Book Review – Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

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Acceptance is a 2014 science fiction horror novel by Jeff VanderMeer and the third novel in the Southern Reach trilogy. With the Southern Reach having fallen and the fate of the world unknown after Area X started to expand, Control and Ghost Bird embark upon their own expedition into this anomalous landscape in the hopes of reaching a remote island that they believe may hold the answers they seek. For Control, it’s the secrets behind Area X and how to stop it from expanding; for Ghost Bird, it is the fate of the biologist from the twelfth expedition, of whom she is a copy, in the hopes of gaining closure and a better understanding of who she is separate from her progenitor.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – February 26, 2025

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I decided to pick another book from my winter TBR list and finally started reading Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes, a nonfiction book discussing women from Greek mythology, both how they are represented in the surviving art and literature from ancient times and how they have been depicted in more modern times. So far, I’ve only read the first chapter, on Pandora herself, and I am really enjoying this book. As much as I love Greek mythology, reading some texts about it can be unfortunately dry, but Haynes’s writing style reads like an engaging lecture, so it’s been easy to hang onto every word. It’s also reminding me about details I’ve sadly forgotten from my university days, as I’ve read Hesiod before but had no recollection of his depiction of Pandora, especially the idea that she’s supposed to be the first woman. I’ve come away learning/relearning so much already.

Recently Finished

Last week, I read through Bomb by Steve Sheinkin and Nick Bertozzi, a graphic novel telling the story of the Manhattan Project’s creation of the atomic bomb and the network of spies working to steal their plans for the USSR. As I had been worried about last week, this book very much was more of a Middle Grade read, although considering some of the language choices perhaps YA would be more appropriate. In any case, the target audience didn’t matter, as it made for a rather good (if simplified) telling of a world-changing development in world history. Most notably, funnily enough, I’ve never come away from something understanding how a nuclear bomb works better than I did with this book. It’s written for younger readers, so that tracks, but perhaps it should always be explained a little like this, since adulthood doesn’t magically make nuclear physics any easier.

Earlier this week, I also finished reading Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel, the second book in the Themis Files trilogy. Something changed in my feelings toward this book as I was getting further through it last week. Though I still have some ambivalence towards certain aspects of the story, the real gravity of the threat that humanity was facing started to take hold as I realized that, like the first book, this novel about people piloting a giant alien robot isn’t really about piloting a giant robot. I still came away from this book finding it weaker than the first one, but it also gives such a stark and dismal look at facing an all-powerful alien threat, with some great hard science thrown in as the characters try to understand the threat before them and how to deal with it, that I got a lot more invested by the end. The ending felt unfortunately more like a tacked-on sequel hook than a satisfying ending, but I’m hoping that the third one ends things on a high note.

Reading Next

The book I read next will likely be We Stand on Guard by Brian K. Vaughn and Steve Skroce, a graphic novel about a group of Canadian civilians turned freedom fighters defending their country from invasion by the US, who are equipped with giant, robotic war machines. I don’t feel like I’m on a giant robot kick, but it’s starting to look like I am. I’ve actually been meaning to read this for a while, and recent events have reminded me of this book’s existence, so I thought now would be as good a time as any to take it out of the library and give it a read.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – February 19, 2025

Ryan1 Comment
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’m still making my way through Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel, the second book in the Themis Files trilogy. At the moment, I’m exactly halfway through. I’m not sure why, but this book isn’t quite hitting with me the way that the first one did. I think part of what’s hurting things is that it’s been a few years since I read the first book, but the format of these books is such that they could just flow together. So, I’m spending a lot of mental energy on reminding myself of who people are and how I felt about them, which isn’t working in the book’s favour. This one feels a lot more action-oriented too, with less of the intrigue of the first book. I still like it quite a lot, and I’ve got half of the book to go before I truly settle in my opinion, but it’s unfortunate that I’m not liking it as much as the first one. One thing I want to do to help rectify these feelings is read the third book this year too so things stay fresh in my mind.

Recently Finished

Since last week, I read more of the stack of library books I had waiting on me, the first being Hellboy in Love by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Matt Smith. Now this is a Hellboy book. I’d been reading too many of the spin-off novels lately, I think, as this reminded me of the true joys I have in reading this series and why I became a fan in the first place. It helped that I’ve had a bit of a primer thanks to those novels, funnily enough, which first introduced the love interest featured in this book, Dr. Anastasia Bransfield, but this book made me care about their relationship more than those novels ever did. Some details have been retconned too, as it turns out, but I’m fine with deferring to the comics anyway. This volume left things on something of an unfinished note, however, so I hope they plan to produce more in the near future, if they haven’t been doing so already.

