Outside of a Dog

LingLass reviewed Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Brown Girl Dreaming (Hardcover, 2014, Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Group))

Newbery Honor Book National Book Award Finalist

Review of 'Brown Girl Dreaming' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is an autobiography in free-verse vignettes that presents the author’s family and her childhood in Ohio, South Carolina, and New York City. It presents a child’s first-hand view of larger events such as the civil rights activism occurring across America in the 60s and 70s. But also details her personal growth in making friends, bonding with relatives, learning to read, and learning to love writing. I’m from the same generation as Woodson, so the child’s perspective on the cultural events she described resonated perfectly with me. I also recognize the magic of visiting grandparents in the country, enjoying summer nights, home grown vegetables, and neighborly interactions. The book is a lovely mix of recollections of moments both national and individual that shaped the author. While it’s marketed for middle schoolers, probably because of the age of the narrator, the story would be appealing to adult readers, too.

LingLass reviewed Stray Spirit by R. K. Ashwick

No cover — Stray Spirit (2022, RK Ashwick Books)

Review of 'Stray Spirit' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and voluntary review.

This is a sweet and well plotted fantasy tale about a musician, a scholar, and a tree spirit who become friends during a series of catastrophic, mythologically driven earthquakes. The culture of the region is well constructed, including travel by subterranean river rafting, a believable system of spirits and shrines, and an intricate music guild. The story nicely balances the different characters’ worries and skills. Major events include a fraught music competition, a quest for historical interpretations of catastrophes in folktales, and multiple layers of new and rekindled relationships. It’s a light and enjoyable tale with compelling characters. I’ll keep an eye out for more of the saga.

LingLass reviewed Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Killers of the Flower Moon (2017, Vintage)

Review of 'Killers of the Flower Moon' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This was an informative and disturbing history of events in the 1920s in the state of Oklahoma. For readers who are stressed out by recent political fighting in the 21st century, this story shows that the intersection of racism, power, and corruption is a longstanding theme in American affairs--both locally and nationally. I’m happy to have learned about this history, though sad to have discovered the inner workings of how the Osage were treated for so long. Overall, I’d recommend this book. However, I found the writing style distracting. I think it’s the attempt to pack the collection of many details and sequences of deep research into a narrative. The stylistic affect is that it’s aimed too low. With all the transitions of “One day, two men were out hunting,” “One day, Hale’s pastures were set on fire,” I often felt like I was reading a 6th grade SRA card. …

This was an informative and disturbing history of events in the 1920s in the state of Oklahoma. For readers who are stressed out by recent political fighting in the 21st century, this story shows that the intersection of racism, power, and corruption is a longstanding theme in American affairs--both locally and nationally. I’m happy to have learned about this history, though sad to have discovered the inner workings of how the Osage were treated for so long. Overall, I’d recommend this book. However, I found the writing style distracting. I think it’s the attempt to pack the collection of many details and sequences of deep research into a narrative. The stylistic affect is that it’s aimed too low. With all the transitions of “One day, two men were out hunting,” “One day, Hale’s pastures were set on fire,” I often felt like I was reading a 6th grade SRA card. I also found that a lot of key information was appended after the main narrative, and might have been hinted at earlier for a better impact.

LingLass reviewed Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore

Battle of the Linguist Mages (Paperback, 2022, Tordotcom)

Review of 'Battle of the Linguist Mages' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

So fun! The lead character has a sustained, hilarious voice. The story playfully swirls together gaming, multiverses, linguistics, and politics. It offered a much more enticing case for anarchy than Doctorow’s pendantic Walkaway. By the time I finished this, my throat hurt, even while I longed to try out power morphemes.

LingLass reviewed Shadow tag by Louise Erdrich

Review of 'Shadow tag' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Engaging and disturbing, with a heck of a one-two punch at the end. Not only a good semi-autobiographical family saga, but fascinating coverage of several strands of Native American history in the U.S.

LingLass reviewed The new voices of fantasy by Peter S. Beagle

"In these nineteen stories, the enfants terribles of fantasy have arrived. The [book] captures some …

Review of 'The new voices of fantasy' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A fine collection of stories that are various flavors of clever and creepy.