Really 3.5 stars - you don't read Dan Brown for great literature, but a quick read with conspiracy theories, obscure religious sects, art, and symbolsReally 3.5 stars - you don't read Dan Brown for great literature, but a quick read with conspiracy theories, obscure religious sects, art, and symbols. There are many internet rabbit holes a person could go down if she wanted to.
This time around, the setting is Spain, with a discovery made by an Elon Musk type tech master. The discovery is supposed to change everything for the world's religions, so he meets with three religious leaders before making the announcement, as a courtesy. This puts him in danger, and of course Robert Langdon ends up at the center of all the action, forced by events outside his control to go on a big adventure/escape/pursuit with the closest intelligent and beautiful woman, this time the director of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. She also happens to be engaged to the prince of Spain, and is it possible all of this is connected to the royal family and the church?
As far as character development goes, it is minimal. Back story of some characters is only used to make the reader question if they are good or evil, and there are only two camps. The plot actually wasn't of much interest to me, but I liked reading about the art and the various places of intrigue around Barcelona and other regions of Spain. Sometimes that's enough in a book like this.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access to the audiobook, although I got to it kind of late. The narrator did a great job.
Merged review:
Really 3.5 stars - you don't read Dan Brown for great literature, but a quick read with conspiracy theories, obscure religious sects, art, and symbols. There are many internet rabbit holes a person could go down if she wanted to.
This time around, the setting is Spain, with a discovery made by an Elon Musk type tech master. The discovery is supposed to change everything for the world's religions, so he meets with three religious leaders before making the announcement, as a courtesy. This puts him in danger, and of course Robert Langdon ends up at the center of all the action, forced by events outside his control to go on a big adventure/escape/pursuit with the closest intelligent and beautiful woman, this time the director of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. She also happens to be engaged to the prince of Spain, and is it possible all of this is connected to the royal family and the church?
As far as character development goes, it is minimal. Back story of some characters is only used to make the reader question if they are good or evil, and there are only two camps. The plot actually wasn't of much interest to me, but I liked reading about the art and the various places of intrigue around Barcelona and other regions of Spain. Sometimes that's enough in a book like this.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access to the audiobook, although I got to it kind of late. The narrator did a great job....more
The thing about graphic novels that are part of a larger world and larger series is that the first volume is usually an introduction. So since this waThe thing about graphic novels that are part of a larger world and larger series is that the first volume is usually an introduction. So since this was new to me, I spent a bit of the time confused, but knew I would know more by the end. There is a lot to like - the art is gorgeous, the full-page pieces are worth spending a few moments with alone. There is a majority of female characters with a range of good/evil, strong/weak, old/young, human/not. This is not a typical situation! It is very violent and may not be for everyone, and takes a few interludes to tell the history/backstory that I think would annoy me if it happened in every volume.
Merged review:
The thing about graphic novels that are part of a larger world and larger series is that the first volume is usually an introduction. So since this was new to me, I spent a bit of the time confused, but knew I would know more by the end. There is a lot to like - the art is gorgeous, the full-page pieces are worth spending a few moments with alone. There is a majority of female characters with a range of good/evil, strong/weak, old/young, human/not. This is not a typical situation! It is very violent and may not be for everyone, and takes a few interludes to tell the history/backstory that I think would annoy me if it happened in every volume....more
The thing about graphic novels that are part of a larger world and larger series is that the first volume is usually an introduction. So since this waThe thing about graphic novels that are part of a larger world and larger series is that the first volume is usually an introduction. So since this was new to me, I spent a bit of the time confused, but knew I would know more by the end. There is a lot to like - the art is gorgeous, the full-page pieces are worth spending a few moments with alone. There is a majority of female characters with a range of good/evil, strong/weak, old/young, human/not. This is not a typical situation! It is very violent and may not be for everyone, and takes a few interludes to tell the history/backstory that I think would annoy me if it happened in every volume. ...more
I get it. Blindly following religion is a bad idea. But this novella is incomplete! It starts to build a world and then drops the plot. I'm confused aI get it. Blindly following religion is a bad idea. But this novella is incomplete! It starts to build a world and then drops the plot. I'm confused as to why it got nominated.
Merged review:
I get it. Blindly following religion is a bad idea. But this novella is incomplete! It starts to build a world and then drops the plot. I'm confused as to why it got nominated....more
Looking around at the excited readers and five-star reviews, I can say that this must just not be my thing. I received a review copy of it as part of Looking around at the excited readers and five-star reviews, I can say that this must just not be my thing. I received a review copy of it as part of a BEA packet so I thought I'd give it a try to see what it was like. I was 30% in and everyone was still dancing around what happened at that dang barbecue so I decided to move on to something else. Plus the issue of fertility was coming up, something that just doesn't thrill me. I hope everyone else enjoys....more
This was a quick read for the non fiction quarter of Reading Envy Russia - the artist was present for many 21st century protests in Russia, and also dThis was a quick read for the non fiction quarter of Reading Envy Russia - the artist was present for many 21st century protests in Russia, and also did some reportage with groups of people like "working women" and a group of people who had been basically slaves imported from bordering countries but the local government turned a blind eye.
