GentleRain – Page 37 – Cannonball Read 17

“Fighting a one-man war against the twentieth century:” Jane Ridley’s Attempt to Make George V Interesting

George V: Never a Dull Moment by Jane Ridley

February 10, 2022 by GentleRain 2 Comments

For the general reader who’s curious about Royal history and will only read one book about George V, this is the best pick. Jane Ridley is a great writer and puts lots of interesting details in here. She has a real gift for summarizing complicated topics and synthesizing them into very readable prose. One of my most intense special interests is Edward VII, so I’ve read a lot of books about him and his family. I have a collection of coronation memorabilia and a pretty […]

An Underdeveloped Look a AI-Human Relationships

Pixels of You by Ananth Hirsh, Yuko Ota, and J.R. Doyle

February 7, 2022 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

I’ve been following Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota’s work for years (I really love their autobio comics), so I preordered this and promptly forgot I did that until it showed up in the mail today. It’s nice to give yourself little presents in the future like that, and preordering really helps the authors. Overall, though, I found this to be a bit of a disappointment when compared to their other work. Fawn and Indira are interns at a photography gallery, and their first meeting is […]

“With everyone working together and recognizing each other’s humanity, we will all get to space someday, and we will all have enough.”

Across a Field of Starlight by Blue Delliquanti

February 5, 2022 by GentleRain 2 Comments

This was another great purchase courtesy of the new YA graphic novel section at my Barnes & Noble! Across a Field of Starlight has everything I want in a book — thoughtful science fiction, an examination of what growing up in a traumatic situation of deprivation vs growing up in a utopian commune situation does to you, interrogation of colonialism, mental health, trans and queer characters (one of the main characters has the pansexual pride flag tattooed on their arm!), body diversity, etc, etc, etc… […]

A Moody and Mysterious YA Graphic Novel That Also Somewhat Frustrated Me

Fly by Night by Tara O'Connor

February 5, 2022 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

I picked this up somewhat randomly at Barnes & Noble, who have happily broken out their YA graphic novels into their own section at the store I go to, so I don’t have to dig through the whole YA section anymore. It makes me really happy to be living through this renaissance of graphic novels, and I’m excited to see it continue expanding. Fly by Night is a good example of the interesting work that’s being done now, and it was an enjoyable read. Dee’s […]

A Wonderful Exploration of an Unlikely City

Boom Town by Sam Anderson

February 5, 2022 by GentleRain 7 Comments

This was another suggestion by Emmalita and I really loved it! I didn’t know much of anything about Oklahoma City beyond the basic facts and this was such a fascinating read. I like history that shows how important every little thing is, and how many interesting stories are everywhere. I also like the attempt to break through the East/West coast’s cultural hegemony and show what’s happening elsewhere and the ripple effects things have. Boom Town follows the histories of Oklahoma City from its founding, the […]

“A healthy, well-fed vampire is very lovable”

The Ethical Psychic Vampire by Raven Kaldera

February 3, 2022 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

I am not a psychic vampire, nor do I really believe in them, but I am interested in differing viewpoints on life. This was a very different one and I found it to be an informative overview of what it’s like to be a psychic vampire and the ethical implications of that. I didn’t want to write a review which would invite mockery, because the book is heartfelt and thoughtful, and I appreciated the care with which it was written. Clearly being a psychic vampire […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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