Tag: Eden Robinson

Top 5 Books I Read in 2022

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Transitioning to a new year of reading has been going slowly, as it turns out. I’m still trying to finish up my final read from last year (a fact that will keep bothering me at least a little bit), so I haven’t even given myself the chance to start reading anything new for 2023. As my editing workload increased after the end of 2021, I managed to have less and less time to read throughout the year, so I actually read an even smaller number of books than I was expecting. Still, I did manage to finish a decent amount, and as I’ve done the last several years, I’d like to list my five favourite reads from the past year, in no particular order. As is always the case, these are not books that came out in 2022, simply the five books I enjoyed the most.Read More »

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WWW Wednesday – July 6, 2022

Ryan2 Comments
www_wednesdays

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

The Dictionary of Obscure SorrowsPardon the unusually late post this week, I’ve had a bit of a day. I’ve only made a small amount of progress in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig, but considering this past week as a whole, I’m seeing this as a positive. I’ve actually recorded a new word from what I’ve recently read as well, so I’m not just pulling from a backlog. This week’s word is moledro, “a feeling of resonant connection with an author or artist you’ll never meet, who may have lived centuries ago and thousands of miles away but can still get inside your head and leave behind morsels of their experience, like the little piles of stones left by hikers that mark a hidden path through unfamiliar territory.”

Recently Finished

Son of a TricksterI’m happy to report that I used may available free time more wisely this past weekend and finished reading the last hundred or so pages of Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson. I quite like this book, it has certainly gotten me interested in reading the whole trilogy, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I can’t help having mixed feelings about it. I guess I was expecting the magical elements to expand more meaningfully than they did, but the novel still does something interesting and different with the whole “teen discovers they have a connection to magic” type of story. The ending was actually rather bittersweet/poignant, I’m not sure which best describes how I feel, and it was tied mostly to very grounded, real-world problems. The magic is no longer a secret, but I do have to wonder what the future has in store for Jared, as he doesn’t suddenly have endless possibilities open to him.

Reading Next

Dark Lord of DerkholmRight off the bat, I want to read volume two of Animosity by Marguerite Bennett et al. soon so that I can figure out if I actually want to stick with this series or not. Hopefully I can read that by next week. I’ve also decided, right this moment, that I will read The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones next. This is the first book in a pair that I have had my eyes on reading for a while, and it has been too long since I’ve read any of Jones’s work. It actually feels criminal how little of her fiction I’ve actually finished. It’s time to change that.

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

WWW Wednesday – June 29, 2022

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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

Son of a TricksterStill chipping away at the same books. I feel like I’m so close to finish Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson, all I need is a good window of time to read it. Unfortunately, I have been especially busy since last Wednesday, which hasn’t allowed  me a lot of time for leisure reading, nor the drive to be honest. It has been quite exhausting. I did manage about 20–30 pages, but that isn’t a huge amount of progress in a week. With so little left in the book, seemingly, I must say that it isn’t what I was expecting from a story about a youth discovering a familial connection to a mythical figure. I’m eager to see how things wrap up, but I’m worried a lot of the story will end up amounting to wheel spinning. Perhaps that is the point.

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig has once again been neglected outright, but I do have another word saved for you all anyway; the word this week is manusia, “the ambient feeling of being a human being; a baseline mood that everyone feels intensely every moment of their lives, but can never pin down because they have nothing else to compare it to.”

Recently Finished

Animosity Vol. 1I actually made good on some plans I’ve been talking about all month and read Animosity, Vol. 1: The Wake by Marguerite Bennett et al. It was interesting, to say the least, though I’m afraid I’m not exactly hooked yet. The idea of “the wake” is that, seemingly inexplicably, every other animal on Earth has gained sapience and the ability to speak. As can be expected, a lot of chaos ensues, as many of them don’t appreciate how humanity has treated them. I feel like this first volume was in far too much of a hurry, however, not taking the time to plant its characters in the situation and just let in unfold. In a few spots the art is confusingly laid out too, where I found myself actively baffled by the events unfolding, such as a character within sight seemingly 20 feet away somehow not seeing a fight between to others. If the second volume doesn’t improve, I think that’s going to be it for me and this series.

Reading Next

Once again, I have still not made up my mind on anything new I might want to start. Too much to finish that has hung around all month. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this stuck in a rut with some books. Not that I dislike them, but the fact that I’ve genuinely finished neither of them this entire month troubles me. On top of that, I still have a Sleeping Giants review to finish. Ah, what a month.

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

WWW Wednesday – June 22, 2022

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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

The Dictionary of Obscure SorrowsUnfortunately, I didn’t get a whole lot of reading done this past week. I’m not sure what happened, but all of the potential reading time just slipped through my fingers. I’ve been feeling a little burnt out, so I guess I gave that time to more carefree hobbies. I only read about 20 pages of Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson since last week, so I don’t really have much more to say about it. I really want to make a push to finish this book in particular before June is done, so I’ll try to make a greater effort to prioritize it. I didn’t pick up The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig  at all either, though I do have another entry saved from my last reading, so I can share another word.

