"There is no permanence. Do we build a house to stand forever, do we seal a contract to hold for all time? Do brothers divide an inheritance to keep f"There is no permanence. Do we build a house to stand forever, do we seal a contract to hold for all time? Do brothers divide an inheritance to keep forever, does the flood-time of rivers endure? It is only the nymph of the dragon-fly who sheds her larva and sees the sun in his glory."
To be totally honest, I read this on the penultimate day of 2016 because it gave me an excuse to cross off two more of my 2016 reading goals ( "a book my parents own" and "a book written before 500 AD" ). But I feel that it's somehow a fitting last thing to read now, when this year has been so marked by loss. Because it just goes to show that death hasalwaysbeen a source of mystery and fear, and people have always tried, unsuccessfully, to avoid it. But I think what made my heart ache the most wasn't the part about the death; it was the part about growing up, when Enkidu becomes a stranger to the wild creatures who were once like a family to him....more
An overview of a lot of useful skills for comics, and for drawing in general: perspective, gesture, shading, and some elements of software. It's all aAn overview of a lot of useful skills for comics, and for drawing in general: perspective, gesture, shading, and some elements of software. It's all a bit surface level, but useful nonetheless, and a nice stepping stone towards learning about these topics in greater detail....more
I'm not even sure how to rate this - on one hand I couldn't put it down, on the other hand I reallywantedto put it down because every time I thoughtI'm not even sure how to rate this - on one hand I couldn't put it down, on the other hand I reallywantedto put it down because every time I thought it couldn't get worse, it got worse. I think it went a little too far with the repeated fake-out deaths, but even as I complain I'm reaching for the next volume in the series......more
"Why do you risk everything to be with him?" "Because he's so goddamn beautiful." "Ha. I assure you, looks aren't forever." "Oh, I know. I wasn't talking"Why do you risk everything to be with him?" "Because he's so goddamn beautiful." "Ha. I assure you, looks aren't forever." "Oh, I know. I wasn't talking about his looks."
A lovely continuation to the story! I really enjoyed getting to know more about the characters' relationships and memories, which continue to be beautiful interwoven with the wartime backdrop. It's also fun to see characters coming together to form somewhat unconventional family units, and I can't wait who they cross paths with next. (Luckily I already have the next two volumes!)
However: if anything happens to Lying Cat, I am going to be very upset....more
A pretty good book for learning the basics of how to draw people. It starts with some fundamentals of anatomy, progresses through how to capture diffeA pretty good book for learning the basics of how to draw people. It starts with some fundamentals of anatomy, progresses through how to capture different postures and viewing angles, and concludes with a lot of advice on how to draw different types of clothing. I appreciated the emphasis on how to convey emotion/expression through gesture, and how to select the most important details to get the job done. I would've liked a bit more about anatomy, but I can't complain too much since there are other books entirely focused on that. I do think I've improved a lot thanks to this book....more
Well,ouch.I picked this up looking for an fun, action-y read in the style of volume 1. I did not expect it to perforate my heart quite so quickly, oWell,ouch.I picked this up looking for an fun, action-y read in the style of volume 1. I did not expect it to perforate my heart quite so quickly, or to haunt me for so long afterwards. The story still has its cute and slapstick moments, but their ephemerality is painfully evident. There's now little doubt that the stakes are high, and that the unthinkable is actuallyverythinkable for certain people. The early part of the story is so chilling that it kinda overshadowed everything that came after. However, there is more of a continuous storyline compared to the episodic style of volume 1, which I thought was an improvement....more
My library keeps putting dog-centric art books on display, and I'm helpless to do anything other than pick them up. I'd probably rate this one higherMy library keeps putting dog-centric art books on display, and I'm helpless to do anything other than pick them up. I'd probably rate this one higher if my expectations were slightly different. The art style is playful and colorful and bright, and I love how the author talks about how her perception of dogs changed over time. Her paintings do a beautiful job of reflecting this transition from terror to love. Canine facial expressions are expertly captured too, especially the little smirk that parents of mischievous dogs will instantly recognize. However, at some point it just becomes about... other stuff that just features dogs on the periphery. While it remained interesting, and I enjoyed seeing how dogs fit into the picture even when they're not the focus of the scene, I didn't find it quite so compelling.
