andtheIToldYouSos – Page 24 – Cannonball Read 17

cbr12bingo – Friendship (MORE adventures in teenage time-travel!)

Startled by His Furry Shorts by Louise Rennison

Luuurve Is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison

August 3, 2020 by andtheIToldYouSos Leave a Comment

I have, for the second-t0-last time, dipped my toes back into a favorite series from my early-teen years. Georgia Nicholson, our teenage Bridget Jones stand in, is back (in her words) “on the rack of luuuuuuuurve”. She’s in limbo between Robbie, the aforementioned “Sex God”, and Massimo, the “Luuuurve God”. Robbie left England to study in New Zealand, and sends wistful letters her way. Massimo replaced Robbie in his band, the Stiff Dylans, and is not ready to commit to being anyone’s boyfriend. Also, both […]

well, that escalated quickly

The Wallcreeper by Nell Zink

July 31, 2020 by andtheIToldYouSos Leave a Comment

Girl meets boy. Well, woman potentially committing corporate espionage is spotted by a company man. Company man whisks her away to a life of luxury. Well, they get hastily married after knowing each other for three months. His parents suggest a suicide pact. I felt sad. His awkward hands reminded me of the flames around Joan of Arc at the stake. Honeymooners leave America for Europe. Well, man takes a shady position at the shady company and wife is along for the ride. Man hits a […]

soft-core misery porn

Turbulence by David Szalay

July 30, 2020 by andtheIToldYouSos Leave a Comment

An older woman is on a plane. She and her seatmate are strangers. There is a bout of – wait for it – turbulence, that inserts her into her seatmate’s life. So it begins; a series of lives briefly touching lives from one story to the next. I’m sure that I was meant to feel something while reading this; something was supposed to catch my breath, quicken my heart rate- it was supposed to hit emotionally. Really, I just felt Szalay going through the motions. […]

cbr12bingo – Orange

Sing to It by Amy Hempel

July 29, 2020 by andtheIToldYouSos 6 Comments

“A woman of her word can do what she signed on to do.” If you need a quick but cathartic sob, this is the book for you. Clocking in at under 150 pages, Sing To It houses a tiny and brutal collection of stories- some so tiny that they are just a few sentences long. Do not let the brevity fool you; even the most micro of the micro-fiction within will burn you. Several stories are still playing in my head days later. “Full-Service Shelter” is […]

‘Geoffrey’s mum told us “If you take a hen’s egg from under her and she just looks at you and doesn’t do anything, put that egg back.” Peace and quiet is a sign that something’s wrong. Peace and quiet is like a broken response, a sign of people in pieces.’

The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi

July 28, 2020 by andtheIToldYouSos Leave a Comment

Helen Oyeyemi is a story teller. Her work is steeped in religion, folklore, and mythology. Her characters breathe prayer and power. She will grab your attention quick, and send your spiraling through your own identity. Her stories whip in and out of the fantastic; one moment a character is studying for an exam, and the next they are overcome by the power of an ancient healer. She is one of my favorite authors. She’s absolute magic. I picked up What is Not Yours is Not Yours when […]

cbr12bingo – Debut

Boys of Alabama by Genevieve Hudson

July 26, 2020 by andtheIToldYouSos Leave a Comment

Oh dear. Boys of Alabama is a lot. In Genevieve Hudson’s debut novel we are introduced to small-town Delilah, Alabama through the eyes of Max- the new kid in town. Max and his family just moved to rural America from urban Germany, and we leap into the culture shock with them. Delilah has two religions: Christianity and football- and the two form a dangerous communion. Max is sensitive, quiet, and gay. He can also bring dead things back to life; one touch and wilted flowers bloom. […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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