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sappho's reviews
147 reviews
The Power Fantasy Volume 1: The Superpowers by Kieron Gillen
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
How Could You by Ren Strapp
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Some of the pages were laid out in ways that were unintuitive to follow (two short stacked panels, and then one tall panel to the right, I would read the tall panel second when the dialogue intends for you to read it third, many such cases. perhaps co-reading this along with scott mccloud's "making comics" book is making me be a dunning-kreuger weisenheimer about it) but overall I really enjoyed this!
Dyke Drama: The Book, but in a way that is so incredibly different from my first read of the year, Dykette. This one obviously has younger characters but it also feels a lot more grounded. The emotions are still high and every setback feels like the end of the world to Molly+Yona+co., but in a way that could happen IRL (sometimes unrealistic fiction is good! i just was charmed by how true-to-life this felt.)
Dyke Drama: The Book, but in a way that is so incredibly different from my first read of the year, Dykette. This one obviously has younger characters but it also feels a lot more grounded. The emotions are still high and every setback feels like the end of the world to Molly+Yona+co., but in a way that could happen IRL (sometimes unrealistic fiction is good! i just was charmed by how true-to-life this felt.)
Occulted by Ryan Estrada, Amy Rose
medium-paced
3.25
Diversity win! The cult leader abusing you is ambiguously nonbinary.
Could be tied together better, I’m not clear on what became of her mother or sisters. I always feel bad criticizing memoirs for unrevealed relevant information because I think that most people like to keep some privacy and deserve to do so, but you did at many points opt into writing a memoir. The story is pretty wild and interesting, it’s just not my favorite execution of it.
Could be tied together better, I’m not clear on what became of her mother or sisters. I always feel bad criticizing memoirs for unrevealed relevant information because I think that most people like to keep some privacy and deserve to do so, but you did at many points opt into writing a memoir. The story is pretty wild and interesting, it’s just not my favorite execution of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
TSBIT is still my favorite of his (the historical setting gives the author fewer outlets to be didactic about terminology compared to this and his other works, probably useful for younger crowds but not something I need as much of) but still a grand old time.
Time to Party by Molly Knox Ostertag
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
OHHHHHHH I KNEW IT!!! WHAT A TREAT!!!!
A Trans Man Walks Into a Gay Bar by Harry Nicholas
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Pretty middling, not a lot of information I didn’t already know, and it feels silly to read a memoir by a 26yo random trans person as a 26yo random trans person. I’m sure if I was a 19yo freshly-cracked gay trans guy this would be really meaningful though.
Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Club: Roll Call by Molly Knox Ostertag
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really really liked this book! Amelia Allore on the colors was such a welcome surprise; she has such a distinctive eye for palettes and it really made this book shine. I appreciated how grounded the conflicts felt: that one lone wolf player who strikes up PVP at the most inopportune times is a type of person every D&D player is going to have to interact with eventually.
It made me reflect a lot on my relationship with D&D: I don’t tend to put a lot of myself into my characters, I hold my emotions close to my chest. Whenever I try to DM, I feel like I have to micromanage everything, like I don’t know how to respond to a single question thrown at me, and like I’m fighting against every other person at the table. Maybe I just need to have an open mind and heart like these kids, and stop playing overly quirky pastry shop one-shots that don’t have anxious beginners and tables of near-strangers in mind.
Also Jess’s dad is a style icon and I love him.
It made me reflect a lot on my relationship with D&D: I don’t tend to put a lot of myself into my characters, I hold my emotions close to my chest. Whenever I try to DM, I feel like I have to micromanage everything, like I don’t know how to respond to a single question thrown at me, and like I’m fighting against every other person at the table. Maybe I just need to have an open mind and heart like these kids, and stop playing overly quirky pastry shop one-shots that don’t have anxious beginners and tables of near-strangers in mind.
Also Jess’s dad is a style icon and I love him.
A Short History of Trans Misogyny by Jules Gill-Peterson
Bite-sized, not all there with regards to hijra and travesti realities, but in a way that motivates me to want to read more, which is all you can ask of a book really.