dozens reviewed Black Bolt by Saladin Ahmed
Saladin Ahmed: Black Bolt (2017)
Review of 'Black Bolt' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
For somebody who's mute, B.B. sure does talk a lot in this book.
Also, Lockjaw: dog ex machina?
Reviews and Comments
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dozens rated The Great Hunt: 2 stars
The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time, #2)
The Forsaken are loose, the Horn of Valere has been found and the Dead are rising from their dreamless sleep. …
dozens reviewed Moon Knight Vol. 2 by Jeff Lemire
Review of 'Moon Knight Vol. 2' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Fightin' crime and mental illness!
Review of 'If I understood you, would I have this look on my face?' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
It was ok!
What I want to remember
+ I talked about his empathy experiments in a yoga class this morning. Most of what he said about labeling emotions in other people could be equally valuable directed internally.
+ The fact that he seems to think most things can be improved through taking improv classes.
Review of 'Everybody Lies; Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Reveals About Who We Really Are' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I liked it!
Why I picked it up
Mel was reading it for her company book club. I decided to come along for the ride!
What I learned
A lot of trivia, from silly to uncomfortable, related to sexual preference, professional sports, and politics.
A little bit about how big data works and doesn't work. About its applications and limitations, and some ethical concerns surrounding it.
What I didn't like
Skip the whole conclusion. It is silly and off topic.
dozens reviewed Believe Me by Eddie Izzard
"Critically acclaimed, award-winning British comedian and actor Eddie Izzard details his childhood, his first performances …
Review of 'Believe Me' on 'Goodreads'
What the actual damn hell is going on here? That was the fastest I've ever put down a book after starting it. I've watched Eddie Izzard's standup, have watched him on television and in movies, and have followed his running career. I'm a fan.
But I'm not going to sit through an entire book of him doing whatever it is he's doing here. He sounds unprepared, uninterested, unprofessional, and as though he's just making it up as he goes along.
If you remain interested in reading this book, consider the print copy over the audio version. Hopefully it's a little more coherent.
dozens rated Runaways, Vol. 3: 3 stars
dozens reviewed Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan
Six normal California teenagers, linked only by their wealthy parents' annual business meeting accidently discover …
Review of 'Runaways' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Why I picked it up
Watched the first couple of episodes of the new series on Hulu. Wasn't thrilled with it, but was curious enough to want to read the source material.
Plus, Brian K. Vaughan is one of my favorite writers in this medium.
What I liked about it
+ The fact that the parents insisted on wearing costumes throughout as proper super-villains made them look kind of silly and perhaps old-fashioned compared to their kids who were just trying to figure out their own places in the world and also how to get along with each other. This was further demonstrated when the kids initially came up with and then abandoned code names for themselves, as though recognizing that this wasn't kids' stuff and they weren't playing at being costumed heroes.
+ The story was just pretty darn good. As I would expect from Vaughan. But the pacing …
Why I picked it up
Watched the first couple of episodes of the new series on Hulu. Wasn't thrilled with it, but was curious enough to want to read the source material.
Plus, Brian K. Vaughan is one of my favorite writers in this medium.
What I liked about it
+ The fact that the parents insisted on wearing costumes throughout as proper super-villains made them look kind of silly and perhaps old-fashioned compared to their kids who were just trying to figure out their own places in the world and also how to get along with each other. This was further demonstrated when the kids initially came up with and then abandoned code names for themselves, as though recognizing that this wasn't kids' stuff and they weren't playing at being costumed heroes.
+ The story was just pretty darn good. As I would expect from Vaughan. But the pacing and little reveals here and nudges there and the double and triple crosses all made it just really fun. It didn't pack the whollop of Y: The Last Man, Saga, or Pride of Baghdad, but it's pretty solid on its own.
dozens rated The Assault on Reason: 4 stars
The Assault on Reason by Al Gore
A #1 New York Times bestseller: A visionary analysis of the degradation of our public sphere and its consequences for …
dozens reviewed George & Lizzie by Nancy Pearl
"From "America's librarian" and NPR books commentator Nancy Pearl comes an emotionally riveting debut novel …
Review of 'George & Lizzie' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I liked it.
I have weird feelings about the title characters. Lizzie is the most selfish, toxic, negative, unfulfilled, delusional person I've encountered in a long time. But I sympathized and cared for her. And George seems like parody of a savior, an unflappable smiling buddha pigeonholed into the "I'm going to save her" role. But I liked him and thought he was earnest.
Buddha cast as a dentist, by the way, is hilarious. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is not. Be sure you floss.
The ending was complicated for me as well. It certainly wasn't an ending to their story, but merely a departure point for the readers from their lives, and so I can't help but feel a little bummed that I can't see what happens next. But, as the poem at the end suggests, at this point healing and love and life for George and Lizzie are probably …
I liked it.
I have weird feelings about the title characters. Lizzie is the most selfish, toxic, negative, unfulfilled, delusional person I've encountered in a long time. But I sympathized and cared for her. And George seems like parody of a savior, an unflappable smiling buddha pigeonholed into the "I'm going to save her" role. But I liked him and thought he was earnest.
Buddha cast as a dentist, by the way, is hilarious. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is not. Be sure you floss.
The ending was complicated for me as well. It certainly wasn't an ending to their story, but merely a departure point for the readers from their lives, and so I can't help but feel a little bummed that I can't see what happens next. But, as the poem at the end suggests, at this point healing and love and life for George and Lizzie are probably happy but as mundane as maintenance and putting WD-40 on squeaky hinges. So they can have that part and I'll be content with the bit of their story I got to enjoy.
dozens rated Yoga Nidra: 4 stars
dozens reviewed Coming to my senses by Alice Waters
Review of 'Coming to my senses' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
it was ok!
dozens reviewed It devours! by Fink, Joseph (Fiction writer) (A Welcome to Night Vale novel)
A mystery exploring the intersections of faith and science, the growing relationship between two young …
Review of 'It devours!' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Well that was super fun!
Why I picked it up
I love Welcome to Nightvale. It's my favorite podcast. I've been to the live show.
What I liked about it
The idea that things that are seemingly in opposition to each other, like science and religion, don't necessarily need to be. And at the same time, things that are seemingly in perfect sync, like two people exploring an exciting new relationship together, don't necessarily need to be.
And neither of those truths means that either party is wrong, or without blame, or that they can't continue to coexist peacefully and productively, or that they can't be a comfort to each other.
I was honestly expecting a solid takedown of religion since it and capitalism have been major villains in the WTNV universe. What I got instead was a deescalation and disarming of both sides, a call for reason and sanity.
dozens rated The last unicorn: 3 stars
The last unicorn by Peter B. Gillis
Presents a graphic novel adaptation of the famous novel, in which a unicorn, alone in an enchanted wood, discovers she …