Justina Ireland’s 2018 YA novel Dread Nation was one of New York Public Library’s Winter 2018 Picks for Young Adults. When I read the brief description about alternative history and zombies and then saw the totally badass cover over on Amazon, I had to read it. Although it clocks in at over 400 pages, I zipped through it in no time, and all I can say is that there had better be a sequel soon! Set in the 1870s, Ireland shows her readers an America […]
A little too familiar
I picked this one up after catching Jenny S’s review the other day. Weirdly my library had it immediately available so here we are. I agree with Jenny, this is not one I see myself reading again. Or even recommending, honestly. Still, I wouldn’t call it bad. 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl is comprised of multiple small stories seemingly about the same woman (Lizzie/Beth/Liz/Elizabeth) strung throughout her life and throughout her battle with herself and her weight. Her dress size changes drastically, […]
an exercise in lying to liars
What began as a slow and cold (le Carré-esque) waiting game grew into a white hot flash of deceit, anxiety, and dangerous thrills. I cannot claim to know the full horrors and trials of World War II- nor can I draw a true comparison between that dark time and the present, but the world of this book is a different world from our current version. One constant remains: the truth is subjective. In 1940 a young woman is recruited into the fold of MI5. Europe […]
A short little homage to Richard Matheson
Elevation has been reviewed here at least once already, but I’ll give you a brief summary. Which will be easy, as it’s a rather brief book. “Hands on a clock, numbers on a bathroom scale, weren’t they only ways of trying to measure invisible forces that had visible effects?” Scott Carey lives in King’s well known little town of Castle Rock. He’s recently divorced, living alone with his cat, and has noticed something strange. He’s losing weight. Pretty steadily, in fact, and for no reason […]