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Monthly Archives: July 2012
I wish I could come up with pithy titles for my reviews, but I can’t. My Review of Stephen Dau’s The Book of Jonas (by Jill)
This book came to me as part of Powell’s Books Indiespensible book club—every six weeks they send members a new book, focusing on books from independent publishing houses. This was my first shipment. The Book of Jonas is not a … Continue reading
A Review of Karen Russell’s Swamplandia! (by Bethany)
I knew even before I opened this novel that it wasn’t going to be my sort of thing. I never would have read it at all if one of my book clubs wasn’t reading it. First of all, there is … Continue reading
Posted in Authors, Fiction - general, Karen Russell, Reviews by Bethany
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Not All Vampires are Creepy and Boring: A Review of Deborah Harkness’ Shadow of Night, In Which Bethany Learns an Important Lesson about Tolerance
It’s official: I was totally born with the vampire gene. I love vampires. I would love nothing more than to be preternaturally controlled by some creepy immortal dude with sharp teeth and a deeply-rooted guilt complex. In fact, even way … Continue reading
Because I Was Jealous of How Many Google Hits Jill Got When She Reviewed an Anne Rice Book: A Review of Interview with the Vampire (by Bethany)
It’s official: I was born without the vampire gene. I don’t get it. I don’t find vampires “erotic” (I didn’t even know that they were supposed to be erotic until about four years ago when I read about it in … Continue reading
A Review of David Leavitt’s The Indian Clerk (by Bethany)
The more literature I read and the more history I study, the more I realize just how pervasive the Pygmalion story is in Western culture. I see it not only in My Fair Lady and Pinocchio and Stranger in a … Continue reading
The AP English Challenge, Month #3: Pre-Reading Notes on Faulkner’s Light in August (by Bethany)
I have only been to Oxford, Mississippi once. My friend Tara and I arrived early on a hot spring afternoon and began to circle around the city’s iconic square, eager to eat some good food and browse in the famous … Continue reading
No Penalty for Lateness in the AP English Challenge: Some Long Overdue Final Thoughts on Measure for Measure (by Bethany)
So here’s what happens in Measure for Measure: A man with a reputation for perfect integrity and ironclad morals is placed in a position of power. Soon thereafter, he initiates detailed conversations about porn stars with a female subordinate and … Continue reading
My Review of Jen Lancaster’s Jeneration X (by Jill)
If it weren’t for Jen Lancaster I never would have read Eat, Pray, Love. Before Jen, I had no time for non-fiction. Non-fiction was not my deal. And then I read Such a Pretty Fat in 2008. And I laughed … Continue reading
Christopher Moore’s Sacre Bleu. Review by Jill
My personal goal for 2012 is to read sixty books. Sacré Bleu is number thirty-one, putting me into the second half of my book goal right as the second half of the year starts. This tidbit of information is likely … Continue reading
Man Books and Woman Books and Books that are Comfortable with their Multi-Faceted Sexuality: A Rambling and Discursive and Self-Indulgent Sunday-Morning Review of Anouk Markovits’ I Am Forbidden with a Rambling and Discursive Title to Match (by Bethany)
Someday, when you have several hours to spare and there’s nothing but golf on TV, ask Jill and me to tell you how we feel about the differences between male and female writers. The very short version of the story … Continue reading
Postcards From Purgatory 