A.D. is a graphic novel about seven people from New Orleans. The author interviewed these people extensively, visited New Orleans, took pictures, and then created this book. It tells the stories of people who left and people who stayed, wealthyish people and poorish people, black people and white people. I liked reading this book, because it aligns very nicely with my memories of the hurricane. The high school kids talked about how they were going to miss a couple of days of school, and everyone expected it to turn east the way they always do, and the doctor has a…
6 CommentsReading the End Posts
I realized yesterday that I hadn’t read any of my other books for the RIP IV Challenge, and they all came due today, and I had to renew them by an unnecessarily complicated process because the library is also being fail lately. Anyway so I grabbed Let The Right One In (why is it called Let Me In on my copy?) to read it and I came to a realization. I am just tired of vampires. I have had enough. There are vampires everywhere and it is too many vampires, and I need a break from them. But there is…
30 CommentsAnd today, in light of its being the massive book blog love-fest week, and today being the day where we all say thanks for particular books, here are some that I’d never have read if it weren’t for various people (see below): Thanks to an adventure in reading for Douglas Coupland – particularly Eleanor Rigby. And to Nymeth for Patrick Ness and Bayou. I know went on and on about how scary Bayou was (and I was not exaggerating, that book was scary as hell), but it was also gorgeous and amazing. And oh, also, A Life in Books –…
11 CommentsSo I’ve never had an eReader, but they sound fantastic. I mean you can put dozens of books up on those things and stick ’em in your purse, and there you go, you have a whole bunch of books. That would make packing for long trips GLORIOUSLY EASY. Instead of hurling me into an agony of indecision. I bring this up because the lovely people at Irex have partnered with Bongs & Noodles (Bongs & Noodles! hurrah!) so that they have access to loads and loads of titles in the B&N database. Wait, no, that’s not why I brought it…
6 CommentsAck, I am so behind on reviews. I am working on a project that requires a lot of attention (fortunately I can work on it while still watching classic Doctor Who), which is the excuse I’m using for my negligence. Feel free to be distracted from this by a picture of my beautiful hat: Gerald Morris’s The Squire’s Tale and The Quest of the Fair Unknown Essentially, Gerald Morris writes very sweet retellings of King Arthur legends from various sources, making fun of impractical chivalry rules and having Gawain be the coolest knight of all the knights. Instead of Lancelot,…
10 CommentsThe Bible just got bumped off my five desert island books list. Sorry, Bible! It’s just that you have all that stuff about begatting and oysters, and none of my other desert island books take long breaks from being awesome to talk about stoning your disobedient sons! And you know I can’t do without Shakespeare, and The Color Purple and Angels in America are JUST SO EPIC, and Greensleeves is my favorite book of all time. You understand, don’t you? And we can still be friends? I mean when you think about it, way more people would take you to…
9 CommentsDo you ever read a book where you finish it and you’re like, Hm, I think I may be deeply stupid? I sort of felt that way when I finished reading A Pale View of Hills, but with that one, at least, I thought about it for a while and came to a conclusion. I have been thinking furiously about The Girl in a Swing, ever since I finished it yesterday morning, and I am still trying to figure out what the hell happened. I was excited to read this book. I love Watership Down like crazy, and The Girl…
43 CommentsHeeheehee, this RIP Challenge is jolly good fun. At this rate I will have read way too many spooky books before Halloween. I should pace myself, except I can’t because The Girl in a Swing just came in at the library and I went and picked it up today and I really really really want to read it. Jennifer Finney Boylan‘s I’m Looking Through You is all about how Jenny Boylan (Jenny! hooray! More people should be called Jenny!) grew up as a boy in a spooky old house, haunted by ghosts and writing under the wallpaper. She writes with…
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