One of my pet peeves is when a book purports to be about animals, but instead just uses animals as a symbol or accessory. Although I wouldn't say that this book does that, there were a bunch of pages where the dog-ness of dogs seems secondary to some other point being made. Which is fine; it's just not what I was looking for based on the title and cover....more
3.5 stars *flips coin to decide whether to round up or down*
Of all the stages of grief, "bargaining" has always struck me as the most interesting and3.5 stars *flips coin to decide whether to round up or down*
Of all the stages of grief, "bargaining" has always struck me as the most interesting and memorable: the appraisal of all we have and don't have, and the hypothetical transactions that we think would make things better. It's an activity whose allure is counterbalanced by its low probability of success. What would the world be like if bargaining actually had some chance of working? That's the world ofFullmetal Alchemist.
Following the death of their mother, the brothers Edward and Alphonse engage in an alchemical ritual that seems guaranteed to bring her back. They fail, but that's not the worst of it; in the process, Edward loses a limb and Alphonse loses his whole body, left as a soul inhabiting a hollow suit of armor. We follow them as they attempt to put their lives and bodies back together, encountering other, dangerous alchemists along the way.
This first volume is very episodic, covering three stories that seem pretty independent of each other. The first story, which I think was the longest of the three, was my favorite. It's about the vulnerability of people who want to retrieve the irretrievable, and it shows what the brothers learned from their own attempts at doing that. The art is cleverly done; sometimes the most effective way to convey a horrible image is to barely show the edge of it and leave the rest up to reader/viewer imagination, and here it's done to great effect.
Though, this volume as a whole isn't super serious. In the preface, Hiromu Arakawa talks about her fondness for B-movies and how she wanted to create a similar effect in this manga, and I think she succeeded at that. There are a lot of hilarious, over-the-top action scenes, and I love when humor comes through in the art style and people suddenly turn into freaked-out stick figures. However, action scenes don't hold my attention for very long, and I ultimately didn't find those parts of the story to be particularly memorable.
Nonetheless, I'm excited to continue with the series and I'm looking forward to seeing some kind of continual story-arc emerge. The story has an interesting magic system, with real power coming at real cost. More importantly, it has a big heart. And Alphonse is adorable. More please!...more
Why did you make only one of me? It's going to be lonely being me.
What do we mean when we talk about community?
It's a word that always seems to be preWhy did you make only one of me? It's going to be lonely being me.
What do we mean when we talk about community?
It's a word that always seems to be prefaced with something else - a location, an interest, a profession. It's hard to strip away those descriptors, to uncover those individuals with no apparent "community", those who challenge us to redefine the word and reevaluate how open our hearts and minds are.
With fervor he insisted that the most valuable social relationships were those between minds as different from one another as possible yet capable of mutual sympathy.
A product of biological engineering, Sirius is a dog with the intellect of a human, an interloper between species without a true home in either. We follow him from a puppyhood - as he tries to imitate his human "sister" as she stacks toy bricks - to an adulthood where he at various points plays the role of sheep herder, scientist, and religious cantor. Along the way he witnesses (and inevitably participates in) cycles of manipulation and abuse that occur between different communities, from families to countries and species. He learns the meaning of war, of prejudice, of disability. And even so, sometimes he manages to glimpse what could be achieved through a community where differences are respected and cherished as much as commonalities.
"There is no place for me in man's world, and there is no other world for me. There is no place for me anywhere in the universe."
She answered, "But wherever I am, there is always a place for you."...more
Possibly the most beautiful book I have ever seen.
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Every dog has a story, but even for a dog's owner, that story is at least partly an unknowabPossibly the most beautiful book I have ever seen.
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Every dog has a story, but even for a dog's owner, that story is at least partly an unknowable mystery. What was their life like before they found us? What's really going on behind those round, shiny eyes? Yet undeniably, any time we sit down and give them our attention, they're telling us a piece of that story - whether they're saying some approximation of "Friendship!!!" or "What was that?" or "Please don't touch me". I don't think that moment of communion can be fully conveyed in a photo, but this book comes pretty darn close. The images capture delicate moments of expression, and each page is organized thoughtfully. Some photos are collected into categories ( "Puppies", "Raincoats", "One-eyed", "Sassy" ), a few are captioned ( "She likes to strike poses" ), while others stand alone, filling the entirety of the big glossy pages. It's something that sets the book apart fromthe website,which was already a thing of beauty.
