sphynxreads's reviews
757 reviews

Young Avengers by Heinberg & Cheung Omnibus by Jim Cheung, Alan Davis, Andrea Di Vito, Allan Heinberg

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adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is my first foray into Marvel Comics, and I have to say, I'm a little bit disappointed. In this collection I only really liked the Children's Crusade storyline and a few of the issues with Runaways crossovers, but the rest simply fell flat for me. Many of the stories were just downright dull, with big action scenes not feeling like they've really been earned. Still, I was so engrossed with the Children's Crusade that I'm definitely willing to give Marvel Comics another shot in the future. I'm open to taking suggestions for another omnibus to check out if anyone has any.
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

Cal Newport likes to drone at times, but I really enjoyed this book in large part because I agree with many of the principles he espouses. For the past decade or so, I have been known among my peers as being "chronically online", and it has taken a lot of humility and introspection to admit to myself that my social media habits and phone use have hijacked much of my life, not just my attention span and overall mental health but also my overall character and many of my relationships with other people.

I've already learned beforehand a lot of the points raised here by Newport, but I found his arguments to be compelling and validating. But two new key takeaways from this book I have are one, social media is not as important to cultivate a rich social life as tech companies would convince us it is, and two, it consumes so much more of our time than it should. From recently limiting my social media use with Screenzen, for example, I've realized I get pretty much the same value from using Instagram for 10 minutes tops in a day as I do when I've used it 4 hours on average. Yikes to my old self, but we're here to learn.

Overall, I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to reevaluate their relationship with social media and smartphones and wants to get more out of life beyond the screen
Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country by Patricia Evangelista

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

4.5

An incredible snapshot of not just Duterte's drug war but also recent Philippine history written in a manner that effectively contextualizes many memorable events often reduced to soundbites and TikToks. Evangelista's command of language is astonishing and her ability to show the bigger picture without losing the necessary emotion of more intimate moments is worthy of thunderous applause. The accounts herein are as harrowing, frustrating, and tragic as much as they ring with clarion truth. All that said, while I understand that this was written with an international audience in mind, I do feel that a lot of things are lost in translation and are portrayed through a more Western lens. Much of Evangelista's sentiments and the way in which she frames certain behaviors, language, or events doesn't feel like it would be relatable to the average Filipino. There was also something about one of the latter chapters, touching on the contrition of previous Duterte supporters, that felt a bit off-putting. Overall though, a highly recommended read for anyone, whether from the homeland or abroad, who wants to make sense of the countless murders that took place during the time of Duterte, if sense at all could be made of them.
Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by John Zeratsky, Jake Knapp

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funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

Perhaps the fact that someone I like recommended this to me clouds my usual judgment, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The writing is very casual and conversational that I managed to finish this in no time. That said, I would love to revisit different sections at other times because I share a lot of the underlying principles that the authors have in listing out these tips towards meaningful productivity. I liked how while many of the tips are pretty easy to do, there are quite a few that really challenge your thinking about your life goals, your technology habits, and how you do self-care. Overall a solid self-help book that doesn't feel pretentious but is rather grounded, humorous, and healthily optimistic. Definitely highly recommended for the modern audience in search of ways to better their lives just a little bit.
If Tomorrow Doesn't Come by Jen St. Jude

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

At this point I'm quite convinced the sapphics are incapable of writing bad stories, because this was just so beautiful that I wish a lot more people knew about it. While it took me some time to get used to the writing, I loved just how thoughtful and reflective the tone was. The mental health representation here is spot on and I found myself relating to Avery's struggles with her depression,  religious trauma, and queerness. The characters here are so well-realized and feel very grounded that I would've loved to be part of their bunker group even if the world was facing its inevitable ending. I thought this would just be a 4-star read but that ending was so beautiful and heartfelt that I had to bump it up a bit. Highly recommend this one!
When You Call My Name by Tucker Shaw

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

I'm almost ashamed to say I just came for the twinks on the cover, because I am leaving this read with so much more. I mean, wow, talk about a book that packs an emotional punch without having to be glamorous in its writing. It just hits you because of how endearing, relatable, and precious the main characters are. I am so happy that even with an intriguing premise that pretty much hints at how the story is gonna go, it went in a different direction that allowed space for so much more nuance and humanity. Definitely a new favorite.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad slow-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

How can a book be so beautifully melancholy? By now, you've probably heard just about everything you need to know about this book. How it's slow-going, how it feels pretentious, how it should have had more people of color, etc. But what can I say? To use current Internet slang, "the girlies who get it, get it." I think a lot of the criticism this book has garnered is a bit unfair, as to me it seems quite evident that there is something very intimate and personal about Schwab's approach to the story and the characters. That's not to say this book is anywhere near perfect. I think it could have been a bit shorter, had a more cohesive plot, and a clearer sense of direction, but at the end of the day the simple truth is that this book worked for me. The story kept me intrigued, I was invested in the characters, the pacing relaxed my nerves, and the writing while very straightforward and simple just tugged at my heartstrings in all the right moments. Definitely one of those books you just have to try out and finish to see if its for you or not, no way around it. As for myself, I'll be thinking about this book for a while.
My Shadow is Pink by Scott Stuart

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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? No

5.0

A delightful, simple, yet touching story about what gender norms might mean to kids and why it matters that we don't shame them for who they are.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was so incredibly well-written and yet so accessible that I did not anticipate just how many passages here left my jaw on the floor. I think I might be in love with James Baldwin's mind that I'll definitely pick up more of his works. It's such a haunting, honest, and tragic look into internalized homophobia and toxic masculinity that I think I'll have to revisit and annotate this book in the future. Highest of recommendations.
Locke & Key: Master Edition, Volume Three by Joe Hill

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow! My jaw is on the floor because of how everything came together in this finale. I honestly want to read the whole series again! This last volume was absolutely thrilling and had tons of action, magic, tragedy, and heart—all the workings of a great story! This definitely makes my top graphic novel series list.