Review: InuYasha, Vol 3: Good Intentions

InuYasha, Vol 3: Good Intentions by Rumiko Takahashi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay I admit I got bored halfway through reading this and switched to comics, but it's actually not bad.

I like that we're starting to see some new characters coming through - it's one of my fave things about this series. There are so many wonderful and weird characters that really shine through, and it was great fun being reintroduced to Shippo at the end of this volume since I forgot about him haha. He's so great!

Anyhoo, the main story is okay but the real fun happens towards the end there so it really does make you keen for the next one. I do love that the action doesn't get lost in the illustrations - it's always easy to follow which helps you stay in the story.

Will eventually continue but I think that's it for me for now. I need a time out from manga I think!

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Review: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is highly repetitive and yet so inspiring I kind of want to go start a company.

The premise: if you want to be a successful leader, you must filter everything you do through your Why - the reason you do what you do.

I love it. That idea of inspiration coming from your very soul and filtering all your choices through that purpose - it makes sense. If you focus too much on What you do instead of Why you do it, you lose sight and those who turn to you for inspiration will become disenfranchised. If you don't have people who believe in your ideas, you're not much of a leader.

The problem is, this book of sound reasoning and solid example spends most of the book simply repeating the same idea. I think Simon Sinek is one of the most inspirational people to listen to, and yet this book of his creation left me disappointingly underwhelmed.

The idea is solid, but it's also simple. The same examples are used over and over again, and it doesn't seem fresh, it just seems repetitive. There were also a lot of typos that really lowered the professionalism of the book. Once you've read about his Golden Circle, and grasped the concept, there's really not much more to it.

I was still really inspired reading it, and it really did make me want to start my own company haha. It does get you thinking about your own Why and purpose and what it is that motivates. I think the thought processes that this book inspires are the real gem you take away. It gets you thinking about your own methods and reasons and if it helps you change perspectives and start feeling more purpose in what you do, then that's kind of the point.

The purpose of this book is to inspire, which it unquestioningly does. If you're a business person looking for a fresh take, this is a great place to start. However, the examples are repetitive and the same concepts explained repeatedly so it's not a completely satisfying read.

As a book, not the best, but as a stepping stone to big thoughts and new business strategies, it's pretty brilliant.

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Review: Batman: The Long Halloween

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you're going into Batman relatively blind, this is a pretty good place to start.

If you've seen Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, many elements of this story will be familiar - in particular, the origins of Two Face.

This story sees our caped crusader team up with detective Jim Gordon and district attorney Harvey Dent to catch a killer that's been dubbed Holiday, on account of his habit of killing on specific holidays.

The story works in many familiar Batman villains as well as mobsters Falcone and Maroni, so there's plenty here for even the most ignorant of Batman's followers. I really enjoyed how none were really involved too heavily, meaning this story serves as something of an introduction to the villains for the uninitiated.

There's also the nice juicy story of trying to work out who the killer is, and this would have been painful to read as single issues as there's a persistent need to put the clues together and figure it out for yourself.

I must say, as much as the artwork suits this gritty story, it really didn't work for me. It's all darkness and shadows, with the use of colour intentional and symbolic only. Some of the panels were so abstract I struggled to work them out, and I found it awkward to follow at times. I see the why, it just didn't appeal to me.

All in all, this was a fun story to read and a great starting place for entering the chaotic world of Batman comics. Artwork wasn't for me but will likely appeal to those more appreciative of stylistic tricks.

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Review: Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life

Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life by Ryan Holiday
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was exactly what I needed, when I needed it.

I really love Ryan Holiday's work. He uses examples to support all of his suggestions, and he's very honest about everything. Very down to earth, for someone explaining such zen concepts. He's not a wise Buddhist monk - he's just an ordinary dude who has been taught these things, practiced them, and then compiled historic evidence that supports such practices. His work is just easy to relate to.

This book, then, encourages us to find stillness. He makes the very valid point that, if any of us were told to sit for any length of time with no activity - no phone or tv or music to distract us, to just simply sit and be with our thoughts - many of us would find it incredibly uncomfortable. The notion of not doing something when we could be seems wild. Yet this stillness is where successful people go to work sh*t out. (I'm paraphrasing, of course.)

