#just listened to this part on audiobook today and t pacing of audiobook listening really drives the tragic hilarity of the situation home

[corvidfeathers]

hats off to palamedes sextus for being so incredibly chill about being dumped by his long term internet girlfriend who he had shaped the entire trajectory of his life around that he “this is fine, I’m happy she’s happy”’d himself into not noticing she had been murdered and replaced by an immortal saint with a deathwish

[spookfished]

media roundup march-jul

this is my review backlog from when i was like getting ground into the ground working at a summercamp lol. ..if my thoughts are really short i probably just wrote it

NOTE FROM WHEN I STARTED THIS IN LIKE JULY: hey guys whats up! i was like "during spring break im going to read so much!" then i had to 'apply' for 'jobs' :( also i was playing so many games (not umineko though. sorry rokkenjima-ers). then like 5 months passed! woops. now i am a college graduate and unemployed 👍so now i have plenty of time to do things like this lol. making a post for these and then for everything in august. skipping the music section also bc i dont feel like it. some things really worth spotlighting were small victories, wrath goddess sing, and honk for jesus.

books:

what feasts at night by t kingfisher: horror novella (?) about a scary house and an ex-soldier. i liked reading ursula vernons reading as always, but this was a bit too short for me to really get a feeling for anything… it also didnt have the same visceral horror as their previous book (what moves the dead) so i was a bit disappointed :(

cathay by ezra pound: a book of tang dynasty poetry translated by notable contemporary poet (and infamous fascist) ezra pound. ts eliot once said that cathay "invented" chinese poetry in the mind of the western reader, which is weird bc he didnt speak a lick of chinese at the time. umm tldr i didnt like this book but i did write 750 words of review including a translation of my own (NOTE FROM TODAY IN OCTOBER: I WROTE THIS LONG ENOUGH AGO FOR CLASS THAT ITS ACTUALLY KINDA EMARRASSING NOW SO PLS BE NICE) if youre interested in that kind of thing lol

wrath goddess sing by maya deane: retelling of achilles where she is a trans woman. dathomira's review of this book can speak more for it than i ever could (and also its been a couple months..) but i really really enjoyed this book. go check it out!

a clear and muddy loss of love by please don't laugh: f/f webnovel. qiyan agula, female prince of the grass plains, has sworn her revenge on the nangong emperor after his reign killed her family and annexed her country. she ends up engaged to the emperor's daughter, nangong jingnu--but their bond makes it harder and harder for qiyan to enact her promised vengance. vibes wise, its kinda like baru cormorant but tilted way farther towards romance than political intrigue. i really loved this!! the way their relationship grows together…. qiyans gender fuckery…. the length of a webnovel really lets you sink into jingnus character development--its such a turnaround that i think it would be hard to do somewhere else. yay i love baihe

year of rice and salt by kim stanley robinson: what if instead of 30% of europe dying from the black plague, 99% of europe died? how would that shape the centuries to come? also, buddhism is here. this book is really well done and really well researched. the audiobook is reaaally good to listen to while travelling--the narrator, uh, doesnt pronounce everything the best but has this really velvety voice that i loved. i had a good time listening to this while driving cross-country (i only did a little of the driving lol) but fell off a little bit after that. also, if anyone knows any books that are more just like the first part let me know!

videogames:

ultrakill: YEAHHH ULTRAKILL HELL IS FULL BLOOD IS FUEL ETC. ok if youre involved in like the trans indie gaming community at all, youve probably? at least heard a teeny bit about ultrakill, which is a fast-paced mega-violent retro FPS about being a robot descending throug hell and KILLING!! i was really unsure about if id like this personally (jumpy, didnt like ovewatch or most fps ive played) but like. dude. ive sunk so many hours into ultrakill this month. im literally on the last layer rn (the game is currently in early access, but theres plenty to do). people call this game overwhelming, but i guess ive felt that since its a single player game its way Less overwhelming than something like um, ovewatch again lol. ultrakill's blood-to-heal mechanic encourages the player to get close and dirty, and there are tons of mechanics that sound as cool as they feel--punching bullets back at the enemy, ricocheting coins into weak points, etc. also gabriel is here!!! i like him a lot :3 theres a free demo here if it seems like its up your alley

