Holly Quick Backlist Reviews, Bookman!: Week 50

Just to get through some backlog of books I've read, I'll post 4 super short reviews of backlist titles every Wednesday.

1. The North American Indian: The Complete Portfolios by Edward Curtis (Taschen America Llc, 2015): Edward Curtis was a photographer who visited 80 different Native American tribes. He took incredible photographs of the people, their homes, their ceremonies, and the land they lived on. I thought the book did a good job in the introduction giving a well-rounded view of him. On the one hand, he did believe in the nonsense idea of "the vanishing Indian" but on the other hand, he believed that we should treat Native Americans equally, not break treaties, and that phrenology was total BS. So for his time, he would've been a progressive guy. I also liked that the intro set up that the vast majority of his work was carefully staged, but I think his notes also make that clear. Often it seemed his goal was to photograph outfits etc. that were falling out of style so that there would be a record of them. 5 stars.
2. Trailer Park Fae by Lilith Saintcrow (Orbit, 2015): Definitely a fun read. Has some cool hardcore faerie lore and some new stuff too. However, I thought I was going to see more real-world integration. So I'm glad I read this one, but I'm not sure I'm going to find the sequels. 4 stars.
3. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (Tor Books, 1994): This is the book that first got me into epic fantasy. I will be forever grateful. 5 stars.
4. The Gun by Fuminori Nakamura and translated by Allison Markin Powell (Soho Crime, 2016): It was a little too thought-driven for me. There were a few moments grounded in reality (including the awesome ending), but in general, it was just the character's thoughts and that just wasn't for me. 4 stars.