This is not just about death, loss, and grief, although you know there'sgoing to be that, and it is heartbreaking. There is also violence, suffering, This is not just about death, loss, and grief, although you know there'sgoing to be that, and it is heartbreaking. There is also violence, suffering, pain, because the cat who found Carr had also endured a horrible beginning. But there is unconditional love, and companionship, and someone who understands, which is to say: grace.
Carr's memoir is remarkable because he paid such close attention from the beginning to Masha. His thoughts, like his feelings, had time to develop an exquisite complexity and richness. He wrote as if he had all the time in the world. He didn't, of course, none of us do, but he did have just enough. A beautiful memorial to a remarkable cat, who brought out all his finer qualities in a way people mostly didn't. I cannot believe in an afterlife that doesn't reunite them.
While the book hits more than a few of my favorite topics it is also about things I know nothing about: the Indian community in the UK, people who donWhile the book hits more than a few of my favorite topics it is also about things I know nothing about: the Indian community in the UK, people who don't already love books and reading, grandfathers. I looked up a lot of unfamiliar words, almost all about food. But I really appreciated the reading-for-comfort aspect most. As a reader it always kind of bugs me when a character is presented as a reader but doesn’t ever read onstage, doesn’t have conversations about books, doesn’t wonder what to read. ...Now I have "only connect" on my mind. I may have to read Howard's End again.
And also, props for the books on the reading list. Great stories. Sometimes imagine not having so many books in the hous: have only a small set of of my most beloved books, but, seriously? I'd ne er make it past Boynton without using up my permitted number of titles, no matter how many I could pick.
If I could only choose one by Austen it'd have to be Northanger Abbey: all the book chat!
Solomon's books are a delight. She manages to capture the vast array of golden opportunities and the rather more common indignities, annoyances, and sSolomon's books are a delight. She manages to capture the vast array of golden opportunities and the rather more common indignities, annoyances, and social failures the freshman is heir to.
Couldn't put it down. Happily, I was sick, and alone, so I didn't really have to. When I picked it up from the library yesterday I said I knew there wCouldn't put it down. Happily, I was sick, and alone, so I didn't really have to. When I picked it up from the library yesterday I said I knew there was a list waiting for it, and I would read it quickly and return it.
Assuming I feel okay to drive tomorrow I'll be keeping that promise....more
I'm sitting here, metaphorically drumming my fingernails impatiently. I have finished this series and it will be at least three months until the firstI'm sitting here, metaphorically drumming my fingernails impatiently. I have finished this series and it will be at least three months until the first book in their next outing is published. This is such a good pairing of collaborators. They've got the banter, the attraction, the very odd supporting cast. This is a series that if filmed would create a couple of new action stars.
And because this is the final tale in the trilogy, there's time to flesh out the people of small-town Burney, OH. And by focusing on the town the authors have managed a really neat trick: they have shown a society that isn't polarized. Maybe I need to cut back on my news intake, because it feels amazing that political parties are never mentioned. That feels so refreshing. People are still horrible in all the usual ways, but they're horrible because they do horrible things, not because of their opinions on unrelated topics. It's so refreshing to see a small town that's a seething cauldron of greed, lust, and other nice old-fashioned vices.
Also, for those who love this sort of thing, as I do, this one has quite a bit of real estate interest. I wouldn't be surprised to learn HGTV was trying to acquire the rights.
Personal, pre-ordered copy. Because the authors have been wise to mention that is particularly important, and because getting a new book by favorite authors every month is a dream that has languished since the mainline Nancy Drew's stopped publishing eons ago.
I like these stories a great deal: they tend toward the whimsical and a cheerful tone. Much less dark and angst than the novels. Well, given the naturI like these stories a great deal: they tend toward the whimsical and a cheerful tone. Much less dark and angst than the novels. Well, given the nature of the brief for most of them, they tend more towards a warm and family-friendly Christmas episode.
