I think I read this in high school and then (ironically?) wanted to re-read it to decide whether or not it should be in the teen graphic novel section. Obviously this deserves all kinds of props for being so groundbreaking, which for me bumps it up a star from how much I actually enjoyed it. Given all the Batmans that have followed this, it feels a little less cutting edge than reading it when it came out would have, but I think it still holds up pretty well as an action/adventure story with Bat-angst and Robin-pluckiness and Alfred-butlering.

(PS I decided to put it in adult.)

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LOLLLL I didn't check my goodreads before recording a podcast episod about this but I was like "this feels vaguely familiar but I don't think I've read it before" apparently I fully did read it in 2012. and weirdly liked it way more then? (At that time I gave it 4 stars which I am bumping down to 3. I think in 2021 I honestly liked it like 2 stars but just averaging it out I guess?)

anyway....much to discuss...

https://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-180-the-dark-knight-returns/

I think I personally liked this less than I liked [b:You Should See Me in a Crown|50160619|You Should See Me in a Crown|Leah Johnson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568912283l/50160619._SX50_SY75_.jpg|69288604] BUT I think there's a lot in this book that will resonate with a lot of teens--how important music feels, anxiety about mass shootings, consent/nude photos/etc. And I really liked that Olivia was shown both as a character whose many crushes were taken as important to her and that narratively she wasn't shamed for being interested in so many people (across genders), but that her romantic pursuits DID make her selfish and treat her best friend badly and she could address that without needing to like, disregard teen romance. I really liked that nuance.

I've been a long-term fan of Tori Amos so I pre-ordered this book last year, and then I just never felt compelled to pick it up and start reading it. (Partly I think I was afraid of getting burned the way I was by Ani DiFranco's bad memoir, and partly I was afraid it would be too "political" in a way that would just make me even more pointlessly worked up as I have been for...awhile. And partly also IDK I just had other stuff going on!)

ANYWAY it was worth the wait, I really enjoyed it. It's kind of loosely structured essay/anecdotes about her personal life and/or bigger picture history that inspired a song, then lyrics of a song, then another essay-ish thing. I would absolutely not recommend it to someone who wasn't already a big fan of Tori Amos. But if you are a fan of hers, at least for me this made me appreciate her even more and added some context for some of her songs (whose lyrics can be uhh abstract). And inspiring about the power of art and community! Ultimately left me feeling slightly less depressed about the state of the world! Wow!

This was cute! I'm not very familiar with the Beast Boy character but I think in general these DC Ink books serve as good kind of AU-oneshot introductions to characters. It's a fun, questionable-sciencey kind of story with a focus on doing pranks for Internet fame that I think a lot of tweens & teens will enjoy. The narrative of "geeky boy hopelessly in love with hot mean-ish girl for no apparent reason" is a little tiresome but at least this book seems very aware that he's interested more in the social status than the girl herself, which is...something, at least. I mean, I buy it.

Also I stan a vegetarian superhero always!!!!!

I got this on audiobook for a roadtrip and it was good for that purpose--entertaining, engaging, but easy enough to dip in and out of without getting lost. It's a cute queer romcom and I think teens, especially those who are into cosplay/streaming/conventions/etc will dig it. Also it's fun that it's set in the Boston area.

That said for me as an adult I was like squinting a liil bit at some of the very sweaty machinations required to get this plot in motion, like the SPECIFICITY of Raffy's mom's whole deal was......a lot? and I still don't really understand

Spoiler

Inaya and Luca's motivatations for cosplaying together and then splitting...it seemed like very plot-dependent heel turns and then redemption arcs but she was like "I'm ambitious...I want to win so I'll sabotage you...but I only want to win against the BEST so I'll help you..." like ok girl so why'd you sabotage them then....also very sus that this HUGE international cosplay convention has 3 kids from the same high school in the final 4 but ok

Anyway those are minor grumps really.

The audiobook was fine, not an annoying narrator but also not one where I'm like "wow the audiobook was amazing, you should definitely prioritize listening over reading."

Another roadtrip listen. This I would say was definitely enhanced by listening to audio vs reading in print--Busy's impressions of her mom are worth a full star alone.

I'm not necessarily a huge fan of Busy Philipps but like, I liked Freaks and Geeks and enjoy her social media presence? So I was definitely surprised by a lot of aspects of this. It's also a bit more serious in tone than I'd expected, like regarding discussions of sexual assault etc. But I did appreciate her candor especially in discussing her teenage abortion. I also enjoyed how extremely willing she was to spill the tea and name names of people who were shitty to her.

I was obv drawn to this because of the cult aspect, and I'm a fan of Gwenda Bond's YA books (and her former podcast about cults!) The book itself wasn't totally my cup of tea, like I understand that it is a romance novel and this is the point of it, but it was hard for me to get into the super hot demon falling in love at first sight with the random human escape room operator.

It also felt like the bureaucracy of Hell and the humor there owed a lot to Good Omens but in a way where I just like, wished I was re-reading Good Omens.

But I think readers who are more into paranormal romance in general, and who are less concerned with the worldbuilding details, will probably enjoy this more than I did.

Also it was nice to include a nonbinary best friend character although that character's side plot overall didn't...do a lot for me?

I love the Wayward Children series and have been reading them all as they come out, but I was also like UH OH when I realized I was supposed to remember things that had happened in previous books here. But like, I got it, and once I was into it I really loved the way the world opened up here. Cora is such a relatable fat protagonist and I love her journey!!

WHEW!

I'd never read anything by Agatha Christie before because I'm not generally that into mysteries/murder/etc, but I picked this up for book club and was pleasantly surprised. It's not very murder-y but it is extremely goofy and fun. Also I really enjoyed the very specific 20th century European stereotypes everyone was dropping at every turn.