I also read Like a Trophy from the Sun by Jason Heroux, a poetry collection by a poet residing in my neck of the woods in Canada. This is why I go out of my way to read poetry when a book happens to catch my interest, because I really liked this one. I’m not sure if this would be considered free verse or not, as they’re more paragraphs expressing surreal ideas/abstractions poetically rather than following more typical structure (there may be form to it I wasn’t able to notice, as I’m a bit stunted with poetry, as I’ve said) and don’t seem to be laid out in the way free verse typically is. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the way that these were written, and they evoked ideas that have stayed with me long after finishing the book. I even took photos of a few of the poems that I especially liked so I can read them again if I want.

Reading Next

I haven’t settled on any books that I want to read next, but I do have another library book that I need to read: Bomb by Steve Sheinkin and Nick Bertozzi. Adapting a nonfiction book of the same name, it tells the story of the Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb. I didn’t realize when I took it out that it might be a Middle Grade book (if Goodreads labels are anything to go by), but I’m hoping I don’t find it to be too simplified. I can’t remember why I decided to take this book out, to be honest, as I believe I even reserved it rather than just happening across it. At any rate, the library has been a great resource for graphic novels I wouldn’t typically buy, so that was probably the motivator as much as anything else.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

Ten Books I Never Reviewed

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme run by That Artsy Reader Girl. I thought this week’s topic would be an interesting one to delve into, as I used to review nearly every book I read, but lately I’ve been reviewing maybe a handful or so a year from what I read. Looking a little further back so as to not make it too easy on myself, I was surprised to find some of these I really hadn’t reviewed, while others I still feel a pang of regret.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – February 12, 2025

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Though I’m in the middle of reading through a selection of comic book volumes, I thought I ought to start reading a novel as well. After giving it some thought, I decided upon Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel, the second novel in the Themis Files trilogy. It’s been nearly three years since I finished the first book, but luckily this story is taking place after a significant time skip, so it seems much will be recapped for my benefit. I’m only about 30 pages in so far, but I’m enjoying the briskness of it, especially after reading Moby-Dick. Another robot has suddenly appeared in London, and it’s just standing there menacingly, so the UN is in the process of deploying Themis to see if these  presumed visitors mean any harm. After a good deal of restraint in the first book, I’m wondering if this one will start with a big robot fight.

Recently Finished

For the better part of the back half of last week I read through 2120 by George Wylesol, and I’ve got to say, I think this book might be brilliant. A choose-your-own-adventure comic presented like a point-and-click adventure video game, this comic actually emulates the experience of playing one of those video games in book form. I got stuck and didn’t know how to progress, actually wandering halls and wondering where to go—in a book. Turns out there are many puzzles to solve along the way, and if you’re not properly paying attention to the strange, anomalous rooms you explore, you’ll have to do some backtracking to figure out how to progress. It could get tedious at times, and the story (while good) wasn’t exactly profound or groundbreaking, but I think this is a truly brilliant blend of two different media. This will easily be in my top 5 books of 2025.

I also read the comic book adaptation of Hellboy: The Bones of Giants by Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola. This story was originally one of the spin-off Hellboy novels, which I read back in 2018. At the time, I recall thinking that the story would perhaps make a much better comic, and while in some ways that is true, I actually found the reading experience to be about the same. A lot of the fat gets trimmed and Matt Smith’s work as the illustrator is fantastic, but it ultimately read like a shallower version of an already fairly shallow novel. So, I’m happy this was a library read rather than a purchase, as I don’t really feel like I’ll need to add this book to my collection of Hellboy books.

Reading Next

No plans for the next novel I want to read, but the next comic I’m going to start is Hellboy in Love by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Matt Smith. This is another library book, and seeing as it is standalone and not adapting anything that already exists, as far as I know, I’m hoping it’ll tell a more enjoyable, original story.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

New Books & Novel Discoveries (January 2025)

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I know it wasn’t just me, but goodness January felt like it lasted much too long. So long, in fact, that I could’ve sworn I had already posted about one of the new books included in this post today. I actually had to cross-reference with when I wrote down somewhere else that I’d finally gotten it to confirm. I think reading Moby-Dick honestly had the most to do with the protracted time for me, along with the dreary cold of the season.

