Book Reviews

Today we get to look at a graphic novel! I love comic books. And Wonder Woman is a fave with her lore and everything.

Dead Earth is an elseworlds-vibe story that is a take on the aftermath of Amazons Attack!, basically. Except in this case there was an apocalypse after the war. It's very Mad Max. Insert *"Brutal" Metalocaypse* meme here lol.

Wonder Woman is the only hero left due to reasons and has to help people on the barren, cruel landscape that is now Earth. There are a couple big old twists which honestly I did not see coming. It's pretty good! The art style isn't my favorite but it really works for this gritty, brutal kind of story. Enhances the grunge.

Honestly, not much else to say. 6.2/10.

Oh yeah, two books in one day! I'm backlogged.

The main difference between this series and the last one is that this one is incredibly relaxing for me. It's so stinkin cute.

In this volume we get some little dates with smaller groups of the girlfriends, which I love. You get to see more of how their "normal" lives are and not always some big adventure or escapade. We do run into another girl, and (shockingly!) she did not turn out to be a girlfriend lol. We do eventually get to another girlfriend though, and this one is a nature lover. Additionally, idol and sumo plots.

This one was really fun! Ridiculous, absurd, cute as heck.

9.5/10 obvs

New year, new books baby!

Aaaaaaaaarrgggghhhhh. I have such conflicting feelings about this one.

For those who don't know, this series started off as a web comic and I guess was pretty popular so we now get it in graphic novel form. I personally kept seeing it pop up in my Instagram groups and when I saw that there was a book version in my local comic shop, I was like fine I'll read it lol. The series is basically a romance kind of fantasy villainess vibe. The main girl isn't a villain but it has the same sort of feel as the "reborn as a villainess" anime. It's also adult-ish for reasons.

I was really into this. It really grabbed my attention and I couldn't stop thinking about it and wanting to finish it. It's been a long time since that's happened with a book lol. However I did realize later that this tension and intrigue stuff was also very stressful for me haha. It's a little tropey, but that's fairly expected. I like the characters, and it's a cute story so far. I'm a little concerned they're gonna Mary Sue the main girl, they've already hinted at some magic possibilities. But we shall see.

The next volume isn't until later this year sometime. I hate having to wait.

8.5/10

Eeeeehhhhhhhhhh

I really wanted to like this more than I did. I mean honestly I didn't want to finish it but I wouldn't let myself do that lol.

So, Mrs. Child has some interesting tips on how to do things economically. The first half of this book I would definitely say I liked the most. I enjoyed the little tips and tricks of the home. My favorite was probably pest prevention. I guess roaches don't like turpentine (my boyfriend said "yeah most things don't") and bedbugs can be kept away by mixing egg and mercury (to which I said, "yeah that would keep most living things away"). I had very much the same reaction to the remedies mentioned in this book that I did with the last book I read: it's just so crazy seeing them trying to figure out treatments before they had any clue about germs. Learning about foods of the time and how to do different things for different meats was kind of cool. I do honestly want to make one of the puddings. Things get a little preachy about halfway, we start getting morality lectures.

There was a lot more "homey" stuff in this book and I think that's why I wasn't as big of a fan. I like more of the frontier and learning to use things if you have nothing. And unfortunately a good portion of this book was how to polish your fireplace or clean your wood furniture. It was interesting in a historically curious sort of way, but not really my cup of tea.

Mrs. Child's easy life hack #237: use ear wax as lip balm.

Take everything with a grain of salt. 6.5/10

This book really gives a lot of perspective.

This guy was a surgeon and seems to have had quite the interesting life. (Bro also wrote this at 92 by the way.)

The leading story regarding surgery on Grover Cleveland is kind of insane. They had to keep it a secret due to the impending repeal of the Sherman Act and everything that surrounded that. So they end up doing this thing on a yacht. -It sounds like a movie.- The thing that really got me though, was, the issue Cleveland had was a mouth ulcer that had to be removed. The night before the surgery, he goes to talk to one of the doctors and is like, hey, let's have a CIGAR! And the doctors were like, yeah, cool! lol.

The rest of the book is sort of different talks on how medicine has advanced, and this honestly blew my mind more than the main Cleveland story. Just the procedures and complications that would end up being fatal; things we wouldn't even think about now because they've basically been eliminated. Like we're really only about 100 years from surgery essentially just being death. The mortality rate this guy talks about is insane.

Doc was also a surgeon during the Civil War-- and I've never been a huge Civil War buff, but the way he talks about conditions and medicine there makes me want to learn more about medicine at that time, especially being before germ theory (late 1860s). Side note - the amount of liqour at the war is also hilarious. He goes through a supply list for a wagon train after a battle and it's incredible.

Honestly I thought this would be way more boring, but I'm pleasantly surprised. 9/10.

OH MY GLOB WE FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK.

