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daumari's reviews
1188 reviews
James by Percival Everett
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
A compelling read (though I was slower than the rest of my book club). I'll be reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn next as a comparison (and also because I'm not sure I ever fully read it? Vaguely remember Tom Sawyer in school at least and its Wishbone version). The code switching is funny, but also because it's historical fiction there's still violence, murder, and rape though nothing needlessly gratuitous. This novel also says a lot about passing and the protections (or lack of) that come with it.
I haven't read any of Percival Everett's other work before, but definitely will (I also haven't seen American Fiction but I feel like it has similar themes on racial perception).
I haven't read any of Percival Everett's other work before, but definitely will (I also haven't seen American Fiction but I feel like it has similar themes on racial perception).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Slavery
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, and Murder
The Smuggler's Secrets: A Caroline Mystery by Kathleen Ernst
adventurous
medium-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
3.5
I read the Caroline books in 2020 so it's been a while since I've seen her family relationships (I don't remember when I read the first mystery, Traitor in the Shipyard but I think it was close to the main books).
Not a bad book, I suspected the customs agent but Caroline had other suspicions and the girls learn that wartime is not cleanly black and white.
Not a bad book, I suspected the customs agent but Caroline had other suspicions and the girls learn that wartime is not cleanly black and white.
The Traveler's Tricks: A Caroline Mystery by Sergio Giovine, Laurie Calkhoven
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
A bottle episode of sorts, in that we're on a stagecoach trip and only the set of folks on board as potential thieves when valuables go missing.
tbh, I did start drifting off towards the end and had to reread final paragraphs a few times as they figured out whodunnit, but it's also a good exercise in infosec and talking to strangers about your business, Rhonda.
tbh, I did start drifting off towards the end and had to reread final paragraphs a few times as they figured out whodunnit, but it's also a good exercise in infosec and talking to strangers about your business, Rhonda.
The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Cute short stories that probably should've been 4.5, but Cheyanne Sedai forgot them when doing the schedule (and so many people just moved from 4 to 5 anyway). I think my favorite is the Sword of Hades one because it's great to see the Big Three kids hanging out together, while Percy thinks about the nature of immortality which is echoed in the final chapters of The Last Olympian.
Also, a Melinoe sighting in 2009! I think when she was announced as the main character for the video game Hades II a bunch of people were like, "huh, who's that?" and her wiki is pretty sparse, but the PJO fans probably had a vague idea. Rick Riordan out here pulling mythological references with 1-2 sources.
The activities would probably fun if I wasn't reading an ebook copy and as it is, I'm glad this was a digital library check out.
Also, a Melinoe sighting in 2009! I think when she was announced as the main character for the video game Hades II a bunch of people were like, "huh, who's that?" and her wiki is pretty sparse, but the PJO fans probably had a vague idea. Rick Riordan out here pulling mythological references with 1-2 sources.
The activities would probably fun if I wasn't reading an ebook copy and as it is, I'm glad this was a digital library check out.
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Stayed up late to finish the last book of the first Percy Jackson series! I liked it though it did drag in the middle for me (maybe because this focused mostly on one major event instead of the quest structure of previous entries). Love an interesting take on resolving the prophecy (a couple weeks ago I watched the 2010s Percy Jackson movies because I hadn't and, well, they are certainly a response to the HP/Hunger Games franchises including a premature Kronos confrontation). The ending feels like a resolution while leaving things wide open for more demigods (and Percy growing up).
Percabeth sure takes time to simmer but he turns 16 at the end of this so that makes sense to me.
Percabeth sure takes time to simmer but he turns 16 at the end of this so that makes sense to me.
Chop Fry Watch Learn: Fu Pei-Mei and the Making of Modern Chinese Food by Michelle T. King
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
This felt like a nice followup to Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America (which I belatedly realized I never actually reviewed, whoops) as Chao Yang Buwei gets a mention later in the book coming at it from the Western side of publication. Food, culture, and politics are all intertwined, so Pei-mei's television show and cookbooks are a strong soft power component to the Republic of China asserting itself as the true China in exile while also being a comforting bit of home to students and workers going abroad. This also reminded me of the blindspots of not knowing other country's media- thousands of episodes over several decades is a lot!!
