The back of this book tells you this collection of short stories is “delightful and terrifying” which immediately drew me in, because I can’t think of two better words that together, conjure up adolescence. In his introduction, the editor Poirier states the stories stem “from nostalgia for the intense and sometimes confusing emotions that we all experienced at this time in our lives.” The cover of the book has a drawing of a frog, belly side up, ready for dissection. This gave me an overwhelming […]
Relive the Worst Years of Your Life
Since I was a giant dork in middle school and high school, Paul Feig’s “Kick Me” really spoke to me, especially in the later chapters. It’s so easy to take his name out and insert yourself into any number scenarios and be like, “yup, I totally did that.” The sheer awkwardness of every single chapter is almost painful in its truth. His masterful observations of the world around him are seen through such a neurotic detail that it’s impossible to not be as squeamish or […]
A work of Dickensian depth and breadth
This nearly 800-page novel is a revelation – it is one of the more complex literary works I’ve read in a long time and proved impossible to put down. The Goldfinch tells the story of precocious 13-year-old Theo Decker, who lives alone with his mother in New York City until their unplanned visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the day terrorists decide to blow the museum up. Theo’s mother dies in the disaster, but Theo survives and manages to extricate himself and return […]