dnk
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Added Mar 24, 2024
Added Mar 22, 2024
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Added Mar 11, 2024
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Added Mar 05, 2024
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This was a case of a good story outweighing dialogue. Overall, I found some of the language overwrought and unrealistic, especially for teenagers. I chalk this up to lousy editing as opposed to lousy writing, but it hampered the experience for me.
Which is a shame, because unfortunately Falaye laid out a premise that, fantasy elements aside, seemed all too plausible, specifically the intentional dehumanization of children in order to turn them into killing machines. Some of the scenes were absolutely disturbing--and well they should have been. It was the gravitas of the story itself that kept me reading.
Here's hoping that the sequel brings a better editor.This was a case of a good story outweighing dialogue. Overall, I found some of the language overwrought and unrealistic, especially for teenagers. I chalk this up to lousy editing as opposed to lousy writing, but it hampered the experience for…
Flowers of FireFlowers of Fire, eBookThe Inside Story of South Korea's Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women' s Rights Worldwide
by Jung, HawoneBook - 2023eBook, 2023
All copies in use
Holds: 5 on 2 copies
Holds: 5 on 2 copies
dnk's rating:
Added Feb 19, 2024
Revolutionary SpringRevolutionary Spring, BookEurope Aflame and the Fight for A New World, 1848-1849
by Clark, Christopher M.Book - 2023Book, 2023
dnk's rating:
Added Feb 15, 2024
Comment:
Read to page ~120
Added Feb 10, 2024
Legends of the Condor HeroesLegends of the Condor Heroes, Book1, A Hero Born
by Jin, YongBook - 2018Book, 2018
dnk's rating:
Added Feb 04, 2024
Comment:
I took a half-point off for the style of dialogue more than the story, but that is admittedly a personal preference; I'm sure it would have "read" better closer to the 1950s, when the story was written.
But let's hear it for the multi-layered story! Chinese history can be very difficult to approach because there are a lot of different players to keep track of. This story doesn't suffer from a lack of characters, but telling the story by focusing on members of the wulin (martial arts heroes of the wuxia), we get a taste of the complexity of competing loyalties and ambitions.
While there are royal characters--Genghis Khan himself plays an important role, as does a prince of the Jin Empire--this story is about ordinary people, albeit many blessed with martial ability. The "celebrities" of the story may be the shifus (martial teachers), although we see that while some are erudite and haughty, others are loyal but impetuous. It's a messy story filled with imperfect characters.
I was surprised to see that the story also asked, however subtly, questions about not only class but also gender relations. Just one of many aspects of the story that made me sit up and take notice.
Recommended for fans of fantasy.I took a half-point off for the style of dialogue more than the story, but that is admittedly a personal preference; I'm sure it would have "read" better closer to the 1950s, when the story was written.
But let's hear it for the multi-layered…
The Fragile Threads of PowerThe Fragile Threads of Power, Book
by Schwab, VictoriaBook - 2023Book, 2023
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Holds: 0 on 10 copies
Holds: 0 on 10 copies
dnk's rating:
Added Jan 25, 2024
Comment:
I enjoyed the two new main characters introduced to the series, and I'm excited to watch what happens with two of the supporting characters. It was also satisfying to see the ways in which Lila, Kell, Rhy, and Alucard grew as people (and didn't). The gang reassembles to help fight off a threat to the empire of Red London, kicked off by a daring heist on what should be the safest place in the empire. They just might find that what they thought was preserving their safety is in fact hiding signs of trouble from them.
