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juushikaTitle: In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories
Author: Alvin Schwartz
Illustrator: Dirk Zimmer; Víctor Rivas
Published: Harper Collins, 1984; 2017
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 65
Total Page Count: 348,040
Text Number: 1259 and 1260
Read Because: reread, ebooks/scans from Open Library and Multnomah County Library
Review: The 2017 reillustrations are fine: cartoony and gothic, they lean Burton-esque and are at their best in the title story, where background details take precedence and the colors are darker. The original illustrations are better, even given their now-dated color palette. The shapes are dynamic, deceptively staid for the memorable "The Green Ribbon," cartoony when it benefits; there's a willingness not to show the gotcha, which sparks the imagination (see: "The Pirate").
I've been browsing a bit of Schwartz lately and it amazes me how brief the stories are, how densely packed they can be. It doesn't make for great reading as an adult, honestly. But as a kid, the invitation to extrapolate from the brevity and what's omitted from (or present only in) illustrations, plus the smorgasbord of potential nightmare fuel, must have worked remarkably well because there are stories I still remember—and rereading them is fine, but remembering them intrigues and frightens me. So while this was interesting to revisit, I won't do an exhaustive reread; Schwartz isn't meant for me anymore. But if fresh illustrations means he can brainworm a new generation, then I'm all for it.
Title: Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition
Author: Paul Watson
Narrator: Malcolm Hillgartner
Published: Blackstone Audio, 2017
Rating: 2.5 of 5
Page Count: 400
Total Page Count: 348,640
Text Number: 1261
Read Because: personal enjoyment, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: This is primarily about searches for the Franklin Expedition, and refuses to speculate on unknown elements, including contributing factors to its loss. It has the benefit of being published after the ships were found, so it has satisfying payoff. The running themes are pointed and equally satisfying: learn from the Inuit when venturing to the Arctic; when looking for something in the Arctic, listen to the Inuit who tell you where it is (even if it takes effort and cultural adjustment!). But the stance on the titular ghosts, the human cost both of Arctic exploration and of chasing famous wrecks, is rather more weak than it is nuanced. And the actual narrative is unfortunately tedious. Overarching elements—like Lady Franklin's persistence; like, again, Inuit relations and knowledge—are successful, but the frequent asides and anecdotes less so. This was my first book on the Franklin Expedition, and it's thorough and certainly adequate. But it didn't grab me as much as I hoped it would given the subject.
Title: Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite Denim & More
Author: Katrina Rodabaugh
Published: Harry N. Abrams, 2018
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 225
Total Page Count: 348,865
Text Number: 1262
Read Because: saw this mentioned on Tumblr, hardback borrowed from the Wilsonville Public Library
Review: Visible patches and stiches can be a curated aesthetic as well as a type of mending. Anything that normalizes mending and/or slow fashion is a win, and I like the look and intend to implement parts of it. But it could definitely be conveyed in, like, a pamphlet (or a blog post); the book is lush, Pinteresty, and bloated. Filler sections should be cut or replaced by meatier chapters on the oft-mentioned natural dyes, international/historical mending techniques, or just explanations for things like "why might one prefer Sachiko thread?" (easily answered online but somehow not included here). The essays about slow fashion are blessedly brief; they repeat the general aspirations and limitations of a movement which puts the onus on the consumer rather than pointing towards industrial or political reform.
Author: Alvin Schwartz
Illustrator: Dirk Zimmer; Víctor Rivas
Published: Harper Collins, 1984; 2017
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 65
Total Page Count: 348,040
Text Number: 1259 and 1260
Read Because: reread, ebooks/scans from Open Library and Multnomah County Library
Review: The 2017 reillustrations are fine: cartoony and gothic, they lean Burton-esque and are at their best in the title story, where background details take precedence and the colors are darker. The original illustrations are better, even given their now-dated color palette. The shapes are dynamic, deceptively staid for the memorable "The Green Ribbon," cartoony when it benefits; there's a willingness not to show the gotcha, which sparks the imagination (see: "The Pirate").
I've been browsing a bit of Schwartz lately and it amazes me how brief the stories are, how densely packed they can be. It doesn't make for great reading as an adult, honestly. But as a kid, the invitation to extrapolate from the brevity and what's omitted from (or present only in) illustrations, plus the smorgasbord of potential nightmare fuel, must have worked remarkably well because there are stories I still remember—and rereading them is fine, but remembering them intrigues and frightens me. So while this was interesting to revisit, I won't do an exhaustive reread; Schwartz isn't meant for me anymore. But if fresh illustrations means he can brainworm a new generation, then I'm all for it.
Title: Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition
Author: Paul Watson
Narrator: Malcolm Hillgartner
Published: Blackstone Audio, 2017
Rating: 2.5 of 5
Page Count: 400
Total Page Count: 348,640
Text Number: 1261
Read Because: personal enjoyment, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: This is primarily about searches for the Franklin Expedition, and refuses to speculate on unknown elements, including contributing factors to its loss. It has the benefit of being published after the ships were found, so it has satisfying payoff. The running themes are pointed and equally satisfying: learn from the Inuit when venturing to the Arctic; when looking for something in the Arctic, listen to the Inuit who tell you where it is (even if it takes effort and cultural adjustment!). But the stance on the titular ghosts, the human cost both of Arctic exploration and of chasing famous wrecks, is rather more weak than it is nuanced. And the actual narrative is unfortunately tedious. Overarching elements—like Lady Franklin's persistence; like, again, Inuit relations and knowledge—are successful, but the frequent asides and anecdotes less so. This was my first book on the Franklin Expedition, and it's thorough and certainly adequate. But it didn't grab me as much as I hoped it would given the subject.
Title: Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite Denim & More
Author: Katrina Rodabaugh
Published: Harry N. Abrams, 2018
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 225
Total Page Count: 348,865
Text Number: 1262
Read Because: saw this mentioned on Tumblr, hardback borrowed from the Wilsonville Public Library
Review: Visible patches and stiches can be a curated aesthetic as well as a type of mending. Anything that normalizes mending and/or slow fashion is a win, and I like the look and intend to implement parts of it. But it could definitely be conveyed in, like, a pamphlet (or a blog post); the book is lush, Pinteresty, and bloated. Filler sections should be cut or replaced by meatier chapters on the oft-mentioned natural dyes, international/historical mending techniques, or just explanations for things like "why might one prefer Sachiko thread?" (easily answered online but somehow not included here). The essays about slow fashion are blessedly brief; they repeat the general aspirations and limitations of a movement which puts the onus on the consumer rather than pointing towards industrial or political reform.
