I finished this around 1 am on January 1 but as the vast majority was a 2018 read, I'm fudging the finish date to reflect that. Review to come.I finished this around 1 am on January 1 but as the vast majority was a 2018 read, I'm fudging the finish date to reflect that. Review to come....more
This was an enjoyable read that fell apart somewhat for me towards the (rather grim) end. I can't even blame the interminable cricket chapter; there wThis was an enjoyable read that fell apart somewhat for me towards the (rather grim) end. I can't even blame the interminable cricket chapter; there were just too many elements at odds, tied together in a weird bow of cynicism and strained suspension of disbelief. I miss Harriet and a bit of humility....more
Alternated between audiobook and kindle for this one. I still don't understand a goddamn thing about change ringing OR fen drainage, but I enjoyed theAlternated between audiobook and kindle for this one. I still don't understand a goddamn thing about change ringing OR fen drainage, but I enjoyed the sense of time and place created by such attention to these details. Kristin Cashore cites this as one of her favorite books, and I can see a bit of Bitterblue in the cryptic oddities here. My favorite thing about this book, however, is the subtle stiffness of everything that's supposed to be in French. I studied a different Romance language in school, but I'd bet any number of hats that Sayers rendered her syntax thus in an approximation of the literal French it is supposedly translated from. Delightful.
I am puzzled by how far in advance both the corpse's identity and manner of death were obvious to me, but not Wimsey. Have I read so many mysteries by now that I've cottoned on to all the tricks? Is it just very obvious? Who... am I?!?...more
This came to my attention due to my friend Britt's "swoon factor" stamp of approval, a rare achievement in the sadly milquetoast landscape of f/f fictThis came to my attention due to my friend Britt's "swoon factor" stamp of approval, a rare achievement in the sadly milquetoast landscape of f/f fiction. Still, I kept putting it off, because contemp YA romance often grates on my nerves, but I tried it on whim for some light bathtime reading, and was 25% in before the water got cold. (Heck yeah I read my kindle in the bath. I read my kindle in the POOL, bronte.) Britt is absolutely right: the attraction between Abby and Jordi feels both sexy and emotionally compelling. The characters are believable, despite some contrivances that mostly fade out after the first few chapters, and it's overall a refreshingly pleasant book, where the conflict and antagonism exist on very small scales.
There is some tension between Spalding's obvious desire to write a happy story about a fat lesbian fashionista who loves herself, and the need to acknowledge the inherent challenges. I don't think her solution is a total success -- it is, frankly, a bit puzzling and half-hearted at times, and leads to quite a frustrating impasse* for a while there, but I appreciate the effort.
I do wish it had ended a page and a half early with Jax saying "Haven't really thought about it," though. A+ lolarious final line, missed opportunity, 0/10. Also, what the fuck witchcraft are the Perezes doing that their garden is overflowing with tomatoes in June gloom? That's all, thank you, bye.
* THE IMPASSE
ABBY: I'm upset!!! ME, READING: Well now I'm upset too, because this makes no sense. ABBY'S FRIENDS: I support you, Abby!! ABBY'S FRIENDS: ... not super sure it makes sense though??...more
A moderately entertaining old school mystery that suffers from some unusually heinous sexual politics. Best part is where Tey, writing in 1929, coins A moderately entertaining old school mystery that suffers from some unusually heinous sexual politics. Best part is where Tey, writing in 1929, coins (?) the word "television" to mean a sort of premonition. Wow, does this lady enjoy words.
The final reveal(view spoiler)[--that the murder victim was killed by the mother of the woman he himself intended to murder, elicits precisely zero consternation over the man's plan. Sure, he planned a public murder-suicide (possibly while she was onstage in a packed theater), but she was such a biiiitch. Why, when some other guy was onstage with her, she somehow magnetically drew everyone's attention away from her costar! And then she thought she was TOO GOOD to marry the murder victim (who decided they were engaged, though he had never asked and she had never said yes). He was just a nice dude pushed too far by the terrors of a Coldly Ambitious woman who didn't want him-- (hide spoiler)]left a gross taste in my mouth and made me miss the contemporaneous work of Dorothy L. Sayers. Certainly her politics have not survived the test of time unscathed, but I always appreciated how many women hard done by showed up as sympathetic characters in her books. Truly, this pales in comparison....more
A fascinating though too-brief look at pregnancy and life postpartum (via both emerging science and personal experience), presented in opposition to pA fascinating though too-brief look at pregnancy and life postpartum (via both emerging science and personal experience), presented in opposition to popular disregard and lack of information on these subjects. If you're at all familiar with feminist conversations around either pregnancy & birth or women's health in general, you'll have an idea of what you're getting into. Garbes, a Filipina American who felt alienated from the mainstream mommy industry, takes an approach that is more thoughtful and intersectionally-informed than many, however. Though it's difficult to imagine a book on pregnancy completely abandoning gendered assumptions, she takes care to highlight the fact that uteruses and childbearing are not exclusive to women, and that her language has its limits. Yet it's important to grapple with the inherent femaleness that is ascribed to pregnancy and birth, since she's essentially arguing that institutional misogyny helps the medical establishment justify their continued lack of support for, or curiosity about, what birth does to the bearer's body. It's not so much the medicalization of birth (see: The Business of Being Born) that she protests, as the abandonment of the body and person inside it, once medicalized; the assumption that of course the body will be wrecked and the person will be devastated. What is common need not be normal, she says. It's a powerful notion. I'm changing this review from 3 to 4 stars....more
Honestly this book was such #2Eproblems I can’t help but feel sorry for the guy. Interestingly, the cryptographer assigned to break his code is an eveHonestly this book was such #2Eproblems I can’t help but feel sorry for the guy. Interestingly, the cryptographer assigned to break his code is an even more clear-cut case of 2e (it’s hard to say if Regan is really gifted, but Olson—who has dyscalculia—obviously is) but the author doesn’t care or appreciate this connection like I do....more
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