yakuza 0: a brawler game set in glitzy 80's japan, following kazuma kiryus rise to power within the yakuza--at least i think thats whats going on? after all, hes the protagonist of like 5 other games also called "yakuza." this game glories in violence and materialism (you use money instead of xp to upgrade your abilities) and it has a gritty story full of sad-eyed men smoking, backstabbing, and losing everything. yakuzas one of those series that kinda hangs around in the background with a couple people Absolutely Obsessed with it, so its nice to see it live up to the hype. im only on chapter 3 (out of 16?) so far, but im really enjoying it :3 of course, yakuza is famous for having lots of minigames but ive only sampled a couple of them so i dont feel like i can really comment on that yet. some of the cutscenes are kinda long but the voice acting is really good…. i usually do stuff like make my bed or fold laundry while im watching lol. id recommend it so far :3

neon white: scratches the ultrakill speedrunning itch but if the only part of ultrakill was speedrunning and the gritty visual element was replaced by like, smooth apple-style celestial gloss (theres no ground pound even!). in ultrakill you get a beautiful array of tools (guns) to solve the same problem (killing a guy) in multiple ways but with neon white theres essentially one perfectly bite sized (most missions are 30 seconds or less) solution and you just have to get as close to it as you can. brought down of course by the extremely corny writing and voice acting, which at least has the decency to be sincere--it grew on me, but not by much. having cutscenes interrupt the mission sets was also deeply frustrating. IT FUCKS THE FLOW, MAN. anyways still a really really good game with an amazing soundtrack that i would recommend for any first person platform likers or speedrunners

rabbit and steel: just a really fun mmo-type (GCD-based) game! for like, wow/ffxiv raiders who wish those games had fewer cutscenes to sit through haha or potential raiders who dont want to put together a static…

ghost trick: afaik, shu takumi's only standalone mystery game. a ghost detective investigates the mystery behind his death by possessing objects and tricking on them, ghost style. um the ghost trick fandom is very strident about playing spoilerless, and i do think that was definitely good! some of the twists here are pretty crazy. but, like, i think that insistence made me think that ghost trick was going to be "lifechangingly good" instead of just "very good" -- which it is! the puzzles are very clever and fun and the writing is, of course, really funny, charming, and heartfelt. but i couldnt help but be just a little bit disappointed? still a good game though.

balatro: poker game where all the rules are malleable--for the right price. dude balatro made it so much harder for me to pass my finals. really good game if u are a numbers type of person (or maybe really bad) i think i would have sunk a LOT more time into this if pikmin hadnt come around

tv/movies:

dear ex (rewatch): i already talked about this on one of my [other posts] but rewatching it was good :3 i cried again

brave bang bravern: bravern is like… a pastiche of the mecha genre? that mixes like, gritty war mecha shows with fluffy sentai-like shows that ultimately ends up having a lot of heart and sincerity. and also gay people?? idk i really liked it but i think u kinda have to be mecha-pilled at least a little bit already for sure

shogun: woops i forgot to finish watching this. well its a drama about this british sailor who shipwrecks on japan in the middle of a power grab (by tokugawa) really fun! unfortunately i frequently do not have the attention span for hour long episodes unless someone makes me do it

honk for jesus: drama? about the wife of a megachurch pastor who is trying to stage his big return. about what she gets from staying with him, what she endures and what she inflicts on others as a result. (also, image!) really interesting to watch as someone who knows very little about megachurches, with some fantastic acting

life is short girl walk on: sort of an anti-romcom? about one girls wild night out. soo so so pretty it really captures when youre like out really late with your more adventurous friends and youre like wow literally anything could happen rn. definitely worth a watch 👍

challengers: bro all the filmheads saw challengers its the tennis threesome movie. its really good enough said

i saw the tv glow: i watched this movie on a shitty tv interrupted by gambling ads like three times and it still ripped my dick off. man. not a lot to say about this one bc i already talked about it a bunch with other people but i think everyone should watch it

marcel the shell with shoes on: slice of life movie about, well, a living shell. with shoes on. actually really really good?? i was so surprised (the trailer is like accurate but at the same time makes it seem kinda hallmark twee) and like it is a little bit cutesy but not in a way that diminishes the movie itself or its messaging.. i think it being pretty offbeat and also the internet elements (?) also helped balance this. has the pikmin element of "wow being small really helps you to marvel at the world's beauty in a new way" while also being about connection and grief.

