I’m not sure if this was the first Fear Street book I read or not. I do know that it was the first book I ever got to pick out brand new. I remember sitting on the floor in the bookstore (Walden Books in the mall in my grandparent’s town), looking through all the Fear Street books and trying to pick the right one. I don’t know if I was already familiar with Fear Street or if that was the moment I discovered it. I […]
You Can’t Trust Anything in Shadyside
Full disclosure: this is the first of the Fear Street books so far that I know for sure I read as a kid. I clearly remembered the cover and one particularly gruesome scene, but I completely forgot the whole plot. This one opens with a prologue, but we’re with a victim fleeing for her life instead of with the killer stalking her. This particular trick–opening with a scene from the climax of the story–irritates the crap out of me. It may be possible to do […]
Safety Addicts
Vita Andersen is one of the greatest Danish, feminist writers. From the 70’s, her poetry is a voice of women who previously didn’t have one; insecure women who need men to validate them in life. As a Danish person it is a must-read and I don’t know if there are English translations, but it should really only be read in its original language. I wouldn’t say these poems are beautiful. The Danish language requires hard work to be structured into something resembling balance and rhythm […]
Shut up and be beautiful
This collection of short stories is some of the most intense fiction I have ever read. Dealing solely with children from abusive homes, lost women, vain women and families that are torn apart it is an ugly book to read. Several of the stories paint a realistic picture of the 1970’s Denmark in Copenhagen. Several of the stories deal with children from broken homes, tackling themes such as child molestation and country homes. Others deal with women who cheat, who are cheated on, who can’t […]