I was trying to find out if an author tour is planned, so I could pick up a hardcover copy from a local bookstore nearish hosting an eve03 April, 2023
I was trying to find out if an author tour is planned, so I could pick up a hardcover copy from a local bookstore nearish hosting an event where I could say "I love your work" and get a copy signed. Did not find. Checked the publisher website and saw "Category: Romance."
WTH? To be clear, I read a lot of romance, so I am not ragging on the idea. I just can't reconcile having only one Category tag for an author with crossover appeal. But also: did anyone in marketing look at that cover? That cover says "for fans of
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and
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, and
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" That cover says humorous scifi, not Romance.
Am I wrong?
***
4th July, 2023
And today I finished reading it, coincidentally over the July fourth weekend during which I also saw Asteroid City. Not the only good time to read it, but pretty good.
The book is better than "pretty good" by a lot. Classic screwball comedy which does require a little love interest, but is more about putting sane people in a maelstrom of amusing absurdity for comic effect. Willis is brilliant at that maelstrom. And at the cinematic references. So many movies are named checked, that one should probably not read it without an interest in movies. A delightful read, and one lending itself to dream casting: there aren't any bad choices no matter when or where the cast is selected.
Awww. The amusing adventures of a smut-loving librarian. Allows Excellent ending. In her more recent novels Dade has stretched out her timelines whichAwww. The amusing adventures of a smut-loving librarian. Allows Excellent ending. In her more recent novels Dade has stretched out her timelines which gives more room to develop the characters, motivations, contradictions as well as the plot. There's just as much charm and humor, but the tifhr schedule lends it a madcap quality.
Well, of course I am going to read a series called Lovestruck Librarians. And did I get a gracious serving of snark? Not one but two locales that screWell, of course I am going to read a series called Lovestruck Librarians. And did I get a gracious serving of snark? Not one but two locales that scream serial killer? Hideous misadventures in the out of doors? Yes, yes I say, and yes.
I am a tad disappointed though. Only a single scene was set in a library. Fortunately it was disturbing.
Knocking off half an hour before bedtime because the creepiness factor has increased exponentially. And it is in no way related to memories02 May 2023
Knocking off half an hour before bedtime because the creepiness factor has increased exponentially. And it is in no way related to memories of my grandmother who was sternly disapproving.
***
05 May 2023
Probably the first time I've closed a horror book and thought "relatable," but there you are. Sam's reactions, her sense of humor, and that damn grandmother all provide a firm reality with no self-concious spookiness. And this does fall into that sweet spot where the humor doesn't break up the building horror. Just the thing to delight my darlings with for All Hallow's Read. Well, maybe I'll just let them borrow mine.
Shout-out to Karolis Strautniekas and Ester S. Kim, jacket artist and designer respectively, for the excellent work. Great concept well executed. Love the vulture shadow, but the wallpaper, perfect.
Charlie has lost almost everything: his career is gone with newspapers amidst corporate takeovers and the internet and Google taking up all the ad spaCharlie has lost almost everything: his career is gone with newspapers amidst corporate takeovers and the internet and Google taking up all the ad space. He came back to his hometown to look after his father. All he has left is his father's house, his cat, one suit, two ties, and a sense of humor.
And, oh, how I enjoyed this book. I loved the interplay between characters, the snappy conversations, and Charlie's very middle class American point of view. He keeps plugging away, with a dream to restart his life. Then his essentially unknown billionaire uncle dies and he discovers there really are supervillains. Charlie is everyone who is hanging on to the vanishing middle class as billionaire robber barons assemble monopolies and fire workers who think a union might get them a living wage.
Charlie's struggle is real, and then his life becomes chaos, which is every bit as funny and action-packed and relatable as The Kaiju Preservation Society.
Library copy because the minimum wage has been held down in spite of reason, productivity, inflation, soaring housing costs, and soaring corporate profits. Support the strikers!...more
The joy of reading YA is that stories about young adults, written for young adults, often veer off in unexpected directions. This is a s6 January 2023
The joy of reading YA is that stories about young adults, written for young adults, often veer off in unexpected directions. This is a story about five teens and a dog living in yet another small town hollowed out by catastrophe and no future. Two have just graduated, but this summer will be spent with time carved out from between their jobs at Walmart and the YMCA shooting video of themselves ghost hunting. And then one night something amazing falls from the sky...
