But What If We're Wrong? Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past

Today's nonfiction post is on But What If We're Wrong? Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past by Chuck Klosterman. It is 262 pages long and is published by Blue Rider Press. The cover is white with the title in black. The intended reader is someone who is interested in modern philosophy. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- We live in a culture of casual certitude. This has always been the case, no matter how often that certainty has failed. Though no generation believes there’s nothing left to learn, every generation unconsciously assumes that what has already been defined and accepted is (probably) pretty close to how reality will be viewed in perpetuity. And then, of course, time passes. Ideas shift. Opinions invert. What once seemed reasonable eventually becomes absurd, replaced by modern perspectives that feel even more irrefutable and secure—until, of course, they don’t.
But What If We’re Wrong? visualizes the contemporary world as it will appear to those who'll perceive it as the distant past. Chuck Klosterman asks questions that are profound in their simplicity: How certain are we about our understanding of gravity? How certain are we about our understanding of time? What will be the defining memory of rock music, five hundred years from today? How seriously should we view the content of our dreams? How seriously should we view the content of television? Are all sports destined for extinction? Is it possible that the greatest artist of our era is currently unknown (or—weirder still—widely known, but entirely disrespected)? Is it possible that we “overrate” democracy? And perhaps most disturbing, is it possible that we’ve reached the end of knowledge?
Kinetically slingshotting through a broad spectrum of objective and subjective problems, But What If We’re Wrong? is built on interviews with a variety of creative thinkers—George Saunders, David Byrne, Jonathan Lethem, Kathryn Schulz, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Greene, Junot Díaz, Amanda Petrusich, Ryan Adams, Nick Bostrom, Dan Carlin, and Richard Linklater, among others—interwoven with the type of high-wire humor and nontraditional analysis only Klosterman would dare to attempt. It’s a seemingly impossible achievement: a book about the things we cannot know, explained as if we did. It’s about how we live now, once “now” has become “then.”

Review- This is an interesting book grabbling with modern history and how our modern world will be seen in the future. Klosterman is a pop culture essayist and he can get access to some of the greatest thinkers of our time and they will answer his questions. Klosterman questions television, sports, scientific theories, and philosophy. Of course he knows that all these questions are useless because whatever we imagine the future to be, it will be totally different. But that is also the point of the book, exploring that what we think we know is nothing like what we know in 50 or 100 or 5000 years. The writing is good, Klosterman is a master of the craft and makes the impossible question about how we think about anything in the far future. This book was an interesting exercise in thought and if you like modern philosophy, you should read this. 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 3

Today's post is on Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 3 by Ryōsuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi (Illustrations). It is 208 pages long and published by Shonen Jump. The cover has Louis Moriarty. As it is the third in the series, you need to have read the first two volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes re-imagining of classic characters and mysteries. There is some foul language, implied sexual assault, and some violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Just as everything appears to be going his way, Sherlock finds himself arrested for a murder he didn’t commit in a plot orchestrated by none other than Moriarty! He soon escapes police custody and sets out to clear his name. The victim, Count Drebber, wrote Sherlock’s name in blood before he died, but why? Will Sherlock be able to solve this puzzle and save himself?

Review- Sherlock has gained Moriarty's attention and Moriarty wants to test Sherlock's mettle. So watching from behind the scenes, Moriarty and his brothers want to see what Sherlock will do to get the information he needs. This volume was fun with Sherlock dealing with being wrongfully accused of murder and then dealing with his new celebrity from John's writing. Moriarty clan have big plans both for themselves and for Sherlock. I look forward to seeing my favorite stories from a new light. 

I give this volume a Five of out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

The Catch

Today's post is on The Catch by Amy Lea. It is 416 pages long and is published by Berkley. The cover is teal blue with the two main characters in the center. It is the third in a series, but you don't have to read the first two books to understand the story. There is mild foul language, sex, and no violence in this novel. The intended reader is someone who likes romance comedies. The story is told from first person of Melanie. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A grumpy lobster fisherman tosses a fashion influencer’s impeccably curated life overboard in the next romantic comedy from international bestselling author Amy Lea.
In a last-ditch effort to rescue her brand from the brink of irrelevance, Boston fashion influencer Melanie Karlsen finds herself in a rural fishing village on the east coast of Canada. The only thing scarier than nature itself? The burly and bearded bed-and-breakfast owner and fisherman, Evan Whaler—who single-handedly disproves the theory that Canadians are “nice.”
After a boating accident lands Evan unconscious in the hospital, Mel is mistaken for his fiancée by his welcoming yet quirky family, who are embroiled in a long-standing feud over the B&B. In a bold attempt to mend family fences, Mel agrees to fake their engagement for one week in exchange for Evan’s help with her social media content.
Amid long hikes and campfire chats, reeling in their budding feelings for each other proves more difficult by the day. But is Mel willing to sacrifice her picture-perfect life in the city for a chance at a true, unfiltered love in the wild?

