If I could have Roxane Gay follow me around for the rest of my life contextualizing my experiences as processed through her personal brain filter, I would have no more wishes for my genie, even if he insisted that I had two wishes left. I would tell him to fuck off, I’m all set: I’ve got Roxane Gay. I’m going to re-read this one. Probably twice or thrice. She is my new best friend. She is the smartest person I know (I don’t know her). […]
“Get that parasol out of your mouth, dear, you’re going to need it…”
Jenny Lawson, our beloved Bloggess, mentioned this book. It sounded really awesome, so I had to check it out. It’s a look at what life was like for a woman back in Victorian times. It has quotes from medical journals and books of the time, as well as illustrations, all with hilarious commentary. Basically, it was a dirty, dirty time, and having a uterus made you crazy sick, or just crazy, unless you filled it with your husband’s babies. There are chapters on grooming, diet, […]
What the heck are baggywrinkles?
Given to me as a birthday present, I was intrigued by the title and cover of “Baggywrinkles: A Lubber’s Guide to Life at Sea”. At the time I joked that it was a good length for me to include in my Cannonball Read this year. This past Saturday I was running out the door to sit in a waiting room and needed a new book to read. I reached for a sci-fi novel called “Nova” that’s been waiting to be read for months now only […]
The Fishermen: a faint nipple on the debut book horizon
I had the immense pleasure of watching the author speak. Obiama is an incredibly charming, humble and wellspoken man and it is with great regret that his debut novel is nothing more that mediocre. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The novel is warm and full of faults and tiny promises. But it is also a novel in dire need of editing. Too many strands of plot got in the way of the story, overly flourish prose stilted the pace, and somehow still made […]
A Book for the BBC Movie At Home Set
This book has been reviewed several times for the Cannonball Read and that is how it ended up on my radar at all (which is how oh so many books end up in front of me). I am a history nerd so a rundown of thirteen historical relationships that did not end well sounded great to me. I have to tell you, I slammed through this book in two sittings. Quick review: a witty, friendly, informally written but well informed gathering of information that you […]
Going back in time would be less horrible than previously thought
On a lark, I rented this from my library’s audiobook section. I’d heard of Goodman’s book, How to be a Victorian, but didn’t know she had a new one about the Tudors. Heck yes I want to learn how to be a Tudor! I can’t recommend this social history of the Tudor life enough. Goodman is a such a great writer! She’s clearly smart and knows her stuff, but the writing never feels dry or like a textbook. Her wit and enthusiasm for the subject […]
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