Wants to read Magical Neon Sexuality
book
Rated The Marriage Portrait 8/10
<div>I wasn't as into the story itself as much as I have been with other O'Farrell books, but when the writing is so great, who cares? I know I go on elsewhere about how it's often better to describe things simply and to get to the point, but when people write lushly and expansively WELL? Get in. Maggie O'Farrell shows us how it's done.</div>
Rated An Untamed State 10/10
Roxane Gay has appeared in a shedload of year-end lists already, and with good reason. With two books out this year, her tenacity and skills are finally receiving their due. I could have just as easily put her essay collection, Bad Feminist, in this [Top 5] slot (linked below), except I have a confession: I don’t own it yet. True, I read many of the included essays as they originally appeared in various online outlets, but the book itself, I do not have.<br><br>An Untamed State is no poor substitute, let’s be clear. Gay’s novel about Mireille Duval Jameson, a woman kidnapped while visiting her family in Haiti, is an unflinching look at the effect violence (particularly sexual violence) has on a person. The difficult scenes between Mireille and her captors never feel exaggerated for dramatic effect, and her descent into numbness in order to survive is one of the best depictions I’ve ever read. This novel also deals in memory, pain, and interpersonal relationships, but it’s also about a Haitian-American’s feeling of disconnect with her native country. It’s an outstanding debut.<br><br>(This review also appeared at <a href="http://persephonemagazine.com/reading-list-top-5-favorite-books-2014/">Persephone Magazine</a>.)
Rated The Scarifyers: The Thirteen Hallows 8/10
This was pretty funny, especially Gareth David-Lloyd as Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr (now that's a Welsh name).
Rated Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish 10/10
What a remarkable book, not only just for the time in which David Rakoff wrote it before his death, but for the sheer feat of its poetic structure. This reminded me of Simon Van Booy's Everything Beautiful Began After, which I read last year.
Rated Call Me Master: Inner Demons 8/10
<div>I don't know that it was instant LOVE like I had with the War Master, Missy, or the Roberts Master series, but I liked this quite a bit, and I'm glad it's finally out, since it was announced so long ago. Sacha Dhawan's Master is an interesting version of the character, and I'm interested in further stories with him.</div>
Rated Doctor Who: The Revenants 8/10
<div>A really solid Companion Chronicles story, where the Doctor doesn't even have to be there until the second half.</div>
Rated The Bone Clocks 10/10
This book isn't going to be for everybody, and it's hella long, but what a feat this is to dream up and execute. In a lesser writer's hands, this would be a convoluted POS. Maybe if David Mitchell wasn't already one of my favorite authors, I might have been tempted to rate this 4 stars instead, but the farther I read, the more I could see how everything connected. I like the shout-outs to his other books contained within as well.
Rated Crooked Little Vein 8/10
At a little over 50,000 words, <i>Crooked Little Vein</i> is a quick, straightforward read. It’s the sort of book where you laugh through a grimace — “<i>Ohh</i>, that’s gross. Funny, but gross.” You want to keep reading, but the story goes beyond morbid fascination. Warren Ellis creates a narrative that’s both compelling and thought-provoking, asking all the while what the pursuit of liberty and happiness really means in the modern world.<br><br>(Full review can be found at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/crooked-little-vein-by-warren-ellis.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>)
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
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 The Night Circus 8/10
One criticism I have read about The Night Circus is that it relies too much on set description at the expense of action, and I suppose I can see that point, but I rather enjoyed all the scene-laying. If we are to believe in the fantastic beauty of this place, then we need to be able to see it. The plot, especially the challenge, is a slow-burner, but I didn't mind.<br><br>Part of what makes the book so effective is that it taps into our desires for something greater than ourselves, and our yearning for moments of magic. The circus provides an escape for all who visit it, a place where they have no responsibilities other than to enjoy the experience. Because there are different tents instead of one big tent with different scheduled events, the guests are invited to choose their own path. The circus does not dictate what one should find pleasurable, or when one should see it. A person can spend all night in one tent, or they can try to visit as many as they can before sunrise. It's a lovely idea.<br><br>(My full review can be found at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-night-circus-by-erin-morgenstern.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)