You may not know this about me, but I’m a huge “Stranger Things” fan, and since season 4 streamed last year, I’ve also been crushing absurdly hard on You may not know this about me, but I’m a huge “Stranger Things” fan, and since season 4 streamed last year, I’ve also been crushing absurdly hard on the character of Eddie Munson. So when it was announced that a book about his backstory would come out, I pre-ordered it immediately (whilst being very aware that this might be a total cash-grab conceived by the show runners when they realized they had killed off one of the most popular character they had created and therefore would easily sell books about him to the pile of mourning fans they had left in the wake of Eddie’s demise), and waited for it with a level of excitement generally reserved for 14 year old girls. Don’t be shocked if this is one of my nerdiest review, and is basically a fangirl-rant.
The story of “Flight of Icarus” is set 2 years before the events of season 4, and explores what Eddie was up to while the other characters were running around looking for Will with Eleven. And if I had to summarize it in a few words, I would say that this franchise’ writers have just decided to make Eddie’s life as rough and shitty as possible. Poor sweetie.
Eddie’s father, Al Munson, comes back to Hawkins after a couple of years in a Colorado jail. There is no love loss between him and his son, who has to deal with the consequences of his father’s name and reputation every day, and when Al tries to rope Eddie into joining him on one of his risky, crooked schemes, his son rebuffs him… Until his band catches the attention of a girl who works for a famous record producer, and she offers Eddie a chance to become a rock star – but that shot comes with a price tag. The only way to have the funds required to catch this break is to join Al on his heist and hope the Munson-magic is enough to let them get away with it and get Eddie to Los Angeles, where he can become a musician and forget about that crappy little Indiana town he hails from.
If you’ve watched season 4, you already know that Eddie doesn’t make it to LA, but even considering his established fate, exploring the character’s backstory is both fun and interesting. “Flight of Icarus” digs a little deeper at a few things that were only hinted at on the show: how he came to live with his uncle, his relationship with the local supplier Reefer Rick, the ongoing friction between the Hellfire Club and the basketball team… But it is heartbreaking to see him constantly being judged or held back simply on account of his family name casting a long and dark shadow no one in Hawkins will let him get out from under. No one sees him as “Eddie”, they see him as “Junior”, a simple replica of his father who is destined to follow in the same footsteps, an unfair and tragic burden he has to carry around. It makes his desire to leave Hawkins behind all the more understandable, as he feels there is no future for him in a place where everyone has already decided what kind of person he is without giving him a chance to be himself.
(view spoiler)[I think it’s hardly a surprise to say that Al doesn’t come through for his kid, and while that was inevitable, it is heartbreaking to see the events unfold and see Eddie getting so close to his dreams but not being able to reach them. I get that in the grand scheme of the “Stranger Things” narrative, Eddie was not meant to make it unscathed, but my poor fangirl heart was crushed to see him go through all this pain, knowing he never gets to – at the very least – get out of Hawkins. I also wished uncle Wayne had been more involved in this story; his character is one we only get a few glimpses of on the show (and in this book), which I find unfortunate because he’s a lovely character with plenty of potential. Some people seemed to have been a tad bothered by the little romance with Paige; I think that it was sweet but not overdone. The sad fact is that we know she doesn’t stick around, so obviously, this is a short-lived fling, it is just sad that poor Eddie met a girl who saw him for who he was and not as an extension of his father only to have her leave. (hide spoiler)]
The book is written in the first-person from Eddie’s POV, which is an interesting but risky choice; I wasn’t entirely convinced by the voice Schneiderhan gives him. It wasn’t really how I imagined an 18 year old metalhead would sound, but maybe that’s just me. I do appreciate that she tried to show readers how Eddie became the dirtbag with a heart of gold we collectively fell in love with, but his road is paved with a lot of heartaches, and while the title is a reference to the Iron Maiden song, it’s also the perfect metaphor to capture his repeated failed attempts to leave the town that hated him.
While I enjoyed reading this book, it also made me grateful for the very creative fan-fiction writers who found brilliant ways to save Eddie, because that’s the story people who fell for him want to read, but I appreciate the canonical background Schneiderhan offered us. Recommended for the fans, but do not expect a happy ending for everyone’s favorite freak....more
In fairness, this book is probably more of a two and half, but I rounded it up because it was a silly, fluffy little read, which was enjoyable, and itIn fairness, this book is probably more of a two and half, but I rounded it up because it was a silly, fluffy little read, which was enjoyable, and it was also exactly what I expected it to be. It’s been compared to “Bridget Jones”, and I can sort of see it: the two main characters are hot messes who struggle with adulting and communicating their needs.