I really love that concept. I take public transport to work and if I ever forget my earphones I feel incredibly naked. You can bet I'll bury myself in a book or my phone to distract myself from the mundane act of being transported from one location to another. And reading this book was like being exposed - I actually love finding stillness when I actively choose to, yet how many opportunities to do so am I depriving myself of?

Anyhoo, the point is to review the book, not my life, so here's a pro: this book will make you review your life a little.

It doesn't criticise at all, which I find really important in self-help books. It just gently points out all the things we are ALL guilty of, and suggests alternatives that may help us lead more fulfilling lives.

It takes a very realistic approach, too: there is no suggestion of meditating for hours at a time, or locking yourself in isolation. There are some very practical tips on how you can simply insert a little more stillness into your life, and learn to appreciate the sensation of exploring your own mind.

As mentioned, this book found its way into my hands at a time when I desperately needed it. It forced me to see how much attention and energy I was giving to things that didn't matter, and how much peace I was depriving myself of. For that alone I'm grateful to have read this book.

If you are someone who often finds yourself stressed, overworked, overstimulated, or even just feeling far busier than you'd like to, this is a brilliant book for you. If you're keen to learn how to wean yourself off technology a little, this will provide some helpful ideas to support you.

Even if you are just someone looking for a way to improve your life in the simplest of ways, this book is for you.

I believe everyone needs to nurture a little more stillness in their lives, and so I highly recommend this book to all.

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Review: Will

Will by Will Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this but I don't think I like Will Smith at all now XD

You can definitely feel which parts were Mark Manson, because Will comes across as so arrogant and blind to the world. His materialism was so obvious throughout this book, and I really admire his honesty but there wasn't enough humility to soften it. For example, he straight up confesses that he put himself before his family and his kids, and while it made a twisted kind of sense there still never seemed to be much growth that followed, and any notion of his seeing why that might be a messed up way of thinking.

I mean, this book is essentially about his achievements. There are some interesting insights into why he might have behaved a certain way (and this is where Manson's contribution is quite evident) but there's no change in behaviour until the very last few chapters. I'll say it again:there is no humility. He notes when his behaviour was inappropriate but explains it away rather than offering any notion of regret. This memoir is completely unapologetic.

As a self-help book, it's not great. Will Smith got where he was by working hard and valuing success above everything else in his life, including loved ones. He destroyed countless relationships with his selfishness, and ultimately he got famous by working hard in the right place at the right time. You can't deny he worked hard, but you also can't deny that he got pretty damn lucky.

Will Smith is a brilliant entertainer - there's no denying that. This book details that journey, and it was quite fun to read. I particularly enjoyed reading about his early days as a rapper, as we tend to forget that was his stepping stone into acting. The story of his life, here on the page, is told quite well, with all the highlights, and he has had some incredible experiences so the story is not a dull one by any stretch.

The honesty is apparent, to such a point you almost wish he'd left some stuff out. The way he lives his life is almost the complete opposite of how I live mine, so it was quite painful to read at times, but it was a fascinating character study.

As I said, I don't think I would like to meet him in person after reading this (which I'm sure wouldn't bother him in the slightest), but I really admire how honest a tale this is. The highlights of his career are all covered, so fans should be satisfied, and Mark Manson's contributions adds some much needed psychology to the story. I wanted to read more about Will's growth that came so late in the story, but otherwise it was a fun, insightful read.

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Review: Temptress of the Flame

Temptress of the Flame by Wade Kakoschke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not too bad!

The story was a little weak in places but overall it was a fun story that kept me interested.

The plot sees Plainsward Halius finding himself entangled in the quest of Firemage Zebala after leaving his village to find a cure for the mysterious illness ravaging his people. Meanwhile, his brother Valus finds himself imprisoned by the tyrant Fire Lord, Gyanos.

Firstly, I found the initial union of Halius and Zebala to be a bit grating. The logic of the two joining forces seemed a little too weak to me, since noble Halius was originally on the quest to save his people. After he joined Zeb, it was like he kind of forgot that everyone back home was dying. So I wasn't real sold on it, but I did like Zeb's immediate feistiness.

