Wants to read David Bowie: Starman
book
Rated Doctor Who: Deep Time 8/10
Pretty good! Still doing that weird thing where the Doctor is commenting on Clara's appearance (stop that, writers), but the story is good and the characters don't become one big indistinguishable blob of support staff. <br><br>The quality of Doctor Who novels varies so much, but they're honestly like candy. You're not looking for great literary achievement -- you're looking for an author to get the voices right and to have a plot that makes you want to keep reading. That's it. This does that.
Rated California 8/10
I don't know if I loved the ending, but this was still a very good book.
Rated This is the Story of a Happy Marriage 10/10
Wants to read I Want to Burn This Place Down: Essays
Rated Doctor Who and the Web of Fear 8/10
Wants to read The Disappearance of Rituals: A Topology of the Present
Rated Cherry 4/10
<div>This wasn't really for me. I kept going because it was just compelling enough that I wanted to know what happened, I suppose, but what did happen was.... eh. And the rampant misogyny throughout was just... a lot. Occasionally, there were some funny bits, and I really like the red skull cover, but glad to move on.</div>
Wants to read The Principles of Uncertainty
Rated Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us 7/10
<div>First things first — Yes, this cover and title make you think this is going to be a social sciences kind of book. It's not. It's a memoir in essays — which is also fine, but I do wonder how everyone involved in this came to the decision to package it this way. The jacket copy makes the contents somewhat more clear, at least.<br><br>I was not previous familiar with Boylan, though apparently she's been out there doing her thing for years, under her current name and as the previous version of herself. She uses her deadname a lot in some of these essays, so trans people may feel a certain way about that. I am not trans, so I cannot speak to how trans people might like this book in general, but I will say this — She's a trans elder who came out later in life, and even if her journey and way of speaking about it is not necessarily the language younger people use today, it's still important to document the experiences of trans people at ALL stages of life.<br><br>Another interesting thing is the reveal that Boylan's adult daughter is also trans, and her daughter struggled a bit with having a memoirist parent during childhood. She says that she felt a certain pressure to conform to Boylan's narrative of "Look how happy and NORMAL we are," even if that's not what her parents intended. It's a touching moment, the two of them speaking as trans adults with different perspectives. And one can see that, yes, Boylan struggles throughout her essays, even still, to not feel shame for who she is. I imagine it's a hard feeling to shake once it takes root, even knowing that it's irrational.<br><br>Boylan's examinations of being on "both sides" of the gender spectrum aren't quite as fleshed out as the subtitle of the book suggests. She mainly thinks about the trans experience in terms of being a woman —which is fine, that's who she is— but if you were hoping for more insight on the varied ways one can know and express their gender, this isn't the book. Still, it's an interesting collection of essays, and I would guess that previous fans of her work will find something of value here.</div><div><br></div>
Wants to read Vegetable Simple: A Cookbook
Rated NANO Fiction, Volume 6 Number 2 6/10
Rated Torchwood: The Green Life 9/10
<div>I like it when older Jo pops up in things, and pairing her with Captain Jack worked well. And I gotta say, just hearing about the giant maggots instead of seeing them this time was preferable, ha.</div>
Rated The Age of Innocence 10/10
<div>Edith Wharton is one of the best to ever do it.</div>
Rated Doctor Who: Colditz 8/10
I haven't listened to too many Seventh Doctor audio adventures, but I liked this one. Ace is always good, and it was interesting to hear David Tennant as the baddie, since this was made before the show came back. Decent story, side good characters.
Rated Love and Other Consolation Prizes 8/10
His best one yet.
Wants to read Otherwise Pandemonium / Not a Star