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Rated The Thing About Thugs 8/10
In some ways, the darker elements and seeing the killer's point-of-view reminded me of Patricia Highsmith's work, though she did not set any of her stories (that I know of) in Victorian times. The methodical way everyone justifies their bad behavior, killer or not, is also very much like her. The difference is that Khair doesn't write with underlying disdain for society. There is still an element of magic, though not the fantastical kind. It's magic in the form of hope, the willful suspension of disbelief, and the transforming power of a good story. I certainly recommend tracking down this book.<br><br>(My full review appears on <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-thing-about-thugs-by-tabish-khair.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)
Rated The Trees 9/10
<div>A near-perfect collection of short stories in a pleasingly compact package. There were so many instances where I thought, "Wow, what a sentence!" that I'm glad that the translator, Robin Myers, also gets proper billing on the cover. I have not seen this work in its original Spanish, nor is my Spanish good enough to where I could fluently read it, but I know that translation is its own work of art.<br><br>These short stories are full of beautiful descriptions, human difficulty, and a different way of looking at the stories of the natural world. I definitely recommend it.</div>
Rated The Underworld 8/10
Very much enjoyed this, probably more so because it is a stretch of road with which I am familiar. A book full of grieving, realistically messy people (though the book is not one I'd call a tearjerker at all), doing the best they can, even when the best they can might be a poor decision anyway.
Wants to read The Universe of Us (Volume 4)
Rated Doctor Who: The War Doctor, Vol. 4: Casualties of War 10/10
<div>This whole series with John Hurt is really great, but this fourth installment is perhaps the best of the bunch. Leela turns up too, which answers some questions about what happened to her in the Gallifrey: Time War installment I recently listened to, so I'm glad I heard that one first, even if it's not wholly essential to have done so.</div>
Rated The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide 8/10
Though this book is not at all heavy reading, I certainly recommend it as thinking material. Is it worth the $15 cover price? I don’t know — that depends on your love of tattoos more than it does literature, I think. Perhaps it’s more of a book you buy as a gift for others. Still, it’s always interesting to hear the stories behind why people choose to decorate their bodies in the way that they do, though I imagine that for any living writer, seeing their words as tattoos must be both bizarre and flattering.<br><br>(Full review on <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2010/10/world-made-flesh-edited-by-eva-talmadge.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)
Rated The Zero 10/10
Not in recent memory have I read a book so enthralling, heartbreaking and with such deadpan humor. In what he calls his "9/12" novel, Jess Walter’s <i>The Zero</i> follows "hero cop" Brian Remy, who is trying to make sense of the world while also suffering from memory lapses. His journey is at once bewildering and mournful, and though I’m not one to go on about perfect first lines, Walter had me at the outset:<br><br><blockquote>They burst into the sky, every bird in creation, angry and agitated, awakened by the same primary thought, erupting in a white feathered cloudburst, anxious and graceful, angling in ever-tightening circles toward the ground, drifting close enough to touch, and then close enough to see that it wasn’t a flock of birds at all — it was paper.</blockquote><br><br><br>Is it a long first sentence? Yes. Does it matter? Absolutely not.<br><br>Part existential crisis, part satire, <i>The Zero</i> also presents some of the ridiculousness of government during this time. There’s talk of “evildoers” and an entire agency dedicated to collecting all those scraps of paper, The Department of Documentation. “Things will be better when all the paper has been cleaned up.” Cops and firefighters are getting agents and their faces on cereal boxes; tourists pose for photos by the wreckage. Even in the event of a national tragedy, capitalism and consumerism worm their way into the larger discussion.<br><br>(Full review can be found at <a href="http://therumpus.net/2010/07/sara-habein-the-last-book-i-loved-the-zero/">The Rumpus.</a>)
Rated The War Master: Rage of the Time Lords 8/10
Poor Eighth Doctor. His brain is like a shredded sponge with all this memory mischief, ha. But this was good.
Rated Three Bags Full 8/10
<div>I heard about this book via Bluesky, maybe a year or so before the movie came out, but I didn't know it came out in 2005 originally! My library hold was very long until they recently got more copies.<br><br>Anyway, I enjoyed this unusual way of approaching a murder mystery story, and the sheep definitely still seemed like sheep, and not very human brains inside sheep bodies. I wouldn't necessarily call this a "cozy" mystery, but it's not grimdark either, and actually, there are a lot of funny parts. Glad I got to it. </div>
Rated The Wire in the Blood 8/10
<div>A few plot points were a little convenient, but this was a good one. A lot more gross, details-wise, than some of her others. Maybe that's just how this particular series is though, which is fine.</div>
Rated This Is How You Lose the Time War 7/10
<div>I don't know that this was exactly the book for me (which surprised me, since I do like a good time travel story), but I very much respect the unusual way this story is told. Count me among the many who picked this up after the posts about it on The Site Formerly Known As Twitter. Glad to see what the hype was about, but I think I wanted the worlds in which Red and Blue exist to be more clear, but that could be on me.</div>
Rated To Show and to Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction 8/10
I didn't always agree with Lopate (his attitude towards James Baldwin is a bit dismissive, for instance), but this book gave me a lot to think about. Worth a read if you're interested in creative nonfiction, but perhaps not at full cover price.
Wants to read Whiteout Volume 2: Melt – The Definitive Edition
Wants to read Too Cool for School: A Memoir
Rated Torchwood: Fall to Earth 10/10
This was really great -- funny, dramatic, all the makings of a good Torchwood episode.
Rated Torchwood: The Conspiracy 8/10
John Barrowman's acting loses much of its appeal when you're not distracted by looking at him, but I enjoyed this story (or beginning of a story) quite a lot.
Rated Torchwood: More Than This 8/10
A really solid "describe the essence of Torchwood" story, though it does not touch quiiiite as heavily on the emotional damage often present in the Torchwood stories. Gwen's stories have been among the best in this audio series.
Rated Torchwood: The Office Of Never Was 8/10
An enjoyable Ianto tale. Makes great use of silence.