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juushikaTitle: Frederick
Author: Leo Lionni
Published: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2011 (1967)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 292,540
Text Number: 962
Read Because: personal enjoyment, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: I'm surprised how well I remember the art from my childhood, which speaks to the success of its deceptive minimalism, texture, and use of color—it's surprisingly evocative, which is necessary, given the themes. And the themes hold up—kids' books about an individual's social worth don't have a good track record in that regard, but this gentle defense of the arts and the diversity of individual contributions still reads well.
I just wish I could reread Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, which I remember having a denser/more textural art style that I found particularly magical as a kid, but my library doesn't have it.
Title: The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple
Author: Jeff Guinn
Narrator: George Newbern
Published: Simon Schuster Audio, 2017
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 540
Total Page Count: 293,245
Text Number: 963
Read Because: reviewed bytruepenny, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: An exhaustive recounting of Jim Jones, Peoples Temple, and the murder/suicide of over 900 people. Exhaustive sometimes to the point of tedium, particularly given the transparent narrative voice, also because of the lengthy and sometimes confusing cast of characters. But it builds a nuanced, unsensationalized, uneasy explanation of events, exploring the blurred lines between belief/church/cult, between an inspired or compelling leader and a dangerous one. Peoples Temple's basis in social activism makes it a particularly harrowing example which directly conflicts the popular image of gullibility; likewise, the combined failure of both defectors and government to intervene. This perfect storm (and not even perfect! Jones had many failures) occurred despite the best intentions. Not a perfect book, but a thoughtful one.
Title: The Harbors of the Sun (The Books of the Raksura Book 7)
Author: Martha Wells
Published: Night Shade Books, 2017
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 410
Total Page Count: 293,800
Text Number: 965
Read Because: continuing the series, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Moon and his compatriots chase after a weapon of potentially devastating consequences. I settled into Moon's world and character in The Siren Depths, and wanted it to never end—I felt like I could live there forever. The Edge of Worlds and The Harbors of the Sun are not what I meant by that.
They're bigger books, deviating into multiple PoVs and a two-part plot; the scale of the conflict is larger. These changes lose the intimate immersion into Moon's PoV which made the first three books successful, and attempts to recapture that emotional investment are thwarted by a divided cast and a tired miscommunication plot that undermines the book's emotional resolution. The signature series's setpieces are present but by this point feel routine; there's too much narrative redundancy in the many PoVs. I appreciate the textual elaborations on subtextual aspects of Raksuran society, particularly re: sexual politics—the Raksura remain a well-conceived and -built race. But all the other changes actively undermine what made this series work for me, and make for a tedious, sour conclusion. Read the first three books! And stop there.
Author: Leo Lionni
Published: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2011 (1967)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 292,540
Text Number: 962
Read Because: personal enjoyment, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: I'm surprised how well I remember the art from my childhood, which speaks to the success of its deceptive minimalism, texture, and use of color—it's surprisingly evocative, which is necessary, given the themes. And the themes hold up—kids' books about an individual's social worth don't have a good track record in that regard, but this gentle defense of the arts and the diversity of individual contributions still reads well.
I just wish I could reread Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, which I remember having a denser/more textural art style that I found particularly magical as a kid, but my library doesn't have it.
Title: The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple
Author: Jeff Guinn
Narrator: George Newbern
Published: Simon Schuster Audio, 2017
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 540
Total Page Count: 293,245
Text Number: 963
Read Because: reviewed by
truepenny, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County LibraryReview: An exhaustive recounting of Jim Jones, Peoples Temple, and the murder/suicide of over 900 people. Exhaustive sometimes to the point of tedium, particularly given the transparent narrative voice, also because of the lengthy and sometimes confusing cast of characters. But it builds a nuanced, unsensationalized, uneasy explanation of events, exploring the blurred lines between belief/church/cult, between an inspired or compelling leader and a dangerous one. Peoples Temple's basis in social activism makes it a particularly harrowing example which directly conflicts the popular image of gullibility; likewise, the combined failure of both defectors and government to intervene. This perfect storm (and not even perfect! Jones had many failures) occurred despite the best intentions. Not a perfect book, but a thoughtful one.
Title: The Harbors of the Sun (The Books of the Raksura Book 7)
Author: Martha Wells
Published: Night Shade Books, 2017
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 410
Total Page Count: 293,800
Text Number: 965
Read Because: continuing the series, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Moon and his compatriots chase after a weapon of potentially devastating consequences. I settled into Moon's world and character in The Siren Depths, and wanted it to never end—I felt like I could live there forever. The Edge of Worlds and The Harbors of the Sun are not what I meant by that.
They're bigger books, deviating into multiple PoVs and a two-part plot; the scale of the conflict is larger. These changes lose the intimate immersion into Moon's PoV which made the first three books successful, and attempts to recapture that emotional investment are thwarted by a divided cast and a tired miscommunication plot that undermines the book's emotional resolution. The signature series's setpieces are present but by this point feel routine; there's too much narrative redundancy in the many PoVs. I appreciate the textual elaborations on subtextual aspects of Raksuran society, particularly re: sexual politics—the Raksura remain a well-conceived and -built race. But all the other changes actively undermine what made this series work for me, and make for a tedious, sour conclusion. Read the first three books! And stop there.
