To say Joe Hill is the next Stephen King is no surprise: he’s King’s son, after all. And it says great things about him because Hill writes fantastic horror stories (long and short), the same way his father did. But it also means that any time I read a book by Hill, aside from the absolutely brilliant Locke and Key series, I’m also wondering when he’ll find his own voice, and branch out a bit more from his father’s footsteps. That being said, Hill is […]
The Good News Is, Now I’m Furious
Trigger warning for discussions of harassment and threats. A couple of years ago, I was involved in some drama on the Internet. Shocking, I know. Without going into unnecessary detail, the drama involved a review of the show The Leftovers (one of the best shows of all time) and people being critical of the person who wrote the review. I defended the reviewer. It is not irrelevant here to mention that myself and the reviewer are both women, and the reviewer is a woman of […]
Monstrously wonderful
OMG, y’all. This book. Y’all. This. book. Whenever a ton of people tell me I absolutely MUST read a book, I end up getting a little anxious because I’m sure it somehow won’t live up to expectations, and then I’ll get this weird guilt that I must not have “gotten” it and will disappoint everyone by not liking it enough. I’m neurotic, okay? Well, I shouldn’t have had this worry at all with this one. This book is so amazing. It’s empathetic (Ferris clearly understands […]
My first self help book was…okay
Aside from a few books studied in sociology classes, I have never read a self-help book in my life*. However, I love the podcast By the Book, in which hosts Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer read and live by different self-help books for two weeks, then talk about their experiences with them. Generally, the women bring a healthy dose of scepticism and humor to the endeavor, making it right up my alley. My curiosity about this book was piqued when both Jolenta and Kristen spoke of finding it worthwhile […]
An interesting personal history/expose made weaker by mediocre writing
As one might be able to see from my first CBR review ever, I am largely interested in cults and cult mentalities and am always interested in hearing about personal experiences with them. Part of this is because of my history being raised Jehovah’s Witness, and part of this is just my interest in people’s experiences with abuse, trauma, and control (again because of personal experience!) So I was very curious to see what this book detailing a childhood and young adulthood spent deep in […]
Lumberjanes is always a delight
How does Lumberjanes get and stay SO GOOD?! Let me correct myself slightly: of course I always knew Lumberjanes would be good: Noelle Stevenson has always been great, and upon first reading about the plot, I was sure she’d make something wonderful. Yet Lumberjanes consistently goes beyond my wildest imaginations. It’s not just silly, it’s also clever. It’s not just full of heart, it has important messages to tell us without bashing us over the head with them. It’s not just full of girl power, […]