narfna – Page 91 – Cannonball Read 17

One of the first queer novels has a happy ending.

Maurice by E.M. Forster

December 21, 2021 by narfna Leave a Comment

“A happy ending was imperative. I shouldn’t have bothered to write otherwise. I was determined that in fiction anyway two men should fall in love and remain in it for the ever and ever that fiction allows, and in this sense, Maurice and Alec still roam the greenwood.” -E.M. Forster Secretly, E.M. Forster had the heart of a romance novelist. I say that half in jest, but also half seriously. Romance novel HEA’s are serious business. We come to them for solace, for surety and […]

“His big, obnoxious Scorpio energy is invading your cozy Cancer safe space!”

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

December 20, 2021 by narfna 4 Comments

I saved this for Halloween* and I’m so glad I did. It was so atmospheric and spooky and fun, with great worldbuilding and great characters. The only reason it’s not getting five stars is that I was straight up able to predict everything that happened in the plot, because the author telegraphed it all pretty hard. It didn’t really affect my enjoyment that much, because the fun here was the world and the characters, but I of all people should just not be able to […]

My favorite Olivia Waite book yet, with one of the worst covers I’ve ever seen.

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows (Feminine Pursuits, #2) by Olivia Waite

December 20, 2021 by narfna 4 Comments

Now that I’ve actually read the book, the cover makes me even more angry. I honestly, 100% no lie, did not read this book because of the cover. I find it loathsome. From far away, it’s bad. It’s clear the lady behind is wearing modern clothes. That is in no way the estimable Penelope Flood, beekeeper. The lady in front is wearing a dress that doesn’t fit, and also is ugly, and also she is supposed to be a printer. Where are her work clothes, […]

“I never even believed in happiness. I didn’t think it existed. Now look at me. I’m ready to believe in just about anything.”

Practical Magic (Practical Magic, #1) by Alice Hoffman

December 11, 2021 by narfna 3 Comments

Somehow I made it thirty-three years without seeing the movie Practical Magic or reading the book it’s based on. I corrected the movie-watching on Netflix several years back, but I never thought about reading the book until Book of the Month put out this edition as an add-on the month they selected the prequel to be featured. I actually read the prequel first, and I really liked it! And it was clearly written after the popularity of the movie had sort of overshadowed the book, […]

If you like lots of angst in your YA and stories about teenagers being assholes and doing stupid things, you will like this more than I did.

May the Best Man Win by Z.R. Ellor

December 11, 2021 by narfna Leave a Comment

I was disappointed by this one, I don’t think through any fault of the book. I was really looking forward to it because of the premise, but it wasn’t really to my tastes, though I think what the author did with it was interesting. It just didn’t resonate with me. So what we’ve got here is two exes both running for homecoming king. Jeremy is trans (and newly out) and a cheerleader, and Lukas is the boyfriend dumped over the summer. They used to be […]

“In heroin addicts, I had seen the debasement that comes from the loss of free will and enslavement to what amounts to an idea: permanent pleasure, numbness, and the avoidance of pain. But man’s decay has always begun as soon as he has it all, and is free of friction, pain, and the deprivation that temper his behavior.”

Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones

December 10, 2021 by narfna Leave a Comment

This was extremely informative, and I should have read it sooner. More info and developments have come out about the opioid epidemic since this book was published in 2015, but this book itself won’t ever really be dated, because what he did here was to investigate its origins. No matter what happens down the road, this will always be how it started. (I’ve heard that Empire of Pain is a good follow up, but I don’t know if I have the emotional fortitude to tackle […]

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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