Roxy is in her mid-twenties, works at the deli counter of her local Whole Foods and she is letting an ex-boyfriend, Everett, rent the guest room in her house to help her pay the mortgage and look after her pets. But she has a hard time reaching Everett, so she begins to leave him these notes on the kitchen counter. Eventually, the notes almost become a journal that she needs for more than simply asking him for rent or to give the dog his insulin shot: the notes become a way for her to make sense of events that unfold over the course of a few months during which she makes a new friend, shakes up her dating life and decides to take down “the man” – which in this case is a Lululemon franchise.
It's a rather funny/cringey and predictable story of “girl stuck in a rut discovers happiness and love after some shenanigans rock her boat”. Roxy is an insufferable character, but I knew that going in. She has zero self-awareness for a very long time, and while she is frank and candid, she is also thoughtless and selfish. But when she begins to work on herself and grow, and especially when she starts paying attention to how her actions impact those around her, I went from wanting to punch her to simply rolling my eyes fondly. There’s a good heart in that silly New Agey lunatic, and when she stops being self-centered, it really glows.
Cute, quick read. I appreciate the main character’s commitment to childlessness just because she doesn’t want children (as opposed to some dramatic justification of that choice), because I’d love to see that being normalized in pop culture....more
After having a lot of fun with the “Mad Love” novelization (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), I decided to see if “The Killing Joke” was a worthy adaptation of the Alan Moore graphic novel (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). Given my mixed feelings about the original work, I was actually hoping for an improvement… Don’t get me wrong: I know the graphic novel is a big deal, but one of my main gripes with it is that it feels a little rushed. I’ve read it a few times, and I always found myself wishing it was a bigger book, that some key moments of the story were explored a little deeper. And of course, the fate of Barbara Gordon always irks me. I figured a novelization would be a great opportunity to flesh all those things out, to make the story feel more complete. Alas.
I don't know anything about Crista Faust and Gary Phillips' other work, but after this, I am not tempted to look them up. The original Alan Moore story is merely the second half of this novel, the first being a new story line, taking place 4 years before the famous graphic novel's story. This new plot, about Batgirl's investigation on a new drug hitting the streets of Gotham, could have been interesting, but I just found the writing to be so dry and bad that I simply didn't care. The fight scenes are described very technically, and while I understand that Faust and Phillips' specialty is police procedurals, the whole thing read like a report. There was no atmosphere or tension, which could have made this new plot at least a little interesting.
The second half follows Moore's story almost word for word, and ultimately adds very little to the original story - which really feels like a lost opportunity. For instance, in both version, we are simply told what happened to Jeannie, and then the very next thing that happens is that a grieving widower is coerced into omitting a badly-planned heist. While this can be chalked to limitations of the format in a graphic novel, rushing through that in a prose novel simply feels lazy.
But the most unforgivable thing about this book is how little of it actually is about the Joker. If you are going to novelize the most famous stand-alone Joker story of the Batman cannon, the least you can do is keep him front and center! But we barely see him before the halfway mark! And as a Harley Quinn fan, I must say that the depiction of Ms. Quinzel was simply pathetic. The only truly good thing about this book is that it gives us a hint of how Barbara will carry on despite the horrific assault that "disabled" her.
When I get together with my nerdy, graphic novel reading friends, we often get into the ridiculous “which character would you be” conversation. And ifWhen I get together with my nerdy, graphic novel reading friends, we often get into the ridiculous “which character would you be” conversation. And if that conversation is specifically about the Batman universe, I get profoundly embarrassed, because as much as I’d like to be a good feminist and say I’d totally be a bad-ass eco-terrorist like Poison Ivy, or an emancipated burglar like Catwoman, I have always been inexplicably weak in the knees for the Joker… and I know that deep down, I’m definitely a Harley Quinn… And this book does justice to the tragic sidekick/lover/punching bag of my favorite villain ever...
Beware of spoilers (if you aren't familiar with Harley's story, or with the famous "Mad Love" episode or comic)!
Most people know that Harleen Quinzel was once a promising psychiatrist (and gymnast!) who worked at Arkham Asylum and was assigned the Joker's case while he was incarcerated there. In the course of treating him, she fell madly in love with him, helped him break free and joined him in his life of crime and mayhem. But even in the Batman animated series, it becomes obvious rather quickly that this is a one-sided relationship and that the Joker is not only manipulating her, but is often violent towards her. And yet, she remains completely loyal to him - right until she isn't.
I'd always wondered why Harley behaved the way she did. Why would she give her career up, why would she put up with the repeated abuse (and occasional murder attempts), why would she put on that super annoying Brooklyn wise-cracking accent?! Paul Dini and Pat Cadigan - the original creators of the hammer-wielding pocket-psycho, did a perfect job of going far into Harley's past so that readers could finally make some sense of her (and her stupid accent).
