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Title: Too Pretty To Live: The Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee
Author: Dennis Brooks
Narrator: John Pruden
Published: Blackstone Audio, 2016
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 260
Total Page Count: 360,735
Text Number: 1311
Read Because: reviewed by Katherine Addison/Sarah Monette, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: A fascinating case precisely for being so mundane. Catfishing is an unremarkable phenomenon/hazard of the internet and the records of the one-sided strife that motivated these killings are mind-numbingly petty. Nonetheless it did lead to a premeditated and masterminded murder—"masterminded" in clumsy, transparent, but effective ways: it's vulnerable people making dumb decisions all the way down. Brooks's workmanlike writing is bland in a way that complements the grinding atmosphere; his depiction of the legal system is honest but unflattering, and approach to neurodivergence is predictably spotty.
Title: Bokurano
Author: Mohiro Kitoh
Published: 2003-2009
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Page Count: 2265 (200+216+200+192+200+200+192+224+208+208+224)
Total Page Count: 363,000
Text Number: 1312-1322
Read Because: reread, originally recommended by Ashiva
Review: Fifteen kids stumble into a contract to pilot a massive mecha and save the world—only to discover thatthe cost of piloting the mech is their lives, and the enemy mech are piloted by residents of parallel Earths . The various tragic backstories/complex motives of the pilots and the dramatic reveals of the overarching plot can grow a little crazy, but within anime/manga standards it's not that bad and it certainly feels premeditated; the only significant consequence is that the kids read as a little older than 13 when their youth is such an important factor.
But the way that Bokurano expands and collapses its scale is brilliant and devastating. The revelations build on themselves, logical and unavoidable. The stakes are incomprehensibly large, so the cast copes however it can—by narrowing their view to one selfish final wish; by meditating on moral and social obligation in the face of death. But the stakes are also forcibly comprehended, by the weight (or lack thereof) of each character's life but also in the unique shapes of the mech battles —most remarkably spoiler Ushiro's final genocide. It's genre-engaged, adeptly written, and deceptively quiet within all that action; the art is crisp and unassuming, and the minimal screentone and powerful two-page spreads contribute a lot to the tone. This is one of my favorite manga and I love it even more this second time through, which speaks to its strength: for all the twists, it's less about shock value and more about sitting with the realizations that come after shock fades.
Title: The Councillor (The Councillor Book 1)
Author: E.J. Beaton
Published: DAW, 2021
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 450
Total Page Count: 363,700
Text Number: 1324
Read Because: reviewed by Rosamund, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: When the queen is assassinated under the looming shadow of magical war, her lowborn friend must enter the realm of politics. For me, this was a slow burn. The political intrigue of the setup and the colorfully diverse rulers & countries of origin is all totally adequate, predictably paced, and I just wasn't feeling it. But the protagonist grew on me. She has distinctive characteristics, and her relationship with power is particularly interesting: personal, sexual, and political power bleeds together, and her desire and aptitude for it is presented with intriguing ambiguity—character strength or flaw? political problem or solution? It builds an investment in the plot and relationships which is more nuanced than the fun but tropey political intrigue.
Author: Dennis Brooks
Narrator: John Pruden
Published: Blackstone Audio, 2016
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 260
Total Page Count: 360,735
Text Number: 1311
Read Because: reviewed by Katherine Addison/Sarah Monette, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: A fascinating case precisely for being so mundane. Catfishing is an unremarkable phenomenon/hazard of the internet and the records of the one-sided strife that motivated these killings are mind-numbingly petty. Nonetheless it did lead to a premeditated and masterminded murder—"masterminded" in clumsy, transparent, but effective ways: it's vulnerable people making dumb decisions all the way down. Brooks's workmanlike writing is bland in a way that complements the grinding atmosphere; his depiction of the legal system is honest but unflattering, and approach to neurodivergence is predictably spotty.
Title: Bokurano
Author: Mohiro Kitoh
Published: 2003-2009
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Page Count: 2265 (200+216+200+192+200+200+192+224+208+208+224)
Total Page Count: 363,000
Text Number: 1312-1322
Read Because: reread, originally recommended by Ashiva
Review: Fifteen kids stumble into a contract to pilot a massive mecha and save the world—only to discover that
But the way that Bokurano expands and collapses its scale is brilliant and devastating. The revelations build on themselves, logical and unavoidable. The stakes are incomprehensibly large, so the cast copes however it can—by narrowing their view to one selfish final wish; by meditating on moral and social obligation in the face of death. But the stakes are also forcibly comprehended, by the weight (or lack thereof) of each character's life but also in the unique shapes of the mech battles —most remarkably spoiler Ushiro's final genocide. It's genre-engaged, adeptly written, and deceptively quiet within all that action; the art is crisp and unassuming, and the minimal screentone and powerful two-page spreads contribute a lot to the tone. This is one of my favorite manga and I love it even more this second time through, which speaks to its strength: for all the twists, it's less about shock value and more about sitting with the realizations that come after shock fades.
Title: The Councillor (The Councillor Book 1)
Author: E.J. Beaton
Published: DAW, 2021
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 450
Total Page Count: 363,700
Text Number: 1324
Read Because: reviewed by Rosamund, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: When the queen is assassinated under the looming shadow of magical war, her lowborn friend must enter the realm of politics. For me, this was a slow burn. The political intrigue of the setup and the colorfully diverse rulers & countries of origin is all totally adequate, predictably paced, and I just wasn't feeling it. But the protagonist grew on me. She has distinctive characteristics, and her relationship with power is particularly interesting: personal, sexual, and political power bleeds together, and her desire and aptitude for it is presented with intriguing ambiguity—character strength or flaw? political problem or solution? It builds an investment in the plot and relationships which is more nuanced than the fun but tropey political intrigue.