the bad guys: animal heist movie. its pretty good even if i don't like akwafina very much at all. fun and soothingly predictable with nice art

podcasts:

small victories: small victories is a slice of life/drama podcast about marisol, a recovering drug addict trying to put her life back together--and it's really going to happen this time, for sure! marisol has such a clear and engaging voice (and her voice actor is so great!) that you can't help but root for her no matter what, even when she messes up horrendously. it made me go like this o_o 🫢 alone in my room like i was eavesdropping on a breaking up couple at a party

thanks for reading if you did! or even if you didnt? anyways this has been stewing in my notes for multiple months. be free

[cover2covermom]

Today I’m back with another batch of mini book reviews for books I’ve recently read…

*Books included in this batch of mini book reviews: The Read-Aloud Family:  Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections With Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie, Akata Warrior (Akata Witch #2) by Nnedi Okorafor,  Aru Shah and the End of Time by Rochani Chokshi, and Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser

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» The Read-Aloud Family:  Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections With Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie

*4.5 Stars*

As a avid reader & mother, The Read-Aloud Family was an absolute delight to read.   I loved learning about the benefits of reading together as a family.  Mackenzie includes studies, other books on this topic, personal narratives, and even experiences of her podcast listeners.  Don’t know what to read-aloud with your kids?  No fear!  Mackenzie includes an extensive recommendation list of books broken down by age range.  I also appreciated Mackenzie listing discussion questions to allow for critical thinking & opening up dialogue.

One thing I did not realize going into this book is that it is classified as Christian Fiction.  Mackenzie is a devout Christian, so she does talk about her faith throughout this book.  It did feel a little “preachy” early on, but it didn’t last long.  After a small section towards the beginning, she only mentions Bible recommendations throughout the remainder of the book.  If you are against books with religious tones and are wondering if Mackenzie’s discussion of her faith is going to put you off – I’d say if you can make it through a small section, I think you’ll be fine.  If you are expecting a book with lots of religious tones, I really wouldn’t peg this as hitting that mark either.

I admired Mackenzie’s realness throughout this book.  Mackenzie doesn’t try to sugarcoat her life, she fully admits that family life is crazy & finding the time to read-aloud to her kids is not always easy.  Throughout the book she shares what has and hasn’t worked for her family and encourages you to find what works best for you & your family.

After reading this book I was very inspired to implement family reading in my own life.  Let me just say that it is much harder than I anticipated.  Between school, homework, sports, and activities, it is really hard to implement reading together as a family.  I feel like it will be more freezable for my family in the summer months when our schedules are not so hectic.   Regardless, I am going to keep trying.  Any reading is better than no reading at all.

I highly recommend listening to this book via audiobook as it is narrated by the author herself.  Her passion really shines through her narration.  I will also be purchasing a paper copy of this book to use as a reference for the book recommendations, discussion questions, etc.

I had never head of Sarah Mackenzie or her podcast, The Read-Aloud Revival, going into this book but being familiar with her podcast is NOT a prerequisite to reading The Read-Aloud Family.  I will be picking up Jim Trelease’s book, The Read-Aloud Handbook, next since this book is what inspired Mackenzie in her read-aloud journey.

» Akata Warrior (Akata Witch #2) by Nnedi Okorafor

*4.5 Stars*

***No spoilers for this book or for the first book***

I was very excited to dive back into this world again!  After reading Akata Witch and loving the magic system & characters, I couldn’t wait to follow up with the second book.   This YA series includes wonderful themes that I love to read about: friendship, identity, courage, family, sacrifice, education, etc. 

I really enjoyed watching Sunny’s growth from the first book to the end of this book.  She really came into her own in Akata Warrior, and is starting to realize just how strong she is.

Much like the first book, I highly enjoy the group of friends in this series: Sunny, Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha.  Sure they bicker & have disagreements, but they truly are there for each other.  I really adore Chichi in particular, and appreciate the positive female friendship between her and Sunny.  I think this stems from the fact that Chichi is a head strong female that does not apologize for who she is, which I both relate to and appreciate.  I also really enjoyed that Sunny’s brother, Chukwu, was a much bigger part of this book.  When Chukwu winds up in a bad situation, Sunny risks everything to save him.   A depiction of a strong sibling relationship was such a heartwarming addition to this story.