And really, if you've ever had mixed feelings about Harley the way I did, this book just might help you resolve them. Her complicated, tragic childhood brings to light many aspects of her personality which will eventually be magnified by her criminal alter ego - it also explains why the Joker was able to tell her exactly what she needed to heard to flip over to the dark side, for lack of a better way of putting it.
While this is not a fancy novel (it's a little rushed around the edges), it's a wonderfully entertaining read that humanizes one of the DC Universe's most cartoonish character and brings her to life as the girl who fell for the wrong guy. That said, as good a cautionary tale as her story might be, I'm still a Joker fangirl through and through....more
A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to find a pristine copy of Peter Dickinson’s “The Flight of Dragons” in a tiny used bookstore in Ottawa: theA couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to find a pristine copy of Peter Dickinson’s “The Flight of Dragons” in a tiny used bookstore in Ottawa: the book brought back a ton of childhood memories, as it was one of the inspirations for a gorgeous animated movie, made by the same people who made “The Last Unicorn”. And let me tell you: I watched those two movies (on VHS, of course) so much when I was a kid that I can still quote most of the dialogues from memory. While the so-called “science” parts of the movie were based upon Dickinson’s book, the actual tale of a professor turned into a dragon was (loosely) based on this relatively unknown fantasy novel, “The Dragon and the George”.
Jim was a teaching assistant at a small Minnesota college, and while his life might not have been simple, he was happy playing volleyball, studying medieval history and making life plans with his girlfriend Angie. But when Angie is accidentally transported to a strange land via an astral projection experiment gone awry, everything changes. He insists on submitting himself to the same experiment in order to rescue her but somehow ends up projecting his consciousness inside the body of a young dragon named Gorbash. He is unable to prevent Angie from getting kidnapped by an evil dragon name Bryagh, and quickly realizes that according to the Laws of this strange world he is now in, Jim/Gorbash must enlist some companions with whom to rescue his girlfriend.
Some elements are hopelessly dated (the book was originally published in 1976, hence the astral projection and hairspray), but I was a bit surprised to see that some of the problems Jim and Angie struggle with in the “real world” are still issues we have to deal with now. The tenuous economic situation of working in academia but not being a tenured professor, for instance, has unfortunately not evolved all that much since the 70s – if anything, it’s gotten much, much worse! It’s also nice to see Jim lose a few illusions about the Medieval period along his way: that time period is very romanticised but there were plenty of unpleasant things to deal with back then as well, fleas being only a minor one.
Since Mark Twain, a lot of people have used the “modern man goes back in time and dazzles backwards Middle Age folks with science” premise, with varying levels of success. Dickson obviously thought the idea was hilarious, and you can tell he’s having a lot of fun comparing the complications of modern life with the incomprehensible intricacies of his fantasy land. The book also takes a poke at the standard epic fantasy tropes: the portal to another world, the wise old wizard, the dashing knight in shining armor, the maiden in distress, the motley group of companions going on a heroic quest… I am personally so over all those clichés, so I really appreciate someone making fun of them. I love the image of a dragon climbing up a small tree to avoid fighting a knight, of a wizard who can send someone in another dimension but has no idea how to cure an ulcer, the noble knight who can’t sway from the chivalrous code of conduct imposed on him even when it makes zero practical sense…
But as much fun as this book can be, it never managed to quite outshine the movie, which is a lot less cheesy and a surprisingly intelligent reflection on balance. The die-hard “The Flight of Dragons” fans ought to check it out, but don’t expect it to be as good as your childhood favorite. The writing is enjoyable, but the prose is not especially impressive and the plot is a little all over the place. For someone in love with the lady he must rescue, Jim gets very easily distracted in his quest… That said, I adore Carolinus in the book, who is basically a grouchy Gandalf who chews his beard and basically wishes people would just leave him alone.
"It didn't matter what hit the fan; as long as there were unread books in the world, she would be fine."
Ain't that the truth.
A story about a book-lovi"It didn't matter what hit the fan; as long as there were unread books in the world, she would be fine."
Ain't that the truth.
A story about a book-loving introvert who prefers the company of her cat to that of other people, and who enjoys going through life according to her carefully planned schedule? Gee, that doesn’t sound familiar at all, she said, dripping sarcasm everywhere… Also, my first cat was named Phil! Nina and I were clearly meant to be friends. This soufflé-light book would have been a win even if “The Garden of Small Beginnings” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) has not already been a gently enjoyable and hilarious irreverent read earlier this year. It can’t be Russian drama every day, after all! And truth be told, as the last week of work before the Holidays ground my nerves to dust, I needed something exactly like an Abbi Waxman book.
