#Geek Book Review

[esonetwork]

'Trouble In The Brownstone' Book Review By Ron Fortier

New Post has been published on http://esonetwork.com/trouble-in-the-brownstone-book-review-by-ron-fortier/

'Trouble In The Brownstone' Book Review By Ron Fortier

TROUBLE IN THE BROWNSTONE A Nero Wolfe Mystery By Robert Goldsborough Mysterious Press 246 pgs.

Every now and then we readers discover fictional characters and become totally enamored with them. Enough so that when their creators pass on, we hope other writers will take on those heroes and continue their adventures; most of which we refer to as pastiches. (Note – a term we totally dislike.) Now, regardless of your attitude towards continuations, it is all too clear some of these characters have come to belong to the world at large. When thinking of such, Sherlock Holmes immediately takes the number one spot. Since his creator’s passing, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of his new adventures have been written. Why? Simple, because his worldwide fans demanded more.

Thus is the case with Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, the irascible characters created by the late Red Stout as his take on the Holmes/Watson duo. It was no surprise that they quickly became the darlings of mystery fans everywhere and when Stout passed away in 1975 it seemed the end for this delightful pair. Happily such was not the case when journalist/author Robert Goldsborough arrived to reopen the door to the famous Brownstone on West 35th St. and began writing new Nero Wolfe mysteries. In the past fifteen such, he’s related the first-ever meeting between Wolfe and Archie, taking us on a visit to Archie’s hometown and even had Wolfe come to Inspector Cramer’s rescue on a tricky case. It is these forays into the established character’s background that have made all of Goldsborough’s books a pure delight. Book # 16, “Trouble in the Brownstone” is no exception.

It begins with Wolfe’s orchid expert Theodore Horstmann being savagely beaten weeks after having left his rooftop apartment for new digs. Left in a coma from which he may never recover, Wolfe and Archie devote themselves to finding the perpetrators and bringing them to justice. This leads to McCready’s an Irish bar near the docks of the Hudson River. Archie soon learns the bar is frequented by foreign seamen most of whom reside at a five-story hotel across the street from the pub. Set in the months after the end of World War Two, Goldsborough’s plot centers around the plight of thousands of Displaced Refugees desperately hoping to immigrate to America. Thus the opportunity arose for unscrupulous opportunists in providing smuggling avenues for those people with the money to pay. How this connects with Horstmann’s fate is part of the complicated knot the rotund sleuth must unravel if the villains are to be exposed.

“Trouble in the Brownstone” is, as in its previous entries, a terrific Nero Wolfe story and as always, is a genuine homage to Mr. Stout. Here’s hoping Goldsborough has lots more stories coming our way. We eagerly await each and every one of them

[bonafiedbookworm]

Finished reading last night

So good!!

But now I’m sad cause I have to wait until August for the next book

[gryffindorconsultingtimelord]

Something is coming…🧛🏻

[pipperoni32-blog]

What the River Knows

by Isabel Ibanez / 4.5 stars

First off, I want to fangirl a little bit about the quality of this book. I was lucky enough to borrow the OwlCrate edition (thank you Shelby! <3) and wow, it was stunning. The illustrations on the end papers, the quality of the paper. THE QUALITY OF THE PAPER! It was thick and smooth and felt so luxurious. The sewn spine, all around this book was like something out of the past with how much care went into the production of it, and you can bet that it's going to last so much better than a handful of new titles we see nowadays. The librarian and book lover in me is still obsessed.

Onto the story… where to begin? From the beginning Inez feels like she's meant for bigger things, more than being left behind while her parents travel to Egypt and try to discover the secrets hidden in it's tombs. Meant for more than hiding from her Aunt and elder cousin, who are constantly trying to teach her decorum, and prepare her for finding the right type of suitor. With her parents' wealth, there are suitors for miles.

When a letter arrives informing Inez that her parents have gone missing and are presumed dead, nothing can stop her from searching for them. She's waited for the time when she was old enough that they'd invite her along on their journeys. Now she's left alone, and nothing will keep her from Egypt, the place that stole her parents away from her time and again. Disguising herself as a mourning widow, she books a passage to Egypt. At the port, instead of finding her Uncle there to welcome her, his assistant Whit is there with instructions to put her right back on the ship.

