6 novels and 59 comic book issues!
August felt like a slog, despite having a little bit of time off; it just seemed to remind me that I’ve not taken enough time off this year to relax… and not do busy things like getting married!
Another big thing that happened was that Obsidian released their Bases update, and this has blown my mind and changed my life. I’ve been obsessed with reworking my vault of notes for all the possibilities for the last couple of weeks, and one of those projects has been reworking – and rejuvenating – how I keep track of the books I’ve read, but more importantly, comic books!
This update was well-timed because I was just running out of collected Marvel Masterworks volumes on Goodreads to track my Uncanny X-Men reading. It turns out Volume 17 isn’t even published yet! Goodreads only has trade paperbacks, so it is not good for tracking single issues, and I’d not found another solution that I liked… until Bases unlocked some new potential for a workflow in my own digital notes. I will get around to posting how I’m doing that – and tracking books – once I’ve stopped messing about with it!
6 books read: 2 audiobooks and 3 ebooks!
Retreat by Krysten Ritter⭐⭐⭐
This was a nice, easy popcorn read, and I was pleasantly surprised by how satisfying the twisty plot was.
Lies Sleeping (Rivers of London #7) by Ben Aaronovitch ⭐⭐⭐
I didn’t enjoy this as much as I should have, given that it had the elements I usually enjoy, and realised I was growing tired of this series.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was weird and wonderful. I am very glad I’d read Life Ceremony before this one because it picks up a lot of the same themes and even expands on ideas in some of those short stories.
False Value (Rivers of London #8) by Ben Aaronovitch ⭐⭐⭐
It was time to break up with Peter Grant after this one. I realised I really don’t care any more, and this series is never going to give me what I actually want from it.
Sweetpea (Sweetpea #1) by C.J. Skuse ⭐⭐⭐
This was a fun little bit of murder! I enjoyed how British it is, and Rhiannon’s bitter, bitchy point of view.
Wyrd Sisters (Discworld #6, Witches #2) by Terry Pratchett ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved re-reading this on audio! It’s such a joy, and it feels like, at this point in the series, Sir Terry is getting into the swing of things.
Marvel Unlimited
Still obsessed with X-Men. Thanks to my new method of tracking individual issues, I know that I read 59 issues last month! Since I am going to be tracking single issues, I’ve not worked out yet how I want to report on them in my monthly round-ups going forward.
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 15 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Collecting Uncanny X-Men 220-231
This collection loses a star because I’d been very excited to get to Mr Sinister, and when it looks like it’s finally happening (after an incredible build-up in the massacre of the Morlocks) that plot gets dropped in favour of this Adversary plot with Storm and Naze!
I found The Adversary story a real slog to get through. It moved very slowly for too many issues, it felt like it went around the houses twice, and I never actually understood what was happening and so The Adversary never felt like a real threat, despite the huge sacrifice required to stop it in the end! The climax did not match the lacklustre buildup, which also involved dragging in Freedom Force / Brotherhood of Evil Mutants + those 3 old guys (Stonewall, Super Sabre and Crimson Comando) Storm and Wolverine met in the mountains.
The only good thing was that Storm got her powers back at long last. I just wish the way she did it had been less convoluted!
I have also enjoyed the new team. I really like Psylocke and find her confidence and competence to be a great addition. She filled the telepath role extremely well, in Prof. X’s absence (and she’s not a dick like he often is!). Longshot is very fun too. I might have to go and read his series to get more background. It took a long time to realise he’s actually an alien, not a mutant! I like Dazzler, but her reluctance and apparently inability to learn a lesson is starting to test my patience by the end. I do love seeing Wolverine in a teacher/mentor role, though!
By the end, Colossus is back in action but stuck in his armoured form. Meanwhile, Kitty and Nightcrawler are still recovering from their injuries, and think the X-Men (plus Madelyn) died closing the portal to defeat The Adversary.
The last couple of issues have the team (presumed dead) in Australia.
I’ve been reading X-Factor alongside, and the two stories only intersected for Cyclop’s messy personal drama when Maddie (he thinks she is dead already, and he is now back with not-dead Jean) made a plea on TV for him to find their son before she “died” with the X-Men. The high-profile heroics of both teams have also led to a swell in mutant popularity again. What I’m finding funny is I think Madelyn has much more personality than Jean does (I always find Jean Grey so bland)! Maybe that’s Claremont’s influence? I don’t know.
