I really wanted to read more A.S. King after loving Still Life with Tornado, and one of y’all had reviewed this one positively so I picked it up next. It wasn’t quite as good as Still Life, mostly because the weirdness level was a bit lower and I like weird, but it was still really good — a very touching read in a totally not-sappy way. “All those people who are chained here thinking that their reputations matter and this little shit matters are so freaking shortsighted. […]
“Nothing about her pain is remotely original —and yet it still hurts”
This book broke my heart, and I could not put it down. I completely understand why it’s been so well-reviewed — the hype is 100% deserved. “I am sixteen years old. I am a human being.” That’s what Sarah knows for certain — everything else is not quite clear. She thought she knew what her family was: a hard-working mom, an asshole dad, and a brother that abandoned them all six years ago. But after an incident at school, which Sarah quits attending, secrets begin to […]
Starships Were Meant to Fly, Hands Up to Touch the Sky
Ask the Passengers by A.S. King is a touching little book about something I really hadn’t thought about more than just in passing (and really that’s a huge shame on me)– and that is–what is it like to be a teenager and not be exactly sure of one’s sexuality? I grew up knowing that boys did something for me–it was very clear to me at the age of three when I started slobbering on my TV whenever John Schneider slid across the hood of the […]
The Pagoda! Featured in a Book! Am I Dreaming?
Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a very good book. It was an even better book for me because I have lived my entire life (aside from college) about a half an hour away from Reading, PA. Reading, PA is not a very nice place in most areas (no offense Reading, I still love ya baby!). It’s a depressed town that seems to continue to crumble apart over time, but…they have the Pagoda. It was built in the early 1900’s and it was supposed to be […]