Books

Below are all of the books I have read and logged, along with my ratings and reviews.

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Score	Author	Title	Year	Genre	Review
8	Kate Moore	*The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women*	2016	History	This story is, of course, terrifying, heartbreaking, and incensing, but the thing that Kate Moore accomplishes the best by the end of it is drawing out how inspiring these ladies were. I cannot imagine going through what they did, let alone going through it with faith intact, regularly finding things to relish in a life that, from such a young age, brought them such unspeakable, unfair, hardships. Moore writes these women with such care, highlighting the things they find bright in their dark lives, that it wasn't even so much the horrific descriptions of their physical traumas that most got to me (though those were tough to read, over and over and over), but it was the descriptions of the way their emotional heartbreaks were rendered in some of the hardest moments -- thoughts of not seeing their children run through the house playing anymore bringing them to heaving sobs in a courtroom, having to express fears their husbands would leave them due to their death sentences -- that most humanized their stories. Reviewed on Friday, January 19th, 2024, 8:26am.	Kate Moore - The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women - History - 2016 - This story is, of course, terrifying, heartbreaking, and incensing, but the thing that Kate Moore accomplishes the best by the end of it is drawing out how inspiring these ladies were. I cannot imagine going through what they did, let alone going through it with faith intact, regularly finding things to relish in a life that, from such a young age, brought them such unspeakable, unfair, hardships. Moore writes these women with such care, highlighting the things they find bright in their dark lives, that it wasn't even so much the horrific descriptions of their physical traumas that most got to me (though those were tough to read, over and over and over), but it was the descriptions of the way their emotional heartbreaks were rendered in some of the hardest moments -- thoughts of not seeing their children run through the house playing anymore bringing them to heaving sobs in a courtroom, having to express fears their husbands would leave them due to their death sentences -- that most humanized their stories.
8	Brian K. Vaughan	*Saga, Volume 6*	2016	Science Fiction / Graphic Novel	This one felt like a bit of a restart or a clear beginning of a major chapter within the overall story, and so maybe felt a little exposition-heavy in trying to set the table back up. I didn't get a firm grasp on the refugee angle they were going for, and didn't necessarily feel the drama or danger there, but it all had a really nice payoff. Some new characters were introduced, some old ones returned, and I think we're off to the races for a really interesting part of the story. I almost wonder if it'd be better to simply review the Saga comic as a whole once I'm done, because it can feel a little unfair and almost like I'm logging and reviewing the chapter of a book. Reviewed on Monday, January 16th, 2023, 9:26am.	Brian K. Vaughan - Saga, Volume 6 - Science Fiction / Graphic Novel - 2016 - This one felt like a bit of a restart or a clear beginning of a major chapter within the overall story, and so maybe felt a little exposition-heavy in trying to set the table back up. I didn't get a firm grasp on the refugee angle they were going for, and didn't necessarily feel the drama or danger there, but it all had a really nice payoff. Some new characters were introduced, some old ones returned, and I think we're off to the races for a really interesting part of the story. I almost wonder if it'd be better to simply review the Saga comic as a whole once I'm done, because it can feel a little unfair and almost like I'm logging and reviewing the chapter of a book.
7	James S. A. Corey	*Babylon’s Ashes*	2016	Science Fiction / The Expanse	A tiny step back from the heart-stopping drama of Nemesis Games, but a great continuation of the action here. It's nice to get Marco and Naomi's relationship, and in turn, Filip, fleshed out a bit more, and to see how the authors paint the picture of the political and human aftermath of the rocks hitting Earth. The end feels slightly like a cop-out, but they do a good job of building up the "erasing" of the Free Navy throughout to where it doesn't feel out-of-nowhere. Reviewed on Sunday, August 7th, 2022, 12:00am.	James S. A. Corey - Babylon’s Ashes - Science Fiction / The Expanse - 2016 - A tiny step back from the heart-stopping drama of Nemesis Games, but a great continuation of the action here. It's nice to get Marco and Naomi's relationship, and in turn, Filip, fleshed out a bit more, and to see how the authors paint the picture of the political and human aftermath of the rocks hitting Earth. The end feels slightly like a cop-out, but they do a good job of building up the "erasing" of the Free Navy throughout to where it doesn't feel out-of-nowhere.

