Reviews and Comments

Elizabeth Graeber's whimsical illustrations are the reason to experience this book; they're expressive and light-hearted. Her selections of facts and famous redheads are fun, but there was little that was a surprise. Some of the choices of people to highlight would hopefully be different today, as there are some decidedly unsavoury people illustrated.

I've had this comic adaptation of The Communist Manifesto in my collection for years but couldn't get into the right mood to read it before now. I love comics and particularly enjoy adaptations, but Rowson's art has a denseness and muddled approach that distracted more than enhanced the text for me. I wanted to wholeheartedly enjoy this book, but I don't think I could recommend it either as an introduction to Marx or as a treat for those of us who admire his work.

Tanya Huff's take on gloomy adventure in D&D's Ravenloft setting really hits the mark. It's bleak, but has fascinating characters and a plot that moves at a satisfying pace.

This is a fun urban fantasy that has all the hallmarks of Huff's writing. The presence of incest and issues of consent should definitely be flagged, as those have an oversized role in the novel. It's not Huff's best, but it's executed well.

This new Ravenloft novel is true to the D&D experience in delightful ways; the characters and scenarios feel like they are taken straight from a well-played game. The setting and antagonist, Stradt, are disturbing, of course, but they never strip the colour and fun from this story. Readers who love Stradt and Ravenloft will relish the chance to experience them but the adventuring party here has enough novelty and approachability to make this a great gateway into Dungeons & Dragons, even if it's a bit more unhinged than most novels.

My mother had Flowers in the Attic and many other V.C. Andrews books on her shelves when I was growing up and got new books every year. Unlike all the speculative fiction books on my father's shelves, I never cracked the covers of these books, though the covers were fascinating to me. I had a good sense of the book's reputation before starting to read it last month. There are so many traumas, abuses, and deeply unsettling elements in this novel, and I'm not sure I could recommend it to someone who wasn't braced for and comfortable with all of that. It's a troubling story with plenty of complications and twists to make it gripping.

This collection of short stories showcases a lot of Huff's range. There's good variety here and the stories are generally strong.

This was another enjoyable collection of side stories. The standout is told from the perspective of a dog, but they're all breezy reads.

This story is the strongest of Tanya Huff's urban fantasy novels, capturing the ways all small towns are weird and also many ways they aren't. The characters are fun to follow, the humour is on point, and the stakes kept the story gripping.

I've enjoyed this cozy, slice of life series, and was happy that it didn't drag out the relationship milestones like so many similar books do. The many meat-based meals discussed throughout were an unwelcome distraction but I enjoyed the character interactions.

There were definitely more moments in this novel where I was dismayed by unpleasant old attitudes. That distracted from what was an otherwise fun read. Anne continued to be a character it was rewarding to see grow up.

Monáe and collaborators have produced an excellent sci fi short story collection, fleshing out a dystopian but hopeful future world that was first expressed in Monáe's music.

Doctorow is in fine form here, delivering a thrilling story set in the early days of personal computers. There's more emotional impact here than I expected, and the retro technology involved makes it a fascinating look at early hardware hacking.

Reading about nearly anything in comic form is more enjoyable for me, but this comic book cookbook felt like it could have used the medium to greater effect. It would be a fine cookbook for some, but I was definitely put off by the heavy use of animal products throughout. A bit more about the history and context of ramen in Japan and other countries would have made for a more enjoyable read for me.

Just before I started reading Galaphile, Terry Brooks announced he would be passing on writing the remaining books in the trilogy to another writer. If this will end up being his last Shannara novel, he ended on a strong note. This has all the hallmarks of his best work, with gripping adventure and well-realized characters. It definitely carried an Arthurian flavour, and I could see the ending twist coming from early on, but that heightened a feeling of being overwhelmed that mirrored Galaphile's circumstances.