I don’t know what happened here. How a book about an alternate history steampunk WWI where one side has Clankers, and the other genetically engineered flying beasts that double as airships could be so exceptionally uninteresting and generic, I really don’t know. Also one of the MC’s is the son of the murdered Archduke Franz Ferdinand. And the other is a girl who dresses as a boy! Also, also it was narrated by Alan Cumming! And yet, my mind wandered constantly while listening, and I […]
Celebrity encounters and other tales
I loved Alan Cumming’s autobiography, Not My Father’s Son. It was raw and honest and heartbreaking. He tries to show some of that same emotion in You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams, but this one just did not do it for me. Cumming apparently really enjoys photography, and even has a traveling show. He’s a very talented man, no doubt — his acting, his singing, his general wonderfulness. But his photography seems very amateurish. I say this with absolutely no ability to take artistic photographs on my own, so take my criticism […]
Come for the voice, stay for the tale
So during one of Audible’s last big sales I stocked up. Like, bought 7 books stocked up. I couldn’t help myself, my commute is about to triple next week so I’ve needed to increase my collection. It meant trying out a bunch of books that caught my fancy, and this was the first on the list. Alan Cumming will always be Mr. Elton to me thanks to Gwenyth’s Emma adaptation (I enjoy Jeremy Northam as my Mr. Knightley so this is my preferred version to […]
Heartbreakingly Good
4.5 stars. This miiiiiiiight be the first celebrity memoir I’ve ever truly enjoyed enough to actually think about purchasing. (I’m not counting Ansari’s look into modern dating as a real memoir). I’ve always loved Alan Cumming’s work and he seems like a lovely person, but I’m experienced enough to know that likeability doesn’t always mean a memoir will be good. I’m happy to say that not only was Not My Father’s Son a strong piece of literature worth reading on its own merit, but I […]