“We are not idealized wild things. We are imperfect mortal beings, aware of that mortality even as we push it away, failed by our very complication, so wired that when we mourn our losses we also mourn, for better or for worse, ourselves. As we were. As we are no longer. As we will one day not be at all.” I really tried, but I didn’t like this one. I feel like maybe I’m not the right audience. It’s a book about loss, primarily, and […]
Wished there was more Golem and Jinni together time….
This book was all over CBR last year, and I had it on my list of books to read. A few friends decided to start a book club, so I thought this one would be good for discussion. I’m writing this review before the discussion, and so my feelings may change (that does happen sometimes!) At this point, I thought it was a beautifully written story with interesting characters. The pace of the book was a crescendo, with all the stories weaving together and building […]
A great book about the worst movie
First things first: If you haven’t seen The Room, you need to. Preferably in a full theater or with a bunch of people who know the routines that go along with the scenes, à la Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’m not sure how much I would have enjoyed it seeing it alone in my living room, honestly. But my first time seeing this at Alamo Drafthouse? Riotous laughter was yanked from me by the surrounding 200 people. Also there were collective shrieks of horror and […]
Peer Pressure and Cartoon Villainy
We get a prologue from a murderer again. And we get a prologue that takes place weeks after the story actually opens. My favorite. Yay. Johanna Wise is one of Shadyside’s poor kids. Her mom has been working two jobs ever since she and Johanna’s dad got divorced–with all of the single parent households in Shadyside, I have to assume the divorce happened while he was awaiting trial on federal charges. She’s envious of Dennis Arthur and his crowd–the wealthiest kids in Shadyside. With enough […]