Don't judge a book by its title! 🤭

Today's 'scratched my brain just right' sentence.

Evidence for my longed-for hypothesis. I sincerely believe train travel will be my favourite, if I ever get the chance. 🫤

Yes, that is a retired mob boss losing it over how cute his dog looks in its new sweater in the top panel, and kicking his feet up in the impromptu photoshoot in the bottom left panel. 😍

Scary nun is scary for a reason.

Relatable: Read three books and two journal articles, then I might be open-minded about it... 🥴

Mom's winning! 😅

Feeling a little weird about this one...
At first you've got the 'archaeology is nifty, here's some nifty archaeology!' Like a 'series of articles interviewing different archaeologists' feel, kind of chatty pop science narration vibes.
Then: uh oh, but it's really hard to get a decent paying job, or funding, or legal protection for sites, often at the mercy of private developers, and then there's identifying human remains from historical wars 1/?

He made a friend! 🥹♥️🦙

Unique NYE plans. ☺️🥂

Preservation and conservation: keep the history found from being lost. 👏🏻

Whew, again I say 😮‍💨

😮‍💨

“To some extent, archaeologists find what they're looking for, and if you never look for evidence of powerful women, even if the hills and valleys are full of queens and warriors, they'll be invisible.“ 👸🏿👸🏽👸🏾👸🏻🙌🏻

Prime candidate for a cozy mystery series. 🥸

One plant heals, another harms...😬🫣

The wacky shenanigans with the history/threat but not the reality of violence, more absurd parody of it, continues.
The highlight for me this volume were the chapters focusing on the sweetest father-in-law ever.
The dessert competition with social media engagement stakes is runner up.
I'm noticing some traditional gender norm judgements on display, but its limited to antagonists spouting such nonsense, and unorthodox-ly contested by our 1/?

Tatsu, the original cornball.🥰

If I had a coffee table, this would definitely be on it. This book indicates that there are variations in Harris's style, not all pieces are the same carefully-coloured, impressionist brush-stroke versions of sci fi scenes shown to such great effect on John Scalzi's Old Man's War series book covers.
A large portion of the art in this collection is similar in style however, and surprise, all are my new favourites.
1/?

Last look: toasty alien landscapes. 🔥🐦‍🔥

Heck of a mix in this one.

Leather Bound is dark, grotesque, heavy on the violence to animals and involves one person with icky rash and one guy with multiple limbs getting eaten. There's a message and a hint of psychological musing in there, but I'd be less nauseous if I skipped it.
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Does anybody else see a happy little bug?

Like the palette of an autumn day brushed over the scene of new visitors. 🍂🍁

I loved this SO MUCH! You know that phrase 'brain teaser'? Well this was a cross between a 'brain engager' and a 'brain happy-er'. 😁 I honestly think the the title and cover do the book a disservice because it's a such a clever, well-crafted little collection of poems. On top of both the title and the poem itself in each case indicating an image related to the subject matter, most of the poems had a pleasant rhythm and a rhyming scheme. 1/2

You know that quote from Last Holiday, where Queen Latifah's character is admiring the hotel and asks : “don't that ceiling ever just make you want to cry?“
THAT'S how I feel about John Harris's impressionist sci fi art. Forgive the genre pun, but I find a lot of typical, modern sci fi art to be alienating. It's sharp and cold. Even if the subject matter is about what is unknown, I need to know there can be warmth and softness and colour.

Awwww, Alfred voice for encouragement. 🥹

Today's 'scratched my brain just right' sentence.

But of course...

As seems to be happening more often these days, the non-fiction that has been staring at me from the depths of my TBR for years, are turning out to be great reads that I wish I read earlier.
In this case, I'm very glad I have the full picture of what this book offers by reading it 'in one go', but I think its strength will be in its use as a manual, something to refer back to repeatedly along the craftivist journey, in addition to the online 1/?

