Review – State Tectonics by Malka Older

State Tectonics
By: Malka Older
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: The Centennal Cycle
Rating:


I have been reading Malka Older’s Centenal Cycle series since it’s debut in 2016. It is a series which proved oddly timely, speaking directly to events which, as of its writing, hadn’t yet come to pass – namely, the events surrounding the 2016 US presidential election. Now, the series has come to a close with the third book in the series, State Tectonics. Like the two before it, State Tectonics is an oddly timely, fascinating look at politics, democracy, and the availability and spread of data and other information. Set on a future earth with a world government and micro-democracies, this is a book that shouldn’t be missed.

#WickedReads – 5 Times Edison Could Have Used a Break and Shared a KitKat

Happy (day after) Halloween, everyone. Today, we are celebrating Halloween, candy, #wickedreads, and sharing some candy with friends. This week I was invited participate in the #WickedReads campaign being run by Penguin. The book this post is based on is a fantastic middle grade graphic novel by Frank Cammuso titled Edison Beaker Creature Seeker: The Night Door.

Due to the nature of this post, there are going to be some spoilers. I’ll try not to spoil too many huge plot points, but I will be mentioning various events very briefly. If you haven’t yet read Edison Beaker Creature Seeker: The Night Door by Frank Cammuso and don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading here, go find a copy of this wonderful graphic novel, and dig in. Everyone else, let’s dig in!

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Review – The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente

The Refridgerator Monologues
By: Catherynne M. Valente
Illustrator: Annie Wu
Release Date: June 6, 2017
Publisher: Saga Press
Rating:


Catherynne Valente’s The Refrigerator Monologues is a slim novel that packs one hell of a punch. It is at once a collection of short stories and a novel. While there are multiple stories from different women being told, they come together and paint a very vivid world filled with superheroes and villains, an afterlife rich in community with a certain life of its own, and the women who were used, hurt, and forgotten by those who were supposed to love them.

Review – My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Vol. 2 by Hideyuki Furuhashi & Betten Court

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Vol. 2
By: Hideyuki Furuhashi
Illustrator: Betten Court (artist); John Hunt (touch-up art and lettering); Julian Robinson (designer)
Translator: Caleb Cook
Release Date: October 2, 2018
Publisher: VIZ Media
Series: My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


October 2nd saw the release of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Vol. 2 by Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court. This volume explores the quirk based society from the eyes of a vigilante hero while continuing with themes and questions presented both in the first volume and the series proper.

Book Haul – An Update and Books I’ve Gotten from Publishers Recently

Some of you may be wondering why things have been a little slow over here at Looking Glass Reads. This is two-part. I was sick twice in the last three weeks. After it took a solid 30 minutes to read three pages of a book, and retaining none of it, I decided to call off reading for the time being. Then, upon getting well, I immediately dove headlong into some heavy editing of a nonfiction title for work. So…I’m a little behind.

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#MangaMonday Review – Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito

Frankenstein: Junji Into Story Collection
By: Junji Ito
Release Date: October 16, 2018
Publisher: VIZ Media
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


If a manga bears Junji Ito’s name you can be certain I’ll be reading it. Recently, I received an early copy of Frankenstein: Junji Ito Short Story Collection by Junji Ito.

A caveat I want to note – the e-arc I received only had Frankenstein. There are two other short stories included in the collection. One of these is the Oshikiri story cycle, and I believe there is something featuring Ito’s dog as well. Once I get a copy of the final copy this review will be updated to include my thoughts on this as well.

Review – Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne

Kill the Farm Boy
By: Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Publisher: Del Rey
Series: The Tales of Pell
Rating:


I was very curious when I first heard about Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne. Written by two authors I really like and with a fun premise, I was excited. After all, who doesn’t like a trope smashing, funny, romp through a fantasy world?

#Spookathon TBR

This readathon was originally begun by BooksandLala with the intent of reading a thriller in October. The hosts this year are booktubers BooksandLala, Bookerly, and Peter Likes Books. The rules of this readathon are pretty loose, especially compared to other readathons I’ve been participating in recently such as the NEWTs Readathon. There are five challenges in all this year. One book can count for two or more challenges. And for the fourth challenge – read a book with a spooky word in the title – readers can pick whatever word they feel is spooky. The readathon will be running from October 15, 2018 to 21.

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Review – Witchmark by C. L. Polk

Witchmark
By: C. L. Polk
Release Date: June 19, 2018
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: The Kingston Cycle
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


This book has been sitting on my kindle waiting for me to read it for quite some time. Now, my only wish is that I’d gotten to it sooner. Witchmark by C. L. Polk is an absolutely fantastic novel about magic, love, family, war, and the bonds between siblings.