Score

Author

Title

Year

Genre

Review

Kate Moore

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women

2016

History

This story is, of course, terrifying, heartbreaking, and incensing, but the thing that Kate Moore accomplishes the best by the end of it is drawing out how inspiring these ladies were. I cannot imagine going through what they did, let alone going through it with faith intact, regularly finding things to relish in a life that, from such a young age, brought them such unspeakable, unfair, hardships. Moore writes these women with such care, highlighting the things they find bright in their dark lives, that it wasn't even so much the horrific descriptions of their physical traumas that most got to me (though those were tough to read, over and over and over), but it was the descriptions of the way their emotional heartbreaks were rendered in some of the hardest moments -- thoughts of not seeing their children run through the house playing anymore bringing them to heaving sobs in a courtroom, having to express fears their husbands would leave them due to their death sentences -- that most humanized their stories.

Reviewed on Friday, January 19th, 2024, 8:26am.

Kate Moore - The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women - History - 2016 - This story is, of course, terrifying, heartbreaking, and incensing, but the thing that Kate Moore accomplishes the best by the end of it is drawing out how inspiring these ladies were. I cannot imagine going through what they did, let alone going through it with faith intact, regularly finding things to relish in a life that, from such a young age, brought them such unspeakable, unfair, hardships. Moore writes these women with such care, highlighting the things they find bright in their dark lives, that it wasn't even so much the horrific descriptions of their physical traumas that most got to me (though those were tough to read, over and over and over), but it was the descriptions of the way their emotional heartbreaks were rendered in some of the hardest moments -- thoughts of not seeing their children run through the house playing anymore bringing them to heaving sobs in a courtroom, having to express fears their husbands would leave them due to their death sentences -- that most humanized their stories.

Brian K. Vaughan

Saga, Volume 6

2016

Science Fiction / Graphic Novel

This one felt like a bit of a restart or a clear beginning of a major chapter within the overall story, and so maybe felt a little exposition-heavy in trying to set the table back up. I didn't get a firm grasp on the refugee angle they were going for, and didn't necessarily feel the drama or danger there, but it all had a really nice payoff. Some new characters were introduced, some old ones returned, and I think we're off to the races for a really interesting part of the story. I almost wonder if it'd be better to simply review the Saga comic as a whole once I'm done, because it can feel a little unfair and almost like I'm logging and reviewing the chapter of a book.

Reviewed on Monday, January 16th, 2023, 9:26am.

Brian K. Vaughan - Saga, Volume 6 - Science Fiction / Graphic Novel - 2016 - This one felt like a bit of a restart or a clear beginning of a major chapter within the overall story, and so maybe felt a little exposition-heavy in trying to set the table back up. I didn't get a firm grasp on the refugee angle they were going for, and didn't necessarily feel the drama or danger there, but it all had a really nice payoff. Some new characters were introduced, some old ones returned, and I think we're off to the races for a really interesting part of the story. I almost wonder if it'd be better to simply review the Saga comic as a whole once I'm done, because it can feel a little unfair and almost like I'm logging and reviewing the chapter of a book.

James S. A. Corey

Babylon’s Ashes

2016

Science Fiction / The Expanse

A tiny step back from the heart-stopping drama of Nemesis Games, but a great continuation of the action here. It's nice to get Marco and Naomi's relationship, and in turn, Filip, fleshed out a bit more, and to see how the authors paint the picture of the political and human aftermath of the rocks hitting Earth. The end feels slightly like a cop-out, but they do a good job of building up the "erasing" of the Free Navy throughout to where it doesn't feel out-of-nowhere.

Reviewed on Sunday, August 7th, 2022, 12:00am.

James S. A. Corey - Babylon’s Ashes - Science Fiction / The Expanse - 2016 - A tiny step back from the heart-stopping drama of Nemesis Games, but a great continuation of the action here. It's nice to get Marco and Naomi's relationship, and in turn, Filip, fleshed out a bit more, and to see how the authors paint the picture of the political and human aftermath of the rocks hitting Earth. The end feels slightly like a cop-out, but they do a good job of building up the "erasing" of the Free Navy throughout to where it doesn't feel out-of-nowhere.

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