I think I talk about time too much, when really this is about these new books.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – February 5, 2025

Ryan1 Comment
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Nothing! I am between books. Finally.

Recently Finished

Yesterday, I finished my great undertaking by completing Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, including the excerpt at the back that tells of the real-life incident of the whale-ship Essex, which was wrecked by a sperm whale. This book was a greater challenge than I was anticipating, as the writing style was particularly difficult to parse. Fairly often I would read summaries and/or reread certain paragraphs to make sure I understood what happened in the chapter I’d just finished. I sincerely found this book more difficult than translations of Homer. Nevertheless, I’m proud of myself for finally overcoming this personal reading white whale, and despite my trouble with it I definitely gained an appreciation for it as a great piece of literature. I thought I knew how the story played out in a basic way too, but I was surprised by how some things turned out at the end, which was a nice bonus. Though the bulk of the book is about whaling, the narrative does pick up at the end in a rather more engaging way.

Reading Next

I feel like I need something of cool-down period after finishing such a massive novel before I begin another. Luckily for me, I have five different books that I’ve taken out from the library; four of them are graphic novels and one a book of poetry. To start, I’m going to finally get going with 2120 by George Wylesol, which I’ve been waiting on for an especially long time. It’s also due back this Saturday, so I’d like to be courteous and finish it by then, as somebody else has requested it. Then, I will likely read the two Hellboy comics I borrowed: a comic book adaptation of The Bones of Giants and Hellboy in Love, both of which are by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Matt Smith (illustrator).

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

Looking Back at 2024 & New Challenges for 2025

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Look at us go, we’re officially in the mid-2020s. Just like that, we’re in the middle of a decade that sometimes feels like it started last year, as time marches forever forward. I’m sorry if people are sick of these clichés, by they are clichés for a reason, after all, and like anybody else I must reckon with the passage of time as I get older.

It’s been a couple of years now since my reading challenges became altogether more relaxed, and I must say that it’s been a net positive. I do feel that I’m a lot happier and more easygoing about these things than I used to be. Let’s have a look at what I accomplished in 2024Read More »

WWW Wednesday – January 22, 2025

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Moby-DickLast week I hadn’t made enough progress for a good update, but in the two weeks since my last WWW post I’ve managed to read quite a lot more of Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. At writing, I sit at 367 pages in, or a little over half way. I’ve certainly been having mixed feelings about starting the year with this book, as for a good while I found it frightfully dull reading. It wasn’t until about the 300-page mark that I started to feel a growing appreciation for it. I suppose I just had to adjust to its voice, and staying committed has paid off. The plot is surprisingly scant, as this really is mostly about whaling; I’d been told this, but I sorely underestimated how much this was about whaling and cetology of the time, as well as talking trash about poor depictions of whales in art. Highlights from recent chapters include an encounter with a giant squid, which was surprisingly naturalistic, and the haunting description of sailors who have fallen overboard in the Arctic being found later frozen in ice flows “as a fly is found glued in amber.”

Recently Finished

Yesterday, I decided to set Moby-Dick aside briefly and finally read through Teeth by Dallas Hunt, a Canadian book of poetry. I’ve said it many times before, but I always have a bit of trouble with poetry, especially in retaining what I’ve read. I really don’t know what my issue is, but I try to read some when a book catches my eye anyway to keep my horizons broadened. This book is mostly written in a free verse style, which I appreciate a lot as I find it to be accessible. One that I especially enjoyed had Hunt venting frustration with the expectations of poetry and literature written by Indigenous authors and the cliches therein. It reminded me of how, even when trying to be supportive of a marginalized group, it is important not to forget they deal with the same mundane tribulations as anybody else.

Reading Next

I finally got 2120 by George Wylesol from the library after it being on order since September, so I’m likely going to be reading that soon. I’m really intrigued by it, but part of me is a little apprehensive about the choose-your-own-adventure aspects of it, as I’m a little worried it will feel more like a gimmick.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

Top 5 Books I Read in 2024

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I’m getting to this a little late this year, but nevertheless it is time once again to look back on the year just finished and determine which books were my top five favourite. As usual, this isn’t listing books that came out last year, just the five books I read last year that I enjoyed the most, in no particular order.

I think this may be the most difficult time I’ve had making this list; I enjoyed most everything I read last year, but a good number of them don’t really feel worthy of this distinction to me. It seems I had a similar problem last year, but I feel more pointedly dispassionate this time. At any rate, let’s see what made the cut.Read More »