I think I slowed down on this story for a while there. The creators took a break which meant I took a break and getting back into it was hard. This haI think I slowed down on this story for a while there. The creators took a break which meant I took a break and getting back into it was hard. This has been going on for a while and it's hard to remember all the pieces and characters involved every time I reenter the world. But! It's always worth the trouble of reacquainting myself with what's up. Or, rather, the time it takes to allow the memories to resurface. I don't want to look up who is who because I don't want to spoil myself. So I remember. Sometimes I'll go back and reread an issue. This isn't a review as much as a meandering response to reacclimating myself to this series. I like it. I thought I wouldn't once (view spoiler)[ Marko died. I was bummed that he was gone and then I was worried there would be some cheesy cop-out to bring him back. I mean, I'd like for him to be back but the story itself is stronger for allowing him to actually stay dead. And forcing the other characters to accept that and deal with all the shitty emotions that come with it (hide spoiler)] Anyway, I'm excited to read more. The question now is, do I read more now and force myself to wait that much longer before the following issues come out? Or do I try to pace myself to align more closely with how they're releasing them?...more
Such a cute book! Am I biased because I read this after my kid did, making me feel particularly connected to it? Or because as a middle-aged Spanish lSuch a cute book! Am I biased because I read this after my kid did, making me feel particularly connected to it? Or because as a middle-aged Spanish learner, I was proud of myself for making it through this story in another language? Yes and yes! But I also liked how it shows that sometimes you can have plenty of friends but still be left out of things. And as a performer I of course love to read about a young person finding that side of themselves. ...more
I may come back to this. I read "Winter" as a recommendation found somewhere online, which I enjoyed. Then I decided to skip back to the first story, I may come back to this. I read "Winter" as a recommendation found somewhere online, which I enjoyed. Then I decided to skip back to the first story, which may have been a mistake. "Denny" did not work for me at all. And I felt like the ending was kind of annoying and cheap. So back to the library it goes. If I owned it I could see reading some more of these stories. So if a cheap copy presents itself one day, I might just pick it up. ...more
I really struggled with whether I should give this one 3 or 4 stars. Which is pretty funny, considering no one really cares. Especially since I'm not I really struggled with whether I should give this one 3 or 4 stars. Which is pretty funny, considering no one really cares. Especially since I'm not a professional book reviewer by any means and . So take the following with a grain of salt and a mote of book dust.
What I disliked: •This is a very masculine book. That's (obviously) not a bad thing, but it's also not really my thing. •A lot of the characters began to suffer from what I think of as the "Gilmore Girls syndrome". After a while, you begin to ask yourself, "Why does everyone in this group of people talk that same way?" This may be unfair, because I think this is, at least in part, due to my listening to-- and enjoying! -- Pargin's TIkToks and podcast appearances. •I like philosophizing, probably more than most people, but it did begin to feel a bit repetitive and not as well worked into the narrative as it could have been. Maybe a little more ruthless editing was needed? I don't know. But it began to stick out a bit by the halfway point.
What I liked: •Reading this book felt like a (spiritual) sequel to The Big Lebowski. Lots of running around, violence with a comical tone, and a few misunderstandings. Etc. I don't want to spoil anything but if you like one you'll like the other. (And yes, TBL is a pretty masculine movie, and I do love it, because it's just that good.) •An incredibly satisfying ending. None of the characters felt superfluous and they all had a role to play in the conclusion, which was believable (in the heightened absurdity of the story). There were fun reveals and whatnot that made me smile. And I think that's what ultimately pushed this past the 3½ star mark to land it a 4. (again. No one cares. I accept that).
All in all I like what he's doing here and I continue to be a fan of Pargin's books. And TikToks.
The more I read of Shirley Jackson's work, the more I love it. Clear and clean while also being rich and engaging. The more I read of Shirley Jackson's work, the more I love it. Clear and clean while also being rich and engaging. ...more
All reviews� by me, anyway� are basically just how I feel about the time I read it (at the time I write about it). All reviews� by me, anyway� are basically just how I feel about the time I read it (at the time I write about it).