The thing I appreciate the most about Nnedi Okorafor’s books are that they are unlike anything I’ve read before.  She’s built such a interesting magic system here, and I absolutely adored it.   I said it after reading Akata Witch and I’ll say it again after Akata Warrior, I’d recommend these books to Harry Potter fans.  They do not have a similar plot, but they gave me similar feelings. 

I would like to add a disclaimer that if you are not a fan of spiders, you may struggle at times in this book.  Really Nnedi?  Did you have to pack this book FULL of spiders?!?!  Don’t you know I HATE spiders?  This is like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets all over again (I know I said these books were not similar to Harry Potter, but they are similar in the fact that both have too many spiders) Yuck!  Despite my strong aversion to spiders, I still loved reading this book, so that has to tell you something.

My only issue with this, much like the conclusion to her Binti series, is that it didn’t really feel like a conclusion.  The way Okorafor ends both of these series almost feels like she is leaving them open for more books in the future…  It is very possible that this is NOT going to be the conclusion, which I hope is the case.

Overall, if you are looking for a unique YA fantasy to pick up, I encourage you to pick this series up. 

» Aru Shah and the End of Time by Rochani Chokshi

#YARC2019

This was my first time experiencing Roshani Chokshi’s writing and I was not disappointed!

What Roshani did so well here in her MG debut was write an age appropriate & realistic main character.  I cannot tell you how much it annoys me reading a book that that has a middle grade aged main character, but they feel much older than they are.

Not only was Aru age appropriate, but she was a wonderfully complex & flawed character.  Aru struggles to fit in with her peers in her new school.  In order to fit in, Aru has a tendency to tell tall tales.   The middle grade years are tough.  I would venture to say that most kids feel like they don’t completely fit in at one time or another.  Aru is a very relatable character for this reason.   I loved Aru’s character development from the beginning of the book, towards the end where she discovers that she does not need to stretch the truth in order to get kids to like her, she simply needs to be herself.

Aru Shah and the End of Time is fast paced and full of action & adventure.  It definitely held my interest from start to end.  I really appreciated the Hindu mythology – Hindu gods, the traditional Hindu beliefs of karma & reincarnation, Mahabharata & the Pandava brothers – included in Aru Shah and the End of Time.  This was a big reason why I picked it up in the first place: I love learning about different mythologies from around the world.  

I was pleasantly surprised at how funny Aru Shah and the End of Time was!  The dialogue was clever and amusing, even for an adult reader.  This book can definitely appeal to a wide audience from children up to adults.  This would be a wonderful book to read in a classroom setting, or at home with your middle grade readers.

» Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser

*3.5 Stars*

Not That I Could Tell was a bit of a nostalgic read for me.  This story is set in the small town of Yellow Springs, Ohio, which is about 20 – 25 minutes away from where I live.  I’ve been there many times, so I can say that Strawser’s portrayal is fairly accurate.  Basically Yellow Springs is a small town and the biggest hipster town in Ohio.

Not That I Could Tell is labeled a domestic thriller, which it is and it isn’t.  I would consider this one to be more of a small-town or neighborhood drama more than a thriller.  There is an underlying mystery of what happened to Kristin, but the majority of the book centers around the neighbors & the aftermath of Kristin’s disappearance.  The thriller elements do not come about until the final chapters when everything comes together.

One thing I really appreciated about this book was how plausible it was.  I could totally see this really happening in real life.  While I appreciate the realistic plot line, I like to be surprised when I read a thriller, and I didn’t really get that “shock factor�� here. 

Overall, Not That I Could Tell was a quick and easy read that served to entertain me while I was reading it.  I think Strawser’s writing was well done, and the story was well crafted.  I didn’t get the “shock factor” that makes a thriller memorable for me, but I think this is a solid book nonetheless.

  Have you read any of these books?  If so, what did you think?