The relationship between the two never really did a lot for me, which was a shame because I really felt that would have made for so much more impact from later events. I think there just wasn't a lot of character growth, and there wasn't enough demonstration of the characters' traits. For example, Halius is supposed to be this hero of his people - he's the friendly giant who is huge and tough but goes out of his way to help others. There were a few moments where he did demonstrate this need to protect others, but they were so often tied to idiocy that Halius to me just ended up being a dim-witted oaf of a character. Therefore, he seemed more like the idiot muscle sidekick stereotype to me than the hero he was supposed to be.

Zebala, to her credit, basically stayed vicious and mean and definitely ridiculously powerful but just not interested in helping anyone but herself. I think we were supposed to witness this side of her softening, but I just never felt that. I suspect that this story just had too much telling and not enough feeling. Like, I could read about her doing something really impressively powerful, and how it made people around her react, but I never emotionally connected to it myself. I think maybe the context wasn't fleshed out enough - the stakes weren't clear enough to get me invested.

I suppose my biggest criticism is just that the story seemed to flow too conveniently. There were still unpredictable moments and surprises for me, but ultimately I knew that if they talked about how much they definitely didn't want to go to a certain place, they'd inevitably end up there almost immediately. I think this also contributed to me feeling emotionally detached from the story - it's like I could see the author moving the pieces, rather than falling into the story and being amongst these characters.

Even with all that, though, I really enjoyed the journey of this story. At first I thought it might seem a little slow and pointlessly long, but I did really end up enjoying all the twists and turns and wonderful creatures that appeared along the way, even if it was hard to picture some of them.

There are some fantastic battle scenes, but there's also some vividly brutal violence that seemed a bit overdone to me. The 'healing' aspect seemed a convenient trick to allow for the most gruesome forms of torture the author could invent, and I think it all just went a bit too far for me. Especially when these characters lived to see another day. I don't think it needed to be quite this savage for us to feel the impact it had on the characters involved, and in my case it actually had the opposite effect - it was so absurdly gory that I just couldn't comprehend the character as real and actually experiencing that. Particularly since there was evidently no lasting trauma.

I really loved Elath, and enjoyed how the relationship between he and Valus developed. I think Elath had the best character development of the entire story, and he was easily the one I appreciated the most. He was a character I was able to connect to, understand, and feel for. So the dungeon scenes were easily some of my favourites.

Meanwhile, whatever the fk that was with Siara was just a complete mess.

I did enjoy having the two separate story lines, and particularly enjoyed their inevitable collision. It was nice to have a break from each story line now and again.

Overall, I enjoyed the journey but it did ultimately seem a little weak in its point. But there are some fantastic creatures and Elath in particular is an endearing character that you can really root for, so it was still a fun read for me.

I do feel that others less critical of fantasy will enjoy this more than I, as there is plenty to keep you reading on. It's not a perfect work of art, but it is an enjoyable romp in a fantasy world that will still throw some surprises at you.

With thanks to the author for a copy to read and review

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Review: Ariadne

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful re-telling and has claimed all the love I expected to have for Circe.

Most people know the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, but few will remember Ariadne and what became of her. (I certainly intend to get lost down the Google hole of this particular lady after writing this review.) This wonderful novel explores the lady's decision to betray her family and the consequences of her actions. I thought it would focus mostly on those known events, yet this story sprawls across years (and myths) and tells a wonderfully rich tale of love, life and sacrifice.

I loved how this was written, and the honesty of Ariadne's character. She struck me as quite real, and I easily came to know her. I enjoyed her character development, though it did seem to drift a little towards the end.

The characters are rich and detailed and so easy to picture. Particularly as a woman seeing through Ariadne's eyes, I found the heroes of the story quite detestable and understood her feelings towards them, and theirs towards others. Phaedra was also a fierce character that blazed on the page. It honestly was a pleasure getting to know these two fierce females.

The story was longer and more sprawling than I anticipated, but I found myself easily won over by the references to other myths. There is plenty here for the lovers of Greek mythology and, as I said, I fully intend to give myself over to Google for a while to explore these stories further.

This was a well crafted novel with some great themes, well explored through the eyes of one of mythology's many underrated females. I enjoyed it a lot, and definitely recommend to lovers of retold myths.

Also ... it's like, 100% better than Circe.

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