Friday, November 06, 2009
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 09, 2009
julia wertz cracks me up

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Monday, October 05, 2009
illustrated missed connections
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Monday, September 28, 2009
multitasking
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Monday, September 14, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
the ministry of special cases
Ministry of Special Cases, The by Nathan EnglanderMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Even though I did not love this book in the way I loved Nathan Englander's short story collection, I have to say that there were several things I really liked about this book. First of all, it was a topic that I am familiar with, even though reading non-fiction accounts of this period in Argentina's history has always been too much for me emotionally. I owe Mr. Englander respect for the fact that he got me to read a novel about this (and pretty quickly!) without once breaking down. In addition to that, I really liked that even though there is loss and hopelessness all over this story, it never felt too heavy or grim, even when it could have easily been that way. Finally, Mr. Englander has such a talent when describing characters and places and situations and how they feel, inside and out, that he made me feel I was right there in the book, waiting, observing, and -yes- hoping. I have never felt this desperate before when a character stops "talking" to me, the reader; it is a brilliant way to convey, without saying a word about it, how painful it is to wonder if someone is even still there, or ever was. It is also a brilliant way to get the reader's collaboration (which involves him even further in the story) in trying to will that character back.
View all my reviews >>
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
dangerous space
Dangerous Space by Kelley EskridgeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book. Kelly Eskridge is an awesome writer, and a scary one, too! All of the stories are edgy and mysterios and wonderfully layered.
The issue of gender and identity really comes up in every single story but as something that is just there for you to see, never discussed and NEVER explicit. It takes a while for you to figure out, or rather, decide, what gender the characters are. Most of the stories are told in the first person, so that makes it extra tricky.
You might decide a character is male, but what makes you say that? Because they are attracted to women? Because they are attracted to men and you might think the character is gay? Because they are attracted to both at different times and you think his features are more masculine than feminine? And then again, what makes you think that?
This book really got me thinking about what assumptions I make about people and their sexuality and why I consider something or someone to be male or female. More importantly, it got me thinking about what I do with people who don't fit any category. Even in stories that choose a pronoun and call someone a she or a he, this is still up in the air, like the character in one of the stories who was referred to as a he throughout the whole story and who was the Prince, but was actually a woman.
One word to describe this book: WOW. Highly recommended!
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Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
mad men!
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season 3 of mad men begins...
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on noble beast's song "oh no"
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Sunday, August 09, 2009
oh yay more literary novels coming my way!
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half in love
Half in Love : Stories by Maile MeloyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I did not enjoy this collection of short stories as much as I enjoyed her two novels, but that was to be expected. Maile Meloy is an amazing writer and I will read anything and everything she ever writes. Yay!
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Saturday, August 08, 2009
this is EXACTLY how i feel...
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Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
"Designs in the landscape" watercolour morag lloyds copyright

"Designs in the landscape" watercolour morag lloyds copyright
Originally uploaded by Morag Lloyds artwork
Friday, July 17, 2009
from the new york times review of the new harry potter movie
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hanging out with the dudes
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wow stephen holder, that's HARSH
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ha!
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Thursday, June 11, 2009
dear and the headlights
performing "bad news" on "the daily habit". i saw these guys live here in lawrence last year and they were awesome. :)
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Escapism in Minutiae of Daily Life
The Sims series is different. What makes it special is its exuberant, big-hearted, unabashedly joyful embrace of the minutiae of daily middle-class life. The Sims provides a training and socialization playground. For adults The Sims offers an unflinching, potentially uncomfortable and perhaps almost psychoanalytic view into one’s desires and fears about that real world beyond the computer screen. Most video games exist to allow the player to forget completely about the real world. The Sims accomplishes the rare feat of entertaining while also provoking intellectual and emotional engagement with some of life’s fundamental questions. |