I would definitely recommend this book to any dog lover, or simply any human who would like their day to be a little brighter....more
I've liked fantasy, or at least the idea of it, pretty much since I could read. And yet my feelings about the high/epic/whatever variety have always bI've liked fantasy, or at least the idea of it, pretty much since I could read. And yet my feelings about the high/epic/whatever variety have always been rocky. Some of my favoriteandleast favorite books fall under that category, and the latter caused me to steer clear of the genre for the last few years. Even so, this quote by JRR Tolkien sums up why I didn't give up entirely:
I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which 'Escape' is now so often used. Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?
This book reminded me that there's no better escape than immersing yourself in an imagined world, yet it also proved that "escape" isn't synonymous with an easy way out. You might end up somewhere at least as complicated as wherever you're escaping from, and you can't rely on anyone being there to hold your hand as you figure out how the world works.
InThe Killing Moon,the world of Gujaareh is revealed through a combination of vivid details and judicious gaps. I came to understand it well enough to follow the story, yet even after finishing the book I wasn't 100% sure that I understood how everything worked, despite feeling confident that there was indeedsomethingout there. Which is a decent approximation of how people interact with the real world.
This review is going to be a bit of a cop-out because I barreled through this book in the wee hours of the morning before my dissertation was due (which should give you some idea of how the book affected me), so here are a few of the components that made it stand out: a world inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology; a system of magic fueled by dreams; multiple layers of emotionally fraught mentor-student relationships; the duty to kill; the right to die; the right tonotdie, thank you very much; a thoughtful exploration of what "peace" means; characters that I sincerely cared about, which made the endgame all the more distressing; and a charmingly self-deprecating author note.
Thank you, NK Jemisin, for restoring my faith in the worlds of high fantasy, and the characters who inhabit them.
I would ease this for you if I could, but I have no peace left to share. I still have love, though. Take it. As much as you need....more
I don't know if I should call this the first romance novel I've ever read, but I think it is my first grown-up romance novel wiBuddy read withNenia.
I don't know if I should call this the first romance novel I've ever read, but I think it is my first grown-up romance novel with all the trappings of the genre - the cover and tropes and all that. I was pleasantly surprised by it. Courtney Milan's writing style combines elegance with humor, sending the reader on a dance that twirls gracefully into the absurd.
"Forgive my cousin, for he is a bit of a prude. But my apologies; I was intruding into your very delightful conversation. Please, continue with whatever it was you weren't saying to each other."
... Not that everything is fun and games. The protagonists of this story, Minnie and Robert, exist at very different positions in Victorian society, but they share a desire to emerge from the shadows of their respective parents. Robert had a ruthless father and a (consequently) distant mother, while Minnie's life has been defined by a traumatic incident brought on by her father's irresponsibility. The story is about how they move closer to each other while they both attempt to define their own identities: Robert as he distances himself from the privilege he was born into, and Minnie as she tries to decouple herself from her past. It's a slow and sometimes painful process, but it's sustained by the way they encourage the best in each other. It's quite touching to see Robert support Minnie as she develops more self-esteem.
Yet, it's about a lot more than two people who are romantically in love. It's about the formation, dissolution, and maintenance of many different kinds of love. Friends, siblings, cousins, parents, and even adoptive parents all share the spotlight, creating a web where bonds flicker in and out of existence with Minnie and Robert trying to keep balance in the middle. I adored the loyalty and understanding demonstrated by people in each of their circles.
Neither of them said anything, and that companionable silence explained the matter more fluently than Robert could have. Sebastian could make a joke out of anything. Oliver was more than willing to mock him. But they knew when to do it and when to stop.