This felt like a four-star book when I finished it. It's a month later now and the shine has worn off. I don't remember anything in particular from it, just how energized I was to keep making art. So maybe this is more of a three-and-a-half for me. Or even less! There were a few lines that really rung true for me though, and I'm gonna honor those moments and leave this at four stars.
I am a good person and this is how I contribute to the world....more
I'm not a professional book reviewer by any means and so take the following with a grain of salt and a mote oI'm not a professional book reviewer by any means and so take the following with a grain of salt and a mote of book dust.
I gave this four--- maybe it's more of a three-and-a-half star? Because I don't even know if I could tell you what, exactly the book was about. But I liked the journey. Lol. I mean, I know what it was about, the title says it all. It's a call for the return of being in the moment. Acknowledge that attention is a resource and to be mindful of how we spend it. But that's just two sentences and the book was 2 hundred pages of sentences. There were lots of bits that might be called "meandering". But in fairness to a book about cultivating stillness within, the meandering is purposeful. I almost DNFed this book about halfway through. It is written in a way that almost demands to be read slowly. Another element that might well have been added intentionally. But I didn't get that at first. Luckily, just before I put it in the stack to bring it back to the library I decided to give it another shot. Slowly this time, because I thought perhaps I was blowing through it and missing the details that were the point of it all, going so fast that I slowed down to a stop. But once I found a comfortable pace and wasn't trying to race through it, it all clicked and I settled in to enjoy the book.
More like 2.5 A lot of people refer to this work as "six short stories embedded in a novel." But it's actually more like six short stories shoved insiMore like 2.5 A lot of people refer to this work as "six short stories embedded in a novel." But it's actually more like six short stories shoved inside a seventh short story, all seven of which are incomplete. And that incompleteness is what makes this book so frustrating. I know there's a second book! I don't care. There was too much I disliked about this one to be particularly interested in pursuing this series.
The characters were all flat. Seven people who in theory should be the main characters of interesting books of their own were all lackluster. If you're gonna make me read another 500 pages of story, make me excited to revisit these people. Make me care what happens. The only draw I have is mild curiosity about the Shrike, what the deal with the cruciform people is, and how they resolve the Rachel (Benjamin Button Baby). And I hope hope hope it doesn't end up somehow being the same woman the soldier dude f*cks in his story. But there are so few female characters I wouldn't be surprised if they were the same in the end. The only woman in the party of pilgrims was, I think, "made" into a woman by the author because he probably didn't want a gay character but he did want someone to get railed by R2Keats2. Maybe that's not true or fair but whatever. He just should have made some rule that the Pilgrims have to be men if he didn't want to write a woman. And, yeah, I kinda liked the military character but his story was too horny and overall pointless. The poet was an ass (and half of the other characters' identifying feature was not liking him) and I didn't care much what happened with his story. Or the detective. Or the consul. Or I stared to care, maybe but the book ended abruptly. The captain of the tree ship just emBARKed (ha!get it?) on his own mini-pigrimage and we got no answers there. It just felt like a mess. The world was interesting and there was a lot of "what-ifs" but it all gave me the same feeling that JJ Abrams does with his "black box" nonsense. So yeah, the lack of a conclusion isn't the reason I'm not planning to read the next one so much as the lack of confidence the author gave me in his ability to make it worth my time. This was a bit of a rambly post by there it is. I'm not a professional book reviewer by any means and so take the following with a grain of salt and a mote of book dust....more
A great book for me to continue to learn Spanish. I know I'm losing some nuance and meaning since I still do have to look up at least a word or two onA great book for me to continue to learn Spanish. I know I'm losing some nuance and meaning since I still do have to look up at least a word or two on most pages. But the beautiful drawings were unique and I enjoyed spending what ended up being a few months, off and on, looking through this. ...more
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