michael_benavidez's reviews
360 reviews

Very rarely comes a book that makes me not want to finish it. Not because it's horrible or anything like that, but because I want to stay with the characters, the stories, the prose. The closer I got to the end, the harder it became to really let them go, even as I strove for answers and desired them to reach their climax, I didn't want to.
This is a book that takes a story we know, have devoured for years, from and with with an author that is celebrated today, and gives us a new way to look at it. This book takes a look at how maybe, possibly, perhaps, Stoker was inspired for his beautiful book Dracula, by the events that he was told and read through in this book. I know nothing about Stoker as a person, though I have devoured his book many times, but the way he is presented here is loving and empathetic. Becky Wright does a spectacular job of leaving crumbs along the way for us to remember that yes this is where that idea came from, or this idea.
But that's all it is, crumbs.
For anyone that has not read Dracula, the story will not be spoiled. There is a mystery, ghosts, a mansion, murders, there is so much in here and it is all so wonderfully unfolded in perhaps my favorite style of prose. The prose is what has captured me. If I could fall in love with a style, it would be in the way that Becky Wright writes. Her prose is perfect, dancing along the story with the necessary calm pace or the exhilarating adrenaline that sometimes takes the characters. It kept me engaged throughout, even found myself unknowingly reading aloud and acting out the voices, I had become so involved in the story. And yes, towards the end my eyes were wet, and I had been on such a ride.
Note that none of this is exaggeration, this book is quite legitimately my Favorite Book of the Year. It has given me a tale I didn't know I needed, and wrecked me with such emotions that I fell in love with these characters. It's a beautiful beautiful tragedy that must be read.

This is a review of the audiobook version as read by the author.

This book was 12 hours long I believe, and I finished it well within 3 days. Would've been under if my workplace wasn't so noisy, requiring me to rewind it several times.
This was one of the most engaging books I've listened to. And while I'm still new to the world of audiobooks, I hope that doesn't devalue how much it affected me. This is a high class example of a narrator elevating the book to something greater than it would have been, had I just read it. His voice is soft, easy paced, not trying too hard, reading the characters in a rather conversational tone. And then it's raspy, growls, that send goosebumps when things begin to happen. It's a fantastic read.
As for the story itself, we have all seen or at least know The Exorcist movie by now. It's a thing of legend, a masterpiece in horror cinema, and just cinema in general. So there's that expectation that comes with the book. Except there shouldn't. Honestly it's a level of its own. Yeah we know what's going to happen, we know how things turn out, but the book lays it in such a manner that it comes more easily, I think.
Everything is plotted so intricately, and so grounded into the real world struggles that we find nothing supernatural until the end. The characters are all thoughtful. Kinderman is my favorite, the priests are kind, thoughtful, but human. They swear, they smoke, they joke, witty sons of bitches. The mom and her entourage of helpers are so we crafted that we believe their fall into the faith that requires the exorcism. Everything is so deeply rooted in the real world, explained into the lay man's terms, hints dropped, small details placed for plot and thought purposes that play a part later on. It's fantastic. So much so I pre-ordered the Legion audiobook even though it's not read by WPB (to my sadness).

Audiobook review*

This is such an interesting book. While there's plot and characters, a good portion of it can be deemed philosophical debates. The idea of purity and the tainting of that, true love and it's existence, the ability to change who you are or may have become. These are all things that the three main characters (Basil, Henry, and of course Dorian) have amongst each other and to themselves.
One of the interesting bits I noticed was that the book starts off with Basil's point of view, then to Dorian's, but we never get Henry's. I don't know if that's good or bad. Would getting his perspective lessen the role he was made to play (as that push for Dorian to taint himself) or would it just magnify what a total piece of shit he is. Curious.
This really is a tragedy of a story, taking us through events that build on the other, making this all too perfect Dorian an complete wreck of a human being.
I really did enjoy this story, even had a co worker who was invested in it get mad at me for finishing it without them. I may revisit this in book form, see if it holds up as it did with the narrator.