It's all lovely, until it isn't. The story doesn't end with resolution of the romantic plotline, but rather goes on to explore what happens when the relationship is tested by a friend's mishap. While I like the idea in principle, I thought the execution was difficult to believe in. The dilemma is presented as conflict between loyalty to a friend and loyalty to a partner... but thinking about it logically, it seems that the issue should be resolvable without betraying the trust of either. I'm torn on whether it's poor but understandable behavior by a character who's distressed and unaccustomed to working as a team, or whether it's just a situation that was forced into the plot to create extra drama. I'm leaning towards the latter. I also found that some parts after that were just a bit too... cute, and the ending is too tidy and reassuring in the way it brings things full circle.
Having said all that, I did enjoy this book quite a lot. The highlight for me was probably the supporting cast (especially Violet, Sebastian, and the majestically snarky Dowager Duchess), and I'm excited that other books in the series expand on the lives of several of these people. Previously, I didn't have a go-to author for when I'm in the mood for something fluffy and sweet, and I'm delighted that Courtney Milan now fills that niche....more
Not my cup of tea, at least not as an audiobook. I'm surprised, becauseMe Talk Pretty One Daywas one of the funniest books I've read. (I sometimes sNot my cup of tea, at least not as an audiobook. I'm surprised, becauseMe Talk Pretty One Daywas one of the funniest books I've read. (I sometimes still cheer myself up with the thought of what happens when you try to learn French from tabloid headlines.) In the ~40% ofDress Your Familythat I read, I don't think I got past an obligatory chuckle. It might have something to do with the narration, which is performed by Sedaris himself. There's deadpan, and there's indifference, and my (most likely inaccurate) impression was that his way of speaking leaned more towards the latter. It unfortunately rubbed off on my feelings towards the book.
Surprisingly, if I imagined the words printed on a page, they seemed slightly more humorous. Maybe a sign that if I try this book again, or other of his works, it should be in print form. I still think he's pretty good at telling a story and building up images of the absurd....more
It's been a while since I felt quite so conflicted over a book.
Prior to reading this book (which is the first celebrity memoir I've ventured into), alIt's been a while since I felt quite so conflicted over a book.
Prior to reading this book (which is the first celebrity memoir I've ventured into), all I knew about Amanda Palmer was what could be gleaned from the blog posts of her husband, Neil Gaiman. I had a vague awareness of a few of the storylines, so I welcomed the chance to get a more complete picture in Palmer's own words. She narrates the audiobook herself, and does a beautiful job of it: it's like she's sitting next to you and talking to you about life. The other great thing about the audiobook is the inclusion of music. I enjoyed every song that was included. I cried alotduringLost.
Nothing's ever lost forever It's just hiding in the recess of your mind And when you need it It will come to you at night
So much hope, comfort, and terror in a pretty little bundle of words.
She has some interesting things to say about the creative process and the role of artists in society. I loved how she described art as a process of collecting the dots and connecting the dots. Artists go about it in many different ways, with their "blenders" at different settings. She also makes a powerful case for why "Get a job" isnotthe appropriate response to give to an aspiring artist. A "job" can have a much wider meaning than its conventional, narrow-minded definition; she gives a detailed account of what it's like to have a job as a living statue in a city square.
This sense of discomfort over career legitimacy leads into one of the book's recurring themes:impostor syndrome.I've struggled with that a lot, in the soul-crushing wasteland of academia. But it was interesting to hear about how someone with a very different personality and career path ran into many of the same problems. For her, the key to overcoming it was to look for the ways that her work positively affects people's lives.
It's that need for connection that drives a lot of this book. The emphasis is on being able to ask for help, accept help, and in turn be ready to give when it's your turn to be asked. She provides many examples about how the simple act of asking - not demanding - opened doors and forged connections, particularly between herself and her fans. I liked how she presents asking as an invitation to collaborate, rather than an act of weakness or inadequacy, as people often seem to see it.
As much as I liked the basic idea, I wasn't completely on board with how it was executed. In particular, the distinction between "asking" and "begging" rubbed me the wrong way. She delineates the two because her artist friends were having difficulty asking fans for help (e.g., via Kickstarter campaigns). For them, it felt too much like begging. She and her fans have this to say about it:
"I always thought of street performers as beggars. But now I see them as artists, so I always give them money."
