L.S. Popovich's Blog, page 19
July 21, 2022
Review of Tampa by Alissa Nutting
Are you a brave reader? If you read Lolita unfazed, made it through American Psycho, and graduated to Story of the Eye, maybe you’re ready for this one. But ask yourself, what do you want to get out of literature. A thrill? Shock value? There’s a multi-part series on Youtube showcasing the most disturbing books […]
July 18, 2022
Review of Sunny, Vol. 5 (Sunny, #5) by Taiyo Matsumoto
A relaxing and contemplative series from a creator I now look forward to reading. The abandoned kids home, or orphanage, if you prefer that designation, which comprises the setting, provides a dense interplay of childish communications. The way the characters talk over one another reminds me of Robert Altman’s films. This series is primarily a […]
July 14, 2022
Review of The Golden Ass by Apuleius
Whenever someone says Don Quixote was the first novel ever written, one-up them with this one. Same if they claim Tale of Genji was first. Other novels, poems, and fragments might claim to be the first, but none are so convincing a contender as The Golden Ass. Supposedly, other Roman novels existed like this one, […]
July 11, 2022
Review of Necromancy Cottage, Or, The Black Art of Gnawing on Bones by Rebecca Maye Holiday
Right in time for Halloween, Necromancy Cottage is a very readable and unconventional bildungsroman. The tone and atmosphere inspire a cozy kind of fright, as you might glean from the title. How many times, as a kid, did I conjure in my imagination a secluded second life on a desert island or some fanciful dimension […]
July 7, 2022
Review of MONKEY: New Writing From Japan (Volume 1) by Motoyuki Shibata
I have been a hug fan of this publication, having completing the original run of Monkey Business, so I was delighted to find this resurrected imprint. Nearly every issue contains writing or interviews available nowhere else featuring Haruki Murakami, Hiromi Kawakami, Mieko Kawakami, and Hideo Furukawa. If that isn’t enough to justify checking them out, […]
June 30, 2022
Review of Into the Violet Gardens by Isaac Nasri
In this very near-future s-f novel, cyborgs and cartels battle it out amid a powder keg political imbalance. The author provides prose rich with details of setting and character that easily communicates the suffering common to human experience, which constitutes the novel’s beating heart. Making use of tried-and-true thriller trappings, realistic dialogue, and a multi-layered […]
June 27, 2022
Review of Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 4: Materia (Gunnerkrigg Court #4) by Thomas Siddell
A continually surprising series. Meshing classical myth with original ideas, this kid-friendly series of light adventures and comical mishaps often stumbles into darker territory, heady themes, and far-reaching consequences. While I long for more maturity, it is nice to see rich character development throughout each volume. The players change subtly, and I doubt the level […]
June 23, 2022
Review of The Poems of Catullus by Catullus
Words and expressions the translator should have thought twice about using: “Treadmill,” “French poodle,” “syphilitic.” Catullus is the OG badass Roman poet. His polyamorous adventures and vicious satirical portraits amply flex his majorly ripped wit, status, and (professed) sexual prowess. Listen to him mic drop other statesmen and rapturously serenade his shameless strumpet Lesbia. His […]
June 20, 2022
Review of U-Day (Memory Full, #1) by Rapha Ram
A desperate CEO gives the reader a taste of the morbid underbelly of the near-future society featured in this book in the prologue. In this multi-faceted work, the lens through which we perceive the world is Livvy Blunt, a girl with a modern mind, trying to squeeze the meditative regimen of her monastic existence into […]
June 16, 2022
Review of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1) by L. Frank Baum
As whimsical and intriguing as the film. As timeless and humorous and charming. As off-kilter and unique. But can it sustain the delicate balance of childish wonder, nostalgia, and creepy subtext, the Alice and Wonderland dreaminess, for a dozen books? This splendid series has spawned a recognizable aesthetic, probably due to the subtly unnerving drawings […]