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 16 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Collecting Uncanny X-Men 232-243
This is the good stuff!!
Mr Sinister at long last! And the Goblin Queen! X-Men and X-Faxtor intersect, and I’m finally able to start appreciating Jean Grey as a character in her own right – beyond the gaze of all the men that lose their minds over her. The Madelyn plot felt like a long road (and when she explains it all, not convinced this was planned, some of it feels forced!), but I loved the payoff, and it ended up giving me a new perspective on Jean and added so much more dimension after I’ve found her so bland for so long.
I vastly prefer the X-Men cast to anyone in X-Factor, and seeing the two teams together on the page was an interesting contrast. Storm, in particular, has come a very long way, and the challenges of leadership have made her a much harder and less idealistic character than she was before Cyclops left the team.
Mr Sinister is such a batshit character, and I love him! Why is he so obsessed with Jean and Scott? It’s never really clarified! But, does it need to be? Everyone needs a hobby.
The Goblin Queen stuff with the Limbo demons did confuse me a bit because I’ve not read any Magick, and I think the backstory is probably mostly in there.
I continue to enjoy Psylocke as an addition to the team, Longshot and Dazzler I’m less sure about. I get the feeling Dazzler might not stick around too much longer. Colossus is back in action, but still no Nightcrawler or Kitty.
Essential X-Factor, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐
Collecting X-Factor (1986) #17-35
Read as single issues on Marvel Unlimited. I also have already read to #39 by the time I remembered to write this review, so I’ll probably confuse issues!
I only read this because it leads up to and into Uncanny X-Men for the Inferno event with the Goblin Queen.
I just don’t enjoy the writing or these characters as much; it really stands out when you read in parallel with Uncanny X-Men! Hank and Bobby do nothing for me; they’re just there as a sideshow for Scott and Jean’s soap opera drama, which was fun but is now getting a little exhausting.
Angel was transformed into Death by Apocalypse, who took advantage of his depression and anger over his wings being removed without his consent. The impact of his on the team and Warren was a bit lost on me because I didn’t feel like I knew his character and dynamic with the rest of them well enough. Up to that point, he’s been almost exclusively mooning over Jean despite having a girlfriend, so I wasn’t loving him.
I also feel like there is some backtracking on what happened there, like Candy walking in on him trying to profess his love for Jean (who rejected him) was a “misunderstanding”… sure, pal.
I keep thinking how much better this all could have been if led by Claremont!
There are also all the kids living with X-Factor, and they have some adventures. I love Artie and Leech, Rusty is fine, and I love Skids. Rictor is also fine (I understand his issues are due to trauma), but I cannot stand Boom Boom, who tends to take centre stage.
I’m always counting down the issues to when I can pop back over to Uncanny!
Currently reading
I’m about to finish In Bloom (Sweetpea #2) on audio. I’ve really enjoyed it, maybe more than the first.
I’m also slowly slogging my way through A Court of Thorns and Roses (I hate this title, I have to stop and think about the ACOTAR acronym every time I want to say/write it). I’m not enjoying it, but my new approach to note-taking has at least given me a bit of a boost in treating reading it more like a project. It’s certainly not for entertainment. I think it’ll be 2 stars in the end because it’s not terrible (at 50%), it’s just boring me, and I constantly lose focus.
Adding to TBR
Two books I’ve had on my watch list for ages cropped up for 99p. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides and To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers.
I also finally got around to ordering a big box of books from Bookshop.org of all my favourite books from the last couple of years. I read almost exclusively eBooks I get for 99p, so when I find something special that I want to keep in a physical library, I’ll buy them again in paperback. Books have to earn their place on my IRL shelves! It’s making me happy to see them up there.
Book Tag/TTT!
I’m really loving joining in with Top Ten Tuesday! I’ve now added a category to my blog for these posts to make them easier to find. It is a really fun way to find new blogs and potential book friends.
- 10 Weird Books with Ambiguous Plots
- 11 Books to Put an End to Your Reading Slump
- 14 drawings from my old sketch book that bring me joy
- 12 Books with an Occupation in the Title
