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jstilts's reviews
116 reviews
Happy Hour by Jacquie Byron
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked up this book ages ago and dismissed it based on the back cover blurb - thinking that it wouldn't be the kind of book for me: too real-world and mundane, when I read to escape that!
However I had to read it for this month's Book Group, and I just INHALED it! At first I was frankly a touch jealous of the lead character: retired, just spending her time painting and walking the dogs, cooking and drinking, avoiding company like she's a military commander defending a siege to maintain this solo serene lifestyle. Her cantankerousness won me over, she very much reminds me of Stephanie Cole's character in the 90s sitcom "Waiting for God" - a strong willed perfectly capable and independent highly vocal retiree resisting everyone's efforts to protect and control her.
It's quickly revealed she's three messy alcohol-fueled years into grieving the death of her husband, shunning people to avoid them from reminding and commiserating her about her loss - a touching contradiction as she spends most of her time talking to different photos of her husband that she has placed around the house.
Somehow by the time new neighbours arrive and accidentally insert themselves into her life, I was completely invested in her journey through grief and reconnecting to the rest of the world - purely on the strength of this lovely and grumpy main character.
However I had to read it for this month's Book Group, and I just INHALED it! At first I was frankly a touch jealous of the lead character: retired, just spending her time painting and walking the dogs, cooking and drinking, avoiding company like she's a military commander defending a siege to maintain this solo serene lifestyle. Her cantankerousness won me over, she very much reminds me of Stephanie Cole's character in the 90s sitcom "Waiting for God" - a strong willed perfectly capable and independent highly vocal retiree resisting everyone's efforts to protect and control her.
It's quickly revealed she's three messy alcohol-fueled years into grieving the death of her husband, shunning people to avoid them from reminding and commiserating her about her loss - a touching contradiction as she spends most of her time talking to different photos of her husband that she has placed around the house.
Somehow by the time new neighbours arrive and accidentally insert themselves into her life, I was completely invested in her journey through grief and reconnecting to the rest of the world - purely on the strength of this lovely and grumpy main character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Stalking, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, and Drug use
Hulk: Planet Hulk by
adventurous
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Maybe I've grown up.
I used to think this was a great graphic novel - it's not. Is it a great Hulk graphic novel? Yes absolutely, and the difference between those is huge.
Mainstream comic books don't really lend themselves well to the graphic novel format, because they are serialised to the nth degree so that there's rarely a great starting point that has a great ending point shortly after.
Planet Hulk is an exception: what has occurred before is mostly irrelevant and summarised neatly in 3 panels as a prologue. The ending leads into something else, but it's as definitive an ending as is needed, and certainly marks a huge emotional life-changing moment in it's abject tragedy.
But this praise is merely saying Planet Hulk has a beginning, middle and end and doesn't require any prior knowledge before reading - that's not an impressive bar to clear, it's just that most serialised comic books collected into graphic novels fail to do that and it's pleasant to find an exception.
Planet Hulk is an interestingly tragic tale with gorgeous artwork - but it's a very slight tale with barely sketched characters despite it's length, and at it's heart is a Conan The Barbarian kind of story, with all the predictability those sorts of savage muscle-bound swords-and-sorcery tales carry. It would probably have worked better as a short story.
It's good for what it is, but what it is isn't much.
I used to think this was a great graphic novel - it's not. Is it a great Hulk graphic novel? Yes absolutely, and the difference between those is huge.
Mainstream comic books don't really lend themselves well to the graphic novel format, because they are serialised to the nth degree so that there's rarely a great starting point that has a great ending point shortly after.
Planet Hulk is an exception: what has occurred before is mostly irrelevant and summarised neatly in 3 panels as a prologue. The ending leads into something else, but it's as definitive an ending as is needed, and certainly marks a huge emotional life-changing moment in it's abject tragedy.
