Wants to read A Disaffection
book
Rated Boo: The Life of the World's Cutest Dog 8/10
Short and adorable. Bought this when the e-book went on sale, and both the kids and I enjoyed it.
Rated Doctor Who: The Shadow of the Scourge 6/10
It wasn't love, but I enjoyed this Doctor/Ace/Benny pairing.
Rated Doctor Who: The Wave of Destruction 7/10
<div>This was fine. The tone was very much like one of the just okay Classic serials of the era, but maybe different elements reminded me of too many other Doctor Who stories. 1960s London, weird signals transmitted through popular entertainment devices, etc. etc. Always enjoy hearing Romana II though, and K-9 gets some jokes in.</div>
Rated Matrix 10/10
<div>Now this is some ART.</div>
Rated Torchwood: Serenity 8/10
Very much enjoyed this. I'm a sucker for "We have to go undercover as a couple and pretend to be normal" type stories. Also, John Barrowman seems better at this audio adventure than he was in the earlier ones I listened to. Less stilted. Maybe because he wasn't recording it separately? But Gareth David-Lloyd is always excellent in these stories. I need to eventually catch up on the rest of the Torchwood audio adventures.
Rated In Search of Gil Scott-Heron 7/10
<div>This is part memoir, part biography — though a lot of the musical biography is written by Dortheé Nolan and appears as an article at the end of the graphic novel. I knew a little about Gil Scott-Heron's influence on hip-hop, but this book is more about the influence he had on the author's career. That's fine too, but there isn't quite enough introspection here to make us really feel an impact, apart from the frustration of the near-miss and the W years. The art pairs well with the text though, and perhaps the book will make more people seek out Scott-Heron's work.</div><div><br></div>
Rated The Mysteries of Pittsburgh 10/10
This is probably my all-time favorite book. It's lovely, heartbreaking and just about perfect. Chabon's <i>The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay</i> is certainly a great book and deserving of its accolades, but this is the one that I revisit repeatedly.
Rated Trespasses 8/10
<div>Really great book, as was the audiobook narrator. </div>
Rated The Empusium 8/10
<div>It was really only in the second half where I fully signed on to this book, but I think I would have gotten more out of it if I were more familiar with The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. While reading, I would occasionally understand that some details were significant somehow, but would not know the specifics. That's on me, since otherwise, The Empusium is compellingly written. Loved the ending.</div>
Rated Gender Queer: A Memoir 9/10
<div>Finally read this excellent graphic novel that has been at the center of so much book censorship. The memoir very clearly demonstrates one person's struggles with gender dysphoria, the power of having representation, and a vocabulary to describe oneself. It's a shame, to put it mildly, that some people don't want young people to have that information and secure sense of self. I wouldn't 100% say this is a book for younger teenagers (ymmv; I'd have been fine with it), but 16+? Definitely a good book, especially for the young adults who NEED to see that being genderqueer and/or asexual is a perfectly fine and normal way to be. Seeing the support Kobabe's family provides is great.<br><br>Some NOT-young adults need this education too. It's as much a memoir as it is informational, and Kobabe's artwork is wonderful.<br><br>This was published in 2019, and alas, the Harry Potter and Neil Gaiman references certainly do NOT hold up, but that is not the fault of the author.</div><div><br></div>
Rated It Chooses You 10/10
Not to get too heavy-handed with the metaphor, but despite a stack of books at home, this book chose me.<br><br>(My full review can be found at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2012/05/it-chooses-you-by-miranda-july.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)
Rated Into This World 8/10
I read from page 40-ish until the end in one evening, despite the fact that I should've gone to sleep. So that should give you an indicator of its appeal.<br><br>Read my full review at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2012/05/into-this-world-by-sybil-baker.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.
Wants to read Edgar Allan Poe: Collected Works
Rated The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School 8/10
<div>It was the cover and title that drew me to this book initially. It was a bit of a slow start for me, but I have an iffy tolerance for people who can't communicate and are so wrapped up in what other people think — normal teenage stuff, to be sure! But also part of the reason why I don't read a lot of YA. That said, by the second half, as Yami gains confidence and the story really starts to kick off, I was much more into it. And I definitely know this will have a lot of value to younger readers who are trying to figure out who they are and how to navigate the world.</div>
Rated The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America 6/10
<div>This is basically a book about the Chicago World's Fair with a longform essay about a serial killer smooshed between chapters. Both have some interesting moments, but the writing is also a bit overwrought and speculative for my tastes in nonfiction. There are some assumptions about different people's mannerisms and inner thoughts that he could not possibly know, most of which do not add anything substantial to the narrative. The overall effect is just an ok book. I learned a few things.</div>
Rated Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind 8/10
Like reading a very fascinating longform article that leaves one with a lot to think about. Harris writes in a clear way, and this is a good entry point for the heavy, sometimes opaque study of the mind.
Rated How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead: Your Words in Print and Your Name in Lights 8/10
What I like about this book is that while it has certain indie-hippie undertones, it doesn’t make any judgements one way or another about what the ‘best’ way to publish is. Self-publish, find an agent, make your own zines, start a blog, go for the big publishing house deal — do whatever works for you. “Be as crazy as you are,” she says.<br><br>Though I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book to people just beginning the writing process — better to get books that concentrate more on craft for that — but for anyone who has waded in a little or anyone who feels they might be stuck in a success-rut, it can’t hurt to give some of this advice a try.<br><br>(Full review can be found at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-to-become-famous-writer-before.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>)