Nina works in a bookstore, and lives a life of quiet contentment between the job she loves, a loyal cat, multiple book clubs, her trivia team and a meticulously curated schedule. This is all swell until she is visited by a lawyer who drops a bomb in her world: not only is her father (whom she never met) dead, but he also left her some money… not to mention a whole family she knew nothing about! Some people would jump for joy at the idea of meeting all those new people, but Nina is an introvert with social anxiety issues, and this new development freaks her out. And because things always seem to happen all at once, this new family situation coincides with her rival trivia-team leader becoming romantically interested and interesting. Gah!
I can’t be the only one who read this and recognized herself in Nina on many levels – and not just because I worked as a bookstore clerk for a long time, enjoy looking at Michael Fassbender, have a father who managed to make my family tree a very weirdly tiered mess, make a lot of lists and have a two-coffee minimum before I feel human. Her liking people in “homeopathic doses”, her idea of books as “medication and sanctuary”, her refusal to accept the idea that you are obligated to love people you share DNA with all resonated with me very deeply. And of course, any introvert who reads the sentence: “Being with you is as good as being alone” will understand that sentiment as very romantic.
As in “The Garden of Small Beginnings”, the dialogue is sharp, lively and often hilarious, the characters colorful and endearing, and the real-life situation Waxman tackles are described with honesty and a deadpan humor that made smile on almost every page. Dating deal breakers, types of readers and their habits, the struggle of opening up to new people when you have anxiety: Ms. Waxman has a perfect touch for capturing the most random conversations people can have and putting them on the page beautifully.
The best word to describe this book would be adorkable, with its hipster characters, pop culture references, day-planner excerpts and cute chapter intros that make it sound like a modern-day Austen novel - and if that’s your thing, you will be delighted! I enjoyed it, even if it was obviously deliberately tailored for people like me. I mean, selling books about introverted bookworms to introverted bookworms is a bit of an easy mark, but Waxman has just the kind of humor that makes me snort on the metro while also being eerily relatable and surprisingly moving. So I can’t complain too loudly. A nice, relaxing and fun book that definitely helped me get through those last frantic few days before the annual Christmas road trip! 4 fluffy, fuzzy stars....more
I am not proud to admit that I got a copy of this book because I’ve been watching binging the ”Grantchester” tv show when I get an evening alone at hoI am not proud to admit that I got a copy of this book because I’ve been watching binging the ”Grantchester” tv show when I get an evening alone at home… and I am crushing very hard on James Norton… Honestly, cozy little mysteries are not my usual fare (my mother-in-law loves them, and I am always making fun of her about it…), and I do feel kind of weird getting so swoon-y about a man in a dog collar, but I couldn’t resist when I spotted this at the bookstore... Damn your gorgeous cheekbones, James!
Set in a small village outside of Cambridge, “Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death” is a collection of six short stories in the grand tradition of pre-forensic science mystery solving: a person with zero law-enforcement expertise ends up helping an irascible and overworked detective solve a murder most foul or two. In my opinion, stories like this rest entirely on the strength of their characters, because, let’s face it, there is nothing new under the sun in this genre. The character of Sidney being so unusual for a vicar certainly helps make the stories in this book more interesting: had he been a more conventional man of the cloth, this might have gotten boring quickly, but he is unusually liberal and non-judgmental, he loves books and sultry jazz, he probably drinks a bit more than he should... Of course, I love that he has a thing for smart women, but it also sounds a bit like what I think of as “bookworm fantasy fulfillment”: he’s just so damn kind, honest, selfless and attractive… and hard to get! Does it make me roll my eyes? Yes. Does it also make me drool a little? Yup.
In the first volume of Grantchester stories, Sidney helps solve the case of a strange suicide, a jewelry theft, the murder of a club-owner's daughter, a strange kidnapping and a final very public murder. I’m pretty good as suspense of disbelief, as I read a lot of speculative fiction, but I’ll admit that precious little mysteries like this always baffle me a little: how come so many murders and mysteries just happen to take place around those characters? Surely, living in the Cambridge suburbs is not that dangerous! Also, why is local police always so clueless? Characters like Sidney (or the lovely Phryne Fisher) only work if the detective they help out misses out painfully obvious stuff that they understand because they think so differently about human behavior… Or because people will say things to a vicar (or a flapper girl!) they wouldn’t say to the coppers. Aliens might be an easier sell on me, but what the Hell; this is still fun.