So my significant otter and I read before bed, and boy howdy this took us a hot minute to get through. It is long and dense, my friends. That said, I did like it, but I've always really dug Mary Queen of Scots, so if this was a bio about a rando, mmmmm, idk man. However, my S.O. has no cares for this type of historical stuff and he said he liked it, so there ya go.

It's a good book. It needed more editing. 9/10. I'd give it a 9.5 but I can't read French. Footnote translations or something next time, please and thank you. <3

I have been procrastinating so hard.

This thing has no author, it's like a magazine type thing. But it's like a book. Also it's in English and Japanese.

Weeeeelllll. I suppose I have to rate it now. 7-8/10. I'm conflicted. Also don't do what I did and read it like a novel, it's more of a coffee table type thing.

Lol literally my first note on this one is, "ah, finally, incest". X.X

Yes, the next volume of 100 Girlfriends finally introduces the incest trope. Because of course it does. And naturally in 100 Girlfriends style, of course, the story is cute. Also they're cousins, not the usual sibling thing, so....kinda better? Less "Deliverance" and more "medieval times"?

I do find the dichotomy of this series very amusing: Degenerate and ridiculous, but also emotionally deep and welcoming (idk I was trying to find the right word here, but basically what I mean is that the characters are all so different that it feels very inclusive to the reader. See also, endearing.)

I was also very pleased that we get a character story in this one! And it isn't just an intro story or a group integration story. I like being able to see the girls interact in a more casual, natural way that doesn't feel like it's trying to hit certain beats. :)

Uuuhh 8.5/10? It gets bonus points for the bonus story, but the new characters and stuff weren't my fave in this one.

The quote on the cover of this book calls it hilarious. I find that interesting.

Daisy Fay is about a girl of the same name. It follows her journal from ages 11-17/18. She lives in a small town in Mississippi with her parents but wants to move out and become a big star. **Please also keep in mind, this book is set in the 1950s, so unfortunately there is some racism and stereotypes (there is a "colored" section of town, she identifies her friend as an Italian, she meets a Gypsy family, etc.) It's all fairly childish (since she's a child), and while upsetting, does bring an aspect of realism due to the era it's set in.**

I did find the first part of the book especially charming. Probably mostly because her childhood reminded me somewhat of mine; not the more extreme stuff, but with a "wild" dad and more strict mom, and the local culture. I found that the pre-highschool adventures are much more engaging than the latter half of the book. The general format of the book was also very fun to me. The author has you reading a child's journal and seeing through their perspective, and then you as the reader realize some of the things that are actually happening, and some of it is wild lol. For example (no wild examples--no spoilers, sorry), a dog bites someone and gets "sent away" (euthanized); or a man drinks because he "misses the war" (bro has PTSD).

However. This book takes a left turn real quick and things get hella intense. Which is great. But then we move on to life in high school and boy I could just feel my eyes glazing over. I'm sure some people might like it, but it's just not my vibe. Not to say that interesting things didn't happen to the main character, I just didn't care lol. After a pretty strong start and then that intense turn, it just feels like it drops off. Luckily it does (sort of) pick back up. The main thing I found interesting about when she's an older teenager is reading all of the wild effects of poor sex education on everyone. Yikes.

Finally, there are some solid twists at the end that I didn't see coming. We don't actually get to know if she becomes a star, but I kind of like that you can imagine that for yourself.

It's definitely a weird, interesting read. But honestly, I was glad when it was over. 6/10.

Yes I did read 5 and 6 back to back what's it to you

The longer this series goes on, the farther it devolves into degeneracy. Read it at your own risk. -(@-@)- Also I do believe they're going to parody every anime trope. Given the time.

Honestly yall we finally got some tiny heads next to speech bubbles and that is all I've ever wanted. 9/10

Bigger group, bigger shenanigans.

Still going strong! Got some baseball content in this bad boy. I really like baseball so that was pretty fun for me. Also in this one, it feels like they're making up for any lack of "lovey-dovey" content in the previous volumes lol.

9/10, idk.

Forreal though.

So, one thing about me. I love cats. Always have. And big/wild cats have always been a huge interest. And I've always wanted a book on every type of wild cat. So in many ways this book is the best. They give basic information on all types of cats, including territory maps and endangered status, as well as some fun facts about felids in general. However, I wanted more. This is more coffee table, less encyclopedia, and that makes me sad. I wanted more illustrations or diagrams, especially for some of the lesser known/studied cats. For example, the authors mention special positioning of some teeth and a visual representation of that would have been very helpful. So I'm very mixed on how I feel about the amount of information in general. They do give you an Additional Reading list at the back of the book though so I do like that.

The only other thing I really had an issue with was the ordering of the last section. The book is split into "chapters" with each being the family line they fall into. Puma, Lynx, etc. The last section is for Domestic cats, which actually does include some wildcat species. It was kind of weird to me that they didn't put domestic house cats last, like some sort of finale. They had a bigger section than the others and it was just kind of weird to have that then more wild cats.