You can shoot your own trailer from that. There's danger and excitement and mystery in the best Scooby-Doo tradition, although these kids can't afford a van. There is ever increasing creepiness and un-put-downable suspense. And then there's more.
The beginning, the grim reality of their lives, drags on the reader as much as on Franny. But Henry knows how to raise the stakes. So worth it.
Jemisin is brilliant at calling out bullshit and being so damn entertaining with the social commentary, or, IWay to subvert the Lovecraftian paradigm!
Jemisin is brilliant at calling out bullshit and being so damn entertaining with the social commentary, or, I suppose, so socially conscious with the entertainment. Twenty four hours after finishing and I'm still doing a little happy dance in my seat. I walk away from this book with all the glee of leaving a blockbuster movie without any of the "oh, wait, that feels really dodgy when you stop to think about it" regrets after.
Because Hendrix knows exactly what can actually terrify me, I only read his books in the morning, when I won't be alone or in the dark05 February 2023
Because Hendrix knows exactly what can actually terrify me, I only read his books in the morning, when I won't be alone or in the dark for hours yet. Sitting here, petting the cat, watching the Spouse sleep through the open door, I look up from the page, the freeze/fight/flight adrenaline stronger than 2 cups of coffee and my ADHD meds with a decongestant chaser.
"falling as fast as she could, landing...so hard it knocked the soul right out of her body...and a millisecond later her head hit the wooden floor with a jarring, hollow knock she could smell."
That sounds so Southern, and the synesthesia works well.
***
06 February 2023
Finished this morning. So satisfying. The contempt for people from outside the South buying up houses is spot on, as is the excitement to be looking at a profit in that inflated, hot sellers market. See The House Next Door for a 1978 Atlanta take.
What makes it so great is how banal it is: the family at the funeral, the stupid, embarrassing fights, the ugliest house in the neighborhood, the stuff left over when the kids move out and on, the detritus parents hang on to, nostalgic for a childhood the kids can't leave fast enough.
I loved The Hating Game more than99 Percent Mine, and realized why h. Twenty. The set-up in many 21st-century contemporary romance novels tends towardI loved The Hating Game more than99 Percent Mine, and realized why h. Twenty. The set-up in many 21st-century contemporary romance novels tends toward a woman with an interesting career that she's really good at, with good friends, a close and loving family, fun hobbies: she is a woman with a full, rich, satisfying life. (#notallcontemporaryheroines) The only thing missing is true love, which she is unlikely to be seeking. Lucy in Hating, and Ruthie in 2nd First aren't all that. They're undervalued and underpaid at work, family is emotionally or figuratively distant, and they have no friends. There are good things but there's also a lot of dissatisfaction. And the lack of friends is their biggest struggle, far more important to them than the lack of romance. They're swell gals with retro thrifted clothes, but they're lonely. So even though one of the joys for me in contemporary romance is the interaction with the friends and parents, it is also true that I have no longer have older close relatives and no best friend to hang out with IRL. So if anyone would like to suggest similar books, please do. Apparently I am an underserved audience.
During the two months of All Hallow's Reading each fall, and for a fair while ahead of that, anything to do with death/murder/horror/suspense etc. thaDuring the two months of All Hallow's Reading each fall, and for a fair while ahead of that, anything to do with death/murder/horror/suspense etc. that happens to catch my eye goes in the stack. The idea of Death being made to take a sabbatical and use up all that vacation time amuses me. Had I looked to see who the creator was I might have anticipated that it would be rather less funny or morbid than I was hoping, and more quiet observations about modern life in corporate America. It's realistic in all ways except that Death is a job that lots of people have like Sales Rep. The bureaucracy makes sense in a world of 7 billion people; sure, you'd need middle management and HR and all. I wonder what the classified ads would look like.
It was very much a New Yorker Death, so: amusing, thoughtful, understated. I liked it, even though this was no Terry Pratchett Death. Or even Bill and Ted Death.
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