I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

Interesting concept, but it just didn't work for me honestly. It may be a hit for those that want to learn new words/things and do some googling and research?

I loved the art and the word association the groupings trigger.

As a writer, this would be a great book to start the creative process flowing on those days when you don’t know what to write about. The wordplay and the linking of abstract yet related thought in each assemblage of images often spin-off in unusual directions that I really appreciate.

I found the essays much less compelling and found myself skimming through them. I didn’t want someone else’s opinion on the art and artist, and the insertions tended to feel either self-aggrandizing or promotional of the artwork. However, an artist or art major might really love the conversation these essays bring to the art. As is always the case, every reader brings their own experience to the work and therefore takes something different away.

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

1.5/5 - It was okay, not my type of book.

I was initially interested in this book because of the lovely illustrations on the cover and the concept of grouping things into categories with the ultimate goal of subverting categorical thinking.

I realized very early on that the book would not be a pleasant, light read. The introduction had me googling words and concepts, taking notes just to keep up. Okay. I like to think, I could switch gears. Except that the way this book is written is just tedious. I felt like I was at one of those fancy art functions where every brush stroke of a painting was up for scrupulous and obnoxious analysis. I forced my way through the essays, examined every index card painting with meticulous attention, and breathed a sigh of relief when I finished the book.

The bottom line? This book is good for thinking and it may teach you a thing or two, but it's far from enjoyable.

This being said, I did like the exploration of naming and categorizing things. I found the commentary on art and how it can blend distinctions between things interesting. Some drawings elicited a chuckle (things that have an *sshole - an office). I also appreciated the wider political commentary on how the propensity to categorize things and people has led to various injustices. Moreover, it was interesting to consider how things change their characteristics in relation to other things over time.

Even though I’m not an artist I was interested in this book and it didn’t disappoint. I’ll be honest I had some trouble following sometimes but I still enjoyed it. Especially the artwork.

Each page is a graphical list of a kind.



You could take it as a challenge, to see what you would add

Things that have spots - Labrador, Braille page

Things that are not a hippo is a sort of a poem of all things hippo past.

Some introductory essays.

You see various framing and page composition styles.

Left to you, I think you would group them in different ways.

Its like the Leisure powm by W.H.Davies, a reminder to look at patterns in the deluge of things we do/feel/touch/see everyday.

This is one of the most visually appealing and satisfying books I've seen in a long time. I absolutely loved the handwritten/hand drawn effect, I thought the way each* page was a hand drawn piece of art or sketch was fantastic. I also thought the concept was very clever and made this into a game of trying to guess what all the drawings/words had in common before checking the title to see if we were right. I did however skip over the introduction and walls of text throughout. I'm sure those sections were informative but I'd have to be in the proper mood to want to read them.

This book is so damn satisfying to read like how I would exactly feel after popping a damn annoying pimple on my nose.

The cover is amazing and the description well to the point.

Coming to the contents, the introduction is detailed and well connected to what's coming on in the later parts.

The illustrations are concise and upto mark.

This book can be read by anyone as it's just like a picture book but for an adult like me, you will well relate. It's like connecting your thoughts with the outside world. Sometimes it feels so silly reading this but I realised I was smiling all the time while I was reading this.

You need a break. Just pick up this book.
Thank you #NetGalley for the book #ThingsThatArt

In Things That Art Lochlann Jain invites the reader to pause a moment and ponder how we choose to classify and categorise. More than that, it is an invitation to expand ones way of thinking and viewing the world. Interspersed between the artwork are several essays that lend further insight to the art lists themselves. Some of Jain's categories fit with my own way of thinking, or only needed a mild adjustment in thinking. Others required more of a stretch of the imagination on my part. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn and grow! Recommended if you enjoy art. This would make an excellent coffee table book. It should be noted, however, that some of the pictures within are mature content. This is not a book for children.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and University of Toronto Press for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I  received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This book was definitely different. Not your average persons idea of art, for sure. Some of the pages include: "Things that are not things" (age, color, light), "Things with Resolution" (New Years, photography), and "Things that are traces" (ash, footprint). Each includes little pictures. It is definitely a unique concept for an art book.

