Matt

 I am just completely infatuated by R.F. Kuang's writing at this point.  I really loved The Poppy War (this book's predecessor) as well as Babel (her standalone novel released earlier this year) so I had high expectations eading into this one.  Even then I was totally blown away by The Dragon Republic.    I've spoken before about how writing the second part of a trilogy can be tough because it lacks the excitement of a new beginning that the first part has while also missing the satisfaction of a conclusion that the third part has.  I've seen authors try to tackle this conundrum in a few ways but Kuang has done it in the simplest way possible: by writing an undeniably intriguing story.  The Dragon Republic expertly builds upon everything that was started in The Poppy War and expands it.     The characters here are excellent.  We have all of our old favorites in Rin, Kitay, the Cike etc while also adding the prominent figures behind each of Nikan's provinces.  The main one we are introduced to is Vaisra, leader of the Dragon province and Nezha's father.  He is just a blast to read here as this commanding, seductive figure.  Kuang deserves a lot of credit for writing the scenes between him and Rin with underlying sexual tension that feels so wrong and yet so desirable.  He's a big part of why this book is so good and I can't wait to see his role in the trilogy's conclusion.  I also want to shout out Nezha, who was introduced in the last book but is explored with much more complexity here.  He shines a lot in his role and elevates the book in a similar way to his dad.  If I were to say one reason why this book is so good it's these two.    I... honestly don't know what else to say at this point.  This isn't my favorite Kuang book but I do think it's her best that I've read up to now.  I'm sure she'll surpass herself with the conclusion to this trilogy. 

  I've really been trying to diversify my reading, not just in terms of genre but in terms of format as well.  I've really delved into audiobooks recently and now I've read my first graphic novel.  I'm glad I did!    I think Persepolis is pretty perfect.  It tells the story of Marjane Satrapi as she grows up in war-torn Iran, studies abroad in Austria, returns to Iran before leaving her homeland once again.  Coming into this I thought graphic novels were relatively childish compared to novels but I think the format allows Satrapi to tell her story more effectively.  Even though this Persepolis is entirely in black and white, Satrapi manages to inject so much life into her illustrations and contrast each setting beautifully.  She fully takes advantage of her skill as a writer as well as her talent as an illustrator to make a comprehensive story that works on every level.  And I really mean that.  You can look at Persepolis as the story of two very different settings and cultures.  You can also look at it as one woman's coming-of-age story.  Or you can look at it as everything in between.  That's the beauty of Persepolis.  It doesn't fit into any one box.  It's funny.  It's depressing.  It's inquisitive.  It's stupid.  It's optimistic.  It's pessimistic.  It is all of these things and more and yet it never feels confused.  Satrapi deserves all the credit in the world for taking her remarkable life and putting it into a compact 330 pages (filled with pictures as well as words) without making anything feel rushed or incomplete.  Overall this is a fantastic first graphic novel for me and I look forward to trying out more. 

Neil Gaiman is an author I want to like so badly. I get why people like him. He’s clearly a very talented writer with a great sense for pacing, characters and imagery. He’s almost the textbook definition of a good author except calling him that feels like an insult to him because he’s also a remarkably creative man with very cool ideas that he is easily able to incorporate into his stories.

And yet I’ve now read three books by him and I can’t say I have greatly enjoyed any of them. Stardust has all the makings of a good fantasy story and Gaiman is obviously a good enough author to write a competent fantasy novel. As fantasy is my favorite genre that means I should be all over this book but I merely like it when I was expecting to adore it. I’m not sure what it is about this book or Gaiman in general that makes me lower on him than a lot of other readers but the story just doesn’t click. It’s still a very good book written by a guy who knows what he’s doing but nothing more than that.

   Since really getting back into reading a few years ago my general reading style has stayed the same.  I can read pretty fast and I actively enjoy the process of doing so.  That's not to say that I skim, but I'm not the type of person to linger over a page or a sentence that really strikes me.  I just take a note of it and move on.  The Luminaries is the first book that I've read not only this year but this decade that has made me change that.  I read this book a lot slower than I normally do because each page and sentence is worth savoring.  For a book that's over 800 pages, that is a serious feat.    I'm not quite sure how to describe The Luminaries so this paragraph may be a bit unstructured.  It definitely has mysteries but it can't really be classified as a mystery novel.  It takes place in the past but it's not really historical fiction.  It has thrilling sections but I can't in good conscious call it a thriller.  It's just... a damn good novel.  The basic gist of it is that 12 people convene in a smoking room in a hotel during the New Zealand gold rush due to a few odd events that have happened over the past few weeks.  Over the course of the novel we learn a lot about each of these 12 as well as many others in this small mining town.  Catton explores her characters in such lush detail that I feel like I know all of them personally at this point.  As we learn more about the characters we also learn just what happened in order to set off the events of the novel.  It feels like Catton is really challenging her readers with the way she writes at points.  While many of the loose threads are explicitly tied up at various points throughout the novel, many others are finished in a more subtle way, rewarding those attentive enough to notice the tiniest of details in her writing.  One of my favorite things about reading is the feeling you get when you realize someone is truly amazing at the act of writing, and I felt that many times while reading The Luminaries.  She really makes writing seem like a beautiful art form with the way she crafts this book and the sentences within it.  I can't help but... be in awe of her talent.  If there is one criticism I have it's that I feel like the book starts out stronger than it finishes, but that is the tiniest of nits that I am picking.  I think the first 500 or so pages are a 10 out of 10 and the remaining 300 are a 9 out of 10.  Well done Eleanor Catton, your book is super fucking good.