Throughout the book, Michelle King also interviews other diaspora people who've learned from the Fu Pei-mei cookbooks, and reminisces about her childhood in the Midwest where her parents moved for academia. Even in small-town Michigan they had a community of 80-90 Chinese families which shows you can find enclaves anywhere (my own grandparents are also from the midwest diaspora). She references The Making of Asian America: A History (another one of my favorites) when talking about waves of Chinese immigration and recognizes she is part of that second post-1965 wave, with the first being the exclusion era predominantly Cantonese/Taishanese immigrants (and that's where I come from!), thinking about how where people migrate from also influences how we see food. American Chinese cuisine really has its origins in modified Cantonese in so many ways because that's almost entirely who was here, but more recent waves are Fujianese (and the 70s-80s also brought in flavors from Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.)
Throughout the book, Michelle King also interviews other diaspora people who've learned from the Fu Pei-mei cookbooks, and reminisces about her childhood in the Midwest where her parents moved for academia. Even in small-town Michigan they had a community of 80-90 Chinese families which shows you can find enclaves anywhere (my own grandparents are also from the midwest diaspora). She references The Making of Asian America: A History (another one of my favorites) when talking about waves of Chinese immigration and recognizes she is part of that second post-1965 wave, with the first being the exclusion era predominantly Cantonese/Taishanese immigrants (and that's where I come from!), thinking about how where people migrate from also influences how we see food. American Chinese cuisine really has its origins in modified Cantonese in so many ways because that's almost entirely who was here, but more recent waves are Fujianese (and the 70s-80s also brought in flavors from Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.)
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This was fun. I love the dynamic between friends, and there's a throughline about death (embracing it, facing it, etc.) Rachel Elizabeth Dare is fascinating as a character, and I'm so curious about where we go from here.
The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
I think I lost momentum because this is mostly a car listen for me, so it took two months to get through and piecemeal isn't great when you've got a number of quests you're jumping through (much like my very fragmented approach to video gaming where I go months at a time before picking up a game again). Our pals get separated from some of their allies and have to navigate quadrant bubbles to kind of work on a giant group quest for the stairwells.
We get more outside world info, and the epilogue was really weird for hearing non-Carl narration. How about that cliffhanger, eh?
We get more outside world info, and the epilogue was really weird for hearing non-Carl narration. How about that cliffhanger, eh?
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Percy Jackson continues to be fun! In this book, we very lightly do a little bit of the 12 Labors of Heracles (as well as Atlas). The world of godlings continue to expand and we meet more new friends. Prophecy? We'll continue to punt that down the road a few more years...
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Week 2 of 17th Shard discord's PJO read along! I am a first time reader of these books.
3.5 rounding up because I still found this to be a fun adventure, riffing on the Odyssey (LOVE that we even got a reference to Penelope unraveling her weaving every day). We must protect Tyson at all costs and I love the lore with horses and cyclops- wondering what other Poseidon things will pop up in later books.
Bit of a discussion this week in the channel - in chapter 2, middle school bully Sloan calls Tyson (Percy's new friend this school year) the r slur, which took some readers out. I started on a library copy because I wanted to get to this quick, but I'd ordered a used copy online and it turned out to be a 2022 edition paperback, where the line has been updated to have Sloan call Tyson a deadbeat instead. Still a pejorative, but instead of using a slur he's being classist which still shows he's not a good person without being heinously offensive in a middle grade novel.
Prophecy comes up again and how its interpretation can be fiddly, with repercussions.
3.5 rounding up because I still found this to be a fun adventure, riffing on the Odyssey (LOVE that we even got a reference to Penelope unraveling her weaving every day). We must protect Tyson at all costs and I love the lore with horses and cyclops- wondering what other Poseidon things will pop up in later books.
Bit of a discussion this week in the channel - in chapter 2, middle school bully Sloan calls Tyson (Percy's new friend this school year) the r slur, which took some readers out. I started on a library copy because I wanted to get to this quick, but I'd ordered a used copy online and it turned out to be a 2022 edition paperback, where the line has been updated to have Sloan call Tyson a deadbeat instead. Still a pejorative, but instead of using a slur he's being classist which still shows he's not a good person without being heinously offensive in a middle grade novel.
Prophecy comes up again and how its interpretation can be fiddly, with repercussions.