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jstilts's reviews
116 reviews
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A loosely 1600s historical high-concept mystery set on the high seas, with an almost Holmes-and-Watson pairing but the Holmes of this story (Sammy Pipps) is imprisoned for the voyage while the Watson (Arent Hayes), a not-so-gentle giant, teams up with a nobleman's battered wife (Sara Haan) are left to try and solve the mystery of who is threatening to sink the ship they are on.
This book is an absolute blast - the prose is amazingly balanced: concise enough that the pace is fast, while evocative enough that it paints a picture in your mind. It's quite the page-turner and yet a book you will want to cherish every chapter - luckily most chapters are so exhilarating they are highly satisfying!
The mystery is extremely compelling, hard (for me) to solve and I'm thankful that's the case as the revelations are satisfying and compelling. The author plays fair - in retrospect I can see the clues laid down clearly, but subtle misdirection stops you from seeing it.
It absolutely sticks the landing, while still having an unexpected ending! 100% recommend this book.
This book is an absolute blast - the prose is amazingly balanced: concise enough that the pace is fast, while evocative enough that it paints a picture in your mind. It's quite the page-turner and yet a book you will want to cherish every chapter - luckily most chapters are so exhilarating they are highly satisfying!
The mystery is extremely compelling, hard (for me) to solve and I'm thankful that's the case as the revelations are satisfying and compelling. The author plays fair - in retrospect I can see the clues laid down clearly, but subtle misdirection stops you from seeing it.
It absolutely sticks the landing, while still having an unexpected ending! 100% recommend this book.
The Cookbook Club: A Novel of Food and Friendship by Beth Harbison
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Predictable, slightly annoying, but an easy read.
Essentially three stories with slight crossover, each is about a privileged woman who falls on hard times only to stumble into a moneyed-up relationship that solves their problems. Their idea of "hard times" is more like an opportunity of a lifetime to most, which grates.
The title - which pulled me in - is a bit of a misnomer as the cookbook club meetings occur between chapters, off the page.
Essentially three stories with slight crossover, each is about a privileged woman who falls on hard times only to stumble into a moneyed-up relationship that solves their problems. Their idea of "hard times" is more like an opportunity of a lifetime to most, which grates.
The title - which pulled me in - is a bit of a misnomer as the cookbook club meetings occur between chapters, off the page.
Power Pack: The Powers That Be by Ryan North, Ryan North, Nico Leon
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
I've been revisiting 1980s "Power Pack" from my childhood in 3 collected editions (see my other reviews) in the lead-up to reading this revival graphic novel from 2020.
It's a very different beast - irreverent where it was once sincere, but with a similar underlying sense of fun. It's written by Ryan North, so that's to be expected (in the best possible way).
While it sadly doesn't go too deeply into exploring childhood issues (which is what Power Pack was perfectly designed for) I guess it's conversely nice to see they have grown to be more self confident, less anxious, with more banter and less bicker.
Slight but fun.
It's a very different beast - irreverent where it was once sincere, but with a similar underlying sense of fun. It's written by Ryan North, so that's to be expected (in the best possible way).
While it sadly doesn't go too deeply into exploring childhood issues (which is what Power Pack was perfectly designed for) I guess it's conversely nice to see they have grown to be more self confident, less anxious, with more banter and less bicker.
Slight but fun.
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A strange slow Japanese magical realism tale of obsession and loneliness (with shades of David Lynch's "Twin Peaks"). The slow meandering style takes some getting used to - but if you give it the time you may find it utterly absorbing as I did. I'm not sure I'm keen on the ending, but that may be because I didn't want it to end.
The plot, which I won't spoil, is very much open to interpretation - how much of it is real, and what "real" even means is all up for grabs. One word of advice - in magical realism books it's easy to take any given opinion as fact on how the world you're reading about works, but that's not the case here: trust your gut instead and it will make a lot more sense.
The plot, which I won't spoil, is very much open to interpretation - how much of it is real, and what "real" even means is all up for grabs. One word of advice - in magical realism books it's easy to take any given opinion as fact on how the world you're reading about works, but that's not the case here: trust your gut instead and it will make a lot more sense.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Grief
Illegal by Andrew Donkin, Eoin Colfer
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A very accessible and deeply moving graphic novel that follows a young boy's attempt to cross Africa and find refuge in Europe, following his brother and sister in a dangerous series of trials and journeys across desert and sea, at the mercy of both the elements and those that would exploit desperate people.
It's a powerful tale - and despite the tension and peril and poverty it is never quite grim, as young Ebo's determination, spirit and positivity are infectious.
It's a powerful tale - and despite the tension and peril and poverty it is never quite grim, as young Ebo's determination, spirit and positivity are infectious.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Trafficking
Wonder Woman: Odyssey, Vol. 1 by Phil Hester, J. Michael Straczynski
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Sigh. Another comic book "volume 1" that is missing the start of the story. Touted as a.new beginning for the character, Diana begins by stating she doesn't know who she is, where she came from - only that people are trying to kill her. Intriguing, but a third of the way through this book she returns to her home full of friends, comrades and mentors who she clearly knows well and hangs out with on the regular, and they have a clear mission - so what was all that about?
