Rated Werewolves in Their Youth: Stories 6/10
book
Wants to read On the Geography of Relations: Two Essays
Rated Luminarium 8/10
<i>Luminarium</i> benefits from mental simmering. While reading, we may be just as bewildered as Fred, unsure of where or how all these events will resolve. With time and some additional thought, the real depth of what Shakar has accomplished becomes clear. He has written an extraordinary book, one I've grown to enjoy more once I've had some time away. Not every writer can pull off a novel of this scope, but Alex Shakar inspires us to try.<br><br>(Full review can be found on <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2011/10/luminarium-by-alex-shakar.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)
Rated Detransition, Baby 8/10
<div>Though sometimes the dialogue came off a bit more like a monologue than a conversation, the book is a good one. More messy, complicated queer stories that aren't necessarily tragedies, please. I can understand why some maybe did not enjoy the ending, but life doesn't have tidy resolutions, so for me, it worked.</div>
Rated The Essential Ginsberg 10/10
Although I'm not 100% with Ginsberg on everything (and who is?), this is still a great collection of poems, letters, journal entries, essays, and photos. Not a quick read (which is great if you're in the mood to really savor something), though a fascinating read.
Rated Dept. of Speculation 10/10
If I had read this earlier, it would have probably snuck into my Top 5 for the year post that I wrote. This book is as great as everyone said it is.<br><br>With its short chapters, <i>Dept. of Speculation</i> lends itself well to dipping in and out of its pages to remind oneself of its little bursts of feelings, but it’s also a good book for a full reread. Watching the reality of another couple’s ups and downs inevitably inspires reflection on one’s own relationships. How can we improve? Are we past the point of no return?<br><br>(Full review appears at <a href="http://persephonemagazine.com/2015/03/3-book-recommendations-illuminating-womens-lives/">Persephone Magazine</a>.)
Rated The Body's Question: Poems 10/10
This is me shoving the book into your hands.<br><br>(Full review at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-bodys-question-by-tracy-k-smith.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>")
Rated Collected Fictions 8/10
<div>Call it my "Summer of Borges" — on Bluesky, the book club I often participate in read a selection of Borges stories over the month of July. Mostly, they were from Labyrinths and The Aleph, but we were all reading from different collections and editions. I put in library holds for two different Borges books and figured I get to everything eventually, depending on what arrived first — Labyrinths (with the William Gibson intro) and this one — and between the two, I was able to read everything picked for that month.<br><br>But afterward, I thought, "Well, I may as well read the rest of it, right?" So technically, I did not reread anything that was covered in the other book, but this still had a whole lot of fiction that we didn't touch upon, and I think I found more I really liked in this, especially some of his later work. I appreciate the strangeness and unusual format of some of his stories — always appreciate a big swing! — but some of the more straightforward fiction was more my style. Blame my brain fog, maybe! I can respect the stuff that didn't quite resonate with me nonetheless.<br><br>Also, call this another instance of "make-up work" from stuff I never read when others did because I didn't finish college, ha. Really, it's better that I read this stuff not in my contrary late-teens/early-20s. I would've glazed over and then faked it for the quiz later. That said, books come to us when they come to us, and I'm glad I finally got to Borges. I can see his influence in so much other media now.</div>
Rated Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets 7/10
<div>Rugs and textiles in general are not my usual field of interest, but I AM interested in dissecting periods of history through a less typical lens, so this was an interesting read, even though sometimes I glazed over a bit. Admittedly, I read a Netgalley ARC of this that did not yet have the photos included, so I was probably not fully grasping the details. Armstrong does an adequate job pointing out how colonization and weaving have been interlinked, while also pointing out that certain types of rugs' popularity are often dictated by those colonial forces in ways that we might not realize. I definitely learned some things about a part of the world I'm less familiar with.</div>
Rated Fathermucker 8/10
Fathermucker is a quick-but-satisfying read, and certainly one with which less-uptight parents will identify. The question of "Is Stacy having an affair?" propels us to the very end, and it goes for self-deprecation over melodramatics. Olear makes us consider the definitions of honesty and identity within our day-to-day life, and I am officially a fan.
Rated The Castle 8/10
<div>I might have been tempted to rate this lower, but I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read it instead of listened to the audiobook. That said, the way it ends made me literally say, "HA!" aloud. I knew it was an unfinished novel, but I just didn't imagine how it was unfinished would be so amusing to me. That's what much of The Castle is — grimly amusing.</div>
Wants to read The Black History of the White House
Wants to read Breeze Felt at Moonrise
Rated Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes 10/10
I confess a weakness for the most brilliant person in the room. People who are great at what they do, whatever their “thing” may be, are my favorites. Excellence is dead sexy, especially when it comes to intelligence and the desire to improve. For this reason, I'm interested in the character of Sherlock Holmes.<br><br>Oh, sure, he's maddening to deal with — abrupt, insensitive, and distant at times — but the skill with which he gathers and assesses information is why his character has endured since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created him in 1887. In <i>Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes</i>, Maria Konnikova examines what goes into Holmes' process, the way he can block out all other distractions in order to solve his cases, and how ordinary people can use these skills in their everyday life.<br><br>(Read the rest of my review at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2013/12/mastermind-how-to-think-like-sherlock.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)
Rated Torchwood: Save Our Souls 10/10
<div>A spooky voice on the speakers, on an isolated island, and people are gonna die? SIGN ME UP.</div>
Rated The Omega Factor: Immaculate Possessions 8/10
<div>A solid, spooky tale. Now having finished this, I've listened to all the Omega Factor content from Big Finish, so I hope they make more. Here's hoping.</div>
Rated Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV 9/10
Edited 5d ago
Rated Gallifrey: Lies 8/10
I enjoyed this very much and was glad to hear the first Romana in the Doctor Who world again. <spoiler>Getting an answer as to why Romana regenerated seemingly on a whim that first time, was good to hear. After long last!</spoiler>
Rated We Should All Be Feminists 10/10
Essential reading.
Rated Doctor Who: Storm Warning 8/10
I'm acclimating to listening to audio dramas, but I enjoyed this a lot.