Schwab built a loving if unconventional family for Rhy and Alucard, but the palace machinations got on my nerves more than a little bit. Still, excited to see the next installment.I enjoyed the two new main characters introduced to the series, and I'm excited to watch what happens with two of the supporting characters. It was also satisfying to see the ways in which Lila, Kell, Rhy, and Alucard grew as people (and didn't).…
Gender QueerGender Queer, Graphic NovelA Memoir
by Kobabe, MaiaGraphic Novel - 2022Graphic Novel, 2022
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Added Jan 04, 2024
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Added Jan 01, 2024
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Added Dec 26, 2023
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Added Dec 26, 2023
Added Dec 26, 2023
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Added Dec 18, 2023
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Added Dec 15, 2023
Twilight of DemocracyTwilight of Democracy, BookThe Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
by Applebaum, AnneBook - 2020Book, 2020
dnk's rating:
Added Dec 10, 2023
Curing AffluenzaCuring Affluenza, eBookHow to Buy Less Stuff and Save the World
by Denniss, RichardeBook - 2018eBook, 2018
dnk's rating:
Added Dec 05, 2023
The Internet ConThe Internet Con, BookHow to Seize the Means of Computation
by Doctorow, CoryBook - 2023Book, 2023
Added Dec 04, 2023
Do Androids Dream of Electric Cars?Do Androids Dream of Electric Cars?, eBookPublic Transit in the Age of Google, Uber, and Elon Musk
by Wilt, JameseBook - 2020eBook, 2020
dnk's rating:
Added Nov 17, 2023
dnk's rating:
Added Nov 08, 2023
Ultra-processed PeopleUltra-processed People, BookThe Science Behind Food That Isn't Food
by Tulleken, Chris vanBook - 2023Book, 2023
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Holds: 11 on 6 copies
Holds: 11 on 6 copies
dnk's rating:
Added Oct 03, 2023
Comment:
This was an excellent book that, contrary to another reviewer's assertions, does break down the science behind why ultra processed food is so bad for human health. While obesity and weight gain are what's focused on in other warnings, that is hardly all consumers of these edible substances need to worry about. Included on the list of problems linked to ultra processed food are dementia, fatty liver disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, and frailty (and that is a partial list).
While some might argue that those are a result of obesity itself, 1) van Tulleken walks through the science of the mechanisms (our microbiomes, among other things, do a lot to protect us and are easily interfered with by foods we have not yet evolved to digest), and 2) even if that were the case, the fact that ultra processed foods are designed to be over eaten (so they can be bought in larger quantities) is a defining reason why so many wealth countries have developed an obesity epidemic.
van Tulleken is not selling anything, particularly not a whole foods diet. For as much as he explores how harmful ultra processed foods are, particularly due to signaling mismatches, he does not spend one sentence extolling the virtues of "natural" foods. What he advises, actually, is that people learn about what they are eating; he found that was the best way for him (and his brother) to stop eating ultra processed food. However, what he really underlines is that this is a systemic problem, and it's unfair to put the burden of solution on people who have the least agency.
Interesting facts: 1) as much as everyone can benefit from exercise, you can't reduce excess weight through exercise; in fact, you can't change the amount of calories you burn in a day, regardless of activity (though redirecting it is, again, beneficial); 2) one of the justifications for the development of higher fat, easy to eat foods was the explicit desire to deliver more calories to laborers to help them power their way to greater productivity (and without even needing much of a lunch break). That alone should make a lot of us look at both our food and the people who make them differently.This was an excellent book that, contrary to another reviewer's assertions, does break down the science behind why ultra processed food is so bad for human health. While obesity and weight gain are what's focused on in other warnings, that is hardly…
dnk's rating:
Added Sep 08, 2023
Comment:
I've heard great things about Clark, so I was happy to read this MG fantasy. This was much more disturbing than I had expected. I would say the age range would be better for 11-14. Not difficult at all, at least for adults, to see parallels to child soldiers, blood diamonds, and slavery, but also the power of culture to preserve identity, and none of it is light. This, what is hopefully the first book in a series, ends with an implied question of what it means to forgive, including one's self.
Eagerly anticipating the sequel.I've heard great things about Clark, so I was happy to read this MG fantasy. This was much more disturbing than I had expected. I would say the age range would be better for 11-14. Not difficult at all, at least for adults, to see parallels to child…
FlawlessFlawless, BookLessons in Looks and Culture From the K-beauty Capital
by Hu, EliseBook - 2023Book, 2023
dnk's rating:
Added Aug 16, 2023
dnk's rating:
Added Aug 13, 2023
Comment:
This is one of the most disturbing and chilling books I've read, and I don't read light material. I barely consider this science fiction because everything Onyebuchi writes about is happening now. No, we don't have people going to outer-space Colonies, but plenty of well-to-do people from tony places are living out an updated, perhaps more committed version of "slumming" that the lessons are still applicable.
Much has been made of the aspect of gentrification, but far more horrifying are the environmental racism, police violence, dramatic disparities in health care and living standards, and the ways in which oppressed people learn to live with -- and through -- systemic racism. Through this story set in the all-too-near future, Onyebuchi makes it clear that we are part of a fragile system that is only one disaster away from a misery everyone will have to change for.
Highly recommended.This is one of the most disturbing and chilling books I've read, and I don't read light material. I barely consider this science fiction because everything Onyebuchi writes about is happening now. No, we don't have people going to outer-space…
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