With it's tone, brevity, and use of historical examples, this book is kind of an anti-authoritarian The Prince. On Tyranny uses historical examples to illustrate how and why citizens (of the U.S. in particular) should resist the development of authoritarianism.

Keeps all of my favorite themes of my favorite fantasy series; food descriptions, realistic character development, genre-required exaggeration. The Ironborn with their lust for BATTLE especially feel like they just sailed out of some Elric story. I also like how Martin draws on historical examples to write a convincing depiction of how feudalism worked (works? how long until the stars of hollywood return to their hometowns and claim their rights?). Feast for Crows, following Jaime and Brienne's wanderings through war ravaged lands does this pretty well. The fate of Lady Catlyn and the Brotherhood W/o Banners is also a good depiction of what years of savage war, betrayal, and disappointment can do to even those with good intentions. In short, I guess I kinda get why people like Feast for Crows less than the other books -- slower-paced, no Dany, Jon, or Tyrion chapters -- I still think it holds up well with the other books in the series. I don't even mind Martin introducing a bunch of new characters, although I kind of wished we'd followed them more, rather than simply using their narratives to follow the big story.

One of the saddest end-of-the-world books I've read in a while. Even before the last man alive is alone, he seems so lonely. The world before everyone dies is very sad. Crake's vision of what should come after the end of the world (embodied in the Crakers) is also pretty sad. That said, it's a great read. I zipped right through it!

This book is great! I liked how the three different narratives wove together. I especially enjoyed the parts involving the monkey king, despite my irrational fear and loathing of monkeys. Although this book kind of has dark moments, it also has a lot of chuckles. I will have to read more by Yang.

Graphic telling of the story of the Boxer rebellion through the eyes of the rebels. So, it is a downer. I really like Yang's artistic style. The image of Qin shi Huang as a nationalist hero is a new perspective for me.

Story of the power struggles that took place immediately before and after the death of Stalin.

Seemed a little more rushed than the last two Goldie Vances. I also felt like we didn't see enough of the other regular characters or the setting.

Still fun, but the background art wasn't as quirky, and again, the storylines felt a little rushed.

Anthology of Nicole Georges's zines from the early 2000s. I enjoyed the fun recipes, the stories of the PDX DIY scene (hey not everyone who plays music loud is trying to show off!), and the stories of the animal sanctuary. As with other Nicole Georges stuff I've read, Invincible Summer makes me nostalgic for a time when the real estate feeding frenzy wasn't chasing poor folks and artists out of cities like Portland.

Much darker than Boxers. Illustrates how Christianity was used by the European powers to gain a foothold in China, as they did in other places they colonized. Boxers and Saints also both illustrate how the Boxer rebellion was a civil war fought within the most poor sections of Chinese society.