But this praise is merely saying Planet Hulk has a beginning, middle and end and doesn't require any prior knowledge before reading - that's not an impressive bar to clear, it's just that most serialised comic books collected into graphic novels fail to do that and it's pleasant to find an exception.
Planet Hulk is an interestingly tragic tale with gorgeous artwork - but it's a very slight tale with barely sketched characters despite it's length, and at it's heart is a Conan The Barbarian kind of story, with all the predictability those sorts of savage muscle-bound swords-and-sorcery tales carry. It would probably have worked better as a short story.
It's good for what it is, but what it is isn't much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racial slurs
Superman for All Seasons by Jeph Loeb
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A sad little retelling of Clark Kent's life in Smallville and early years in Metropolis (and back again). There's no real joy in the characters, the plot is meanderingly glum, the art style does nothing to stop the drab colouring from making this even more of a sad experience even when the plot isn't at all grim - just glum.
I got this book on the strength of the writer and artist's excellent work in Batman: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, and while they excelled there something is dragging them down here.
It probably doesn't help that this is at heart a rather slight story about growing up and leaving home and making your mark in the world - and finding out that life isn't always that linear nor that straightforward. While on the surface that fits the broad strokes of the Superman story, all the characters and trappings expected from that story just bog down anything you try to put on it. Lois Lane, Perry White, even Lex Luthor just kind of get in the way, as does the expectation that Jonathan Kent should die at any moment (given that's what usually happens) - but take those trappings out and there isn't really much left here either.
Stuck in bed sick, this sad-sack book is definitely not what I needed to lift my spirits!
I got this book on the strength of the writer and artist's excellent work in Batman: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, and while they excelled there something is dragging them down here.
It probably doesn't help that this is at heart a rather slight story about growing up and leaving home and making your mark in the world - and finding out that life isn't always that linear nor that straightforward. While on the surface that fits the broad strokes of the Superman story, all the characters and trappings expected from that story just bog down anything you try to put on it. Lois Lane, Perry White, even Lex Luthor just kind of get in the way, as does the expectation that Jonathan Kent should die at any moment (given that's what usually happens) - but take those trappings out and there isn't really much left here either.
Stuck in bed sick, this sad-sack book is definitely not what I needed to lift my spirits!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Let the Old Dead Make Room for the Young Dead by Milan Kundera
emotional
reflective
medium-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
3.75
A short story in every sense: one that takes place in under a day and mostly over a single conversation - and covers 40 small-format pages.
"Let the Old Dead Make Room for the Young Dead" concerns a 35 and 50 year old chancing upon each other after a one-night stand 20 years previously, their sense of self-image, their insecurities and desires - and what they think they need to feel in order to be fulfilled once this stage of their life is over.
The point of view alternates effectively from chapter-to-chapter in this brief but interesting 1960s Czechoslovakian encounter.
"Let the Old Dead Make Room for the Young Dead" concerns a 35 and 50 year old chancing upon each other after a one-night stand 20 years previously, their sense of self-image, their insecurities and desires - and what they think they need to feel in order to be fulfilled once this stage of their life is over.
The point of view alternates effectively from chapter-to-chapter in this brief but interesting 1960s Czechoslovakian encounter.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Sexual content
Minor: Grief
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I didn't know what genre this book was, and I really highly recommend going into this thoughtful, funny, slightly unhinged book without even reading the back cover - nor in fact any more of my review!
The book follows Duszejko - an elderly Polish lady - living remotely enough that in winter she only has two neighbours, and makes an income from keeping watch on and maintaining the houses of those that can't stand to live there in the colder seasons. She spends her time looking after the local wildlife, railing against hunters and poachers, translating Blake into Polish, and researching the horoscope in all sorts of unusual ways.
One morning one of her two neighbours discovers the other dead, and as they tend to the corpse Duszejko becomes convinced he was murdered by the very animals he hunted.
This surprising book reads almost as a stream-of-conciousness from a narrator that is not so much unreliable as mildly out of touch with reality.
