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GPL_Ethan
Library StaffGlenview Public Library
GPL_Ethan's Profile Shelves

GPL_Ethan's Completed Shelf

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Spectators, Graphic Novel

by Vaughan, Brian K.
Graphic Novel, 2025
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GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Nov 26, 2025

Comment:

If you've followed Vaughan's career at all you won't be surprised by the themes here. Our relationships to spectacle, sex, and violence have been explored by him in the past, though this removes most of the subtlety by directly juxtaposing graphic sex and graphic violence. This has kind of a Linklater/Jarmusch vibe, where our two leads are just working through some ideas and philosophizing while events unfold around them in the background. Those events are pretty dire - nuclear war is imminent - but the leads are already dead, so the stakes are low for them. Some might be frustrated by the lack of worldbuilding. The logistics of what it means to be a ghost in this world are glossed over, and the dystopic future relies on your own inferences to piece things together. Don't get hung up on these ideas - they are just set dressing to give further context to the issues the ghost leads are dealing with. Some might view this as utterly nihilistic or pessimistic, and I think there's a strong argument to be made about that, but I find it ultimately to be about the necessity of engaging with the world around you. A bit ironic, coming from a master of creating worlds to escape to, but maybe that's why he's thrown subtlety out the window for this title. A thought provoking read, and one I plan on revisiting.

Strange Houses, Book

by Uketsu
Book, 2025. First HarperVia edition.
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GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Nov 19, 2025

Comment:

Not quite enough payoff for me, but the first half is very atmospheric with some great mystery setup. I felt like the 'detectives' had too easy a time figuring out the central mystery. Pretty cool format, and a nice little blend of locked room mystery and horror, but not enough heft here.

Materialists, Blu-ray Disc

Blu-ray Disc, 2025. Special edition.
Available View location availability for Materialists, Blu-ray Disc, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Nov 17, 2025

Comment:

Really interesting juxtaposition between how cynical the lead is and how earnest the rest of the filmmaking is. A difficult needle to thread but it mostly worked for me. This isn't your typical romcom, it's closer to Before Sunrise than When Harry Met Sally, but it *is* pretty dryly funny too, between its more serious moments. A few plot elements are completely nonsensical but this is still worth your time.

The Kaiju Preservation Society, Book

by Scalzi, John
Book, 2022. First edition.
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GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Nov 17, 2025

Comment:

Scalzi may not have a lot of range, but his books remain entertaining page turners nonetheless. My biggest issue with this is that it feels like it's over just as it's really getting started. Very little plot, it's all worldbuilding and exposition. Still a very fun diversion.

King Sorrow, BookA Novel

by Hill, Joe
Book, 2025. First edition.
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GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Nov 05, 2025

Comment:

An epic parable about the horror of power. Power corrupts is Hill's thesis here, but I think it's very important to his point that the seeds of corruption are present before the power is there. There are a few late developments that seem surprising at first but there was plenty of foreshadowing in retrospect. Feels like a few different books attached together, but they blend seamlessly and cohesively by the end. An excellent and varied cast carries you through and keeps you invested from the beginning. This structure keeps the book from feeling its length, too. Feels more influenced by Tolkien and fairy tale than horror. Trickery, loopholes, and other fantasy influence is crucial here, and the book is very genre-bendy. I wouldn't necessarily classify this as horror, though there are some disturbing and frightening moments. An easy rec to any fans of Hill or King, and a strong rec to readers who like dark academia, magical realism, or dark fantasy.

Mickey 17, DVD

DVD, 2025
Available View location availability for Mickey 17, DVD, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Oct 28, 2025

Comment:

Always here for Pattinson picking bizarre projects - this feels like Bong Joon Ho trying his best to make a satire in the vein of Terry Gilliam, and I mean that as an earnest compliment.

28 Years Later, DVD

DVD, 2025
Available View location availability for 28 Years Later, DVD, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Oct 28, 2025

Comment:

Very very different from what I expected and it never quite clicked with me. Feels like three, maybe even four different movies stapled together. The original is one of my all-time favorites and I was hoping for something more tonally consistent with that which is not even remotely what I got...but there's maybe 30 minutes combined here and there that I absolutely adored. Fiennes is so good here, wish he was in it more. To be clear, I don't think its necessarily a bad thing this isn't tonally consistent with the original film. It shows the mark of two filmmakers who have changed a lot over the past not-quite-28-years. A common criticism of 28 Days Later is that it seems like Boyle forgets that it's only been 4 weeks...but for me, that's Boyle's entire thesis, that it's only a handful of markers of civilization that are keeping at least some people from absolute barbarity. It's a bleak, pessimistic outlook on humanity. This film takes a completely different approach - sure, it's not a rainbows and puppies good time, but there's a very human and honestly ordinary community at the heart of this. I don't think it stands on its own at all, and that's probably its biggest flaw. The opening and closing scenes create a bookend that doesn't really do anything at all within the context of this movie, and it's obvious the sequel will capitalize on that. I don't love that, but I'm withholding judgment until Bone Temple's release.