Turns out her story began elsewhere, but who can say as there's no "volume zero" and the scattershot storylines in this that rise from nowhere and end just as quickly with no clear through-line don't entice me to seek out further volumes, let alone trying to work out what the previous one was.
Turns out her story began elsewhere, but who can say as there's no "volume zero" and the scattershot storylines in this that rise from nowhere and end just as quickly with no clear through-line don't entice me to seek out further volumes, let alone trying to work out what the previous one was.
The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Dull. A tale of people whose lives are stuck in a rut discovering a pop-up cafe run by cats who read their astrological charts to fix their lives. Which sounds more interesting than it is.
The writing is leaden, the astrological sections in p rticular an absolute chore - and the people's problems very mundane.
The epilogue is more satisfying - a little poetic framework for the previous chapters to hang on, hinting that this book could perhaps have been more interesting and magical than it ended up being.
Disappointing.
The writing is leaden, the astrological sections in p rticular an absolute chore - and the people's problems very mundane.
The epilogue is more satisfying - a little poetic framework for the previous chapters to hang on, hinting that this book could perhaps have been more interesting and magical than it ended up being.
Disappointing.
The New Avengers, Vol. 1 by Stuart Immonen, Brian Michael Bendis
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
What starts out as a bit of Marvel comic-book fun soon descends into a lot of shouting that never really stops. The antagonist is mystical, so the shouting is underscored with a lot of stuff so random that most of the characters were as much out of their depth as I was.
The solution in the end was all too predictable, but at least it had logic going for it.
Early scenes with Luke Cage being posessed by a demon and inexplicably growing into a giant is nicely silly - but that's where the fun ended.
Not for me.
The solution in the end was all too predictable, but at least it had logic going for it.
Early scenes with Luke Cage being posessed by a demon and inexplicably growing into a giant is nicely silly - but that's where the fun ended.
Not for me.
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This sequel to "The Kamogawa Food Detectives" serves much of the same short stories where people head to an obscure Kyoto diner, eat an excellent meal, then engage the food detectives to track down a recipe for a meal that left a lasting impression on their life.
This volume seems a little different from the first - the diner is very empty with almost no characters outside the father-and-daughter team plus the client of the story, and it's a little poorer for it.
The tales told by the clients and subsequently through Nagare's investigations are also not as emotionally hard-hitting this time out. However, the tale of a mother wanting a comfort dish recreated for her child so she can compare it disfavourably to restaurant food is a highlight - a little drop of drama in these otherwise (intentionally) gentle drama-light tales.
Enjoyable, and I look forward to more translations of this book series - but if this is your first time, read the first volume instead to see this series worth.
This volume seems a little different from the first - the diner is very empty with almost no characters outside the father-and-daughter team plus the client of the story, and it's a little poorer for it.
The tales told by the clients and subsequently through Nagare's investigations are also not as emotionally hard-hitting this time out. However, the tale of a mother wanting a comfort dish recreated for her child so she can compare it disfavourably to restaurant food is a highlight - a little drop of drama in these otherwise (intentionally) gentle drama-light tales.
Enjoyable, and I look forward to more translations of this book series - but if this is your first time, read the first volume instead to see this series worth.
Profiles in Hope by John Brogden
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
A very important piece of work - I normally rate books on how much I enjoy them, but given the subject matter that isn't a factor - so it's tough to give a star rating. Suffice to say that reading this was a worthwhile and insightful experience.
15 interviews with Australians who have attempted suicide or ideated suicide - some of them are everyday people, many are famous politicians, sports and screen personalities - including the interviewer himself.
These are the stories of the survivors - some followed through with their attempt but survived (sometimes to immediately try again), some were thwarted by circumstance or by loving and insightful people.
All of them have a positive story to tell of their life afterwards. It's a tough read, very emotional and often confronting. Some questions and answers you may even find shocking.
It's an extremely insightful book - for instance while many tales are of hardship and loss, quite a few people interviewed seemed to the outside world to be at the peak of their personal achievement before attempting suicide, because as it turned out they'd built their life around one goal - and when that goal was achieved or missed or derailed they felt their life was also finished.
I read no more than one or two interviews per day, as each inte view is very emotional. Some of the people interviewed are talking about this subject for the first time, but even those who have spoken before - it's very raw.
Note, all profits of this books sale go towards Lifeline.
15 interviews with Australians who have attempted suicide or ideated suicide - some of them are everyday people, many are famous politicians, sports and screen personalities - including the interviewer himself.
These are the stories of the survivors - some followed through with their attempt but survived (sometimes to immediately try again), some were thwarted by circumstance or by loving and insightful people.
All of them have a positive story to tell of their life afterwards. It's a tough read, very emotional and often confronting. Some questions and answers you may even find shocking.
It's an extremely insightful book - for instance while many tales are of hardship and loss, quite a few people interviewed seemed to the outside world to be at the peak of their personal achievement before attempting suicide, because as it turned out they'd built their life around one goal - and when that goal was achieved or missed or derailed they felt their life was also finished.
I read no more than one or two interviews per day, as each inte view is very emotional. Some of the people interviewed are talking about this subject for the first time, but even those who have spoken before - it's very raw.
Note, all profits of this books sale go towards Lifeline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt