Nice girls don't wear cha-cha heels.

The story of the Fat Charlie, the son of a god, and his first invited, then uninvited brother,  Anansi Boys is typical Neil Gaiman fare: it's beautifully and occasionally hilariously written, fantastical and poignant. All the stuff he usually does. It is all over the map in the best way possible. I hope that none of this makes it sound like he just cranks these wild fantasies out, because I don't believe for a moment that is the case. It is more that I believe that this story, like every other story of Gaiman's that I have ever read (and there are many), contains a little bit of the heart and the soul of the author, and his heart and soul are still the same wonderful, fluffy, slippery little bits of magic that they always have been. I loved this book. I absolutely devoured it (metaphorically, of course). I don't know how he does it in story after story, book after book, but every word he writes is a joy to read. There's dimension-shifting, bird ladies (go...

Expected Publication January 1, 2020, Hachette Books *Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review* I have never included spoiler information in a review, and I'm not about to start here, so I will just give you the publisher's description: In the early evening of June 25, 1980, Vicki Durian, 26, and Nancy Santomero, 19, were killed in an isolated clearing in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. They were hitchhiking to a festival known as the Rainbow Gathering but never arrived. For thirteen years no one was prosecuted for the “Rainbow Murders,” though suspicion was cast on a succession of local men. In 1993, a local farmer was convicted, only to be released when a known serial killer and diagnosed schizophrenic named Joseph Paul Franklin claimed responsibility. With the passage of time, as the truth seemed to slip away, the toll became more inescapable–the unsolved murders were a trauma, exper...

We saw Ari Aster's Midsommar  last night, and I am so glad we did. It was everything I had hoped for and so much more. At 2h 27m, you kind of have to make a whole big thing of it, but honestly there wasn't a single wasted moment. It all went toward furthering the story and/or building tension.  Here's the synopsis from A24's website : " Dani and Christian are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. But after a family tragedy keeps them together, a grieving Dani invites herself to join Christian and his friends on a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. What begins as a carefree summer holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that render the pastoral paradise increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing. From the visionary mind of Ari Aster comes a dre...

Annabel is the sort of book that you can really lose yourself in. It took me several days to finish, but only because between school, work, and life, I haven't got much in the way of free time. Every time I sat down to read it, I found myself devouring it. Kathleen Winter's style of writing is lovely. It is free-flowing and poetic without being overly flowery or ostentatious. I hesitate to say too much lest I give anything away, but suffice to say that this novel is truly surprising. Nothing happened quite as I expected it to. At every turn I was waiting for something that never came - and it was incredibly refreshing. If you're looking for a novel that explores one of the limitless paths life as an intersex individual can take, I highly recommend this one. Four out of five items of rating. I really liked this story - it's by no means perfect, but it is still quite good. If you've read it and have thoughts of your own, I'd love to discuss it. Let me...

Disclaimer: I read this book already knowing that I like the My Favorite Murder podcast, and knowing that I have adored Karen Kilgariff from afar for years. Now that the disclaimer business is out of the way... I really liked this book! A dual memoir seems like it would be exceedingly tricky, but Karen and Georgia made it work. They tell some personal anecdotes as well as some podcast-related ones, which is a fun mix, and they both allow themselves to be laid fairly bare - and frankly, their willingness to be vulnerable for the sake of the book is what really made this relatively short book worth the price of admission.  4 out of 5 items of rating, and a FUCKIN' HOORAY!

We are all probably familiar with the Ripple Effect – you throw a stone into a pond, and from the point of impact, a multitude of ripples spread wider and wider. Similarly, every chance encounter, every action has innumerable implications that we may not even be aware of until far in the future. The passage of years, and each choice made during that time shape our lives, and the lives of those around us. Will I be authentic today? Will I sell out? Will I tell the truth? Embrace change? Will I let time make me into something that I’m not ready to be? These are just some of the questions addressed by Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad.  “It began the usual way,” page one declares. And thus begins what turns out to be one of the most unusual books I have read in recent memory. In her work of contemporary fiction, Egan explores the lives of a veritable cornucopia of eccentric, narcissistic, and sometimes tragic supporting characters. The story is broken up into ...

Although Dead Girls can be a bit meandering at times, it is a very solid bunch of essays which each explore, to some degree or other, America's obsession with the Dead Girl. Bolin discusses the prevalence of the trope in television and movies, in books, and even in real life. Since this is a cobbled together collection of personal essays, she does stray fairly far beyond her chosen topic from time to time, often straying into various aspects of the story of why/how/when she moved to LA (which honestly, I could have done with significantly less of), she does typically find a connection to Dead Girls. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. Total middle of the road, here. When she's "on," Bolin's essays are really good, but she's only on for about half of them in my opinion. 2.5 out of 5 items of rating. Read it if you think you'll dig it - you just might!

Disclaimer: I pulled this from my other blog because it feels more at home here. I just finished a few really great books. In light of that, I am going to throw them out into the universe in hopes that somebody, somewhere has either read them, or will read them based on that. Book #1 was  Starless  by Jacqueline Carey. I think this is now just my most favorite book in the history of books. I. FUCKING. LOVED. EVERY. WORD. I loved the high fantasy. I loved the gods and goddesses directly interacting with the denizens of the world. I loved the gender fluid protagonist Khai, and the differently abled princess Zariyah. I loved the inclusion of the many different cultures in the world that Carey so beautifully fleshed out (which is something that honestly, I always feel she excels at). I loved the struggles, the relationships, the adventure, blah, blah, blah. If you're tired of white guys rescuing white girls and then living happily ever after against the backdrop of h...