You Are Obsolete

author: Mathew Klickstein
name: Wayne
average rating: 2.81
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2020/07/07
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'You are Obsolete' by Matthew Klickstein with art by Evgeniy Bornyakov is a graphic novel about a group of creepy kids and technology.

An out or work journalist gets called to do a story on a remote European island. When she arrives, things seem off. What she finds is a group of overly happy adults, a cemetery with a bunch of recently dug grave, and a group of odd kids addicted to their phones.

It's a story that feels like an updated version with a nod to Logan's Run. It's a horror story where all the gore seems to happen off the page. I even had a hard time liking the protagonist. The art was decent enough, I just kept waiting for something bigger to happen in this bland story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.


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Maison Ikkoku Collector's Edition, Vol. 1

author: Rumiko Takahashi
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/05
date added: 2020/07/05
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Maison Ikkoku Collector's Edition, Vol. 1' with story and art by Rumiko Takahashi is a romantic comedy set in a shared apartment building.

Student Yusaku Godai lives in a building with some very eccentric people. The beautiful young woman who runs the house has caught Godai's eye, but there is something going on in her life that makes her not interested. The stories here show a series of comedy of error missteps in their attempt to have a relationship.

I really enjoyed this story. The characters are comical, and the art is really fun. I like where this story is going and I would definitely read more.

I received a review copy of this manga from VIZ Media and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.


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A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1)

author: Arkady Martine
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/05
date added: 2020/07/05
shelves: sword-and-laser
review:
'A Memory Called Empire' by Arkady Martine was the June pick for my book club.

Ambassador Mahit Dzmare is sent to the Teixcalaanli Empire, but she has some help. An implant, or imago, with the memories of the last ambassador as a help. This seems like a good plan until Mahit arrives on planet and finds out that the previous ambassador has been murdered. Now her imago has malfunctioned and she is stuck in a strange society where her predecessor was killed.

I loved this book. Perhaps because I seem to like fish out of water stories in my SF. There is great worldbuilding going on here and there are some memorable characters.


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Habit Changers: 81 Game-Changing Mantras to Mindfully Realize Your Goals

author: M.J. Ryan
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.54
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2020/07/04
date added: 2020/07/04
shelves: non-fiction-business
review:
'Habit Changers' by M.J. Ryan is an ebook that attempts to change your habits by giving you a short prompt to remember.

This book is meant to be used more as a reference than as a book you would read straight through. The 29 topics covered are arranged alphabetically and cover topics like Acceptance, Blame, and Self-Care among others. Each of the topics has a few of the simple mantras. Things like "People do what people always do" are followed by an explanation of who should use this and why.

I liked this simple approach to breaking habits. Change can be done with the right reminders. These would be easy enough to memorize or write down and use when needed.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Crown Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.


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Ocean Speaks: Marie Tharp and the Map That Moved the Earth

author: Jess Keating
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/01
date added: 2020/07/01
shelves: childrens, non-fiction
review:
'Ocean Speaks: Marie Tharp and the Map That Moved the Earth' by Jess Keating with illustrations by Katie Hickey tells the story of the woman who mapped the ocean floor.

Marie Tharp as a young girl loved watching the world. She learned about science. She wanted to go on ships, but wasn't allowed to at the time. She stayed back and plotted the data coming in, and found something astounding. She discovered an undersea mountain range. She wasn't believed at first, but made a really important discovery.

I liked this telling of a historical person. It concludes with more biographical information and a short Q&A section. The illustrations are great and I especially love the really large page spreads used to show how large Marie Tharp's maps were.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.


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Fussy Flamingo

author: Shelly Vaughan James
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.02
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/01
date added: 2020/07/01
shelves: childrens
review:
'Fussy Flamingo' by Shelly Vaughan James with art by Matthew Rivera is a picture book about a younger flamingo who is a picky eater.

Lola lives in the swamp with her parents. She is not pink like they are, and they are trying to get her to eat shrimp (where flamingos get their color from). Lola doesn't want to eat shrimp, so she sneaks away to eat other things. Those things change her feathers to different colors. Will she ever learn to like what her parents like?

This was a pretty cute story, and I really liked the artwork. Kids will get a nice giggle out of the fun surprises along the way.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.


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God Is Disappointed in You

author: Mark Russell
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/30
date added: 2020/06/30
shelves:
review:
'God is Disappointed in You' by Mark Russell with cartoons by Shannon Wheeler is a paraphrase of the Bible condensed into a few paragraphs per book.

Each of the 66 books of the Bible is paraphrased with some humor and swear words occasionally injected. Almost all of the chapters also include a pretty clever cartoon by Shannon Wheeler that kind of reminded me of New Yorker style cartoons.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. As someone who has read the Bible a number of times, I expected to not like this. It was irreverent at times, but surprisingly reverent as well. I found myself laughing and applauding an author who took the time to read and understand a book I love. It's certainly not for everyone. The hyper-religious will find it offensive, as will the anti-religious, but I liked it.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Top Shelf Productions and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.


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