I am not a quick reader, but I blazed through Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda in one sitting. I haven’t seen the movie yet and didn’t know much about the book before I saw it while browsing bookstores on a recent trip, but I’m really glad I read it. The story begins as teenage Simon is blackmailed by a fellow student who inadvertently read Simon’s email exchange with another boy Simon knows only as Blue. They’re both closeted and want to keep […]
Droll and endearing, with a fair amount of casual sex
I always think it’s rather brave when I see a novel or a movie with a title like this. You’d better be pretty confident about your product, knowing that you are risking some smart-ass, less-than-clever critic heading their review “I couldn’t care LESS,” or “I could really use LESS of this book,” yada yada yada. Even if critics like it, they are going to be tempted to say something like “I want more of LESS!” So, points to Andrew Sean Greer for braving that potential […]
Haunted by the ghosts of the living
I’m having a hard time writing a review for Alan Hollinghurst’s The Sparsholt Affair. It’s a book that defies easy summarization; even the cover synopsis doesn’t really describe the book I read and probably did more harm than good to my understanding. The story is told in five sections. The first takes place at Oxford during the early 1940’s, with the Blitz in full swing. Two of the characters have a brief affair, giving the book’s title its first meaning. The second section follows one […]
*Chef Kiss*
First and foremost I will say that this is the first Rainbow Rowell novel I have read: I know she’s been pretty popular around here the past few years and always meant to pick up one of her books, but just never did for some reason. Until my friend gave me Carry On as a gift, thinking that it looked very Lisa™. And you know what? She was right! I loved this book! I mean, it’s a little corny at times, don’t get me wrong, […]
I Can Pretend All I Want to be Cynical, My Heart Still Melts Time and Time Again
I’ve definitely seen Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda reviewed a number of times by Cannonballers in the past few years, and was always interested to read it but for some reason never did. Enter my best friend who surprised me with an early birthday present of some books, with this among them. And immediately after receiving it we went to a movie and what do we see? A preview for the upcoming movie adaptation called Love, Simon. Talk about coincidence, especially since I was […]
Banned Book? Well, Banned Author, Anyway
I’m kicking off banned book week with a book that has gotten a lot of attention, both positive and negative, in Catholic circles. Is it a banned book? If it isn’t yet it probably will be. The author has been banned from several Catholic speaking engagements because of it. But he has also received support from prominent bishops and wouldn’t have been able to publish without support from his order, the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). This book, considered incendiary by alt-right Catholics, is not really […]
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