Egypt in the 1950's is in turmoil. It's riches and artifacts are being stripped away and sold on the black market. The antiquity department, run by British overlords, is corrupt and the native Egyptians are treated as lesser people, not worthy of their own history. Archeological digging rights are closely guarded and valued, and discoveries are often taken over by those wanting to exploit them.

Amid this shadowy world, the magic system is gorgeous. The way that small bits of magic remain with certain items, things that can be helpful or mischievous. Inez's father sent her a ring that gives her visions of Cleopatra, and she's able to follow the feel of the magic to find other artifacts that might have belonged to the last Egyptian Pharoah. Possibly even to her tomb. I loved the way Inez's affinity for magic is explained, and it's so easy to be swept away with it.

There is a cliffhanger, and boy is it a big one. I still don't even know how to talk about it, other than gaping mouthed "what?"s. So looking forward to the next book - I definitely need some answers!

[that-bookworm-guy]

[carlocarrasco]

A Look Back at Wolverine #87 (1994)

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised…

[hoztthespunkieball]

The Court of Thorns and Roses: Chapter 4 Recap (Spoilers)

This is when the story gets really good. It's the moment Feyre goes on an adventure and leaves her family behind.

My takes:

The beast (Fae) is looking for the one who killed the wolf, as it turns out they were friends and it was a Fae in a wolf form. You know, the one Feyre gutted and sold to the Big Muscle Mommy? Yeah, that's the one.

Nesta and Elain are rightfully terrified, because they are pussies whom never learnt how to fight and relied on Feyre's survival skills their entire lives. *Alexa play Bad Idea by Girl in Red.*

The father firstly is like 'Fuck dude, what do I do?'. But then when Feyre confesses to killing the wolf he finally decides to grow a pair and bravely says 'It's me you're looking for. I killed the wolf.' The beast looks at him, then at his crippled leg, then back at him and shots him a side- eye before turning back to Feyre.

The beast gives Feyre two options: 1. She'll be brutally gutted right here, right now. And 2. Feyre will go with the beast to the Fae land and face the High Fae Court for her crime. If she survives then she can live there with the beast.

Confused Feyre asks the beast why he showed her mercy, he didn't reply. Which is an important later on, because Fae can NOT lie. They are obligated to tell the truth, however they are allowed to choose how much information they reveal, because apparently not sharing information is not the same as lying. (It's an opinion for sure.)

Feyre is understandably confused as fuck and not sure what to do. If she goes her family will survive, but she has no idea what is going to happen to her, she can not trust the beast that just tried to kill her. OR she can die right here and now in front of her family.

During her existential crisis her father chimes in and offers the beast money in exchange for his daughter's life. The beast politely asks 'How much is your daughter's life worth according to you then?' And he couldn't answer his question. He would have to borrow money from other people and spend the rest of his lifetime paying off his debt. Alternatively he could name a low price he could pay, inevitably insulting Feyre. So he did the next best thing (according to him). He very dramatically grabbed Feyre and said 'Go my daughter, save yourself. And if you manage to escape never come back, live your life, be free.' Which basically translates to 'I don't want to see you being ripped to shreds right now, so go, so I can say that I gave you up in order to save you. Also, I told you not to come back because your chances of survival are lower than my self- esteem and not knowing how you're doing is better than having your death on my consciousness.'' Asshole.

Not having much choice Feyre agreed to go. Before she left though she told her fam that if they need help they should go to Isaac (the fuck buddy) since she taught him how to hunt one year prior. And told Nesta NOT to marry Tomas. His dad regularly practices MMA on his wife and their GROWN bitch ass sons never do anything about it. So, unless Nesta wants to become next Kenny (Southpark) she shouldn't marry this dude.

Then Feyre and the beast took off.

Once again, I love the pacing. The chapters are fairly short and easy to follow (I'm just kinda stupid sometimes). In chapter five some shit is about to go down.

