Rated On the Move: A Life 10/10
What a lovely book. Going to miss this guy's writing and work.
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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.
Wants to read I Want to Burn This Place Down: Essays
Rated NANO Fiction, Volume 6 Number 2 6/10
Wants to read Off-White: The Truth About Antisemitism
Edited 18d ago
Rated The Talented Mr. Ripley - Patricia Highsmith 10/10
If it's odd to have one of my favorite books be about a sociopathic murderer, I don't care. <br><br>(My full review appears at <a href="http://persephonemagazine.com/2012/09/27/book-review-the-talented-mr-ripley-by-patricia-highsmith/">Persephone Magazine</a>.)
Rated Doctor Who: The Third Doctor Adventures, Volume 1 7/10
<div>I was into the second story more than the first, but still a fun listen.</div>
Rated The Morningside 10/10
<div>What a great book. I've never read a Téa Obreht novel before (somewhere in my memory, I've come across a short story), and I'm glad I finally got to her.<br><br>THE MORNINGSIDE concerns a mother and daughter who live in the last upscale apartment building on their island, where the mother works as the super. They live in a not so distant future, where the tides are ever-encroaching and natural disasters cause population displacement around the world. The daughter does not know much about her past, or her mother's, but the unusual people around their building mix in her head with half-known folk tales, which sets a series of too-real events in motion. Is magic involved? Or is it a girl's magical thinking? What does everyday environmental trauma do to a person? How might we feel in control? But what if...?<br><br>There's a lot to consider here, and I like that the book does not offer easy resolutions. Well worth the read.</div><div><br></div>
Rated Emma 10/10
<div>Dare I say that this is my favorite Austen I've listened to this year? I listened to the version available through <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55873397.The_Jane_Austen_Collection_An_Audible_Original_Drama"><strong>The Jane Austen Collection: An Audible Original Drama</strong></a>, narrated by Emma Thompson and other actors doing much of the dialogue, and it's great. I also think this might be one of the books for which I've only seen one adaptation — not the Gwyneth Paltrow one, but the Romola Garai/Jonny Lee Miller BBC miniseries — unless we're also counting Clueless, which I do. (Much like I also count 10 Things I Hate About You as a Taming of The Shrew adaptation, which is probably the best one for that story.)<br><br>But yes, Emma's great. Funny, knowing, and at times, cutting. Not that the other books aren't, but this one is also paired with a little less "What will people think?!" Emma considers herself an expert in most everything until she's reminded otherwise, and it's fun to read that process of her figuring out how to be a better friend.</div>
Rated Laidlaw 9/10
<div>Because my library happened to have it, the only Laidlaw book I'd read before this first one was <em>The Dark Remains</em>, which was finished by Ian Rankin after William McIlvanney's death. I've read a few of Rankin's Rebus books, which are generally good mysteries, but I'd be curious now to reread and see if I can spot the seams. Rankin may be a perfectly serviceable writer whose work I'll probably read more, of but McIlvanney gave me several moments of "Damn, now that's a sentence."<br><br>I felt like the ending became sort of a foregone conclusion, but otherwise, I loved this book. I can definitely see its influence in so many writers, though no one has quite risen to McIlvanney's gift of characterization and description. (Perhaps Alan Parks' series with Detective Harry McCoy comes close.) McIlvanney can give you a whole life, a whole history, in an apt sentence or two. Sure, DC Harkness's inner monologue gets a little overcooked at times, but this is a noir, and besides, Laidlaw teases him about it. We're all aware of our roles here. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the other books with these characters.</div>
Rated Doctor Who and the Web of Fear 8/10
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 The Narrow Door: A Memoir of Friendship 10/10
I guess if I were being nitpicky, I'd say it's a 4.5 for me because sometimes I was hoping for the story arcs to be a bit more firm/clear, but I also understand that part of the point is that life does not work out neatly. We do the best we can. Still, this is an excellent book.
Rated Anansi Boys 10/10
Really enjoyed this. Since this was a radio drama, I'm looking forward to reading the actual book.
Rated The Abortionist's Daughter: A Novel 6/10
I liked The Abortionist’s Daughter, and it reminded me a little bit of another book I’ve read, [b:The House of Eliott|748336|The House of Eliott|Jean Marsh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1177989270s/748336.jpg|734478] by Jean Marsh. Though Marsh’s book is set a decade later, both she and DeCarlo delight in describing the fashions and food of their chosen time period. I’m not an expert, but it <i>feels</i> authentic, and that’s the important thing. Although there are technical and craft missteps that took me out of the story here and there, I’m still pleased that I read it, and anyone looking for a lighter take on early feminism may very well enjoy it too.<br><br>(My full review appears at <a href="http://persephonemagazine.com/2014/11/book-review-the-abortionists-daughter-by-elisa-decarlo/">Persephone Magazine</a>.)
Rated Before You Knew My Name 7/10
<div>This is an interesting take on the "body of a young woman found murdered" mystery genre, and even though how it shakes out feels almost a <em>bit</em> coincidental, I was definitely invested enough before then. I also appreciated that our second protagonist has her reasons for pursuing an answer, and that pursuit does not focus much on teaming up with the NYPD, and it is more circumspect when it comes to "true crime" as a hobby. Her reasons aren't a hobby, but I also wish <spoiler>she had not pursued romance in the end. I get that it demonstrates she's pursuing something healthier, but I maybe would have preferred that, with the help of seeing her new friends, she was more committed to finding out who she was outside of men and the terrible things that they do.</spoiler></div>
Wants to read Otherwise Pandemonium / Not a Star
Rated Doctor Who: Whispers of Terror 7/10