Ok so I do mostly love this book for what it is. It's a good compendium of all the cats. But "everything you want to know"? Not so much. 8.5/10

So, first a serious review. I understand what the author was going for here. I don't completely agree with everything but you know, "take what works and leave the rest." The book definitely feels dated, it was written in 1996, so especially some of the psychological science and language doesn't fit anymore. But in general, it's fine for learning a little more about how you might function and why if you're a "highly sensitive" type.

Ok now for the fun review!

This book...I had such a range of emotions. lmao. Uhhhh 6.5/10.

GUYS. SPEECH BUBBLES. I am actually reading this for the plot lol.

Still like the story so unless something else changes: 8.5/10.

Taking off points for the speech bubbles issues. 8.5/10.

The book is in a manga style. But it's individual comics to a page with 4 panels to a comic. They can stand alone (like if you read one randomly in a newspaper) but they also follow an overall storyline which is pretty fun. I really like that style.

9/10.

Still in season 1 stuff. 9/10.

Obviously I still love it. 9/10. The only reason it's not a 10 is because the manga is sometimes a little confusing on who is talking when the speech bubbles are just floating around. I figure it out, but still, could be easier.

I did discover a new term in this book that I hate: "art manufacturing firm". Great. Reminds me of the feeling of the AI art issues that are starting to come up, where you're just like "oh, so no imagination then, cool." Like, way to make it not sound like an imaginative, soul-healing activity. Gives me the ick. Deep in my soul.

Also, different side rant, this guy had one of those things I really hate in anyone that's supposed to be creative or inventive - a staffed studio. If people design for you and you just sign off on it, it's really not your design is it? It's theirs, they just work for you. Even if people who work at the studio are following a particular style, it's still coming from their heads and not Dresser's. It's giving very Thomas Edison at Menlo Park (that's not a good thing).

Even better though, I also liked the story! Basically these three girls get called to another world to save it and they have to go on a quest to learn their magic-ness. Volume 2 introduces other worlds trying to invade and those battles. It all sounds very serious but there's a lot of cute and fantasy to it. The characters feel very distinct, the worlds are cool. The only thing I wasn't super into was the mech/gundam aspect, but they were cool enough and stuck to the fantasy so even that part was still pretty good. The twist/reveal/whatever at the end--omg. I kind of expected it, but not necessarily the way they pulled it off. And the crisis-resolution took a turn and was better than I expected. Cherry on top with an uplifting, feel-good ending.

If you don't know, Craigslist has this category called "Missed Connections" where people talk about people they saw that they thought were hot but didn't talk to, or who did something nice for them and they wanna express that. Just stuff like that. Things you didn't say to people you'll probably never see again. Such a touchstone in our cultural history. Anyway this guy took a bunch and formatted them like poetry. And I said, "Well I like poetry." And then I read it in like 2 or 3 sittings. First mistake. This is totally more of a coffee table kinda book. Like you pick it up, flip to a random page, and go "heh" and move on with your day. There are some good ones in here no doubt, but as a jaded adult not all the entries seem as "outlandish" as they used to which means a lot of the humor is gone. Like yeah there's some funny ones, but some are just plain sad and make me feel really bad for the person that wrote it. (My s.o. calls this "em-puh-thee"?) Also some are creepy, and while kind of funny, it's not enough to offset how straight up uncomfortable I am.

Without giving a ton away, Wuthering Heights is about a man's obsessive love and his life tormenting the families who "wronged" him. It's like watching (reading) trash TV but without all the noise. I felt so invested. And then the ending. It's so deflated and unsatisfying and frustrating. It doesn't feel like an appropriate conclusion or opposing action compared to the intensity of the main part of the book. Uggghhh. So disappointing.

Side rant - the book also does this thing that I hate where the characters who speak in a dialect or accent have their lines written that way. Man, I hate trying to decipher what someone is saying when I'm trying to read. Like just tell me they have an accent or speak in broken English or are difficult to understand. Then I can imagine it myself. But it breaks up the flow when I'm trying to understand what is even written. Honestly it's one of the reasons I haven't read much Mark Twain. I wanted to read I think it was Huckleberry Finn when I was younger, but then I saw how much it was written in dialect and I was like, yeah that's gonna be way too frustrating lol. It'd be one thing if I were watching a movie adaptation, because I feel like the auditory brain can process a different way of speaking without it necessarily being disruptive (obviously depends on how thick the accent is or whatever) but reading it that way is just not it.

Unfortunately the age can definitely show in some of the entries; the book can be a little ("casually") racist. (The way it's written still feels weirdly objective though. Like, you can tell it's probably language of the time.) So that part sucked.

All in all, 7/10. I feel comfortable reading this as an adult with context/knowledge/whatever about most of the topics, but I feel like I would have to have talks with any kids that read it.

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