[tertain-the-original]

Well, I was on a horror audiobook kick for the past few days and I used the new Spotify Premium feature to listen to some audiobooks I was really excited about… well, of course, I ONLY GET 15 HOURS OF LISTENING TIME. WHAT AM I, A TEEN THAT NEEDS A CURFEW???? I was in the middle of a good one too!!! Well… back to Libby I suppose. There’s plenty of good books on there too. The Night Strangers sounds good let’s go with that….

[livrosencaracolados]

"Agora Sou Chique" (Geek Girl #1)

Sɪɴᴏᴘsᴇ Oғɪᴄɪᴀʟ: Harriet Manners sabe muitas coisas. • Um gato tem 32 músculos em cada orelha. • Uma pessoa ri-se, em média, 15 vezes por dia. • Os amendoins são um dos componentes da dinamite. • E uma croma não pode transformar-se numa modelo… Ou será que pode? Mas Harriet não sabe por que motivo ninguém gosta dela na escola. Por isso, quando surge uma oportunidade de se transformar noutra pessoa, aproveita-a. Mesmo que isso signifique tropeçar de saltos altos e… mentir a todos os que ama. Será esta geek - agora chique - capaz de mudar e manter-se leal a si mesma?

Aᴜᴛᴏʀᴀ: Holly Smale.

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ALERTA SPOILERS!

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O Mᴇᴜ Rᴇsᴜᴍᴏ: A Harriet é muito diferente dos outros, sempre foi. É desajeitada, socialmente inepta e obcecada pelo conhecimento, mas para seu azar, apenas pelo tipo de conhecimento que é geralmente visto como estranho ter-se, como por exemplo, saber a quantos km/h o ar libertado pela tosse humana viaja e o facto de ser ilegal mascar pastilha elástica em Singapura. Basicamente, é uma geek, e o facto de ter um dicionário Oxford preparado na sua mesinha de cabeceira para confirmar que a palavra coincide com ela, não ajuda a sua situação. Apesar de aceitar a racionalidade por trás do título que lhe foi atribuído, Harriet não está particularmente feliz em tê-lo, visto que isso só lhe permite ter uma melhor amiga, a única amizade na sua vida, um stalker, que sendo tão estranho como ela fez da sua missão de vida criar uma aliança dos geeks, e uma data de bullies. A vida da Harriet não é exatamente agradável, pelo menos até Nat, que desde os 7 anos sacrifica sobremesas a favor do sonho de ser modelo, a convencer a não faltar a uma visita de estudo no shopping. Aí, depois da sua distração característica a levar a destruir os chapéus todos de uma loja e a deitar a baixo uns outros quantos expositores, acaba por conhecer Wilbur, o homem mais comicamente fora da caixa do planeta, e a esconder-se debaixo de uma mesa com o "Rapaz Leão", a pessoa mais bonita que alguma vez já viu. Para sua surpresa, acontece que Wilbur faz parte de uma agência de modelos famosa e quer recrutá-la, e que o "Rapaz Leão", não é um rapaz qualquer. A partir daí, o mundo de Harriet vira do avesso. De um dia para o outro, ela torna-se na cara da Baylee, uma das maiores marcas de moda do momento, começa a viajar pelo mundo para fazer sessões fotográficas loucas, desfila em passarelas e trabalha com os rostos mais icónicos da indústria. Tudo parece perfeito até a vida antiga de Harriet se infiltrar na ilusão maravilhosa que mais recentemente ocupa os seus dias. Harriet descobre que ser modelo não a faz menos ela própria, por mais que tente, e que o bullying constante, os problemas com a Nat e toda a frustração que ela guarda dentro de si, não podem ser sufocados por purpurinas e saltos altos. No primeiro volume desta coleção, Harriet vai ter de aprender que para prosperar tem de se aceitar por quem é, sem esperar essa validação dos outros, e perceber que ser geek, até é bem fixe.