Jurassic World, DVDRebirth

DVD, 2025
Available View location availability for Jurassic World, DVD, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Oct 28, 2025

Comment:

I very much appreciate Gareth Edwards bringing this franchise back to its roots: reveling in how absolutely joyous it is to see a dinosaur. My main issue is that I do not buy the idea that they are breeding hybrids because people are bored of regular dinosaurs. We still go to zoos, to museums that only have bones, and we still go see these movies. I love the way this is shot, with an outstanding sense of geography, and there is nobody in the business doing scale like Edwards.

28 Days Later, DVD

DVD, 2003. Widescreen special edition
Available View location availability for 28 Days Later, DVD, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Oct 28, 2025

Comment:

The idiosyncrasies of this make it sing. Why do the flowers look like that in the shot after the supermarket? Why is Mark sleeping in the corner of that one skyline shot? Why is so much of the terrifying imagery so grainy that you can barely tell what it is? All a bonus. For me, this is Danny Boyle's best, and Murphy's score (complemented by a great tune from Granddaddy, and an iconic piece from Godspeed You Black Emperor) takes this over the top.

The Monkey, DVD

DVD, 2025
Available View location availability for The Monkey, DVD, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Oct 28, 2025

Comment:

Good goofy fun. A bit like Final Destination but more self aware and intentionally comedic?

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, Book

by Schwab, Victoria
Book, 2025. First edition, Signed edition.
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GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Oct 28, 2025

Comment:

If you're like me, you've been searching fruitlessly for a book that scratches the same itch as Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Schwab's other books just weren't up to the task - until now. Exquisite prose, incredible characters...just absolutely a book to get lost in the vibes of. I will say that for some readers this is going to take way too long to get started. Any real conflict only really presents itself at over the half-way mark, and even the first mention of vampirism only shows up around 20-25%? But it's a book to savor, so for some readers - myself included- that is a feature and not a bug, but if you found Addie LaRue to be overwritten and too slow, this is an automatic skip.

My Friends, BookA Novel

by Backman, Fredrik
Book, 2025. First Atria Books hardcover edition.
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GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Oct 28, 2025

Comment:

Backman absolutely threads the needle of cozy without being cloying in this pseudo-coming of age/train adventure story. There is legitimate tragedy couching the story that keeps it from feeling overly fluffy. An easy recommendation to a huge variety of readers.

A Forty Year Kiss, BookA Novel

by Butler, Nickolas
Book, 2025
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GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Oct 28, 2025

Comment:

Comforting without feeling saccharine - very midwestern. Not a typical romance, but also not far enough removed that I hesitate to recommend this to people who won't read the genre. Cozy and low stakes but organic, real, and grounded - think Linklater's Before trilogy, particularly Before Midnight.

Angel Down, Book

by Kraus, Daniel
Book, 2025. First Atria Books hardcover edition.
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GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Oct 28, 2025

Comment:

Kraus turns his eye to the war novel, and as you might expect from him if you've read any of his other books, he turns it into a horror novel. The experimental one-sentence structure makes the gruesomeness difficult to turn away from, making this breathlessly paced and fascinating once you see the big picture. Brilliant thematic work. If the gimmick doesn't work for you, try the audio - you'd hardly notice it in that format. One of the best books of 2025.

Blood Meridian, eBook

by McCarthy, Cormac
eBook, 2010
All copies in use
Holds: 26 on 3 copies
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Oct 28, 2025

Comment:

I get why some argue that this is *the* American masterpiece. Doesn't quite earn that accolade for me (I'd rather go with Lonesome Dove, personally), but I certainly get it. A brutal deconstruction of the myths of manifest destiny and American expansion with just a ruthless and relentless slew of mindless, senseless, and sudden violence. McCarthy's sparse writing brings this landscape to life. Not something I think I'd rush to reread, but glad I gave it the effort.

Needful Things, Book

by King, Stephen
Book, 1991
Available View location availability for Needful Things, Book, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Oct 28, 2025

Comment:

Pretty solid autumnal read that I might rec for folks looking for just lighter seasonal vibes. This isn't cozy by any stretch, but it's not particularly scary, either - just grim. King's thesis here is that many people only need a small push before they will absolutely eat each other, and while there is some paranormal at work here, it's how grounded most of the story is that makes it frightening at all. Very long but worthwhile with not a lot of cruft - the length here all goes to bring the town of Castle Rock and its inhabitants to life.