If asking is a collaboration, begging is a less-connected demand. Begging can't provide value to the giver; by definition, it offers no exchange. Here are the words that blog commenters used when trying to describe begging: manipulation, desperation, base, animal, last-ditch, manipulative, guilt, shame. The key words in relation to asking: dignity, collaboration, exchange, mutual respect, comfort... Asking is like courtships; begging, you are already naked and panting.
For one thing, people who have to beg are probably at a pretty low point already, and don't need to have additional negative descriptors hurled at them. Palmer should be able to support her argument - that artists shouldn't be ashamed of asking for help - without disparaging people who fall outside her world of comfortable artistic exchange.
It's also a very black-and-white way of looking at things, which extends to the way that Palmer talks about fans and haters. She doesn't leave room for anyone in between. It's possible to respond critically to a piece of art without hating it, or having any ill will towards the artist, and I'm honestly curious about what Palmer thinks of people like that.
Despite these issues, and the occasionally rambling and repetitious writing style, I thought this book was interesting and informative. It's not my usual fare, but looking through a window into another person's life can sometimes be insightful....more
I was going to start by saying that prior to reading this book, I was ignorant of the events described in it because at the time that they3.5 stars.
I was going to start by saying that prior to reading this book, I was ignorant of the events described in it because at the time that they were unfolding, I was living under a rock. I then realized that I would be making the most horrible pun ever, so I'll just begin by saying that in August of 2010, I wasn't keeping up with the news. (Here's thewikipedia articlefor anyone else who needs to be reminded about the background info.)
This book's jam-packed title gives you some idea of how its contents are written: detailed, dense, at times heavy-handed, but overall pretty straightforward. The story is told in the present tense, an interesting style for historical nonfiction, and I think it generally works well. It helps to establish a sense of time ticking towards a menacing future fate, from the very first page of the book.
The story begins before the miners arrive at work on the day of the accident, chronicles their weeks trapped underground, and concludes in the months following their rescue. They face a different set of challenges at each stage of the story, and it's especially interesting to see how making contact with the surface upends their situation, solving some problems while inciting others. It's tricky to tell the story of 33 protagonists, and I think this book fares as well as can be expected. It's a bit confusing at times and some miners fade into the background, but the individual personalities of many of the others come through, revealing some interesting and stormy group dynamics
I've always been fond of Mr. Rogers's quote, that there isn't anyone you couldn't love once you've heard their story. This book got me thinking that the converse may also have some truth to it: there isn't anyone you wouldn't be put off by (at least a little bit) once you've heard their story. As cynical as that sounds, one of the book's major points is that these men are not necessarily the most lovable or upstanding people you've ever met, but that it has nothing to do with whether they're worthy of being saved. Many of them had messy lives before the accident, which remained at least equally messy afterwards.
I appreciate the book's realism in that respect, because it's an antidote to the sugary caricatures that tend to spring up around incidents like these. What I appreciate less is how Tobar couches certain behaviors in what seems to be a "boys will be boys" apologism. It's an impression reinforced by some rather funny comments about gender: a miner's wife "reaches deep into her feminine soul", and memories of normal life are symbolized by "the mystery of the feminine there in the bellies growing with their progeny". (Last time I checked, gestation is not generally regarded as a mystery.) I'm not sure if Tobar is trying to immerse the reader in the male-dominated Chilean mining culture, and/or if he's indulging in romanticization. In any case, the book made me laugh at several points where I don't think I was supposed to. Especially when it comes to the mountain "birthing" the miners back to the surface. Ick.
One of the most interesting parts of the book is the discussion of how the miners lived after their rescue, struggling with PTSD as they found themselves in a worldwide spotlight. Alcoholism, depression, and money problems ensue. It exemplifies the media's rash and boundless power to lift people up, throw them down, and leave them far behind as it rushes on to the next hero/scandal/sensation. The book is a bit meta as well, because after all, books are a component of the media. A central part of the story involves the miners' decisions about how to tell their story to the world; they decide to share it with Tobar, which enabled him to write this book. Which leaves me wondering, doesDeep Down Darkcontribute to or counteract the repercussions of fame that warped many of the miners' lives after their reemergence? I don't think it's an easily answerable question, but the book does provide a fascinating cautionary tale for anyone who consumes, creates, or becomes a subject of the media....more
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