The start was a bit bumpy as the characters were less than appealing; however, once we arrived in Borderland, the story picked up dramatically. Something in between a portal fantasy and a horror dystopian, it is a thrilling, action packed manga with appealing art. Great for Squid Game fans. Looking forward to Volume 2 of the 2-in-1 set.

“There are many things that no one knows, which is comforting, up to a point.”

A captivating work of horror that kept me changing my mind as to who the culprit was right up to the unexpected reveal at the end. As does the best of its genre, real life societal horrors merged with paranormal fears to manifest as an entirely credible nightmare.

“Sometimes excavating history means confirming a truth people have known collectively for years. Other times, it means digging up a past that has been left in a shameful shadow.”

It lost me a giant cockroaches. I fucking hate cockroaches. I grew up in assorted homes infested with them, and I just cannot get behind any kind of cockroaches. It brings back bad memories and skeeviness. DNF @ giant cockroaches.

A four star book with a five star ending. A lot of secrets, twists, plots and reveals came to the surface in Rhythm of War and I was delightfully surprised by many of them. GraphicAudio does such amazing work with these books. You should definitely give them your money.

“When love feels like a series of checked-off boxes, something is wrong. Relationships aren‘t meant to be itemized. “

The art and storytelling are every bit as I expected from this team, but I wasn't prepared to slip into witchcraft. Ten years after the final events of Descender and there is no technology whatsoever, only hovels and witches? Also, the transhumanist theme that I loved so much in the first series is completely gone. I'm gonna need a minute to adjust.

“… he growled unamiably …”

Is there really any other way to growl, Joyce?

Mark Twain is very funny when he's punching up or even across, but man! Every time he gets to a brown country in here he's all like “Savages!“ Fucking colonialism. And he was forward thinking for his time. Whew. I'm moving on at page 90. Plenty to read in the world. #doublespin

“The movements which work revolutions in the world are born out of the dreams and visions in a peasant‘s heart on the hillside. For them the earth is not an exploitable ground but the living mother.”

Definitely a great book for any young reader interested in not just Dinosaurs but paleontology. For myself, I could have used more dinosaur facts and less information on how paleontologists figured it out, but that's a subjective matter.

I just found out that 19th century scientists speculated that dinosaurs had two brains, one of which was located in their butt. I‘ve never been happier with a piece of trivia in my life.

Wishing I loved the book as much as the art.

A wonderfully fun and hopeful scifi graphic novel. Intriguing art, diverse characters, exciting action, and a hopeful but realistic look forward to the possibilities of the future. This is the queer future I am looking for.

National Geographic definitely makes solid science books for beginning readers. This one is a Level 2 for those who are reading independently and ready for longer sentences. It's current on modern astronomy and, as usually, includes definitions for harder words and jokes.

More than 10,000 years in the future, the city of Autumn flies above the Earth. The power structures that support the lifestyles of Pluses and Upgrades keep the Arties and Mannies firmly in their places. But when one golem becomes concerned for the droves of children that go missing from the lowest levels and the murder of a former lover, those structures are threatened and he must find answers before he finds the end of his immortal life.

More scifi than fantasy, this novel starts out slowly as a lot of background is needed to set up for the more exciting bits. There's also something of an all-star holiday spectacular feel to this one as all the most significant characters from the past join in. Those who are terribly science-minded may struggle a bit with this one as, by her own admission, the author takes some liberties here. Enjoyed a visit to Pern for my #bookspin read!

What a sure fire way to light up the interest of a little reader in history! I know I'm nearing the end of this series and it makes me a little sad. I'm gonna miss Josefina and the Montoyas. I'm also going to find a grown up history on New Mexico. I'm more intrigued by this era than ever before.

It is an almost impressive act of penmanship to take such an exciting story and make it so god-awfully dull. I have got to find another translation.

I‘m quite taken by this.

Loving the art of this edition

“Paris rawly waking, crude sunlight on her lemon streets.”

Well, that‘s fucking delicious.

“History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.”

From your mouth to God‘s ears, James.

I love Klassen's art and his sense of humor; however, this one didn't make me laugh as much as I've come to expect from him. Perhaps had I not read This Is Not My Hat first, I might have enjoyed this more, but that really was peak animal and hat humor.

