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Archive for April, 2008

Running with Scissors

Posted in books, gender, nonfiction on April 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

Augusten Burroughs, Running with Scissors
Okay, I went into this one with a really nasty attitude because A.) It was a huge hit several years ago, which usually means that there’s no way it can possibly live up the hype; and B.) Because I read Burroughs’ novel Sellevision and was deeply unimpressed.   But actually…this is HYSTERICAL.  I mean, [...]

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Certain Girls

Posted in books, chick lit, fiction on April 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

Jennifer Weiner, Certain Girls
The sequel to Weiner’s first novel, Good in Bed, Certain Girls is the continuing story of Candace (Cannie) Shapiro, a zaftig former newspaper reporter who now writes Sci-fi and helicopter-mothers her daughter, Joy.  The narrative is evenly split between Cannie and Joy; Cannie’s chapters deal with Joy’s psychotic 12-year-old moodswings and Cannie’s husband’s desire for [...]

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Don’t blame me, blame Booksfree

Posted in YA, books, fantasy, fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, race, tagged , on April 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

By which I mean, don’t blame me for this odd combination of books–blame Booksfree and their somewhat arcane ranking process.  Anyway.
Holly Black, Tithe
Feh.  I went in with some bitchy feelings towards Holly Black because she’s very friendly with Cassandra Clare, and, for those not in the know, there are plenty of valid reasons to be [...]

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If I am Found Missing or Dead

Posted in books, memoir, nonfiction, tagged , on April 24, 2008 | 3 Comments »

Janine Latus, If I am Found Missing or Dead
Okay…this was incredibly painful, but pretty important to read if you want to try to understand the mentality of an abused woman.  Latus’ sister Amy was murdered by her boyfriend in 2002.  Both Latus and Amy had a history of dating (and marrying) physically and emotionally abusive [...]

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In which I disagree with my sister’s literary opinions

Posted in books, classics, fiction, tagged , , on April 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White
I read this because I loved The Moonstone and my sister just kind of scrunched up her nose and said, “The Woman in White is better.”
It isn’t.  But that doesn’t mean it’s bad.
The Woman in White has everything you could ask out of a potboiler:  intrigue!  Horrible death!  Secret societies!  [...]

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Rambo

Posted in movies, tagged , , , on April 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

A few months ago, I went to see Rambo with my boyfriend.  As a result, my boyfriend now owes me two chick flicks or one viewing of The Vagina Monologues.
Dude, I’m not making him pay enough.  Really, I’m not.
Anyway, my god, y’all, Rambo was awesomely bad.  Every stereotype ever got shoved into that one little [...]

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Let’s play…catch up!

Posted in YA, books, fiction, gender, historical fiction, memoir, nonfiction, race, tagged , , , , , on April 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

Markus Zusak, The Book Thief
Orphaned German child moves in with foster parents who hide a Jewish man in their basement during WWII.  Also, Death is the narrator.  HARDCORE!!!!  But, um, this never quite gelled for me, frankly.  The language is always beautiful, but sometimes it comes off as the sort of poetry a clueless but [...]

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Oh, Jane: STFU, already

Posted in essays, gender, tagged , , , , on April 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

I now bring you your daily dose of feminist rage.
It’s hard to really describe what Jennifer Weiner’s Good in Bed meant to me when I was seventeen, other than to say that I read it before I read The Beauty Myth, or Unbearable Weight, or ever visited a single fat-acceptance blog.  So Good in Bed [...]

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