Rated A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance 10/10
<div>One of the better things I have read this year, and the audiobook narrator is also good. A great mix of history and memoir.</div>
book
Wants to read Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space
Rated Doctor Who: Fear of the Daleks 8/10
Wants to read The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human
Rated The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things 8/10
<div>I didn't really know much of anything about Jane Austen before reading this, but since I listened to all those audio adaptations of her novels this year, I thought this would be a good way to cap it all off. And it was!<br><br>I admit that I've had an ARC of this book sitting around for 4 different places I've lived now, in the almost 10 years since this was published (oops), but it's for the best that I came to it with a better familiarity with all of Austen's work rather than the bits and pieces I knew back then (mainly, P&P and some of the movie/miniseries adaptations).<br><br>Given that the Austens had family money from opium and "West Indian" plantations, I don't know that Byrne is as analytical as she could be when it comes to the disconnect between that income and Jane's written distaste for slavery. The money takes a bit of a circuitous route to the family through their relations, but given the analysis present on other subjects, we could spend a few more words on that disconnect. Women surviving with what was made available to them, the faraway origins of what is essentially blood money and how the English could turn a blind eye, Jane's love for fashion — any of those topics were a way into deeper discussion that would still fit within the premise of the book. Also, there are a couple of other ways Byrne phrased her descriptions of racial relations in the Regency era that made me say "Hmm, dunno if <em>that's</em> how I'd put <em>that</em>," but having not seen the finished copy, I do not know what later changes were made.<br><br>Otherwise, this was an interesting look at Jane Austen centered around important objects from her life, giving us a larger picture of her personality, family, and career. I learned a lot, and it was fun to see what real life places and things influenced her work.</div><div><br></div>
Rated Carl's Doomsday Scenario 9/10
Edited 5d ago
Rated Free Love 7/10
<div>Honestly, this is more of a 3 star, story-wise, but Tessa Hadley's writing is always so good and richly detailed that I mind the light plot less. Essentially, this is a "upper-crusty people contemplate upending their lives, with varying degrees of follow-through and success." Scandalous affairs! 1960s London! Artsy youths who think they know shit! But at its heart is the desperation of one woman to no longer be a conventional wife, hoping that her exuberance sees her through. Definitely not a bad book, but it wasn't love for me. </div>
Rated The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 6/10
I liked it all right, but didn't love it. I have some quibbles with the amount of research done, and the ending felt rather anti-climatic, but it's still an interesting read.<br><br>(My full review appears at <a href="http://persephonemagazine.com/2012/11/07/book-review-the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-at-night-time-by-mark-haddon/">Persephone Magazine</a>.)
Rated Doctor Who: Foreshadowing 10/10
<div>This is a pretty perfect Short Trip. Doesn't feel like a larger story paired down, the supporting character is a good one (no spoilers), and the resolution fills a blank from the Classic series.</div>
Rated A Wizard of Earthsea 8/10
Glad I finally read this classic.
Wants to read Love Begins in Winter: Five Stories
Rated Outlawed 8/10
<div>I wouldn't say I'm generally a "Western" fan, but if you involve women, especially queer women, I'm going to pay attention. Though the protagonist is a straight white woman, she at least has the good sense to pay attention to those around her who are different, and her naiveté becomes more a thing of the past. Set in a somewhat alternate western U.S., much parallels our present day struggles.</div>
Rated Red Clocks 10/10
<div>This is a book about choice — both the real, free choices women make, and also the choices they have to make when cornered. And what happens when the outside world keeps bearing down on women, what can they do next? Is it really possible to opt out from what is considered a "respectable" mode of womanhood? <br><br>Excellent characters, an interesting and inventive way of weaving their narratives together, and a real sense of place. Definitely recommend. </div>
<div>If you are a woman with a chronic illness and want to feel seen, then you will get something out of this book. Perhaps less so if you are looking for practical tips on how to navigate your feelings and level of activity, as this is mostly filled with accounts of women who have been failed by their doctors, friends, and significant others. Because of that, I HEARTILY recommend that anyone who interacts with chronically ill women should give this book a read. It may be illuminating for you, and it might make you treat the disabled/ill women in your life better. One would hope. Then again, we're unfortunately quite used to being let down.<br><br>I do wish this tackled the added complication of fatphobia in the medical profession, as that was a big gap in the otherwise quite diverse interviewed women, but the subject barely comes up. Besides that, while I was knowingly infuriated at times while reading because of my own experiences, I am glad I finally read this.</div>
Rated Dora: A Headcase 10/10
I imagine that there are many references to Freud and Jung (yes, he makes an appearance too), the real ones, if I already knew more about them. I'm sure this book is quite fun for the psych student. However, with my basic knowledge of the two and very little about the real case itself, I absolutely loved this book. It's one of those that I wanted to gobble up, and I read it quickly while on vacation in, of all places, Disney World. What would Freud and Jung make of that?<br><br>(My full review appears on <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2013/03/dora-headcase-by-lidia-yuknavitch.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)
Rated Their Eyes Were Watching God 10/10
<div>I am both glad that I read this as a full-on adult, so I could properly appreciate it, and that I read it via audiobook, narrated by Ruby Dee, who does an excellent job with all the different voices.</div>
Rated Doctor Who: Invaders from Mars 8/10
I quite like War of the Worlds, so combining it into this story was fun.