A remarkably well researched hat-tip to the noir novels of the past laced throughout with Moore's trademark quirky, filthy, ridiculous humor. Fair warning, in capturing the voice of the 1940s, he captures it all including some language and attitudes about race and gender that no longer fly. All of it is clearly made out to be as ridiculous as it is, but the presence could be stressful for some readers.

“Etiquette is etiquette. He kills his mother but he can‘t wear grey trousers.”

“The entire town of Monte Rio consisted of a gas station and a tire-flattened raccoon.”

The only way to write a kissing scene that I like:

“They commence making an ‘mmmmmm‘ sound as they kissed, as if they each had discovered something delicious and needed to hum about it to the other, all the while trying to remove each other‘s clothing without coming up for air…”

😂😂🤣

A solid May! I even got a #bookspinbingo 😁

Ready for June #bookspin ❤️📚

A highly simplified version of The Nutcracker ballet with lovely art illustrating dance movement. Beautiful, multiracial imagery.

Alain Locke, considered the philosophical architect of the Harlem Renaissance, carefully curated some of the finest works of the era into this magnificent anthology included some of his own tremendous think pieces. This collection of plays, poems, short fiction, and essays of and on the era by its contemporaries provide an insight into one of the most beautifully artistic cultural movements of the United States.

The most thoughtful and nuanced biographies I've ever read. Malcolm X is exceptionally polarizing. He is either either demonized or angelicized. Manning Marable did an incredible job of presenting his life in a fully humanized way. His best and worst traits, his contradictions, his complexities, and his undeniable passion.I have a better understanding of both the icon and the man.

For audiobook fans, the narration is likewise exceptional.

Wooooow. Ummm, no. 😳

I am enjoying this series far too much. It's written much more accurately and delightfully that the Choose-Your-Own books of my childhood, and my joy at dying of dysentery is beyond words! A great throwback to my early reading adventures that I am thoroughly enjoying.

I don't really know what happened here, but I enjoyed the trip.

Ummm, that‘s exactly like a lot of folks in subsidized housing, Megan Lindholm. Way to stereotype.

FINALLY!

“As you know, men are apt to idolize or fear that which they cannot understand, especially if it be a woman.” —Jean Toomer, “Fern”

I had no idea there was a TTRPG for the Tales from the Loop Universe. I was psyched to come across this in my library system.

Meh. Just not my kind of thing. Lots of Doctor Who quotes sans context lumped together by themes. The best lines seem to all be in here along with lines that look suspiciously like they were chose for page layout more so than content. DNF at page 50 because, while book-shaped, this does not fulfill book-want for me.

#doublespin

Reading horror on the porch at twilight with the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees is delightfully creepy.

A delightful board book far more aimed at the joy of adults, but, hey, it's a board book. Babies don't actually care what's in them. Read it in your best Bob Ross voice. It'll be great.

In English or Spanish, this series is great for little readers interested in life in the 1800s. It even includes enough interesting details of the customs of the time to hold the interest of older readers. I'm looking forward to the next book!

A lot of setup in the beginning, including some great character development for Shallan. Her growth and evolution really made her an unexpected favorite of mine. But then BAM! So. Much. Battle. Lots of excitement followed up with some nice ending closure.

On a side note, someone at GraphicAudio needs to be told that French kissing sound effects are totally unnecessary.

A beautiful but bittersweet tale of family and heritage and the way food connects us to our roots. All accompanied by the lovely art that I've come to expect from Jason Chin.

Always meant to read a Patterson out of curiosity, and this Dolly Parton co-authored book seem like the perfect one. It's not my thing, but I can definitely see the appeal. Glamour, romance, excitement, intrigue, a light and easy read. I won't be reading another, but I enjoyed how Dolly's voice was well captured and the way her experiences were captured through the Nashville journeys of two characters.

A solid conclusion to an fun and beautiful graphic adventure with a lead-in for the next series. I think I might have liked it better if it had simply ended there without the set-up for Ascender, but that's a very subjective thing. The art in this series is exceptional and I'll be very happy with the next series if I get to enjoy more of that.

A sweetly encouraging picture book centering the experiences of children of Chinese descent, in particular the children of immigrant families. A reassuring reminder of the beauty within and without for children who can face discrimination in harsh and undermining ways.