My GR rating of “Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death” was always going to be about whether the book is a better experience than watching the show for me, and I have to say that my enjoyment of said show goes beyond simple eye candy: the character of Sidney is made very interesting in the adaptation because of his angst and moral dilemmas, the PTSD from his stint in the Scots Guards he still struggles with, his incapacity to figure out what to do about the infuriatingly inconsistent Amanda (why don’t you say what you want, you silly cow!) and his bromance with Geordie. The book is a bit different: Sidney also teaches theology, which I find fascinating, the sentimental entanglements are much less far-fetched (it makes for fun TV, but it would have been annoying in writing) and we are treated to a lot of his inner monologue and self-reflection. I think that was my favorite part: his musings about life, faith, morals, love and music. Philosophically inclined men are so damn dreamy...
In the end, I can’t really decide if I like the book or show best: I think I prefer the book by a thin margin, because the stories are more varied (not just murders!). But I confess that I missed the vivid portrayal of the characters on the show, especially the snappy dialogues with Mrs. Maguire and Leonard…
My mother-in-law can now make fun of me right back because I really enjoyed this silly, cozy book; it was the book equivalent of a really nice hot chocolate with a ton of marshmallows. I'll be reading more of Sidney's sleuthing adventures and keep watching the show... Definitely recommended if you are in the mood for something light but smart and exceedingly British....more
Polly and Adam had both planned to simply be passing through Belleville, Delaware, on the hot and sticky summer of 1995. But their paths cross, and they decide to hang around a while. They are irresistibly attracted to each other, but both have a lot to hide - from everyone in general, and from each other in particular.
And that's all you really need to know to really enjoy this quick-paced, juicy and tightly plotted story. This is not the sort of book I usually go for, but I must admit that this one hits all the right notes: the characters are flawed and fun, and while some of the events are predictable, enough mentions of things that make me happy (from grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon and tomato to vintage furniture) kept me reading instead of doing housework.
A good notch above it's genre, this book might be like a burger, but a fancy one with caramelized onions and goat cheese... I guess I should go make lunch now... The point is, this is a fun book that amateurs of noir thrillers will enjoy!...more
So this might be more of a rant than a review. Be warned.
I love Guillermo Del Toro’s style and aesthetic: he’s a romantic and a Lovecraft fan who is nSo this might be more of a rant than a review. Be warned.
I love Guillermo Del Toro’s style and aesthetic: he’s a romantic and a Lovecraft fan who is not afraid of bloodshed, and it’s awesome! I also love a good Gothic story, so naturally when “Crimson Peak” came out, I was all over it. Tom Hiddleston was even added in as a bonus! I enjoyed it immensely and remember thinking what a great book this story could be: what an opportunity to dig more into the Sharpe family history, explore Edith’s childhood in turn-of-the-century Buffalo… All these amazing little details that would have made this creepy, weirdly sexy movie into a novel I could have stayed up all night to read with glee.
So I guess I had high expectations for the novelization… and they were horribly disappointed. When the decision was made to novelize this movie, how come no one thought “It would be so cool to publish the book as if Edith Cushing had written it!”? You know, as is hinted at the end of the film! How come it never crossed the writer’s mind to at least try and make the book sound like it was written in the 1910’s? There was no shortage of good books written around that time that they could inspire themselves from… The shifts in narration (from the third person narrative, to Edith’s recollection and then to the point of view of the… house?) are awkward, a lot of emphasis is put on the romantic aspect – but in a really juvenile and cliched way that takes all the fun out of it.
We do eventually get a bit more about the Sharpe’s upbringing and the effect it had on them, especially Lucille – and while I was glad to see the relationship between Edith and Alan a bit more fleshed out, it was done in such a trite way that it just made me roll my eyes. We know he loves her, we’ve known from the first page, so it’s not really necessary to repeat it every 10 pages, is it?
To cut this rant short, I flipped through this clumsily written mess, wishing I could be watching the movie instead. Blerch!...more
What better book to read as the world explodes in Valentine’s Day stuff than a police procedural about a sexy fe3 and a half, junk food reading stars.
What better book to read as the world explodes in Valentine’s Day stuff than a police procedural about a sexy female murderer who likes to carve hearts in her victims’ chests with a box cutter? I don’t read a lot of thrillers (they are usually not weird enough for my taste), but this book caught my eye at the used bookstore because I couldn’t remember ever having read a story about a female serial killer before.
Archie Sheridan was kidnapped and tortured by Gretchen Lowell, a serial killer he had been chasing for the better part of ten years. But instead of killing him, she turned herself in – albeit, after torturing him for days. Now Archie is damaged and obsessed: why did she let him go? Unable to stop thinking about Gretchen and the horrible things she did to him, he lost his family and is now severely addicted to pain killers. Starved for closure, he goes back to work on a task force investigating a new series of brutal killings, hoping that he can find some sort of peace by catching another murderer. A spunky journalist is tasked with writing a profile on Archie, and becomes entangled in the complicated and dangerous game of cat and mouse.