Powerful words combine with images in this volume. The result is strong, enticing, and just the kind of book to be valued and shared. I am glad I have the opportunity to preview Things That Art by Lochlann Jain. Recommended reading (and viewing).

I enjoyed this strange, strange book. It's not something I would purchase with my book budge money, but I would certainly hint at my family that I would like it as a birthday gift. It's hard to describe, but here's my attempt: it's graphic anthropological musings and illustrated stream of consciousness. It's intellectual and playful, sometimes funny.sometimes darkly funny. It's not for everyone, but for those who may enjoy it, it would make for an interesting group discussion.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

On the whole too repetitive and monotonous to rate more than a single star. The writing is far more interesting and while some of the connections provide an introspective view, on the whole, it's a silly play on words that goes on a bit too long.

“Things That Art: A Graphic Menagerie of Enchanting Curiousity” by Lochlann Jain is a very unique “art” book. It has a way of causing the reader to reconsider common expressions and representations of things that Jain categorizes in different sections by placing things together that both go together and then don’t really fit.

It is an art book in that each page is a different collection of items or phrases illustrated by a picture all with a common theme or word that ties them together. There are several sections that divides the book with commentary by Jain and others regarding the section that follows.

As someone interested in art and books, this is an engaging read for me. I think how the parts are presented is thought-provoking and stimulating. One could read through the book in one sitting but also come back to it over and over and see new things each time through. In a way, this art book is almost like poetry in pictures. I found a lot of connections throughout the book that felt like poetry in a way.

Don’t be tricked by the cover, this book contains mature pictures and themes and is intended for adults only.

I received this eBook free of charge from University of Toronto Press via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I did not receive any fiscal compensation from either company for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

One and a half stars.

What does some tie dye, roadkill, and your nose have in common? They all might bleed. And here they are – formulated on tiny images and pinned to the category of 'things that bleed', along with others. There are lots of categories here, each with between six and a dozen things, and sometimes there is fun to be had in the surprising entry, where word play or a different sense has been used to cram the thing in. But that's it as far as this book goes – you can ditch the Pseud's Corner essays and introductions scattered through it, even if what is left behind is a bit of a pretentious one-trick gimmick itself. Worth a browse, but as for purchase? It's not in that category.

Curious is a good word for this book.
basically a collection of illustrations, slightly strange and very unique.
I found it quite amusing but it wasn't really my idea of art and I found I was not as interested by the end, and found it a little repetitive and boring.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This unique, non-fiction, graphic novel is clever and thought-provoking. Jain uses art to explore anthropology and the association of things, thoughts and expressions through groups of drawings. An interesting concept.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Things that art, a menagerie of enchanting curiosity is indeed an enchanting curiosity in itself! A superb object with lovely illustrations and funny ones (as they are sorted by types, for instance: things in a pen). The art is diverse and astonishing! It is a lovely collection and is completed with an enligntening introduction and various short texts.
It is fun to read and observe and intriguing.
Art in different ways (pictural and written), compelling and original.
Thank you for sharing this book with us!
I warmly recommend it if you enjoy art and originality!

René Magritte is famous for painting a picture of a pipe that is labeled "This is not a pipe". Now you may ask how that makes sense. But, it does, because it isn't a pipe. It is a painting of a pipe, not not an actual pipe itself.

This book goes further. It is a series of illustrious that are and aren't things. Lochlann Jain is trying to distrupt ways of knowing, with a slight kick of humor added.

This book can be read as just plays on words, and you can skip the commentary, but if you do skip it, you will lose part of the deeper parts of his art.

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/things-that-art.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5214" />

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/things-that-are2.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5213" />

Jain takes ordinary things, and makes you think a little about them, in his series of drawings. For example, he draws things that are visible and not. These things include Light, Water, Beauty love and time.

You can read this all in one sitting, but I found that I would stop and stare at someof the goopings, and try to figure out the message, onmy own.

Recommend to art collections,and libaries. Could be a good starting point of conversation before the rains return.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

The idea is that this is a collection of pictures on a single topic that may not at first seem related or ae connected in a surprising way. There are also essays interspersed with comments on the collection. I liked the introduction but think the other essays were not needed. Also, the pictures were not all interesting and I was no longer that interested by the end of the book. This is not a children’s book and there are those that may find the images more interesting than I did.