This week, the word is solysium, “the unhinged delirium of being alone for an extended period of time—feeling the hours stretch into days until a weird little culture begins to form inside your head, with its own superstitions and alternate histories and a half-mumbled dialect all your own—whose freewheeling absurdity feels oddly liberating but makes it that much harder to reacclimate to the strictures and ambiguities of normal social life.”

Recently Finished

Nothing again. This is a really unfortunate trend.

Reading Next

I still want to read the first volume of Animosity by Marguerite Bennett et al. and start Stories of Jedi and Sith. I’ll probably need to start thinking about whatever will properly follow Son of a Trickster too, I just need to get my in gear with what I’m currently reading.

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

WWW Wednesday – June 15, 2022

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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

The Dictionary of Obscure SorrowsI’ve gotten a chapter further along in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig since last week. Progress is slow and steady, but I happy I’m making regular progress regardless. This week’s word from the book is the wends, “the frustration that you’re not enjoying an experience as much as you should, which prompts you to try plugging in various thought combinations to trigger anything more intense than roaring static, as if your heart had been inadvertently demagnetized by a surge of expectations.” I’ve definitely felt this, though usually with experiences I’ve had many times before.

Son of a TricksterI’ve made more progress in Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson as well, though perhaps not as much as I think I should have. I may have even been able to finish it over the weekend had I focused solely on it, but my attention was too divided between other things. Nevertheless, I’m happy some progress was still made and I’m continuing to enjoy this book, though it’s still feeling more like a slice-of-life story, with little in the way of a precise plot having emerged. There’s a new character that’s been introduced that I have mixed feelings about, though I appreciate that she too isn’t exactly a positive influence in Jared’s life, despite being very different from everybody else. I’m eager to see what it’s all building toward, as one incident of the possibly supernatural variety was rather creepy.

Recently Finished

Nothing this week either. I’m going through a bit of a bad spell it would seem, as I’m having trouble getting myself motivated to read comics more so than usual. Hopefully I get out of this funk sooner than later.

Reading Next

Stories of Jedi and SithI still have grand designs to start reading this or that, such as the first volume of Animosity by Marguerite Bennett et al. or Stories of Jedi and Sith by various, but I just haven’t gotten myself to crack them open just yet. I had a peak at the story I was most interested in checking out in the latter book, the story about Rey, and while it’s not quite what I was hoping it’d be, it does still sound interesting and it explores a relationship that is only touched upon in the films, so I’m still looking forward to checking it out. Maybe I’ll be able to start these by next week. Should probably finish one of my other books on the go too though.

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

WWW Wednesday – June 8, 2022

Ryan1 Comment
www_wednesdays

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

The Dictionary of Obscure SorrowsI’ve had a bit more reading time this past week, so I’ve made some decent progress on both of my current books. First is The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig, which has continued to be a nice leisurely read. Since it’s mainly definitions, I’ve decided to share a word or phrase that’s stuck out to me since the previous week. This week the word is proluctance, “the paradoxical urge to avoid doing something you’ve been looking forward to—opening a decisive letter, meeting up with a friend who’s finally back in town, reading a new book from your favorite author—perpetually waiting around for the right state of mind, stretching out the bliss of anticipation as long as you can.” If that ain’t me.

Son of a TricksterI’ve made especially good progress in Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson this past week; I’m now nearly 100 pages further than I was last week. So far the story feels like a slow burn, going through the ups and downs of Jared’s tumultuous, adolescent life. The magic elements are still only just creeping in so far, as mundane life has far too much going on for him to be seeking some sort of fantastical escape. This poor kid has to deal with so much, and I have a hard time imagining his mythical father will be a positive influence. The only thing about the writing I’ve found a little jarring is that on occasion it tries to use what sounds to me like “gamer speak” circa late 2012, and it felt just off enough that it came off as a little forced to me. Hopefully that’s more anomalous overall, as I’m enjoying the writing a lot otherwise.

Recently Finished

Nothing this week either. Shame!

Reading Next

Stories of Jedi and SithI’m still thinking about reading the first volume of Animosity by Marguerite Bennett et al. soon, I just need to set aside time for it. However, I’m also thinking about starting to read Stories of Jedi and Sith by various, which is currently waiting for me at the bookstore. It’s more of a Middle Grade book, which I don’t typically go for, but I’m interested in some lighter-reading short stories about the various characters included. I’m thinking I could slowly read through it at a story or two a week—a supplemental supplemental read. It’ll help justify buying this now too instead of just waiting for a paperback. We’ll see what I actually manage.

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

WWW Wednesday – June 1, 2022

Ryan1 Comment
www_wednesdays

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

Son of a TricksterI haven’t been able to make a lot of progress in what I’m reading right now because I’ve been rather busy since last week, but I did manage to get a small start on both Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson and The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig. For the latter, it’s pretty straightforward. After all, it’s a dictionary of made-up words, so I don’t think I’ll have any plot twists in store for me. The writing is lovely though and I’m enjoying it as a more leisurely book so far. I’m only a few chapters into Son of a Trickster, but I’m immediately intrigued by the contrasting ways the main character Jared is treated by his grandmothers. Hints of magic realism are making their way into the story already, which I’m looking forward to seeing expanded.