Cʀɪᴛᴇ́ʀɪᴏs ᴅᴇ Cʟᴀssɪғɪᴄᴀᴄ̧ᴀ̃ᴏ:

Qᴜᴀʟɪᴅᴀᴅᴇ ᴅᴀ Pʀᴏsᴀ: Sendo um livro onde a história nos é contada na primeira pessoa, pela voz da protagonista, a prosa é certamente diferente, porque a Harriet é diferente. Não há grandes floreados e o estilo da escrita não é exatamente romântico, é direto e absolutamente hilariante, não só pelo que é dito, mas também pela forma como é dito e pelo seu timing. Em geral, é um estilo bastante fácil de ler, e mantém o leitor interessado.

Hɪsᴛᴏ́ʀɪᴀ: Ai, a história da Harriet (apesar de ser apenas o início) é um máximo! O mundo em que se passa não é muito diferente do nosso, é realista, então, especialmente pela idade da Harriet, somos levados numa aventura em que coisas que certamente já nos aconteceram fazem parte da viagem da protagonista, e em que coisas que já sonhámos viver nos são descritas. O livro tem a quantidade certa de tudo, humor, romance, aprendizagem, emoção, realismo, ficção.... No fundo, é o início perfeito da história de uma rapariga a descobrir-se a si mesma e a encontrar amor por quem é no meio de todo o ódio e incompreensão que a rodeiam.

Pᴇʀsᴏɴᴀɢᴇɴs: Esta coleção não tem muitas personagens com um grau de protagonismo substancial, pelo menos não no primeiro volume. A Harriet, claro, é a que recebe mais atenção e exploração como protagonista da história, e, deixem-me dizer, que a quantidade não rouba à qualidade aqui. Como já foi mencionado, a Harriet está repleta de particularidades e complexos, os outros não lhe dão muito valor, e ela segue-os nessa tendência. Para ela, o facto de ser inteligentíssima não é conveniente, para que lhe serve se só afasta os outros? Para ela, o seu carisma natural, que funciona ao contrário de todos os outros, só a frustra, fá-la sentir-se desconfortável consigo mesma. Para ela, a sua aparência única é um grande defeito, para quê olhar para o espelho se já sabe que é diferente de todos à sua volta? Para ela, nada chega. Não consegue arranjar um único pedaço de si que ame porque todas as suas melhores características foram pintadas como deformidades fatais e atiradas para a pilha dos defeitos por aqueles que, por não conseguirem lidar com a inveja que sentem da sua singularidade, se decidiram a odiá-la e a fazê-la sabê-lo e senti-lo. A Harriet tem um conflito muito óbvio dentro de si ao longo do livro, um que muitos de nós conseguimos entender e com que também nos debatemos, e vê-la lutar com toda a força que tem, mesmo que às vezes isso signifique resignar-se por cansaço, contra a caixa onde a puseram é inspirador e incrivelmente emotivo. Ela é uma personagem fantástica e vê-la a conquistar alguma empatia por si e a encontrá-la em outros que como ela, também são diferentes, é muito especial. Claro que não consegue tudo no primeiro livro, mas é um começo. Além dela, também Nat é algo desenvolvida. Percebemos que ela começa, muito lentamente, a chegar à conclusão que o sonho de ser modelo foi algo que lhe foi vendido, não algo que ela tenha escolhido. Depois de ultrapassar os sentimentos de traição que a seleção da Harriet lhe trouxe, consegue simplesmente estar lá para a amiga e sentir-se feliz pela felicidade dela, sem se pressionar com o que vem a seguir. Também ela desafia estereótipos, apesar de ser perfeita em todos os sentidos convencionais, escolhe ser simpática para todos que o merecem, defende Harriet com toda a sua força e nunca abdica da sua amizade em nome da popularidade. Nem todos os personagens do livro têm explicações por trás das suas personalidades vincadas mas é para isso que as sequelas servem, para expandir personagens que mesmo superficialmente, já são interessantes de ler.

Rᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ: Tenho de admitir, o romance é sem dúvida uma das partes mais encantadoras do livro e da coleção. Apesar de este primeiro volume não se focar de forma tão profunda nele, e só o usar como uma alavanca do crescimento de Harriet, eu não me importo, porque ela merece e é uma das relações mais queridas que já li (spoilers, só melhora nos próximos livros, mas tudo a seu tempo). Não há nada da suposta estupidez que se assume que acontece na idade da Harriet em termos de relações, é tudo saudável. O Nick aprecia verdadeiramente a Harriet, vê-a e ouve-a e todas as inseguranças que a fazem hesitar em relação a ele são precisamente as coisas que ele mais adora nela. Ela acha que fala demais e não tem filtro, ele ADORA. Ela sente-se embaraçada sempre que um dos seus factos malucos lhe sai da boca para fora, ele ADORA. Ela não consegue ver beleza ao espelho a menos que esteja cheia da produção profissional, e ele está fascinado por todas as suas feições. Agora digam vocês: ADORO! Porque não há nada a não adorar e acho mesmo que independentemente da idade, qualquer leitor fica a guinchar sempre que o Nick aparece na página.

Iᴍᴇʀsᴀ̃ᴏ: Não sendo um livro de fantasia, a única questão que se coloca é se o livro mantém o leitor interessado durante longos períodos de tempo e se o consegue fazer realmente sentir a história e as emoções da Harriet. E consegue, definitivamente, nada a acrescentar.

Iᴍᴘᴀᴄᴛᴏ: Já mencionei várias vezes a faceta emocional do livro, não será uma surpresa que nesta categoria ganhe imensos pontos. Além disso, a primeira vez que peguei nesta obra foi em 2017, e desde aí já a reli várias vezes sem me fartar, e posso dizer que todas as cenas que têm o objetivo de tocar o leitor ainda tocam. E sim, com certeza ainda guincho quando é hora do Nick, então alguma coisa aqui foi bem feita.

Cʟᴀssɪғɪᴄᴀᴄ̧ᴀ̃ᴏ Fɪɴᴀʟ:⭐⭐⭐⭐+ ½

Iᴅᴀᴅᴇ Aᴄᴏɴsᴇʟʜᴀᴅᴀ: Parece-me que qualquer um a partir dos 13 anos pode, e deve, ler este livro. Até quem tem bastante mais de 13 e se revê no que eu disse, vale a pena, é uma delícia. Só não recomendo que leiam mais cedo porque há o tema do bullying, a Harriet realmente sofre forte e feio, e porque quão mais perto da idade da protagonista quem lê for, mais fácil é entendê-la.

Cᴏɴᴄʟᴜsᴀ̃ᴏ/Oᴘɪɴɪᴀ̃ᴏ Fɪɴᴀʟ: Este livro tem um ligar muito especial no meu coração e continua até hoje a ter uma coisa ou duas para eu aprender, não só os factos engraçados, esses dão sempre jeito, mas também a nível pessoal, porque aceitar a nossa individualidade é sempre uma lição dura de interiorizar. Assim, RECOMENDO este livro vivamente!

Pᴀʀᴀ ᴏʙᴛᴇʀ: Geek Girl - Agora sou chique, Holly Smale - Livro - Bertrand

Assɪɴᴀᴅᴏ: Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ 𝐿𝓊𝓏 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

[galaxyofgeek]

The Warped Shelf - 2023 in Review

The Warped Shelf – 2023 in Review   With 2023 in our rear-view mirror, we’re chatting about what we experienced throughout the year, some we’ve covered on the show, most not. What were our biggest takeaways?   Episode #155     https://youtu.be/yxPUelYYwSs  

[thatgeekwiththeclipons]

Happy 78th Birthday to Academy Award Winning, BAFTA Winning, 2x Golden Globe Winning, Tommy Nominated, Tony Nominated actress Diane Keaton! ^__^

[justfinishedreading]

The Geek Ex-Hitman, volume 1 by Ko-dai

(Warning: Spoilers)

With the popularity of The Way of the Househusband there has come a trickle of “former bad guy now in new cutesy role” protagonists, which is not unwelcome as long as each work brings something new to the reader. The Geek Ex-Hitman appealed to me for two reasons: 1. The serious-looking, tough grown-up man liking things that we assume men like him don’t like, and 2. The perspective of a foreigner obsessed with Japanese culture and living in Japan.