There is a lovely little wink to “Silence of the Lambs” in this book, with the relationship of attraction/repulsion between a murderer and the investigator, but I was afraid it would go down a cheesy or predictable road. And some of it does get a bit predictable, by way of a far-fetched coincidence, but it’s still a lot of twisted fun.
The relationship between Archie and Gretchen, and the strange hold she has on him, is what really drives the book forward; the current investigation seemed less interesting to me than the flashbacks to Archie’s captivity, and I would have really liked some more of those! In fact, more character development of Archie and Gretchen would have brought this book from good to awesome, but alas… Nevertheless, it is very well written, almost cinematic, and it’s easy to get attached to all the characters, even when they are being spectacularly dumb. It’s also perfectly paced to keep you glued to the page so you end up missing your metro stop.
A very entertaining little thriller I am very happy I picked up! I hope my used books haunt has the rest of the series!...more
Bernadette hates Seattle, its citizens, the company her husband works for and the fellow moms from the progressive charter school her daughter Bee attBernadette hates Seattle, its citizens, the company her husband works for and the fellow moms from the progressive charter school her daughter Bee attends; this hatred is fueled by the (literally) crushed dream that made her leave L.A., and the only thing the aftermath of that disaster hasn't tainted is the love she has for her precocious daughter. To shield herself from all those things, Bernadette hardly leaves their house, a dilapidated former reform school, and outsources everything she can to a virtual assistant in India. That seems to be working out for her until Bee manages to convince the family to go to Antarctica over the Holidays, escalating Bernadette's anxiety to a breaking point.
This unusual satire of upper-middle class West Coast ‘Murica is so cleverly put together: a collage of emails, memos to parents and other correspondences paint a picture of Bernadette, an extremely brilliant and misanthropic woman who runs away on Christmas eve, leaving her daughter Bee to try and figure out what happened to her and why she ran away. That very inventive format was one of the big hooks that reeled me in: I love usual storytelling, and mosaic-like structures. Maria Semple wrote for “Arrested Development”, a show that often relied on unorthodox narratives, so I was curious to see what she could do with a novel.
To be honest, this books threads a fine line: it has elements of chick-lit, but its also full of cringe-humor and seems to caution against women vanishing (in this case quite literally) into their family - while an oblivious partner thrives and fails to realize their spouse is unhappy.
Make of it what you will, but I kinda related to Bernadette. I spent years thinking I was an introvert only to realize I really just... don’t really like people. The way she eviscerates the ridiculous mothers of her daughter’s school mates (I'm not a mom, but I have colleagues, and I hear their stories, and I swallow back a lot of opinions), her abhorrence of leaving the house and interacting with other people (restaurants who deliver but don't have the option to order online annoy the beejezus me) and her desire to just be left alone had me nodding sympathetically. On the other hand, I take really good care of my house and I'm pretty good at bouncing back from bad stuff, so while I felt for her, I also wanted to shake her out of her self-pitying denial. She is unhappy and unfulfilled by her life, but won't do anything to try to change that until she has no choice but to pull a disappearing act. She is an excellent cautionary tale!
I was very moved by how much Bee loves her mother in spite of her numerous eccentricities and flaws. If anything, these quirks only seem to bring the two of them closer (that passage when Bernadette explains how Bee got her name... it gave me a lot of feels...). This is what unconditional love looks like.
I recently watched "Arrested Development", which I enjoyed but also have mixed feelings for. "Where'd You Go Bernadette" gives me that same feeling: I loved the format, the writing, the wit, the humor, the scathing portrayal of the Seattlites and the wannabe-elite parents (though the bashing on Canadians, I disapprove of). But at the same time, it makes me cringe. It features the same over-the-top characters - which you think are a satire, but you also feel are closer to the truth than you'd like, the insane and unlikely situations (the mudslide ruining the networking brunch), the fact that the child of the family is the only person in the house who has their shit together... And just like in the show, no one seems to be remotely capable of introspection, or simply to refrain from turning any situation into a huge melodrama... All of this can be uproariously funny, but it also repulses me a little. I don't hate any of the characters, but I also strongly hope I never run into anyone remotely like them.