Comment below & let me know 🙂

      I share a batch of mini book reviews on the blog today! #BookReview #Review #Books #Reading #BookBlogger #Bookworm #AmReading #Bibliophile Today I'm back with another batch of mini book reviews for books I've recently read... *Books included in this batch of mini book reviews: 

[eclectika]

Of Angels and Demons

They say that Angels only appear when you need them the most, and I've been feeling really fucking sorry for myself just lately, so I shouldn't be surprised that I met one today. I'd been strolling around the city, listening to music, trying to get into an audiobook with a voice far removed from the one I'm trying desperately to forget and generally attempting to distract myself from realities that I have made. The next bus home was a couple of hours away and so having had enough of aimless wandering, I succumbed to the familiar seduction of Costa. I sat outside so I could indulge in one of the myriad self destructive activities that I partake in when it feels like my life is falling apart. I was watching the foam on my latte slowly dissipate when, “Excuse me love, have you got any spare change?” “Sorry, I’ve only got my card.” Lies. “No worries, have a good day.” The owner of the voice, a very slim blue eyed guy in a t-shirt covered by a dirty sports jacket, then walked a few paces just around the corner and hunched down, leaning on the glass of the coffee shop, not quite sitting on the cold floor. A couple of people passed, he asked the same question, got the same response. After a few minutes, he stood up, walked around and came back. “Excuse me, do you mind if I take these few nubs?” pointing to the previously used ash tray. “Of course” Fuck , what was I thinking. “Here, if you don't mind menthols, have one of mine.” I went to hand him one from my near empty packet. It's been a really shitty couple of days. As I passed it over, it fell from my hand and rolled to the floor. “Shit. I am so sorry!” “That's alright, I really appreciate it.” I took one myself and fumbled for my lighter, because, hell, another one won't hurt, when he offers his, and I take it. Pleasantries taken care of, he resumes his former position. A couple more people go past and he has more luck this time. A young woman, hanging back as her boyfriend passed by offered him a pound and a young British Asian guy emptied the change from his pocket and wished him well. A few more minutes pass and the man turned back to me. “I really hate having to beg on the street like this. I've had a really bad time these last 18 months. My two children were both killed.” His eyes were welling with tears desperate to be shed and it seemed like he needed to talk. “Do you want a coffee?” “I'd love a cup of tea.” “How do you take it?” “White with lots of sugar, please. Thank you.” “Grab a pew, I'll be back in a sec.” The earlier sun had gone into hiding and the wind was starting to take unwelcome bites at any exposed flesh, so I ordered a large brew, hoping it would prolong the warmth. As I handed him the cup I said, “I'm Sam, what's your name?” We'll say it was Oscar, because as Randy Travis once sang, Oscar is an angel. Oscar seemed keen to continue sharing his tragic story, and so I listened to how a terrible accident and an act of senseless violence took his son and daughter within four days of each other. This came less than a year after he had lost three sisters to a congenital heart defect and his mother died from what can only be described as a broken heart. He told of how he had ended up in this city for his own safety after trying to end his life, successfully albeit briefly. And of how he ended up in a coma on his first night of freedom from the institution he had been in after being beaten and left for dead by new ‘friends’ who had taken him out for a drink. Oscar was candid about the fact he now had brain damage as a result of his self inflicted injuries. As I looked at this guy , who admits he can go for days at a time without talking to a sole, I could see the handsome man he must have once been. His piercing blue eyes constantly on the verge of tears, brightened as he told me of the generosity of a few of the people he had met, though he was loathe to be in a situation where he had to beg to get enough for a B&B. He insisted that he only begged for the comfort and safety of somewhere to stay at night, not for drugs or alcohol. I wouldn't have judged him even if it was. I'm not averse to drinking to forget. We talked about life and different towns we had in common until my coffee was cold and his cup was spent. I felt guilty about keeping him away from earning his night in the B&B so I said, “It's been lovely talking to you Oscar, but my bus is due and I have to go.” Another lie - the second part anyway. Before I got up to leave, I checked my phone case where I keep my ‘in case of emergency’ fund and was annoyed to realise that I only had one brown note left. I'd wanted him to be safe, for tonight at least. As I went to hand him the note, the tears that had been threatening finally overtook him. So I stood up and urged him to do the same. As I embraced this person who had been struggling for so long, I willed some of the strength that I didn't think I still had to be passed to him. After a moment we parted. And as I touched his face, looked into his eyes and told him to take care, I was already back in my own private drama, talking to someone else. We said grateful goodbyes, both seemingly feeling a fraction better for the others company. Now, I don't know if Oscar was telling the truth, and I don't care. His past is his own story to tell and I'm no stranger to sugar coating areas of my past that are too painful or burying regrets. But I do know that he reminded me that there is so much worse than what I am going through and I am lucky to have so many resources available to me. Oscar was the angel I needed today.