by Max Brooks
Tony wrote: "Soooooo good!"
I second that. Best zombie story ever written. (that might open a can of worms... ]]>
Read this one awhile ago and I guess I never added to my read books.
I just wasn't a fan. There were a few clever moments, but there were many other moments that seemed to want to be much more clever than they were.
It was definitely readable and I appreciate the ways in which Kirkman tried to turn the universe on its head. Some worked and some didn't, but there was definitely some research (or just genuine love of the Marvel universe) at work here.
Overall, though, I thought that there had been much much better dark alternate Marvel tales written in the old "What If?" series. ]]>
After really being drawn into the series in the last few volumes, this one took me right back to "Ehhh, it's o.k." world. Nothing out of the ordinary happens in this volume and nothing is presented in a way that really rises above. The plot in this one is thin - presumably giving us some time for character development. The problem is, the character development in this one seems rather dull and unrealistic. There is one particularly good sequence, but even that is played too heavily. Melodrama, rather than drama.
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by Audrey Niffenegger
I've had this one on my shelf forever. One of these days, I'll get around to reading it...
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While I agree with some that say that Tomine is a bit of a literary 'one trick pony' in that he writes many stories that seem oddly similar to each other, I have to admit that I feel there is a lot more to him than that.
Tomine does so much with the 'quiet.' By this, I mean that though these are in essence melodramatic stories, he treats them with a subtlety that you wouldn't necessarily expect. Not just in his sharp, sparse dialogue, but also in his 'simple' art style. ]]>
I felt like I just couldn't "get into" this collection at first. --In other words, I felt too stupid to really understand it.
The last couple of sections really drew me in, though, and wouldn't let me stop reading until far too late in the evening.
My favorite lines from the end of the first section of Three Elegies:
And beneath the skin of boredom
indecipherable fear
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A difficult book to finish. It took several sessions as this summer came to a close.
I read this one only outdoors -- not sure what that has to do with a review, but there it is...
Despite its difficulty - or perhaps because of it - I really liked this one.
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Craig
read and liked
Maggie's
review of Sea Change: Poems:
"I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear how much I loved this book. But I did. I frickin loved it. "
"I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear how much I loved this book. But I did. I frickin loved it. "
bookshelves: poetry-favorites
There are two reasons that I initially decided to read this book. One is that it was recommended to me by Goodreads based on what I had read before. One is just a tiny bit more personal, but I am very glad that I read it based on either reason.
I don't know how much I can say about this volume or how well I can say it... So I will try to speak with as few words as possible.
This is - hands down - one of the best meditations on loss and the process of grief that I have ever read. I feel priviledged to have been given this glimpse inside of a life. And even more astounded to see a talent within that can make something so personal resonate so strongly. This is an amazing voice. I am ashamed that I was without it for so long and I look forward to reading much much more. ]]>