“No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.” Right, so the Great Gatsby. I‘m pretty much on a quest to re-read all the classics that I read as a teenager and never really got. The Great Gatsby is one of those romanticized novels that most people say is about Gatsby who’s hopelessly in love with Daisy. So much in love that even though she basically dumped him by telling him “Hey-yo I’ll be marrying someone […]
She had already learned the dangers of sincerity.
Faithful followers of my must-read, brilliantly executed, and always punctual reviews will know that I only recently discovered Roxane Gay last year, with Bad Feminist. And you will know that based on reading only that collection of essays, I will follow her to the ends of the earth, shout her name from the rooftops, aspire to be as articulate, hilarious, and honest as she, and never be dissuaded from my undying love for her. Difficult Women is haunting and beautiful. I was nervous. My expectations […]
People really are like houses with vast rooms and tiny windows
This book is a goddamned delight, and everyone should read it. The end. No, just kidding. But I am really glad I picked it up (on the recommendation of basically the entire CBR community, amirite?), even though lately I’ve been trying hard to balance my male protagonists and authors with the underrepresented lady brains that are at large and largely ignored (axe grinding alert!). I’m glad I picked it up because it’s incredibly sensitive, and thoughtful, and nuanced. It’s also a little bit self-conscious and […]
Bad in Baltimore – A Fitting Name
Full disclosure: I’ve written a novel set in Baltimore. When I found this one I was a little excited to see how someone else would see Baltimore. It was fun seeing references to street names I knew and places I could kinda guess the locations of. I played “what place were they actually thinking of when they talked about this place”. That was nice. I really wanted to like this book. There were some problems with pacing and some plot devices that I was uncomfortable […]