The thing about sequels, or any book that comes after the first in a series, is that you’re never quite sure how they’re going to stack up to the first. Obviously, the first was good enough to get you to come back for more, but will it be as you remembered? Will the characters and story not only hold up, but progress? That’s the tricky part, I think. Sequels have to be better, have to push the story further along and really get you invested. […]
Sex, Drugs, and…Big Band Music?
I always like to do a little research on the authors before I start writing my reviews. In this case, it actually helped make a lot od sense: Petersen is a professor and part-time writer for sites like Buzzfeed and The Hairpin, which is probably why her book reads a little like a dissertation and a little like an article you’d find in Slate. I’m not going so far as to say that’s a bad thing, but for a topic with such promise of dirt […]
Why Don’t We Wear More Kilts?
A few months ago, I saw that Craig Ferguson was performing at my local fancy music hall and, on a whim, got a couple of tickets to go check it out. I’m not really a late night person, mostly because I tend to be in bed by 10PM and have little motivation to watch late night shows the day after they air. But, if given the choice, Ferguson would have been my go-to while he was on. I found his sense of humor engaging, his […]
This Might Be My Book of the Year
Does a review count if I just say “This is amazing, go read it.” 25 times in a row? Because this book is amazing, go read it. I had several people (including a few Cannonballers) mention this book to me. I’m not normally a space-type of girl (spacey, however, is another story,) but holy shit you guys, picking this book up was the best decision I’ve made this summer. I had no idea what this book was even about when I bought it. Aliens? Alienation? Space […]
A Wanna-Be Novel that Comes Close
Welcome to the backlog of reviews I’m going to try to start churning out now that I’m back from vacation! Hopefully at least one a day until I’m caught up (and, by then, I’ll have more since I doubt I’ll stop reading any time soon…) First up is All the Bright Places, a YA book which, according to Google, is “The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park.” I’m going to disagree on that. I think it wants to be, it tries to be, […]
History is Closer Than We Think
I love reading historical books about strong women. When I do that, though, I often forget just how recent the life I’m learning about was lived. It’s hard to remember that, in the larger picture of these things, that women like Maude Clayborn didn’t really live that long ago. To see how much has changed, or not changed, since Maude was born in 1892 is something that I’ve been sitting with since I finished this book last week. It’s been interesting for me to process […]
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