BookOwl

  It's books about books time! These volumes come in a variety of forms and genres, and you never know when you're going to find a hidden gem. Also, for someone as book-obsessed as I, books about books are a way to pay tribute to the major part literature of all kinds has played in my life.  Without further ado, here are some of my picks for books about books! Book Love by Debbie Tung First of all, Debbie Tung is one of my favorite graphic novel writers (and illustrators)! When she came out with Book Love, it became an instant classic for me. I feel seen, as a bibliophile, as someone whose favorite places outside of my own home are the library and bookstore. Tung humorously illuminates how bookworms move in the world and how they think about books. While Book Love hits all the cliches, it is done in a way as not to be condescending to readers. After all, it's a celebration of everything literary! The Library Book by Susan Orlean The Library Book is an engaging nonfictional...

  I'll go out and say up front that fantasy is one of my favorite genres. There's Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings (more popular series that have been adapted into very successful movie franchises), but I have found some unique stand-alones that I believe deserve some more love. Fantasy is made up of many sub-genres, from epic fantasy to fairy tales and sorcery, so there are always tales out there waiting for your consideration.   My picks list will encompass these and other fantasy sub-genres.  Harry Potter series (7 volumes) by J.K. Rowling While I am not a fan of the author, Rowling's Harry Potter series contributed to my budding love for reading as a kid. The protagonist is Harry Potter, a first-year wizard attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry in England. His friends, Hermione and Ron, accompany Harry on many magical adventures, although it is not all fun and games.  These books are entertaining and have great characters (Hermione remains ...

Graphic novels are a great way to get into reading, and contrary to popular belief, explore complex themes through both the written word and visual arts. Here are my picks of nonfiction graphic novels, both stand-alones and series alike. The March series (3 volumes) by John Lewis Primarily geared to a young adult (YA) audience, this graphic novel series explores the life of the late Congressman John Lewis. In particular, his struggle for civil and human rights as a young man. A good example of educational graphic novels that explore both biographical and historical themes. The Persepolis series (2 volumes)  by Marjane Satrapi I read these as an undergraduate and found them to be incredibly helpful to explore cultures different from my own as well as history I don't know much about. In the case of Persepolis , Marjane Satrapi remembers her childhood in the tumultuous times of the Islamic Revolution. It's a coming-of-age story as well as full of Iranian history.  Hyperbole and a...

[If you haven't read this book, beware of the spoilers this review contains.] 4/5 stars The thing about Nnedi Okorafor's books is that even a short story is packed with as much imagination, worldbuilding, and character development than many books of greater length.  My first experience of Okorafor's writing was her Binti trilogy, in which a young African woman goes to university off-world, but manages to get into all sorts of spacefaring adventures, encountering various alien species and getting in the middle of matters of galactic intrigue. (Do yourself a favor and read that trilogy. The first book is Binti . You're welcome.)  So it was with no hesitation that I jumped on a recent title of her's, called Noor . "Noor" is an Arabic word referring to light.  For a tale that mostly took place in a setting where the sun doesn't shine, it almost came off as ironic, until I got much farther along in the story. Noor also happens to be the name of a fictional ...

*Spoiler warning!* 3.5/5 stars This was my first book of 2022 (and by Neal Stephenson) and for me, it was a mixed bag. I think I would have given it four stars if it weren't for the rambling middle section of the book that was a bit of a slog to get through. Sandwiched between the action-packed exposition and climax portions, no less. In my opinion, the book could have been a bit shorter.  I'll give it to Termination Shock though that it set up an interesting premise.  In the near future, in a world very much like ours, but farther along in experiencing the ravages of climate change, an eccentric Texas billionaire wants to save the world, by, how else: the building of a big gun. (I had to enjoy the satire here of taking the American cowboy stereotype to the max.) The idea was that the gun would consistently fire sulfur dioxide (SO2) up into the atmosphere over the course of multiple years, mimicking a volcanic eruption and cooling down the global temperature.  A stopgap ...

  *Spoiler warning!* Somewhere between 3 to 3.5/5 stars The Paris Apartment was an entertaining mystery/thriller taking place in a posh Paris apartment. My rating is based on my being spoiled by The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides and that some of the twists were a bit easier to guess. All that notwithstanding, I found myself absorbed by the story. Everything was sketchy as soon as the story opens.  Our protagonist, Jess, has come to Paris to visit her half-brother, Ben. She has escaped from a rather toxic employment situation in England and seeks to reconnect with the brother she hasn't seen in a while. There may or may not have been cash theft involved. Jess grew up in the foster care system. Ben was adopted, but she was not. She feels abandoned, but she still cares about Ben. Jess is no angel, scrappy and reckless, yet readers will find themselves rooting for her to solve the mystery of this story. Jess arrives at her brother's address, but he's not answering. Of co...

*Spoiler warning!* 4/5 stars "What do you see when you see me? Have you made up your mind about who I can be? You could get to know me if you tried You could see what I'm like inside I am made of blood, bones, and muscles too. So how can you say I am less than you? I have so many dreams, even at my age. Let me be free, don't put me in a cage. Watch what I can do." We Are Not Like Them is a story of an interracial friendship tested by the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager involving two police officers. One of those police officers happens to be the husband of one of the friends. Jenny and Riley grew up as sisters in everything but blood, Jenny the only white child at the home daycare Riley's family ran. Riley's grandmother, Gigi, considered Jenny her "firecracker" and embraced her as if she were her own child. The two girls did almost everything together, were practically inseparable. As a reader, you can viscerally feel how much they value...

*Spoiler warning!* 4/5 stars Our First Civil War gives a new perspective on American history surrounding the American Revolution, emphasizing how contentious independence was and examining the motives surrounding those who fought under the banner of the Patriots or Loyalists.  Far from the simplistic narrative taught about this moment in American history, Our First Civil War reveals the inherent complexity of this time. Brought into this narrative is the often glossed-over experience of slaves forcibly removed from Africa and the indigenous peoples of America, forced to take sides in a conflict between the erstwhile United States of America and the British.  For slaves, the British offered freedom in exchange for helping them in the fight against the rebel colonists, something that the American side was not as willing to do, and then, only when need was greatest, open recruitment to enslaved Africans under terms less favorable than the British offered.  Meanwhile, indig...