4 stars because the good parts definitely outweigh the bad, and because even when it made me gag, it was still one of the more original novels I've ever read and remains very hopeful that sometimes your worse lows may actually be the springboard that gets you right back up again....more
I got this book during our summer vacation. The local Barnes and Noble didn’t have the book I was looking for, and a very determined clerk combed the I got this book during our summer vacation. The local Barnes and Noble didn’t have the book I was looking for, and a very determined clerk combed the store to find something that I: 1) hadn’t read (her first question was “Have you read “American Gods”?”; bless her!) and 2) was weird enough to pique my curiosity. “Meddling Kids” is what she finally handed me, and I’d be lying if I said the eye-searing cover art had nothing to do with my buying it. She certainly helped me make up my mind by telling me that this was a mashup of Lovecraft and the Scooby Doo gang-type investigation. But yeah, look at that ridiculous cover. It’s amazing.
In the 70’s, a rag-tag group of young wannabe detectives solve a strange mystery surrounding the spooky case of the Sleepy Lake Monster. This results in the arrest of a man scheming to get rich quickly by impersonating a creepy lake monster. As triumphant as that exploit might have been, the kids were nevertheless scarred by their adventure, and carried a fair amount of damage into their adult lives: Peter the ringleader went on to become a movie-star and died of an alleged overdose, Kerri the bookworm dropped out of college and earns a living as an alcoholic bartender, Nate the shy nerd checked himself into Arkham (ahem!) Asylum because despite Peter being dead, they still have regular conversations, and Andy the tomboy was told by the military that she had aggression issues… Obviously, their famous last case had a bunch of weird loose ends, and the mystery that took place twenty years ago at Deboen Mansion might not be as solved as they thought; when they reunite and return to the small Oregon town where it all took place, they can tell immediately that they were not the only ones damaged by whatever lies in Sleepy Lake…
I’m a big “Venture Bros” fan, and the depiction of how kid detectives (or boy adventurers; same difference) grow into not terribly functional adults never fails to tickle me. It also means that satirical and cartoonish spins on classic horror and mystery scenarios are a pure silly delights to me. I think it takes that sort of completely off-color humor (that Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer mastered so well) to really get into what can otherwise be perceived as a lame and bizarre story. There’s nothing very high-brow or literary here, just some ridiculous and over-the-top fun with all the kitschy horror clichés: a haunted house on a lake, an abandoned mine, a reclusive old lady dubbed a witch my her neighbors and a monologing villian. I understand why that’s not to everyone’s taste, but it made me laugh and it was a nice palate cleanser for the rather heavy and traumatizing horror novels I had been reading.
There were, however, a few rather serious flaws. The bizarre narrative structure can be a bit hard to follow at times, which was not a hindrance to my enjoyment of the book, but I did find myself wondering why Cantero thought this was a good idea. It goes from third person narrator to script format and back again all the time, as if he had taken his notes about the dialogue and forgotten to convert them to the narrative format he wanted. The different character’s voices also all sound much too similar; when there’s dialogue (that’s not laid out like a movie script), it can be hard to untangle who is supposed to be speaking. I get that those characters are a spoof on some classical genre archetypes, but they could have used a more little fleshing out.
Overall, “Meddling Kids” was fun, silly, not particularly well-written, but dotted with occasional moments of hilarious brilliance to be enjoyed. But it would be better as a movie ;-)...more
This was a present from a buddy who understands my very, very sick sense of humor a little too well.
These comics are gross, politically incorrect, darThis was a present from a buddy who understands my very, very sick sense of humor a little too well.
These comics are gross, politically incorrect, dark, feature incest, zoophilia, bodily fluids and waste and other horrifying things. And I might just be a terrible person because it made me laugh really hard. It's disturbing, existentalist, gives-zero-fucks humor. So definitely not for everyone.
4 stars because some motifs get a little repetitive, and because it makes me question my mental health, as well as the cartoonist's....more
I read Caroline Kepnes' "You" in November, and I loved it: it was a fast read and that perfect blend of fun, creepy, trashy and surprisingly sexy - anI read Caroline Kepnes' "You" in November, and I loved it: it was a fast read and that perfect blend of fun, creepy, trashy and surprisingly sexy - and it was narrated by the most sympathetic psycho I've ever read about: Joe Goldberg. And I don't mean to say that I condone Joe's stalking and murdering ways. But in the day and age of Internet dating and of unbearable hipsters ruining everything, it's hard not to get where he is coming from...
Well, our hopeless romantic psychopath is back, literally with a vengeance. The lovely but oh-so-suspicious Amy he hooked up with at the end of "You" screwed him over big time, and Joe is not the kind of guy who lets that slide. He loved her, for Pete's sake! So he abandons his beloved book store and follows her to LA to make her pay. But before he gets a chance to punish Amy for having been naughty enough to leave him, he meets - quite literally - Love. And Love can never know about Joe's less than savory past...
