I reached out to members of my lady tribe looking for an uplifting read after the awful heartbreak that was The Radium Girls and one of my friends recommended YA in general, and Becky Albertalli specifically. I don’t read a lot of YA though I have enjoyed my share of John Green and Rainbow Rowell, so I figured I was on the right track. My pal did not disappoint. This book was a warm smile and a fluffy embrace and just what I needed. Simon […]
The Bloat Between Oceans
**Sort of spoilery review, because I have things I need to say.** I picked up this book as it was the April pick for my local library book club, of which I am a new member. I put it off because I knew this was not my kind of book. I had heard of the film adaptation and scene the trailers, and it seemed like a good movie, just not my kind of movie. I am not one for pain, and this movie (and book) […]
The Girl on the Train: got off one stop too early
I’d heard (mostly) good things about Paula Hawkins’ thriller and was excited for a mystery to round out my year. (Only one book left to my half cannonball, and hopefully enough time to eek out a victory!). I chose to tackle this one as an audiobook, and it worked very well in this format, though I can’t give a completely enthusiastic report; Hawkins ran out of steam and the pay-off at the end fell flat. Each chapter jumps around to the perspective of the three […]
Not my favorite Irving, but still a good one
I have been reading this book since January. I had also picked it up and put it down again as early as 2012. And today (or yesterday rather) I sit before you finally victorious! I was a big fan of “World According to Garp” and enjoyed “A Prayer for Own Meany,” but for some reason, this read was just like taking my medicine. I wanted to do it, I knew it was good for me, and I did it, but I didn’t particularly enjoy the […]
Leonard: the man
After Djibouti I needed some classic Leonard to get me back on track as a fan. The aforementioned novel was one of his last, and is quite the slog, so I was eager to give him another go as I am enamored with his characters as I have seen them in the hit show “Justified.” Get Shorty, later made into the film starring Travolta, is a hoot and a half. I am always a fan of mobsters (I adore Casino, Goodfellas, etc) and a touch […]
The movie is better.
How often can you say you liked the movie better with a straight face? Not often. Here’s what the movie has going for it: 1. It’s fun and watchable. 2. It has pretty people in it. 3. Horrible things happen to those pretty people. 4. It takes parts of this book and ignores the rest. 5. It completely subverts the pro-military message of the book into a satire. 6. It has Neil Patrick Harris in it as a psychic. 7. It’s cheesy and violent and tries […]