What can I say about a book on the apocalypse written by two of the most wittiest and just absolutely lovable authors ever?
This is not a book for the dark from reality of everything going to shit, kill or be killed.
Actually it's about two unlikely friends trying to stop what the entirety of their existence has been leading up to. Hell, a whole bunch of this book revolves around the idea of friends sticking together and just powering through this.
All throughout there's the idea of things we all know, the four horsemen, angels and devils etc , but redefined for the world. They're silly but real. The jokes and the wit don't overpower the story being told, but come with it. The characters bring the jokes with them. The world allows for these funny things to exist, and the narrator helps by providing asterisks for some extra fun.
All in all this is just a widely joyful ride despite the topic and a definite must read by every one.

"...that I have endured"
These are the words that continuously echo from out of Frankenstein's mouth. Always the victim, Victor runs from the first moment that he thinks, "this was a mistake." From then on it's all poor me, feel sorry for what gas occurred in my life, forget that this was all my doing and even at a chance of redemption I say fuck you monster who had no say in the matter, fuck you. This is the story of Victor Frankenstein

Honestly I'm so glad I heard this on Audiobook. Dan Stevens is a wonderful narrator and Frankenstein is an insufferable piece of woe-be-me shit. On my quest to read the classics I've always dropped Frank whenever I'd try, and it was with the help of the Dan that I persevered. And it's not that it's a bad book, it's great. Beautifuly written, wonderfully thought out. The monster's pov was such a sad and entrancing tale, and then you have Frankenstein so unsympathetic, seeing only a demon creature, completely forgetting who's fault it is that it exists.

So yes I loved the story I love the book, I hate Frankenstein.

This is my first reading of King's newer works. I've not read the Outsider or the Bill Hodges trilogy, so coming into this right off the bat the one thing I noticed was that it does not read like the King I'm used to.
Which is not a complaint at all. There's something refreshing about reading Insomnia at the same time and feeling like I'm jumping between two authors. King has sort of taken a more detective styled approach to the writing. This is all the more noticable in the first part. Honestly I really enjoyed that bit and wish it had been extended.
But the true bulk of the story is less detective and more with the usual King tropes. Kids with special abilities. And you know what? It hasn't staled. Hell I was thinking the kids would come off as too old fashioned but he implements it well. They're real as always, they're unique and rounded and it's what keeps the story afloat even as it goes into the usual lull in the middle. All in all I'm really happy to have bought and read it while it was still fresh. It makes me want to visit the Bill Hodges trilogy and more. Even the ending wasn't bad, it was kinda heart breaking and actually one where you put the book down and can be content with it.

Having read this vol. at least 4 or 5 times, it's hard not to look at this with a nod that says, "ohhhh that's where this was said," or "ohhhh that's what they did with this little factoid." But seeing as how I never really reviewed this series (as far as the Omnibus editions have gone on, at least) I am going to try and review it in that manner. I will try to put out everything I know about the series, and review it just as a first time reader. I may fail. Oh well :P

So a few things first:
Negima! Omnibus is the collection of three mangas in one.
Negima! (alongside [b:Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 1|2487695|Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 1 (Rosario+Vampire, #1)|Akihisa Ikeda|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388782030s/2487695.jpg|2494910]) is a guilty pleasure.
And now onto the review.

So this concept is simple. A ten year old prodigy wizard must become a teacher in order to become a Magister Magi. The catch? He is from Wales and must go to Japan, and he must teach at an all girls school. What could possibly go wrong?