Review- A cute, rom-com. Melanie is an influencer who is trying to re-brand herself and finds herself stuck in backwoods Canada for a week. She books BNB with a very grumpy owner. Of course there is more to the story than him just being grumpy and Mel learns that over the course of the story. This is a cute romance with cute characters and a strong thread of family. Both Mel and Evan are deeply involved with their families and they both value family. There sex is there and can easily be skipped with no detriment to the story. A cute beach read. 

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library. 

Cheeky Brat, Vol. 2

Today's manga post is on Cheeky Brat, Vol. 2 by Mitsubachi Miyuki. It is 194 pages long and is published by Yen Press. As it is the second volume in the series, you need to have read the first volume to understand the story. The cover has the two main characters on it. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, sports manga, and high school romances. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- I, Yuki, have no intention of admitting it. Never. The last thing I will ever do is plead guilty to the crime of maybe possibly having a soft spot for my cheeky playboy of an underclassman—who’s an absolute brat—Naruse. Speaking of which, instead of focusing on his strange grade school rivalry with this Shizuka guy, he needs to get his head in the game and focus on our qualifiers…!! Maybe I was expecting too much from him, after all…

Review- Naruse gets some good character development in this volume. An old friend comes into the story and he loves basketball and is annoyed with Naruse, who's so good at it, and doesn't really care. That makes Yuki question everything she thought about Naruse. Like maybe, she can't count on him to lead the team on the court. This volume was really good, it had some plot movement, character development, and comedy. I am curious about what is going to happen next. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena

Today's manga post is on Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena by Chiho Saitō and Be-Papas. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover is purple with Utena and Dios on it. As it is a re-telling of the original story, you do not need to have read the original manga to enjoy the story. There is no foul language, some sexual situations, and some violence in this manga. The intended reader is someone who likes classic shojo manga and re-telling's of them. The story is told from third person close of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

Blurb- A liberal adaptation of the movie by the same name, "The Adolescence of Utena" veers widely from its original source. More direct than the anime and more mature than the original manga series, this version of Chiho Saito's fractured fairy tale blasts Utena straight into the iconic stratosphere.

Review- A brilliant reimagining of the story of Revolutionary Girl Utena. Utena is seeking her boyfriend and walks into the duels and everything about them. I think that is a good addition to the mythology of Utena, adding more about Anthy and her brother. This manga really pushing into their relationship and how troubled it is. Utena is really a savior in this manga, she saves Anthy and others from being trapped in the past. If you have read the original story, you need to read this one. If you haven't read the original story, this is a great way to get into the world of Utena. I am looking forward to the last manga, so far, in this setting. 

I give this manga a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

Captive Hearts, Vol. 02

Today's manga post is on Captive Hearts, Vol. 02 by Matsuri Hino. It is  216 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has the two characters on it. As it is the second volume in the series, you need to have read the first volume to understand. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga and silly plots. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Megumi decides he wants to become a formal servant of the Kogami family so he can be worthy of Suzuka's love. But when wealthy heir Hiryu arrives to claim Suzuka as his bride, can Megumi even compete?

Review- So Megumi has decided that he wants to earn Suzuka's love but she wants more than ever to break the curse. She wants to know that Megumi's love for her is real and not a product of the curse. Also they learn that the curse was not originally one but something made from love. I am enjoying how this story is going with both Megumi and Suzuka are communicating and trying to help each other. I look forward to understanding the curse and seeing how much more silly the plot is going to get. 

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

Radiance

Today's fiction post is on Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente. It is 432 pages long and is published by TOR. The cover is half black and half white with a woman's figure in silhouette and a movie camera in front of her with golden light coming out of it. The intended reader is someone who likes science fiction with a lot of classic pulp. There is mild foul language, discussions of sex and sexuality, and no violence in this novel. The story is told in many ways from interviews to transcripts. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Radiance is a decopunk pulp SF alt-history space opera mystery set in a Hollywood-and solar system-very different from our own, from Catherynne M. Valente, the phenomenal talent behind the New York Times bestselling The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.
Severin Unck's father is a famous director of Gothic romances in an alternate 1946 in which talking movies are still a daring innovation due to the patent-hoarding Edison family. Rebelling against her father's films of passion, intrigue, and spirits from beyond, Severin starts making documentaries, traveling through space and investigating the levitator cults of Neptune and the lawless saloons of Mars. For this is not our solar system, but one drawn from classic science fiction in which all the planets are inhabited and we travel through space on beautiful rockets. Severin is a realist in a fantastic universe.
But her latest film, which investigates the disappearance of a diving colony on a watery Venus populated by island-sized alien creatures, will be her last. Though her crew limps home to earth and her story is preserved by the colony's last survivor, Severin will never return.
Told using techniques from reality TV, classic film, gossip magazines, and meta-fictional narrative, Radiance is a solar system-spanning story of love, exploration, family, loss, quantum physics, and silent film.

Review- This is an incredible piece of fiction, I have never read anything like this before. The story is centered on Severin and her life and her possible death. The setting is a galaxy that humanity can traverse via the Orient Express and all the movies are silent. The mystery at the heart is what happened on Venus and to Severin but the journey is the true joy of the the novel. The writing is excellent, the characters are moving and interesting, and the setting is incredible. I have not read anything by Valente before but I will be seeking her books out now. I highly recommend this novel. 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.