Y.S. Stephen - Reader | Casual Observer

The Art of How to Train Your Dragon - Hidden World showcases the artistic inspirations, the deliberations, and the work that went into creating the latest instalment of the series. WHY I LOVE THE BOOK Every artbook is beautiful in its way but discovering the reasons behind some of the artistic decisions, (for example, what went into the design of some of the characters) is what makes this book delightful. DISLIKES None. WHO IS IT FOR Fans of the series would love the peek behind the scenes and the mindset behind the creations. Artists might take inspiration from some of the gorgeous artwork. Many thanks to Dark Horse Comics for a review copy.

"Do not be a commodity. Do not be easily comparable to other people who have, roughly, the same set of skills and the same background. The rule may be simple, but its history and implications are incredibly rich... "In the workplace, you can become a commodity by, say, working long hours without adding extra value to the job you are performing. Once you stop asking how you can set your business or products or even yourself apart from the commodity version, you have dropped out of the Passion Economy." The Passion Economy is a clichéd title for a book. However, there is nothing clichéd in its contents. This is a book that points out a shift in thinking with regards to how we work and conduct business in today's technological age. It explains how this shift can benefit anyone trying to make a living. The Passion Economy documents the successes of multiple entrepreneurs who stopped thinking about their product as a commodity but instead, narrowed their focus

"When we change our minds endlessly and can’t bring ourselves to make a decision, we tend to blame it on a lack of information, data, or knowledge. But we are speaking in bad faith; most often, what we lack is confidence. As we have just seen with aesthetic experience, when we decide that a particular landscape is 'beautiful,' it isn’t because we have a store of irrefutable arguments to support us, but because we dare to listen to and trust ourselves." Charles Pepin's Self-Confidence: A Philosophy teaches that understanding and trusting ourselves is more crucial to living a good life than collecting data about the world. The journey of self-discovery is a never-ending lifelong exercise and the author lifts philosophy as one of the lights we can bring with us as we navigate our inner landscape while looking for clues about who we are. The philosophical spine of this book lies in this - that true self-confidence doesn't necessarily come from a conviction

 

Excellence is a story about political and cultural manipulations in a fictional magical society. It focuses on a family embroiled in keeping their "great" legacy and the lengths the patriarch goes to in making that happen, even at the risk of alienating his only son. WHY I LOVE THE BOOK The colour scheme of the art is attractive. The worldbuilding is solid and makes you want to know about its world. The fact that the writers and artists are from minority ethnic groups is personally a plus and I am happy to see their talent on display. I cannot wait to see how the story progresses. DISLIKES Excellence has all the makings of a classic graphic novel classic - great art, intriguing plot, believable protagonist, etc. However, it falls short (in my view) due to one thing - dialogue. The dialogue does not measure up to the high standards set by other parts of the work. Some sections of the protagonist's internal monologue do not make sense. There are also a few typos.