I don’t know why, but I’ve found myself drawn to depressing, broken people. First November 9 by Colleen Hoover, then Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill, then, after the brief interlude of joy and wonder that is the world of Harry Potter, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and Cujo by Stephen King. Well, The Girl on the Train continues the theme. Rachel is an overweight, unemployed, and divorced alcoholic who rides the train into London every day to avoid telling her roommate and only […]
Gillian Flynn is the M Night Shyamalan of Literature
Because boy does she love her plot twists, and throwing plot twists in the middle of her plot twists. I probably would have enjoyed this book more when it came out, or before I had read any of Flynn’s other stories. Or before Gone Girl, and anyone who hadn’t read her books could remain ignorant of this reputation. But I have read some of her other stories, and I know all about her love of plot twists. I wasn’t really on the lookout for the […]
More terrifying than reanimated dead people
Well, that was upsetting. I can’t remember the last Oates book I read, but this was a wonderful (and horrifying) way to jump back in. I really don’t want to meet anyone like Q__ P__, ever. We join him mid-narrative, following him just under a year after he is given probation by a judge for pleading guilty to “sexual misdemeanor committed against a minor,” (Q__ P__: “What happened with the black boy was Q__ P__’ s first offense, & a suspended sentence followed no actual […]
The plan, a memory of the future, tries on reality to see if it fits.
This short, deeply smart collection of essays is really important. Seriously, “Men Explain Things to Me” resonated with me on every level. It’s a perfect gut-check… when some (most) men imply that I’m not entitled to articulate my own experience… when some (most) men cut me off in conversation about a topic on which I’m an authority because they have a couple of thoughts about it… when colleges and universities respond to reports of rape by instituting curfews and behavioral guidelines for women… when my […]
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 […]
Rock stars are frequently the rakes of contemporary romance
3.5 stars This is the third book in the Rock Kiss series, but it can easily be read without any previous knowledge of the other books or characters. Noah St. John is the guitarist in world famous rock band Schoolboy Choir. Due to some really dark shit in his past, he’s incredibly messed up and has tremendous difficulties trusting or connecting to people. He doesn’t really feel comfortable around anyone but the other guys in the band, who he’s known since he was a kid […]
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