Recently Finished

Nothing this week!

Reading Next

Animosity Vol. 1Once again, I have no idea what I’m going to be reading next. With two books on the go, I’m not really focused on that right now. As far as graphic novels go, however, I think I will finally crack open the first volume of Animosity by Marguerite Bennett et al., which I first picked up years ago. It’s about animals suddenly gaining sentience and the ability to speak and the ensuing chaos from that. I feel like I’ve been neglecting a lot of my physical comics. At the moment, I’m also really turned off from reading my digital comics, as Amazon decided to burn Comixology to the ground for some reason, and the current Kindle app is horribly lackluster by comparison.

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

WWW Wednesday – May 25, 2022

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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 this week! I’m between books.

Recently Finished

SleepingGiantsOver the weekend I finished reading Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, and overall I enjoyed it a lot. I was surprised to find there was no dramatic turn focused on robot combat, even though it did find a way with the format to integrate more action-oriented sequences into the narrative. I wouldn’t have minded if things did turn out that way, but I respect the book’s commitment to taking such a pulpy concept as seriously as it does. I liked the sequel bait at the end too, which hints at things surprisingly more bizarre than we’ve encountered so far. I’m going to try to read the sequels sooner rather than later. The only thing that kept this book from being a five-star read was that the format, while interesting and unique, was a little too impersonal for me sometimes. I’ll try to have a full review up soon.

Reading Next

The Dictionary of Obscure SorrowsAs I’ve been saying for weeks, I’m going to start reading Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson next, I just need to set aside time to get some reading done. I keep thinking about trying to get a better handle on my reading challenges, though, so I think I’m going to try to go through a supplemental read at the same time, since it won’t make for a great read for long sittings on its own. This book will be The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig, which is another book on my yearly to-read list. Since it’s a collection of word entries, I’ll probably enjoy reading this in shorter bursts anyway. I just hope I can manage to integrate it into my reading schedule in a meaningful way.

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

WWW Wednesday – May 18, 2022

Ryan2 Comments
www_wednesdays

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

SleepingGiantsI’ve managed to make some decent progress in Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel since my drought last week. I’m coming close to having it finished, I just reached part five last night, which is nearly 80% of the way there. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but this novel really does a great job of balancing more exciting, escapist elements with real-world consequences. I would’ve thought a novel about building an ancient alien mech shaped like a person like this would have gotten pilots into the cockpit and fighting a lot sooner, but this story is really well considered. Since last week their inability to understand how it works had disastrous consequences, causing a substantial halt on research for the characters for the sake of preventing global war. I wonder if the trilogy preserves this tone throughout, or if it will turn a little Pacific Rim even by the end of this book.

Recently Finished

Berserk 35Over the weekend I read through volume 35 of Berserk by Kentaro Miura, which I enjoyed as usual but had me thinking about everything with a little less enthusiasm. The reason is that the story shifted focus back to Guts and company, which is great, but things kind of just boiled down to Guts swinging his sword around at a bunch of monsters and needing to use the Berserker Armour again, putting his mental state at risk. This is all well and good, but it all feels a little too similar to everything that just happened before they embarked upon their sea voyage. It’s not terrible by any means, I guess I’m just disappointed that things feel a little too formulaic at the moment. Perhaps this current skirmish will have compelling consequences and I just need to get there.

Reading Next

Son of a TricksterAt this point, I keep thinking I already made up my mind about what I’m going to read next between Springfield Confidential by Mike Reiss and Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson; I keep assuming I’d already decided on the latter, but apparently I still hadn’t made up my mind last week. I guess this means my subconscious chose for me, so I’m going to be reading Son of a Trickster next. Now I just need to settle on another comic to read next.

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

WWW Wednesday – May 11, 2022

RyanLeave a comment
www_wednesdays

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

Things turned out rather busy this past week, so I unfortunately did not find any time to read further into Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. Here’s hoping I’ll turn that around this coming week.

Recently Finished

Berserk 34I did however find some time to read through a volume of Berserk by Kentaro Miura last night. It continued the conflict between Griffith along with his demonic Band of the Hawk and the newly transformed Emperor of Kushan. It was really interesting to see humans and monstrous Apostles fighting together against a common enemy. I don’t trust Griffith, but I do wonder what this new world he seems to be forming will be like, if the fantastic creatures spawning will be entirely hostile or something the world can adapt to, and if he plans to bring all such creatures as well as people under his domain. I’m probably going to read the next volume soon, as I’ve got it on hand and I have many unanswered questions.

Reading Next

Son of a TricksterI still haven’t made up my mind whether I want to read Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson next or Springfield Confidential by Mike Reiss. I’m sure I’ll make up my mind as I get closer to finishing Sleeping Giants. As I said, I intend to read volume 35 of Berserk soon as well, which will also help push me along with my Goodreads challenge this year. Other than those, I’m hoping I can get a review written for The Crossroads at Midnight by next week. I don’t review every comic that I read, but this graphic novel is definitely worthy of it.

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