the 70’s, I saw his work (or it’s imitators) everywhere—I knew I liked his work before I knew his name. This highly annotated edition also works as the impromptu biography of an artist who died tragically young at 25. This of course adds to the cool factor of his work—otherwise art from the 1890’s might be hard pressed to find an audience. Reading this book I was wowed from page to page. Of course, being so inclusive this collection includes his lessor works but they work to highlight his growth or offer a glance into his psyche. A fascinating rummage through a brief glorious creative life begging the question of what might have been.