Worst Case Scenario, BookA Novel

by Newman, T. J.
Book, 2024. First edition.
Available View location availability for Worst Case Scenario, Book, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Jun 18, 2025

Comment:

Super engaging from page 1. Very cinematic, can easily see it being adapted to the screen. A bit cliched especially by the end but the character work makes it all come together. Audiobook narrator Joe Morton does a terrific job as well. Highly recommended for anyone searching for the next Crichton.

Cabin, BookOff-the-grid Adventures With A Clueless Craftsman

by Hutchison, Patrick
Book, 2024. First edition.
Available View location availability for Cabin, Book, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added May 07, 2025

Comment:

Hutchison is a funny and engaging writer and this zips by. For any millennials who ever felt restless or aimless or like they were just pretending at being an adult, this one's for you. Or your parents, so they might understand.

The Mercy of Gods, Book

by Corey, James S. A.
Book, 2024. First edition.
Available View location availability for The Mercy of Gods, Book, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Sep 27, 2024

Comment:

If you liked The Expanse, you'll like this. Fantastic characters (I like Dafyd SO MUCH more than I liked Jim Holden lmao), an incredible premise, fascinating worldbuilding. If you didn't like The Expanse, I can't imagine you'd like this either, though it is at least (or will be) a bit less daunting to tackle the entire series.

Service Model, Book

by Tchaikovsky, Adrian
Book, 2024. First edition.
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GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Sep 15, 2024

Comment:

Picaresque satire about robots, like Candide done by Douglas Adams with a bit of Becky Chambers tossed in for good measure. Didn't quite know what to expect from this one and was practically in hysterics during the opening with the posh detective. Surprisingly thoughtful, relentlessly funny.

Knife, BookMeditations After An Attempted Murder

by Rushdie, Salman
Book, 2024. First U.S. edition.
Available View location availability for Knife, Book, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Aug 23, 2024

Comment:

A very unique memoir that, despite the subject, is overwhelmingly full of love - for the medical professionals that saved his life, for his support system on the road to recovery, and for his spouse.

Red Dragon, Book

by Harris, Thomas
Book, 1981
Available View location availability for Red Dragon, Book, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Aug 01, 2024

Comment:

Fantastic procedural stuff couched in a horror-adjacent crime thriller - one of the best of the genre. Completely amazing how Harris pulls off implementing a backstory so robust you'd think you'd missed a handful of books before this.

The Ministry of Time, Book

by Bradley, Kaliane
Book, 2024. First Avid Reader press hardcover edition.
Available View location availability for The Ministry of Time, Book, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Jun 19, 2024

Comment:

Like a lot of high-concept novels, I felt this sagged a bit under the weight of its premise in the back half. Fortunately, the premise is strong enough to support most of that weight - what if a guy from The Terror was transplanted in contemporary-ish London? How might he react to any number of historical events? Women's liberation, the ease of modern day travel, 9/11? The first half of the novel is slice-of-life, almost cozy fish out of water stuff. Very funny, beautifully written, strong characterization from the two protagonists and a host of colorful side characters. The back half goes a bit thriller-y, with lots of twisty time travel narrative stuff. This I didn't enjoy as much, though I do think most readers will probably have something of the opposite reaction, where they're just waiting for the book to actually start in the front half. Probably a 4 star book that was suited enough to my particular interests and tastes that I'm gonna give it a five. I really, really enjoyed this.

Miracle in the Andes, Book72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home

by Parrado, Nando
Book, 2006. First edition
Available View location availability for Miracle in the Andes, Book, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Jun 06, 2024

Comment:

Equal parts harrowing and inspiring. Parrado is very honest, not shying away from his faults and having a pretty frank discussion of faith and spirituality in the face of tragedy. It's amazing that we got a firsthand account of this disaster. Highly recommended.

Chain-gang All-stars, Book

by Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame
Book, 2023. First Edition.
Available View location availability for Chain-gang All-stars, Book, Available
GPL_Ethan's rating:
Added Mar 14, 2024

Comment:

Utter masterpiece, a new favorite. I think most of my complaints ultimately boil down to I wish it was longer, because I could have read another 1000 pages of this easily. Heartbreaking, horrifying, riveting, thought-provoking. Surprisingly epic in scope despite not being epic-length; Adjei-Brenyah really deftly incorporates a ton of different POVs that give you a full picture of this impending dystopia. Easy to pitch this as adult Hunger Games, and that's not incorrect, but I think that does a disservice to both, despite how many similarities are there. Would be a great discussion title if your book club can hack it.

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