"Hidden Bodies" is a little different from "You", which was a creepy but genius use of second-person narration, where Joe expressed all of his fucked up feelings to Beck. This time, it's Joe's inner monologue we are treated to. He is still has his dark humor, his hatred of vacuous pop culture and his uncanny ability to put the reader on his side. I confess that I find being in Joe's head just plain fun. His anti-California rants alone are worth reading the entire book, and his terrible taste in girls is one of the many ingredients that make Kepnes' books addictive. You want to find out what crazy shit this new girlfriend is going to pull and how Joe will end up "managing" it. Part of me really wants him to just find a nice girl and settle quietly without having to get rid of ex-boyfriends and other random interlopers. Yup, I am sympathizing with the serial killer…
Joe really hates snobs and phonies. In "You", the Ivy League babies and the Brooklyn hispters were the target of his vitriol, but now, its the Hollywood brats, wannbe actresses and star-fuckers driving him nuts. "Less Than Zero" is referenced a couple of time, to my great delight: Joe is East Coast at heart, and anyone behaving like a Kardashian is sure to get his murderous impulses going. Maybe that's why I'm almost always on his side… Seriously: everyone needs to get over guacamole and if someone un-ironically calls you "Old Sport", kick them in the shin and run for the hills.
If you enjoy delightfully trashy thrillers, you'll love "Hidden Bodies", but you definitely need to read "You" first! I will admit that it was a bit slower than the first book, but time passes fast in Joe's company! I can't wait to read the sequel!...more
Updated review with thoughts on the TV series at the bottom.
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If this book doesn’t make you amp up all the security settings on all your social media Updated review with thoughts on the TV series at the bottom.
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If this book doesn’t make you amp up all the security settings on all your social media platforms, nothing will.
Remember Jeanette in “How I Met Your Mother”? The psycho who stalked Ted, justified it by saying “I couldn’t bear the idea of not meeting you!” and because she was hot he thought that was adorable? Joe, the narrator of this supremely disturbing novel, is probably Jeanette’s twin brother.
Joe meets Beck when she comes to buy a few books at the store he works at in Greenwich Village. She’s hot, she likes the same authors… Every bookworm’s fantasy, right? He spies her name from her credit card receipt and next thing you know, he is in full stalker mode. Because it is so damn easy to find everything you need to know about someone in the Internet age, especially someone with a unique name like Guinevere Beck… and especially if said Miss Beck tweets incessantly and has a public Facebook profile…
It’s impossible to say more about the plot without giving the juicy bits away, and as this is a deliciously trashy thriller, I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. Suffice to say, that book basically reads itself. The fast pace, the dark humour: a highly addictive combination, at least for suckers like me! Stuffed with cultural references and daily life details and concerns, this book also feels disturbingly real. This could happen. This might be someone’s diary. This is definitely happening to someone somewhere right now…
I have to say kudos to Kepnes for her incredibly clever use of second person narration: it is not easy to make that narrative style engaging, especially when you are seeing a story from the eyes of a psycho-stalker, but she pulls it off. You can’t hate Joe, or be flat-out horrified by him, even if he is delusional and creepy. Attraction is something that teases everyone’s psycho switch at some point in their lives, so he is bizarrely relatable (for anyone who hasn’t experienced the surreal experience of online dating, that shit turns EVERYONE into a stalker, it’s creepy). I confess I freaked myself out when I realized I was rooting for the guy, and even empathizing with him at times… I hate pretentious hipsters and readers of shitty novels too… But I am not sure that I’d let that sentiment drive me quite as far as Joe goes…
Joe is obviously an unreliable narrator: he is obsessed and delusional – but he seriously made me think about the possibility that crazy people attract each other. We soon find out that his beloved Beck is not exactly a paragon of virtue, and that Joe is not the only person who has an unhealthy attachment to her. The further you get into the book, the more you realize these two psychos might just deserve each other; just like in “Gone Girl”, except I actually liked the characters in “You” and hated everybody’s guts in “Gone Girl”…
4 stars for a very entertaining, creepy read! I will definitely be looking for the sequel!
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I was excited about the TV show, because despite the trickiness of using Kepnes' masterful use of the second person narration for a visual media, this story was basically made to be a fun and suspenseful Netflix binge. Merry Christmas to me!
While I am not sure about the casting for Joe (I imagined him hotter, like an American James Norton or something), I really loved the TV adaptation, which expands on various side characters, but especially develops Beck into something more layered than the aggravating little Brooklynite Joe fell for on the page - and Elizabeth Lail is perfect. So while it's is not strictly a faithful word for word adaptation, it keeps all the good bits (including the green pillow and the red ladle!) and the hip/trashy vibe that made the book so fun. Oh Joe, my lovable psycho, I knew you'd be a blast to watch! Looking forward to season 2....more
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