Stephen's Updates en-US Sat, 26 Apr 2025 21:34:41 -0700 60 Stephen's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7521999202 Sat, 26 Apr 2025 21:34:41 -0700 <![CDATA[Stephen added 'Mothballs']]> /review/show/7521999202 Mothballs by Sole Otero Stephen gave 4 stars to Mothballs (Paperback) by Sole Otero
Interesting story, of a family that left Italy, fleeing Berlusconi and wind up in Argentina. I like the panel composition a little more than I liked the art itself. ]]>
ReadStatus9356915467 Sat, 26 Apr 2025 21:33:03 -0700 <![CDATA[Stephen has read 'Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands']]> /review/show/7521997312 Ducks by Kate Beaton Stephen has read Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
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Rating851517071 Sat, 26 Apr 2025 21:31:18 -0700 <![CDATA[Stephen Betts liked a review]]> /
Ducks by Kate Beaton
"Kate Beaton hits it out of the park and then some with a comics memoir that is rich in its layers of reportage and social observation. Her ability to elevate her firsthand experiences to include a wide spectrum of political commentary (gender, environmental, labour, class, Indigenous, provincial) that is also raw in emotion and generous in empathy makes this an instant contender for book of the year (and also a new benchmark for the form)."
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Review7340471549 Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:37:21 -0800 <![CDATA[Stephen added 'On a Sunbeam']]> /review/show/7340471549 On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden Stephen gave 4 stars to On a Sunbeam (Paperback) by Tillie Walden
A perfectly formed book. Beautifully realized, with great pacing and gorgeous art. Way more fantasy than sci-fi, but none the worse for that. ]]>
Review7151122488 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 09:41:10 -0800 <![CDATA[Stephen added 'The Gun Seller']]> /review/show/7151122488 The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie Stephen has read The Gun Seller (Paperback) by Hugh Laurie
Listened to this on Audiobook (because I needed a break from political podcasts). An impressive debut from Laurie, I'm surprised he didn't write more.

To pick a couple of negatives hovers a trifle uncomfortably between being arch, and a proper thriller, and some of the interpersonal stuff feels a little clunky. He probably could have stuck to the thriller bits.

But there's a conviction and commitment to the book. And Laurie manages a dense plot very well. There's a real moral outrage in this book, which reminds me a lot of Le Carré, especially the later books. It's an interesting coincidence that this book came out just a few years after The Night Manager, which also features an arms dealer, which, 20ish years later, Hugh Laurie would himself play (though I make the comparison with Le Carré as a compliment, not as an accusation). ]]>
Review7151082603 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 09:27:09 -0800 <![CDATA[Stephen added 'Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees']]> /review/show/7151082603 Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath Stephen has read Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees (Paperback) by Patrick Horvath
Absolutely beautiful to look at, story of a serial killer in a kids-book village of anthropomorphized animals. Overall, I didn't think the plot was strong enough to really earn the amount of murder and gore we witness here. It kinda felt like the publisher hoped the idea and the art was enough to carry the book through. ]]>
Review7151065597 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 09:23:00 -0800 <![CDATA[Stephen added 'The Yellow Dog']]> /review/show/7151065597 The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon Stephen has read The Yellow Dog (Maigret, #6) by Georges Simenon
Very enjoyable early Maigret. Strong narrative. Still hasn't quite established the traditional Maigret milieu, but I feel like a lot of the tropes are falling in to place. He seems a little more irascible than in later books. Hoping to go back and fill in 2-5. ]]>
Review7151042516 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 09:20:56 -0800 <![CDATA[Stephen added 'Whatever Happened to Frankie King']]> /review/show/7151042516 Whatever Happened to Frankie King by Jay Neugeboren Stephen has read Whatever Happened to Frankie King (Paperback) by Jay Neugeboren
Nice biography of a fascinating character, who lived life with a deep sense of integrity. Touching and frequently funny. I sometimes got a bit lost in who was narrating which segment, and the different anecdotes could have been woven together a little more, but still really enjoyable.. ]]>
ReadStatus8834319035 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 09:19:08 -0800 <![CDATA[Stephen finished reading 'Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees']]> /review/show/7151082603 Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath Stephen finished reading Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath
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ReadStatus8834296362 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 09:15:32 -0800 <![CDATA[Stephen has read 'The Yellow Dog']]> /review/show/7151065597 The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon Stephen has read The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon
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