FOURTH WING BY REBECCA YARROS

A re-read in preparation for Onyx Storm, which is due to be published at the end of January, and I didn’t review upon finishing it the first time. Originally, I picked this up because I like fantasy and dragons, and was surprised at just how much I enjoyed it.

The writing is fine, the characters are well-drawn and easy to differentiate, the world building is good enough to please (albeit with a wobble or two), and it features a disabled protagonist. Also, dragons!

It’s not Great Literature, but it was a fun read that had me racing through it. A re-read has also been surprisingly rewarding due to the manner in which the plot is structured. ★★★★☆

SIXTEEN WAYS TO DEFEND A WALLED CITY BY K.J. PARKER

Enjoyable fantasy novel about Orhan the engineer who happens to find himself in a city under siege. Unfortunately for him, it somehow falls to him to figure out how to defend it.

Amusing, interesting, and quite educational for anyone interested in siege warfare! I liked it. ★★★★☆

DRAW AMAZING FACES BY PYPAH SANTOS

Thanks to Quarry Books who allowed me to read a DARC of Draw Amazing Faces by Pypah Santos.

The book consists of a short introduction, eleven chapters covering, in order, Santos' approach, proportions and perspective, shading, lighting and rendering, drawing the eyes, nose, mouth, ears and hair, putting it all together, faces in color, and further practice, ending with a 2-page index.

Though the art style is not my personal favourite, there are lots of great drawings throughout. The book is well laid out with helpful in-depth tutorials, both the illustrations and text clearly explaining things. I particularly liked that Santos showed examples of rendering faces in different mediums, and covered the box method in addition to the same basic techniques usually shown in books of this ilk.

I really liked this book and will be buying a copy to add to my art shelf. ★★★★☆

JAMES BY PERCIVAL EVERETT

A retelling, or perhaps a reimagining rather, of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man that joins Huck for a portion of his adventure.

I really enjoyed this. The book is well-written, and James, in particular, is an agonisingly well-drawn character. The final lines gave me the good kind of chills. Read it, it’s very good. ★★★★☆

DOPPELGÄNGER: A TRIP INTO THE MIRROR WORLD BY NAOMI KLEIN

Not the book I was expecting but a stonking good read nonetheless. Klein is a clear, incisive and insightful writer, and gave me a lot to think about.

Though there is some levity, much of it is absolutely chilling as it takes an unflinching look at the state of the world. Klein is no doom sayer, but… it’s not looking good folks.

Decidedly worth reading, and a book I’ll be ruminating on for a long time to come. ★★★★☆

THE DEAD CAT TAIL ASSASSINS BY P. DJÈLÍ CLARK

Fun fantasy romp involving assassins and shenanigans I can’t mention because spoilers. My first P. Djèlí Clark book and I really enjoyed it. The characters were fun, the word building interesting and though it had a slight stumble here and there overall the pace was great.

Will definitely be reading more of P. Djèlí Clark’s writing, I can’t wait to see what a full novel reads like. ★★★★☆

INVERSIONS BY IAIN M. BANKS

A reread of an old favourite. I still really enjoy it and though it’s not my absolute favourite Banks book, it’s in the running for a spot at the top. I love the writing, the characters, their stories, the layers. The puzzling out what’s actually going on and lack of a true, definitive, answer is delicious.

Do not read as a first Culture novel. If you appreciate sci-fi, absolutely do read it (ignoring the fact that at first glance it doesn’t look like sci-fi) and the rest of the Culture series. ★★★★☆

MY DARK VANESSA BY KATE ELIZABETH RUSSELL

An uncomfortable but engrossing read and a mirror of sorts to the novel Lolita, which Russell clearly admires as much as I do. Though the prose is not as sublime as Nabokov’s, it’s well-written and engaging. Set before and after #MeToo, Vanessa’s story, what happens to her, and how she struggles with her experiences all feel extremely true and real.

Though the subject matter is horrible, this is an important and compelling read, potentially at its best as a chaser to Lolita by Nabokov. ★★★★☆

MODERN STILL LIFE BY SARI SHRYACK

Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read a digital ARC of Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls by Sari Shryack.

The book is composed of a short introduction, then ten chapters covering supplies and mindset, still life setup, drawing for painting, value studies, colour, warming and cooling, disco balls, modern still life, style sandwiches, and clean-up and closure, before ending with a conclusion and an index.

The chapters are short and succinct, with examples clearly showing the various principles. Some would have benefited from a little more instruction. Almost all of them contain handy tips, such as using a hand mirror as an analogue version of flipping the canvas when using digital painting methods.

I liked this book. It’s very pretty and full of colourful images. Techniques covered are not necessarily explained sufficiently for complete novices. For instance, various drawing tools are mentioned, but no actual instruction is given, so if you don’t know how to measure with a rod/pencil/whatever it’s not something you’ll learn here.

I am not at the point where I’m interested in actually painting with acrylic/gouache/oils, but still found it an interesting read as some chapters offer valuable information regardless of medium, such as the ones on composition, value and colour studies.

In summary, this is a lovely book but not one for total beginners. Nor does it offer much to the advanced painter. ★★★★☆

A STRANGE AND STUBBORN ENDURANCE

I really enjoyed A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows. An unabashedly queer novel, deliciously somehow saturated with both tenderness and sweetness even though there are a lot of rather grim situations (murders/rape/abuse). After finishing, I was left with the same kind of feelings I have after Becky Chambers or Katherine Addison novels. Absolutely delightful. ★★★★☆