After slogging through “The Dinosaur Lords” I needed something lighter and fun and so started reading “Nimona” by Noelle Stevenson. Nimona has been recommended by multiple sources; The Mary Sue, friends, and currently has 4 1/2 stars on Amazon. A shapeshifting young woman named Nimona inserts herself as the loyal side kick to Ballister Blackheart, most evil of supervillains. Blackheart’s evil schemes up to now have been kept in check by Sir Goldenloin and the Agency, but this careful balance is thrown into chaos […]
The Asides Are the Best
I’m on a Pratchett kick right now, going through and reminding myself how much I adore the Discworld books. I did a close-read for my MFA on “Lords and Ladies”, and even though my paper was based on how Pratchett expertly weaves Celtic folklore in with his parody of a “Midsummer’s Night’s Dream”, I found the things I really enjoy about Pratchett’s writing are his glorious, humorous, and bountiful asides. “Lords and Ladies” follows Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg as they battle a mythical force […]
If Buffy the Vampire Slayer were written by Raymond Chandler….
My sister has been pressuring me to read this book for a couple of years. I think I put it off on principle. It took me a couple years to convince her to read The Lord of the Rings (when we were much younger), but it was the release of the movies that finally did it. She also rejected my suggestions of A Game of Thrones (too political), Harry Potter (not interested), Brandon Sanderson (she keeps forgetting about it) and John Scalzi (ditto). So I […]
Cupcakes, Some False Advertising, and A Heap of Nonsense
I’m new to CBR this year, and you all seem to really like your romances. Outside of the classics and a few mainstreams, I have yet to get the genre to really speak to me. I’m pretty pragmatic by nature, so I’m not easily swept away. My dislike for romance makes me feel like there’s something wrong with me, not that there’s something wrong with romances. So I try and try again. So, here we are. Again. Someone (I’m sorry I can’t remember who), mentioned […]