Her worldview is disarmingly cosy and endearing, sometimes heartbreaking, and it's so wonderful to follow her unusual trains of thought - not just of her life but the very mechanics of existence itself - that it's easy to forget that Duszejko's state of mind is probably unhealthy, especially as she rarely if ever seems to be in anything approaching peril.
At once both relaxing and compelling, I honestly didn't want this book to end - but the terrible truths being laid out were done so with such verve it had me laughing in glee at the audaciousness of the author.
Highly recommended!
The book follows Duszejko - an elderly Polish lady - living remotely enough that in winter she only has two neighbours, and makes an income from keeping watch on and maintaining the houses of those that can't stand to live there in the colder seasons. She spends her time looking after the local wildlife, railing against hunters and poachers, translating Blake into Polish, and researching the horoscope in all sorts of unusual ways.
One morning one of her two neighbours discovers the other dead, and as they tend to the corpse Duszejko becomes convinced he was murdered by the very animals he hunted.
This surprising book reads almost as a stream-of-conciousness from a narrator that is not so much unreliable as mildly out of touch with reality.
Her worldview is disarmingly cosy and endearing, sometimes heartbreaking, and it's so wonderful to follow her unusual trains of thought - not just of her life but the very mechanics of existence itself - that it's easy to forget that Duszejko's state of mind is probably unhealthy, especially as she rarely if ever seems to be in anything approaching peril.
At once both relaxing and compelling, I honestly didn't want this book to end - but the terrible truths being laid out were done so with such verve it had me laughing in glee at the audaciousness of the author.
Highly recommended!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Dementia, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Misogyny
The Cheater's Guide to Love by Junot Díaz
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A short story that goes at a rattling pace - I don't usually like to read anything of any length in one sitting, but the writing style absolutely demands you don't stop.
Set in Boston and the Dominican Republic, every chapter covers a year from the end of Yunior's long term relationship. While it's absolutely his fault (he cheated with fifty women over six years!) and while his attitude to women is pretty awful, you can't help hoping he will pull out of the spiralling social life, physical health and mental health whirlpool that is almost entirely of his own creation.
Full of strong language and bad attitudes, this is a fun fast-paced read.
Set in Boston and the Dominican Republic, every chapter covers a year from the end of Yunior's long term relationship. While it's absolutely his fault (he cheated with fifty women over six years!) and while his attitude to women is pretty awful, you can't help hoping he will pull out of the spiralling social life, physical health and mental health whirlpool that is almost entirely of his own creation.
Full of strong language and bad attitudes, this is a fun fast-paced read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Toxic relationship
Shanti by Vikram Chandra
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Beautiful and absorbing, strange and lovely - stories within stories that are sometimes straightforward, sometimes extraordinary.
Less than a hundred pages long (shorter if this book was a standard shape) but written so that I feel I've experienced the world of a fully fleshed out novel.
Less than a hundred pages long (shorter if this book was a standard shape) but written so that I feel I've experienced the world of a fully fleshed out novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and War
Minor: Grief
Sherlock Holmes - The Vanishing Man by Philip Purser-Hallard
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
3.75
Another rare good entry in Titan books' "The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" series that presents a rather good "locked room" mystery where a scientific study into the supernatural sees a man vanish from a locked observation room in front of several witnesses in order to claim thousands of pounds in prize money for the feat.
Holmes is tasked with scientifcally deducing how the deed was done and locating the vanished man, which neatly side-steps Titan's apparent remit to hobble Holmes' scientific world with pointlesly unsolvable supernatural plots - much to my satisfaction!
While I can boast I saw broadly how the locked room problem was achieved from the outset (and I'm proud to say by whom), the mystery deepens as an accomplice is clearly required but hard to pin down from the list of suspects - and eventually a shocking murder is committed, with seemingly impossible forensic results regarding the time of death.