As an introduction it works just well setting up the rather large roster of students that Negi must pay attention to, while also pushing the several main characters into the light and to become acquainted with them. The cast consists of 30+ students, making it rather difficult to keep track of which is which, but halfway through you see that there isn't much a problem anymore. They each come with a different personality, set of friends, skills, and their own manner of jokes.
The thing that caught my attention about Negima is that it's very self aware. It knows what kind of manga it is, often making remarks that break the fourth wall (such as an instance where a character says "wow he looks like he's from a different manga" and so on and so forth). Some characters even question the logic, as to how there are so many abnormal girls in one class or even how there is a robot as a student and no one really pays it any mind.
Another fun thing is, that for all the set ups for a the jokes or scenes that would normally set this up as a rather X-rated manga, it doesn't go there. This is more about the funny jokes and situations that are rather adult oriented but nothing in the way of going that extra mile to make sure it remains an adult audience.
As for plot, the first half of "episodes" focus on building on Negi's and Asuna's relationship while also slowly developing other characters in the background. These usually lead to embarrassing moments where someone loses their clothes, or a huge misunderstanding between characters.
The second half is where the plot begins and sets it's arrow straight ahead as to where they want this series to grow. It sets up the logic of the magical world, the ground rules basically, as well as questions that are going to need to be answered. It's in these areas that it become less of a perverted sitcom that it feels comfortable in, and more of an action oriented piece, showing precision with the fancy spells and the last minute strategic moments. But as of right now, it doesn't allow itself to become quite comfortable enough to give us that huge showdown that Negima feels like it wants to give us.
That's it for this volume. Unless I think of anything else...nope that's about it. Until next time!

It's been a long while since I've read a book that's for the pure bat shit insanity that this one is. You don't have to rip it apart to find the subtext that lays beneath. This book sidesteps any of that to give you the most fun it can.
Or at least that's my interpretation.
It's a fun, brutal, not so sweet that's trying to be kinda sweet, foul-mouthed ride that gives no fucks whatsoever about what's going on. It gives the appearance of being smart, of trying to give this other option that the story may go in (a sort of mystery puzzle styled event going on early in the book), but blows its load for the shear brilliance of a big beautiful cock up of violence and some beautiful swears.
I don't mean the rating or even how I'm describing it as an insult. It's thoroughly enjoyable, but a few things rubbed me the wrong way throughout. The main antagonist that pops up, the lack of set-up for any of that, and the outcome and just a lot of things that felt like a drunk driver trying to keep the car on the road but who just can't help but steer into a mailbox and drag that out along with it for a mile or two until it blows its head off.

I received a free copy of the book by the author, however I also bought the fucking thing to have some skin in the game.
Why?
Cuz it's a good book. Also I like having physical copies of the things I'm reading. Screens hurt my fragile eyes.

A Pandemic Horror Story is what it's labeled as, and as such it's pretty timely in its narrative. Whether it affected me because I'm a Texan, I'm a minority that's faced a few of the things the characters here have gone through, or because the Covid pandemic has yet to reveal any end in sight, I am still uncertain.
As it is, the story takes our two protagonists, a newlywed couple that each have baggage of their own to work on, through the beginnings of the Covid crisis and works it into something...more.
There's a very real element at play here. From the homophobia, the racism, the fear that this virus instilled in people at its beginnings, really deliver a fast pace beginning that slip into something in the lines of The Shining. It becomes a small scaled claustrophobic tale that hangs on the two main characters, where time ceases to exist. Time ceases to be a meaningful character as it wibble wobbles through, becoming less and less part of the plot as the mental health and situations begin to wibble wobble into insanity. Spencer writes in a way that seems like a nice slow start, and then shifts gears several times, speeding along into something that's expected and yet unexpected all at once.
This isn't to say it's without its flaws. I do feel like the beginning could have been stretched a bit further, getting a better grasp and full view of the characters, as well as the oncoming storm that is the Covid fear. There are certain things that did feel out of place in the very real world setting, that had it not been set in Texas, and having a grasp on what it's like here, it would not have been as believable as it was.
But these are just nitpicks, things that I would have liked to relish in more. however, as it stands, the story is a delicious read that may spike the anxiety (it did mine), and despite it's decently long length, a fast read.