Pleasantly pointless. There's a meandering humour to the task not going to plan, and then the somewhat abstract ending. It gave me a giggle and a chance to see more of Klassen's art, so mission accomplished. ☺️

Such an adorable screwball time! An even more appealing mix of endearing effort on the part of a male family figure with an ultra-violent past that somehow winds up in slapstick situations with uncanny facial expressions than Spy x Family. [If there are any more manga in this vein, please tell me! ]
I will definitely be continuing in the series.

Lookit! Gangster with the warm gloves! 🥹

Batsy, honey, you KNOW that's not the lamest Bat-name to exist for a tool in the Bat arsenal. 😏 Remember the Whirly-Bats?!

The ladies are THIRSTY. 👀

An absolute joy to read. Exactly what you hope to find in non-fiction by someone with a poetry background.
Such a warm appreciation for food, connecting to remembrances shared with family and friends, of travel, of being the child of immigrants, of discovering the cultures and places of your family tree. 1/?

He 👏🏻just 👏🏻steps 👏🏻up. Bare minimum is showing you care, taking note of the details, “ignore prescribed gender caretaking roles“, but it's still good to see.

Today's 'scratched my brain just right' sentence.

Reminding myself that it's best not to interfere with a wild species in its native habitat does not prevent me from now really wanting to Boop the boops boops. ☺️

A pleasant meander. Sort of an extended interview/conversation, using individual songs to talk either specifically about the story behind the song or some aspect of Dolly's life.
I'll admit to wishing the production had been a bit different: the beginnings of songs start the various conversations, and maybe it's a rights or length concern, but after a while you just find yourself wishing you could hear the whole song 1/?

Oh, yes. I am now confident I could happily listen to Natalie Haynes talk about any Greek myth or mythical figure. Her blend of a critical feminist lens, and an appreciation for myth depicted in both ancient and modern literary sources, as well as art from the ancient and modern world, i.e artifacts, film, is such a joy to experience, especially in her own voice. Highly recommend the audio book. 1/2

Today I learned...🥭

I don't think the book needed a different title, but it might have needed a different editor. There is a significant portion of the book, say from 75 pages in to the last 20 pages, where the chapters focus directly on issues related to rewilding, for the most part in a UK context, though international concerns and stats are introduced as supplementary examples. 1/?

Oh yes. I love the vintage feel, the sense of going back to Batgirl's orgins now, in a way that obviously plays off lore that has developed over the years, e.g. the Oracle/Cassandra references, the hint of something with Dick, the ominous whisper in references to the Joker.
The writers and artists did a great job of presenting a recognizable character with a bit more youthful hubris and pep, 1/?

🤨😑

There's something cheeky about the repeated imagery and text in this book, like Barnett and Klassen knew they were such a good pairing that we'd read anything from them. And dammit, they're right! I loved the art, I had fun reading it. That's enough for me.💁🏼‍♂️

I understand that given the setting and the plot that historical horror is how this book will be described, but my main feelings were not dread or disgust but sadness and anger.
Abhorrent deeds from history are retold, the reader is well-placed by the author in a position to look on helpless, infuriated that it is occurring, grief-stricken by so much loss, and yet suspecting some internal bias, blood connection, makes them complicit. 1/?

😏

Aaaarrggh cliffhanger! The only reason the writers and artists are forgiven is because I can get the next volume immediately from my library. Yet another benefit of reading backlist!
This was off the chain, just ridiculously improbable survival in action-packed scenarios, Brucie baby having officially planned TOO MUCH and yet too little, creating a Matryoshka doll of Batmans with various levels of advisable approaches to the criminal element, 1/?

Honestly, a much easier and more straightforward read than I thought to was going to be.
It definitely brings the facts and the stats, and not all of them are encouraging, but in proposing better ideas for the future it helps to present, and properly frame, the mistakes and misconceptions of the past.
An overwhelming proportion of this book is about money and work, but that makes a great deal of sense, from at the very least a subjective 1/?

A silly, fun moment right when I needed it. The illustrations make me think of Shel Silverstein, but the poetry, the overall tone feels...gentler, less chaotic.