The comedy is pretty good, the main character former Italian assassin, Marco is usually calm and confident with life but amusingly giddy and silly when it comes to his hobbies. Also introduced is Viviana, an efficient and serious Italian secret agent with a weakness for Boys Love manga and an overactive imagination whenever two attractive men speak to each other. Then there’s Andre, the antagonist Italian secret agent… who goes from being scarily horrible to being prisoner to Marco and Viviana’s geeky obsessions. The scene where Andre is forced to draw Marco and Viviana’s fan manga because he’s the only one with drawing skills is particularly funny.

The problem is the art. It’s so ugly. Now tastes vary and if some people like this art style good for you. But for me, it’s too ugly, it’s mainly the faces; their angles and proportions are all over the place, it looks less like a stylistic choice and more like bad drawing skills. As much as I want to follow these characters as their story develop I just can’t get over the art, so I’m going to pass on this series.

However I’m not quite done with this genre, The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting by Tsukiya has caught my eye…

Review by Book Hamster

[geekynerfherder]

Today (December 29) is the 12th anniversary of my nerdy 'The Geeky Nerfherder' blog, where I indulge in my nerdy passions and showcase inspiring, cool art and pop culture geekery, from poster art and cover art to the artworks on view from the latest new contemporary exhibitions.

I also take a look back on some of things I've enjoyed in TV/Movies, Books, Art & Gaming over the past 12 months.

[gryffindorconsultingtimelord]

Happy Birthday to our favorite boy wizard! Listen to our re-release of our Harry Potter series, available up to Half Blood Prince now! Where ever you listen to podcast!🎧

[imagineabooksf]

Review of Uncanny Vows by Laura Anne Gilman

Uncanny Vows is the second Huntsmen novel featuring siblings Rosemary and Aaron Harker and their hound Botheration. A fascinating twist on urban fantasy, it is set in a 1913 where Huntsmen hunt uncanny creatures when they pose a danger to humans. With characterizations as sharp as razors and an excellent balance of enough historical details to be immersed without slowing the story’s forward motion, the siblings pull you in one step at a time. They are flawed, stubborn, and sometimes wrong, which makes you root for them more. Twists and turns abound from beginning to end as the investigation continues.

Unfortunately, even Huntsmen have bosses and internal politics, and blending in versus being practical isn’t an easy choice in the suffragette era. Pants are often on Rosemary’s mind. (It did make me wish we still had convenient trolleys.)

Bother is a charmer when he wishes and my favorite character. And when I say the dog is my favorite character, it is high praise because 1) I’m mostly a cat person and 2) I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters down to the most minor.

5 stars   Great book! Start hunt for more books by this author.

(See rating system at http://tmblr.co/Zb30ArqLsiRe )

In the interests of full disclosure, I was sent an ARC of this book by the author for the possibility of a review. All my reviews, good, bad, or indifferent, are based on my own opinion and from my personal viewpoint. They are also spoiler free.

[that-bookworm-guy]

Description:

From an award-winning writer whose work bristles with “hard-won strength, insight, agility, and love” (Maggie Nelson), an exquisite and troubling narrative of masculinity, violence, and society.

In this groundbreaking new book, the author, a trans man, trains to fight in a charity match at Madison Square Garden while struggling to untangle the vexed relationship between masculinity and violence. Through his experience boxing—learning to get hit, and to hit back; wrestling with the camaraderie of the gym; confronting the betrayals and strength of his own body—McBee examines the weight of male violence, the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes, and the limitations of conventional masculinity. A wide-ranging exploration of gender in our society, Amateur is ultimately a story of hope, as McBee traces a new way forward, a new kind of masculinity, inside the ring and outside of it.

In this graceful, stunning, and uncompromising exploration of living, fighting, and healing, we gain insight into the stereotypes and shifting realities of masculinity today through the eyes of a new man.

My review:

This is the first book I've read that discusses mascalinity, toxic mascalinity, and trans men. A really insightful, thought-provoking and important read. This book is honest and delves deep into the gender stereotypes of what it means to be mascaline from societies viewpoint, and how as trans men, we are at risk of passing into the toxic mascalinity that we see from cis men, in order to pass. Sometimes without realising.

As a trans man myself, I found this so interesting and I highly recommend it