BookTalkTuesday

I get it. I really do. Barbara Kingsolver's modern envisioning of David Copperfield comes in the form Demon Copperhead. Like David Copperfield , Demon Copperhead takes a look at orphans and the services that are provided and fail them. David Copperfield isn't the only inspiration, this book will give many vibes similar to Beth Mercy's Dopesick as well. That is to say, this is bleak. And it's never not bleak.  Demon is born into poverty, and we see that poverty play out in the most grim of ways. Overdoses, uncaring foster parents, and exploitive child work practices all become mere backdrops. What first becomes harsh and shocking, soon numbs your senses. Kingsolver builds the most disturbing images and then somehow beats you down by showing you something equally grotesque. Characters make bad decision after bad decision, heroes will fail you, and our main character Demon is on the receiving end of all of it. It's overwhelming. And fascinating. For the first 300 pag

Fourth Wing is high action fantasy that is unrelenting. And what a delight it is! While it's by no means perfect (more on that later), I can say there is no other book I had more fun with this year. In fact, outside of Strange the Dreamer , I can't think of another book that I devoured so thoroughly, and then said, "wait... I have to wait how long for the next one?" This is going to sound dismissive, but it's not meant to be: Fourth Wing is a Harry Potter meets Hunger Games meets Game of Thrones high fantasy adventure. In this fantasy world, when students hit 18 they choose their vocation. For a long while, our protagonist Violet prepares herself to become a scribe--a keeper of records and history. But her mother, who is the general of this land, enters her to become a dragon rider. And it's these Dragon Riders, who are tested through a year-long lethal gauntlet where few survive. As Dragon Riders are tested, the war on the frontlines is clearly advancing,

This #BookTalkTuesday brings you Eleanor Catton’s Birnam Wood. Absolutely fascinating with its coocoo bananas premise. One of the year’s best. @MacmillanUSA #book #books #booktalk #BookBoost #bookfluencer pic.twitter.com/IdhPRp3Wit — Daniel Valentin (@DanielJValentin) May 24, 2023

This #BookTalkTuesday brings you Fourth Wing by @RebeccaYarros - Big fantasy with a big payoff. I cannot wait for the second book! #book #booktalk #BookBoost #bookfluencer pic.twitter.com/DEmP9k549G — Daniel Valentin (@DanielJValentin) May 16, 2023

Happy Place is the kind of romcom you would see in the aughts. A Maid in Manhattan  or 27 Dresses . That is to say, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Happy Place . But it also breaks absolutely zero new ground. A beach read that doesn't pander down but also doesn't punch up, Happy Place  is a serviceable read if you're looking for easy, fun reading this summer. The conceit of the story revolves around Harriet and Wyn who broke up but haven't told their closest friends. When their closest friends invite them to a beach week to say :so long" to an oft visited, but soon to be sold vacation home, Harriet and Wyn decide to pretend to still be together for the sake of their friends. It's a fun and silly premise, that is somehow sustained for 400 pages. It helps the reading is breezy. Without much effort, I ended up reading this in just two sittings. It's such a bingeable text. Most chapters are also fairly short (rarely more than 10 pages), so it's e

Becky Albertalli's track record is wildly strong. From Simon vs. The Homo Sapians Agenda to Upside of the Unrequited to Kate in Waiting and now Imogene, Obviously , each new book has her trademark style, that somehow whisks readers off their feet and carries them right to the end. Imogen, Obviously takes all of a handful of pages before you're completely smitten with Imogen. Her internal narrative is observant, poignant and (more of than not) hilarious. Immediately, you find out Imogen is a girly girl who is the ultimate ally to the LGBT alphabet. As a straight person, she rallies for the cause while also questioning her place in queer dominant places. And it works. Fast. Once Imogen told me she obviously had a favorite adverb (obviously), I was sold. The central conceit revolves around Imogen visiting her best friend at college. The only problem is her friend lied about Imogen and her past, saying that Imogen was an ex-girlfriend. Suddenly, Imogen's heterosexuality is e

Back in January I reviewed Avengers: War Across Time #1 . I praised it for its high action, classic style and its control of storyline. I had high hopes that the five issues would deliver something huge.  What we got was something undoubtedly huge, but didn't quite deliver on its promises. Avengers: War Across Time showcases Iron-Man, Thor, Captain America, Ant-Man and the Wasp as they hope to overtake Kang. Or at least, that's what the initial issue led us to believe. But things quickly changed as Thor's hammer is abducted by Sindri, King of the Dwarves. What we get over the course of two more issues is a side quest revolving around Sindri and the thievery of the hammer. Like issue #1, the issues that follow are high on action. But as I read, I wondered what happened to Kang? From the onset, War Across Time was built around Kang obtaining a wide range of the Avenger's personal artifacts. But that entire thread is removed in favor of chasing Sindri. It's odd to say

This #BookTalkTuesday brings us the absolutely charming Imogen, Obviously by @beckyalbertalli - like Simon, Kate and Upside, Albertalli hits all the right notes. 🏳️‍🌈 #book #books #booktalk #bookfluencer #booktok pic.twitter.com/JlNLUftfTG — Daniel Valentin (@DanielJValentin) May 9, 2023

To me, David Grann can do no wrong. Where much of nonfiction stays at a bird's eye view, giving you the landscape, Grann takes you to eye level--offering a journey in your field of vision. The result? The experience feels tangible, and the adventure feels human. Grann's The Wager  doesn't quite reach the heights set forth in Killers of the Flower Moon . But truthfully, does anything? The Wager doesn't have enough story or enough primary documents to support it. That should be a detractor, but it's not. Grann relies on multiple diaries and documents to piece the story together. At times, the events of the story conflict with each other. But that's exactly Grann's point. We can never fully know what happened on The Wager , but we can guess; and the truth is probably some murky in-between of what we can hobble together. The Wager follows the story of a captain and his crew who travel around Cape Horn in search of great finds. The travel is nothing short of disa

What do we do with the monsters of the art world? From Roman Polanski to Woody Allen to Anne Sexton and Joni Mitchell, from "geniuses" like Picasso and Hemingway to modern punk music and JK Rowling, Dederer throws a wide net of monsters and wrestles with the question we all want an answer to: when does someone's art allow us to overlook their monstrous deeds? Of course, there are no easy answers here. Claire Dederer narrates every moment, wondering about the ethics of revisiting Annie Hall and Manhattan . Each new art piece expanding our definition of monster and wondering about our consumption. And there's rarely a monster you can think of that isn't mentioned: Michael Jackson, Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump, and the list goes on and on. Each chapter is assigned a theme from drunkards, to women abusers, to anti-Semites--it's beyond thorough. But let's also be clear, it's deeply fascinating. Claire Dederer's prose is something I haven't seen s

This #BookTalkTuesday brings you April’s biggest release The Wager by @DavidGrann - as always - no one does nonfiction quite like Grann, and there is really no comparison when it comes this oceanic adventure. #book #books #booktalk #bookfluencer #BookBoost pic.twitter.com/3DFwjAkBYM — Daniel Valentin (@DanielJValentin) May 2, 2023