Review: Amarillo

Amarillo by Juan Díaz Canales
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is for all 5 volumes of Blacksad read in English.

Blacksad is amazing. I played a demo of the game first, before realising there was a comic series. It is just such a pleasure to read. The historical references and similarities, the strong noir feel and the beautifully made art that just captures the action so well. It’s well-written, well-made and I can find no flaws except the fact that there isn’t more of this. The atmosphere is done perfectly, the storylines are thoughtful and intense and Blacksad is always cool.

There isn’t much more to say, is there?

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Review: Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever

Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever by John McWhorter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s a delightful read that is extremely fluid and fun, peppered with humour but accompanied by serious etymological discussion. The hook of having it discuss words that cannot be used in polite company is why I started reading, but I kept reading because of how enjoyable the book was to read.

The histories, parallels and contextual discussions are well-presented, while never compromising on notes and remarks. It ranges from old poetry to Looney Toons and modern day speeches by politicians, and everything in between, making convincing statements backed by fact.

If one is linguistically inclined, a book that will definitely be fun and informative.

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Review: Talk to Me: How to Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers, and Interview Anyone Like a Pro

Talk to Me: How to Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers, and Interview Anyone Like a Pro by Dean Nelson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There are two layers to why I think this book is good.

On one level is the actual content and intent of the book. It is a fascinating insight into the process of conducting interviews. The instructions are clear and actionable, and the reasoning and principles are clearly explained. I know more today about conducting interviews than I did before I started, and I could list the things I would’ve done wrong had I not read this book.

On another level, it is a brilliant window. Dean Nelson uses famous interviews, his own experiences and other anecdotes to create a look into the world of interviewing and journalism that is enjoyable to engage with. In that aspect, it reads like a non-fiction memoir almost sometimes. It’s well-written, which helps, and the stories themselves are quite interesting.

The only thing I will say is that the book lacks in some information I had hoped to glean from it. That may well be my fault, but I had hoped to find information on how to write up an interview as well. The book focuses entirely on how to conduct one. It is extensive in that. However, there is little to no information on how to convert notes into a finished piece, what form that finished piece may take and other such questions. Converting these notes to a story is a difficult process, and the book wasn’t much help at that.

That said, I can’t fault the book too much. The book never claimed it would contain such information, it just feels to me that the information about conducting interviews needs to be paired with the complementary information about writing articles.

Overall, an engaging read on multiple levels.

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Review: Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There’s a strange feeling one gets reading this book, somewhere between absolutely chilling fear and a deep primal sadness. The art is beautiful, the words are personal and the scenes reflected are powerful. So many things in it are worth talking about, worth thinking about, worth considering and contemplating.

It’s real, and that’s why it is what it is. A window.

It is a personal experience, reading this. How one reacts is so dependent on one’s cultural identity and political beliefs, yet it is likely that some part of you will viscerally react to it.

It’s one of those graphic novels where reading it is an experience. For a few moments, you aren’t here and you aren’t you. I hope that’s worth something.

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Review: Improvise.: Scene from the Inside Out

Improvise.: Scene from the Inside Out by Mick Napier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book inspires me to go out there and improvise. It makes me want to gather some friends, look up some exercises and start. Do something, anything. Just begin. I think it’s a really cool mix of practical advice on what to do, more philosophical ideas on how to think and interesting insights into professional improv and theatre.

The book ends with this diary/journal of Mick Napier staging a show and it’s absolutely brilliant to read through. It’s beautiful.


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Review: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mostly enjoyable, easy to absorb and very well organised. The first two sections of the book are coherently structured in the best way possible, you can list the takeaways and they will stay with you longer. This is because each distinct point is obviously distinct yet connected with the larger theme. The organisation is stellar and some of the best I’ve found in nonfiction.

The ideas themselves are interesting, the research quoted feels credible to some degree. The first bit that explores the different types of motivation from a psychological perspective is probably the most compelling, the business applications offer cool insights into how this has been adapted to actionable ideas in the real world. Together, these sections are interesting to absorb. As with most non-fiction books, I think there is room for discontent that the reader needs to recognise and research in their own time before making up their mind.

The last section was the least enjoyable. The book recommendations were welcome, but the rest felt like it could’ve been better presented and organised.

I did appreciate the chapter summaries that the book concluded with. That is very useful for revisiting ideas.

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Review: Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel

Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel by Tom Wainwright
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is what good non-fiction needs to be. Informative, but also powerful. The reporting is journalistic and human, it never loses sight of the people its talking about. It’s this inspiring mix of data and statistics mixed with field reporting that makes everything compelling, factual and easily understood.

It covers a lot of ground, is beautifully researched and feels like an adventure from start to finish. I learned so much reading it, especially because of the way it structures a coherent but diverse set of topics to delve into to fully explore the core thesis.

There was bias, I felt. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially in a book like this. It is pushing a specific perspective on the issue, a perspective the writer believes in and does a convincing job of presenting. Still, it would be nice if that was more obvious, that this doesn’t necessarily cover in-depth the numerous arguments against the conclusion drawn here. It’s not the last word, rather a step in the research needed to make up one’s mind. A pretty cool step, since it covers a lot of background, but not the only step. It’s not the norm to acknowledge this, but I still wish it did.

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Review: How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in one question and twenty attempts at an answer

How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in one question and twenty attempts at an answer by Sarah Bakewell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have not read the Essays, so it is impossible for me to judge how much of their essence is conveyed here. I will not attempt to write on that point.

How To Live is an excellently readable book that presents a lot of interesting ideas from philosophy in a way that is engaging yet understandable. It does not compromise on the complexity of the ideas, while still maintaining a clarity that is not easy to do. It discusses the content of the Essays, but goes a step further and provides a lot of historical context.

On some level, it is a very well-written biography of Montaigne, but on another level it is also a biography of the Essays. Almost as its own separate entity, it’s journey is documented and its interpretations discussed. The way social and historical contexts lead to reinterpretations and an acknowledgement of the modern bias and context.

I enjoyed it a lot. There were moments of such joy, as well as moments of a subtle sadness. All of it tied together. Bakewell’s own respect for Montaigne’s works is apparent, something I appreciated. She is not absent from the book, though calling it an opinion piece would be exaggerating. She is there in a subtle sense, which makes it all the more human and enjoyable.

A really good book.

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Review: Lucifer, Vol. 11: Evensong

Lucifer, Vol. 11: Evensong by Mike Carey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review stands-in as a review of all 75 issues of Lucifer, not just the last five. I felt it appropriate to review them as one epic saga as opposed to multiple smaller issues.

Lucifer is amazing. As a story, I think I’d be hard-pressed to find one that deals with events of greater significance and it’d be impossible for me to find those that tackle those events with such respect for their gravity. Making things feel important is hard, but Lucifer manages to make everything feel appropriately important. The stakes are always real, the scenes are always poignant and the art is always beautiful.

The characters are distinct and powerful, tied together by Lucifer Morningstar who is one of the most complex characters I have witnessed in a while. I enjoyed reading him for reasons are I find hard to define. It is not simply likability, but rather a mix of intrigue, charm and respect that one finds for Lucifer through the course of the series.

Most importantly, the series gives time. It is long, it is brutal and the stories continue forward, surging across meaning and scale. What starts small grows in power and importance, characters are witnessed and forgotten, misunderstood and missed.

It’s a journey. A beautiful one. Take it.

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Review: Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels

Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels by Gwen Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pretty fun to read, very clear and crisp and easy to follow. I won't comment on the effectiveness till I've written a bunch of stories following the advice, but I've no reason to doubt it's gonna be incredibly useful.

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