Well. My resolution to go easy on EL James didn't even make it to the first page. Because The Mister opens with one of the laziest prologue chapters I've ever read, and it immediately brought me right back to all of my least favorite things about 50 Shades -- Christian's tortured, poverty-stricken childhood flashbacks. For the … Continue reading Webster’s Dictionary Defines Heavy-Handed As…: “Prologue” of The Mister
Fine, Let’s Do This: Recapping EL James’s “The Mister”
In the years since I wrote my Grey recaps, I had a slight change of heart where EL James was concerned. Not because I suddenly felt that hers' was a work of staggering genius, but rather that it is curious that the two most hated works of fiction in the last 10-ish years were Twilight … Continue reading Fine, Let’s Do This: Recapping EL James’s “The Mister”
Finished BBC’s Strike? Here’s what to read next
Whether you caught all seven (slightly rushed) episodes of the BBC’s recent detective show, or read the original books by JK Rowling (The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm), you may feel stuck finding something similar that scratches a similar itch until the show returns sometime next year. What made Strike a more enjoyable piece of detective … Continue reading Finished BBC’s Strike? Here’s what to read next
Top 3 Books for January 2017
I'm catching up on all of the reading I've done so far this year, so I wanted to do a quick series of monthly recaps with my most-recommended books. Let's start, as one does, with January: 1. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running Haruki Murakami's autobiographical reflections on his life as a … Continue reading Top 3 Books for January 2017
Review: We should all be equalists by Gary Snow
I originally bought Gary's 43-page book(? essay? novella?) out of a desire to hear the other side of the argument on feminism. Nobody should be stuck in an echo chamber, right? Particularly if that argument comes in longer format than the average Reddit post or blog article where, theoretically, the author would have spent more time … Continue reading Review: We should all be equalists by Gary Snow
Anyone else watching Westworld through a lens of miserable apathy?
Bit of a sensational headline, but for those of you who are watching, 1: I do want to discuss spoilers so — SPOILER WARNING — but 2: I more want to discuss why this is being heralded as some kind of instant classic when it’s... not very good? Subjective opinions are just that, but apart … Continue reading Anyone else watching Westworld through a lens of miserable apathy?
I really wish I liked Eileen
Writer Ottessa Moshfegh's Eileen has been something of a minor blockbuster in the book world over the past year, with reviewers hailing her book as "satisfyingly unsettling," or "perverse, squalid, and sinister." This left me hoping for a psychological thriller, or at least a gripping read. What I got instead was a banal melodrama. The plot is … Continue reading I really wish I liked Eileen
Review: Feminist Fight Club, or Jessica Bennett’s Lean In for Millennials
To start, I only recently discovered publishers catalogues, the literal Scholastic Book Fair for adults. Why it never occurred to me that these would exist -- just catalogues of upcoming titles from publishing houses -- I have no idea. But now I do know, and that knowledge is glorious. So. While browsing Penguin's list of … Continue reading Review: Feminist Fight Club, or Jessica Bennett’s Lean In for Millennials
8 month catch-up with 7 book recommendations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0u6QfxcY-4 Wrapping up the past 8 months of reading by sharing my 7 favorite books -- including a play, 2 audio books, 1 Australian author, and a small rant about women in sports. Books mentioned: Shrill - Lindy West Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare Eat Sweat Play - Anna Kessel Why God is … Continue reading 8 month catch-up with 7 book recommendations
Winter by Marissa Meyer | This Year in Reviews
I'll keep my usualy apologetic pre-amble short: I don't post enough, and now that I have a YouTube channel, it's tempting to ignore my blog and stick to video. But I feel like certain things, like individual reviews, are still much better suited to blog form... as long as I can keep them short. So … Continue reading Winter by Marissa Meyer | This Year in Reviews
Tea Leaves and Dog Ears 