Reviews and Comments

Covers pretty much the history of pop music in Japan since the 60s or so, with an obvious focus on the 2000s. Disappointed not to see more coverage of shoegaze :)

Started off really well, especially the chapter "The First 800 Years", about the early relationship between romance, adventure, and the supernatural. Unfortunately took a bit of a dip with the discussion of the various controversies around Twilight. Still, worth reading for the background material, plus the discussion of some other contemporary vampire series.

The first two chapters cover successive Canadian governments' dismal records regarding Indigenous people and fossil fuel extraction. The book then takes a more optimistic turn and examines what a true just transition could look like and how we could build a caring economy. The last two chapters were, I felt, the strongest through, as the authors covered movement strategy and how we can work together.

Really interesting description of the interplay between neoliberalism and human rights, starting with the drafting of the UDHR and the battles over the inclusion of social or economic rights. Goes on to describe the way in which neoliberals saw economic freedom as the highest priority, and anything more egalitarian as the road to totalitarianism. Interesting detour into the early days of Amnesty, HRW, and the LSF (a short-lived offshoot of MSF), and the way at least the first two were willing to ignore economic hardship and focus solely on torture and political repression, while the LSF was explicitly anti-socialist. Lots of interesting stuff here, but the inclusion of frequent quotes from prominent neoliberals makes it a hard read -- they're all such thoroughly unpleasant people!

Genuinely amazed by how much Le Guin fits into what's pretty much just a novella. Colonialism, racism, environmental destruction, and toxic masculinity, sure, but also musings on the mental machinations therein. Particularly appreciated the way she plays with language -- the chapters from the point of view of the humans, particularly the truly awful Davidson, are brutal, while the chapters from the point of view of the Athsheans start off lyrical, almost dreamlike, but change over the course of the book as their ways of thinking are polluted by the Terrans. Highly recommended.

Probably even lower on dramatic tension than the first book, but that's just fine -- that's not what's needed here. Instead we have a gentle journey between various human settlements as the background to Dex and Mosscrops' developing relationship and their respective struggles with making sense of life.

Satellite Love follows Anna, a student at a school in small-town Japan, as she develops a relationship with an LEO satellite, culminating in her summoning it to earth as her friend, Leo. The book alternates between chapters told from the points of view of Anna and Leo, along with a few other characters (principally Anna's grandfather and Soki, a fellow student). I really liked the book, but it's not without its flaws and cautions. The writing seems a little uneven -- the first few chapters in particular seemed a little clunky, but it definitely picks up a lot after that. The main caution is that Anna's life is really tough -- shunned and bullied by her peers, she withdraws into an imaginary world, and the book doesn't shy away from showing where that leads. I thought it was a sad but beautiful book.

As is usually the case with anthologies, a couple fall flat, but the high points here more than make up for it, including one with forty puppies -- does it get any better? :)

An interesting read. Although it's billed as a 'history of gender', it'd perhaps be more accurate to say that each chapter starts with a historical scenario, but then segues into a wider discussion of gender.

Remarkably clear explanation not only of the method of zazen, but of how it fits into life as a whole. Frank about how zazen fits with goals, and particularly the problems of zazen as a secularized 'health' practice. The latter part of the book is particularly moving, presenting Uchiyama's last talk before retiring, reflecting on his life and the lessons he wanted to pass on.

This is a tough one. It's a beautiful book, and obviously full of nuggets of wisdom, but I'd be hard pushed to describe it as accessible.