TacoChelle commented on TacoChelle's review of Looking for Jake
I had read China Mieville's book Un Lun Dun before this, and I felt that not all 14 stories were necessarily good. He does stretch the concept of fantasy in many, and I like his ideas, but with stories like "Reports of Certain Events in London", "Go Between", and "An End to Hunger", it felt like it was in the wrong format or point of view or something like that. My favorites were " 'Tis the Season", "The Tain", and "Details". 'Tis the Season is a look into life where Christmas and things associated with it are copyrighted, so things like having a Christmas party is illegal unless you've bought their stuff. It was funny and an innovative way to show what Christmas is all about. The Tain is based off a entry in Jorge Luis Borges' "The Book of Imaginary Beings" about the Fauna of Mirrors. This was the longest story in the book, it felt like a mini novel, even with 'chapters'. It was hard to read because I wanted to support the humans, but both sides are really the victims. Details was very creepy, but very relatable. It was interesting to read it in the view of a little boy (I assume), and his reactions seem very realistic. Overall, the book was okay. I want to read more of Mieville's stuff because I know I'd have never heard of anything like them.
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Skyshade (Lightlark, #3)
Alex Aster
Post from the A Trade of Blood (Shadow of the Leviathan, #3) forum
Post from the A Trade of Blood (Shadow of the Leviathan, #3) forum
TacoChelle started reading...

A Trade of Blood (Shadow of the Leviathan, #3)
Robert Jackson Bennett
TacoChelle TBR'd a book

Strange Buildings (Strange Houses, #2)
Uketsu
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TacoChelle wrote a review...
Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for the ARC.
A good, thorough deep dive into the what, where, why, and how language developed and evolved over milennia. I guess it's technically useless, in that this knowledge won't suddenly be needed at say, your work or school. But it might be nice to really think about the words we use nowadays, and understand what more we might be implying with our choice of words.
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Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds
Jess Zafarris
TacoChelle wrote a review...
Thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the ARC.
A fun exploration of the oddities of language, in a visually appealing layout. If you love the weird little details in languages, you'll probably enjoy this.
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The Language-Lover's Lexipedia: An A-Z of Linguistic Curiosities
Joshua Blackburn
TacoChelle started reading...

Curious Coffins and Riveting Rituals: Death Practices Around the World
YY Liak
TacoChelle wrote a review...
Thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC.
The excessive violence and sexual content continues. Especially the sex feels overdone for shock. I almost considered dropping the series after this volume, but the plot seems to be going somewhere now, so I continued on the VIZ website and have caught up to the latest chapter. It reminds me of the 90s OVA Kite in some ways, due to the manipulation of the Mujinas for both hits and sex work.
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MUJINA INTO THE DEEP 3
Inio Asano
TacoChelle finished a book

Nana, Vol. 1
Ai Yazawa
TacoChelle wrote a review...
Thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC.
A teen that stopped believing in ghosts befriends a classmate who comes from a long line of exorists; her can't see the ghosts but has the ability to eat them. Once they find a classmate with the sight, they from a paranormal club to take on the ghosts. While there is some focus on the exorcisms, the real drive behind the manga is three outcasts becoming friends and getting to do normal kid stuff. It's pretty fun.