Well written and frequently funny, the chapters are also thoughtfully interspersed with newspaper cuttings, bits of novels and so-forth to add context and flavour to events and characters, occasionally misleading in interesting ways as it is read, the conceit being Holmes has gathered these together for Watson years after the fact to assist with his writing of the adventure. There's even a map and a schedule of observers on duty to refer back to as the plot unfolds, the sort of thing I love when Agatha Christie does it.
Not the most thrilling Holmes ever written, but satisfying and funny - a very enjoyable read.
Holmes is tasked with scientifcally deducing how the deed was done and locating the vanished man, which neatly side-steps Titan's apparent remit to hobble Holmes' scientific world with pointlesly unsolvable supernatural plots - much to my satisfaction!
While I can boast I saw broadly how the locked room problem was achieved from the outset (and I'm proud to say by whom), the mystery deepens as an accomplice is clearly required but hard to pin down from the list of suspects - and eventually a shocking murder is committed, with seemingly impossible forensic results regarding the time of death.
Well written and frequently funny, the chapters are also thoughtfully interspersed with newspaper cuttings, bits of novels and so-forth to add context and flavour to events and characters, occasionally misleading in interesting ways as it is read, the conceit being Holmes has gathered these together for Watson years after the fact to assist with his writing of the adventure. There's even a map and a schedule of observers on duty to refer back to as the plot unfolds, the sort of thing I love when Agatha Christie does it.
Not the most thrilling Holmes ever written, but satisfying and funny - a very enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gore
Dead Space by Antony Johnston, Ben Templesmith
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Grim, dark and a little nasty - but all beats this graphic novel is aiming for in both the story and the art style. At first glance (especially given some of the cover art) Dead Space appears to be Zombies-In-Space, but that's really not what is going on here - it's more a tale of mass hysteria.
I won't spoil the plot - which it carefully reveals piece by piece - but Dead Space follows a mining colony that uncovers an artifact on a distant world that strangely resembles objects of religious significance to many, and appears to have a dangerous affect on everyone's state of mind. It's a little unsettling, and has plenty of gory moments.
The art style suits the story very well, and adds an extra layer of unsettling animalistic tension as - even before things get weird - everyone is drawn with long tall gumless teeth, talon-like fingers, lumpy or gristle-like features and everything and everyone is watercoloured with a grimy wash. There's probably a name for this art style, and while it sounds like I'm criticising it I'm not - it's very effective.
While this isn't quite my sort of thing, I recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of nihilistic space opera to change things up a bit - but you may want to read it during daylight hours!
I won't spoil the plot - which it carefully reveals piece by piece - but Dead Space follows a mining colony that uncovers an artifact on a distant world that strangely resembles objects of religious significance to many, and appears to have a dangerous affect on everyone's state of mind. It's a little unsettling, and has plenty of gory moments.
The art style suits the story very well, and adds an extra layer of unsettling animalistic tension as - even before things get weird - everyone is drawn with long tall gumless teeth, talon-like fingers, lumpy or gristle-like features and everything and everyone is watercoloured with a grimy wash. There's probably a name for this art style, and while it sounds like I'm criticising it I'm not - it's very effective.
While this isn't quite my sort of thing, I recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of nihilistic space opera to change things up a bit - but you may want to read it during daylight hours!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Pandemic/Epidemic
science fiction, infection,gore, religion,mass hysteria
Mostly Hero by Anna Burns
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Written as an almost stream-of-consciousness from the third-person-perspective of the narrator, this conceit doesn't bring the book any life or novelty as it seems to be deliberately charting a childish simple supervillain-noir tale with no interesting characters, ideas, themes nor even some kind of direction to a plot.
Only 18 pages in and it's too tiresome to continue this not short enough short story - I peeked ahead and it seems to carry on in this tedious fashion throughout. No idea who the audience is for this book, but I'm not among them.
Only 18 pages in and it's too tiresome to continue this not short enough short story - I peeked ahead and it seems to carry on in this tedious fashion throughout. No idea who the audience is for this book, but I'm not among them.