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brenticus's reviews
694 reviews
The Unjust Society by Harold Cardinal
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Cardinal lays out why the White Paper put forth in the late 60's is a terrible framework for solving the problems of Indigenous people in Canada. There are more recent accounts of what a good solution should look like, and more fullsome accounts of problems with various agencies and treaties, but this is one of the earlier accounts that does a good job of laying out why Indigenous concerns aren't as simple as just treating them like any other Canadian.
The landscape has evolved a lot since Cardinal wrote this, and our vocabulary is able to be more specific about reconciliation, self-government, intergenerational trauma, cultural genocide, and so on, but for a time period where much of these concepts were in their early days he puts forth a solid picture of what steps can be taken to move towards real reconciliation.
The landscape has evolved a lot since Cardinal wrote this, and our vocabulary is able to be more specific about reconciliation, self-government, intergenerational trauma, cultural genocide, and so on, but for a time period where much of these concepts were in their early days he puts forth a solid picture of what steps can be taken to move towards real reconciliation.
Once Upon a Witch's Death: The Tale of the One Thousand Tears of Joy by Saka
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An apprentice witch finds out that she's going to die in a year unless she can collect enough tears of pure joy to make herself immortal. It's a heavy premise, a big task, and it's handed to a goofball who kind of can't focus on the task at hand.
This is really fun. Not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but Meg is a fun protagonist and seeing how she builds up relationships with the townspeople and with other witches is really nice. She isn't really sure how she's supposed to finish her task in time, but she wants to help people anyways, and it gives a sort of comfy vibe to the whole story that I enjoy. The tension and suspense is present, but Meg focuses on being hopeful (and absent-minded) rather than dreading her future.
Honestly, if I found out I had a year of good life-span left before it all fades away, I think the way Meg lives it is a good framework. Don't focus too much on the end, but make sure you're able to do good along the way.
This is really fun. Not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but Meg is a fun protagonist and seeing how she builds up relationships with the townspeople and with other witches is really nice. She isn't really sure how she's supposed to finish her task in time, but she wants to help people anyways, and it gives a sort of comfy vibe to the whole story that I enjoy. The tension and suspense is present, but Meg focuses on being hopeful (and absent-minded) rather than dreading her future.
Honestly, if I found out I had a year of good life-span left before it all fades away, I think the way Meg lives it is a good framework. Don't focus too much on the end, but make sure you're able to do good along the way.
The Missing Chums by Franklin W. Dixon
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
So, like, I enjoy this one as I generally do with the Hardy Boys, but holy hell the bad guys are stupid. Kidnap the wrong kids, lose their prisoners repeatedly, can't find anyone on the island, can't escape the island... at least when the boys are dealing with pro criminals there's usually more of a struggle, but in this case the criminals are a bunch of doofuses trying to be threatening, just badly.
The Secret of the Old Mill by Franklin W. Dixon
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
These boys are far too comfortable having revolvers pointed at them.
The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I'm really not sure how much I enjoyed this book. Like, it was fine and when I would sit down to read it would just fly by, but it was also so frustrating. The characters are mostly dumb or traitorous in the most predictable ways, the main conflict just kind of putters along with minimal real agency from any of the protagonists until the end, the romance is just annoying with how much Ying waffles over everything...
It's littered with annoyances, but at the same time it was a fairly straightforward read and I enjoyed it for what it was.
It's littered with annoyances, but at the same time it was a fairly straightforward read and I enjoyed it for what it was.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles, Vol. 18 by Hajime Komoto
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I quite like this finale. Bits of the fight with Innocent Zero don't seem to make perfect sense (like, as much as is possible) but generally it has the awesome impact of Mashle's fight scenes along with the absurd, hilarious feats mixed in when needed to lighten the mood. It's nice to see a couple of chapters of a denouement at the end for some extra goofiness, as well.
Mashle is a fun series. Sometimes it takes itself too seriously for too long, sometimes it gets a bit too deep into the power of friendship stuff, but a dude getting so buff that he can use a continent as a flutterboard is just pure fun.
Mashle is a fun series. Sometimes it takes itself too seriously for too long, sometimes it gets a bit too deep into the power of friendship stuff, but a dude getting so buff that he can use a continent as a flutterboard is just pure fun.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles Vol. 17 by Hajime KÅmoto
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In a way, this volume is peak Mashle: solid shonen battle scenes, garbage people suddenly finding redemption, and Mash doing dumb nonsense that has me laughing. The door scenes will never not be funny to me, just absolutely has me rolling.
The House on the Cliff by Franklin W. Dixon
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I almost by default enjoy reading these, but man it's weird reading about some young teens breaking up a smuggling ring, fighting with murderous adults, getting shot at... The vibe is very different than the first book.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles Vol. 16 by Hajime Komoto
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"None of this makes even the slightest bit of sense!!" - Finn Ames: Friend, Colour Commentary, Genius, Prophet
Mashle: Magic and Muscles, Vol. 15 by Hajime Komoto, Hajime Komoto
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Finally, the protagonist, Ryoh Grantz, arrives.
Also: "Take this and feel better. It's a cream puff. Only half-eaten." lmao
Also: "Take this and feel better. It's a cream puff. Only half-eaten." lmao