Some of the graphic art is in the moment, like during a court proceeding or a protest march, while some is more refined. Both styles are powerful, and Victoria Lomasko's art and activism are deeply intwined.
This was longlisted (but not shortlisted) for the Booker Prize in 2021 but is just now coming out in the United States later this month. I had early aThis was longlisted (but not shortlisted) for the Booker Prize in 2021 but is just now coming out in the United States later this month. I had early access from Random House in audio.
Karen Jennings is a white South African writer, and I only say this because the narrative voice and audiobook narrator (Ben Onwukwe) are definitely Black. The narrator in the story is African but the country of origin is unnamed. This made me a little squirmy for sure - Africa is a varied and complex place and I don't think it hurts anyone to just go ahead and place the story relating to a specific time and place. Perhaps the author was angling for universal themes.
The story is about Samuel, who has been tending a lighthouse on an island off the coast of "somewhere in Africa" for two decades. He has regular deliveries of supplies but lives mostly on his own. Some kind of conflict has sent the occasional dead body to his shore, and he always buries them. One day, one of the bodies is still alive and it puts his small life and his personal history in a spin. ...more
This book came out May 3 and some book sites (*cough* Goodreads *cough*) have been screaming at me about it with bright pink banners so I decided to rThis book came out May 3 and some book sites (*cough* Goodreads *cough*) have been screaming at me about it with bright pink banners so I decided to read it - actually I listened to the audio read by Rebecca Lowland. It's about a woman who is stagnated in her relationships with women and gets involved with a couple who pushes her thinking and experience. I think it's supposed to be shocking and maybe I'm just unshockable but I didn't feel there was a lot to it. (People want things society tells them they shouldn't, sometimes they'll meet others willing to go there, sometimes this can damage other relationships but it doesn't need to, etc.)...more
I get a lot of eARCs for books but try not to post about them until they are out, however I messed up and read this four months early and I'll never rI get a lot of eARCs for books but try not to post about them until they are out, however I messed up and read this four months early and I'll never remember that long. One of my Goodreads groups was reading it as a group read, I guess because it was out in the UK already, so I just assumed! The rest of you, watch out in July!
Leah and Miri were married when Leah went on a deep sea expedition that went missing. The novel starts with her back at home but definitely not the same. In some ways the change could symbolize any partner becoming somewhat of a stranger over time, but in other ways it's a literary horror novel watching her wife's body become unfamiliar. The chapters alternate between points of view which always works for me, and I couldn't put it down.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access through NetGalley - it comes out in the USA July 12, 2022....more
"...No marriage makes sense. Especially not to the outside world. A marriage is its own world." This is said to the narrator by her mother fairly deep"...No marriage makes sense. Especially not to the outside world. A marriage is its own world." This is said to the narrator by her mother fairly deep into the book, but if you replace "marriage" with "person" it might better encapsulate the novel.
Martha is in her 30s and isn't quite sure what she wants, so the reader sees her in a few relationships and also dealing with her family, who play a prominent role in her life, largely because they live in proximity in the UK. At some point it also becomes about mental illness.
This took me a while to read (two Libby checkouts) and often felt tedious - the author is able to capture the somewhat obsessive way some people think about relationships and each encounter long past it serving them well, but whew! It makes it take a while to get through.
I stuck with it because it's on the shortlist of the Women's Prize for Fiction....more
I always try to read before watching, so I had to wait for this one on hold at the public library. A very sweet graphic novel about crushes, first lovI always try to read before watching, so I had to wait for this one on hold at the public library. A very sweet graphic novel about crushes, first love, rugby, and whether or not to be out in high school....more
My last read of April, the latest book of short stories included in the Indigenous Reading Circle - I really enjoyed the voice in the stories, and quiMy last read of April, the latest book of short stories included in the Indigenous Reading Circle - I really enjoyed the voice in the stories, and quite a bit of internal dialogue, something I've learned I like when done well....more
I really loved the last book by this author - A Girl Returned - and this one is good too, focused more on a sister relationship, with one sister tryinI really loved the last book by this author - A Girl Returned - and this one is good too, focused more on a sister relationship, with one sister trying to support/rescue her sister without ever knowing the full story. Set largely in a fishing community in an Italian coastal town, and a quick read. ...more
These stories link back to Dirty Computer the album and Dirty Computer [Emotion Picture] that you can watch in YouTube. Written in collaboration with These stories link back to Dirty Computer the album and Dirty Computer [Emotion Picture] that you can watch in YouTube. Written in collaboration with Yohanca Delgado, Eve L. Ewing, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore, and Sheree Renée Thomas, all stories are set in this dystopian tech-totalitarian society where people who are outside the norms (aka Dirty Computers) are hunted down and imprisoned, memories wiped, and more.
All stories are full of queerness, feminism, quirky creative elements, and positive spins on how humans could interact with one another.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access to this title via NetGalley. This book came out April 19th, 2022....more
