Book #2 will be from the ultimate Indie Press. I had the chance to get in on the Kickstarter for Pedal Zombies but I didn't. It was published by Elly Blue Publishing, an imprint of Microcosm Publishing, that is fully managed by its namesake (and Pedal Zombie's editor) Elly Blue. An indie within an indie. Somewhere, a hipster is feeling a bit of pride about this.
I own Pedal Zombies for a couple of reasons. I didn't kickstart it when I had the chance then saw it in B&N. I bought it out of respect for how far it came. I also like owning it because of glorious irony. I don't know how to ride a bike. At least 3 hipsters feel off their fixies but aren't quite sure why.
I think that revelation means my glowing review means even more. This book is perfect for what it is. Usually the zombies are the undead as we've always known them but some are zombie cars or sentient bikes or bike riding zombies. The core themes of bikes, zombies, and strong women are strong and go in so many great directions.
These stories are short, sweet, and rife with possibility. There wasn't a story I disliked. They were all gems. You can feel the magic and size of these worlds despite the small number of pages. I'd love to see some of these explored more deeply. Overall, 5 out of 5 stars.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Why Ya Gotta Let Me Down?
Watching loads of BookTube has turned me on to the reality that stories can often disappoint us. Here are some books I found to be deeply disappointing.
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
I loved the movie when I was a teenager. It was interesting, magical, and about different forms of love. When I realized it was based on a book, I sought it out and was promptly let down. The book had no magic and no action.
Seven Wonders by Adam Christopher
This story had a fantastic premise. Superheroes we've never heard of, an average schmoe suddenly gets powers, can they defeat the big bad? The only reason I finished this was because I wanted to see how Christopher tried to tie the train wreck together. Spoiler alert: not well.
Friendship by Emily Gould
Self-absorbed millennials fuck up their lives and relationships. If I wanted that combined with a vague non-ending, I can just watch Girls.
Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale
I expected a fun fish-out-of-water story when a former Manhattan business woman moves to a working farm in Virginia. Instead it was a nonstop bitchfest that left me wondering if this woman actually liked her husband, kids, or life. Oscar the Grouch and Grumpy Cat are more uplifting than McCorkindale.
Armada by Ernest Cline
This book is OK but what depresses me about is that I can see the book it could have been. It's premise is marvelous but the execution is forgettable, unoriginal, and rampant with tropes. It just felt like a long piece of fanboy fanfic. You're better than this Cline. Ready Player One says so.
In the Woods by Tana French
We get two mysteries: the disappearance and probable murder of two local children and the sole survivor who remembers nothing and the little girl who turns up dead at an archaeological dig in the same woods many years later. One of the mysteries doesn't get solved. No. A thousand times no. Do not delve deep and leave me with nothing. I refuse to touch anything she's written to this day because of this. Just no.
Anything by Nicholas Sparks
I went through a phase where I read a lot of him in high school and I eventually realized the SOB just recycles the same story over and over again. Occasionally he allows a happy ending but more often than not, death and misery. I want some of those hours of my life back.
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
I loved the movie when I was a teenager. It was interesting, magical, and about different forms of love. When I realized it was based on a book, I sought it out and was promptly let down. The book had no magic and no action.
Seven Wonders by Adam Christopher
This story had a fantastic premise. Superheroes we've never heard of, an average schmoe suddenly gets powers, can they defeat the big bad? The only reason I finished this was because I wanted to see how Christopher tried to tie the train wreck together. Spoiler alert: not well.
Friendship by Emily Gould
Self-absorbed millennials fuck up their lives and relationships. If I wanted that combined with a vague non-ending, I can just watch Girls.
Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale
I expected a fun fish-out-of-water story when a former Manhattan business woman moves to a working farm in Virginia. Instead it was a nonstop bitchfest that left me wondering if this woman actually liked her husband, kids, or life. Oscar the Grouch and Grumpy Cat are more uplifting than McCorkindale.
Armada by Ernest Cline
This book is OK but what depresses me about is that I can see the book it could have been. It's premise is marvelous but the execution is forgettable, unoriginal, and rampant with tropes. It just felt like a long piece of fanboy fanfic. You're better than this Cline. Ready Player One says so.
In the Woods by Tana French
We get two mysteries: the disappearance and probable murder of two local children and the sole survivor who remembers nothing and the little girl who turns up dead at an archaeological dig in the same woods many years later. One of the mysteries doesn't get solved. No. A thousand times no. Do not delve deep and leave me with nothing. I refuse to touch anything she's written to this day because of this. Just no.
Anything by Nicholas Sparks
I went through a phase where I read a lot of him in high school and I eventually realized the SOB just recycles the same story over and over again. Occasionally he allows a happy ending but more often than not, death and misery. I want some of those hours of my life back.
Friday, February 19, 2016
Book Update: Limits and BookTube Influences
I've realized that 16 books is not many. Despite having a birthday in a few weeks and a wishlist of mostly books, I've got a respectable to-obtain list for the year.
No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love and Wandering by Clara Bensen
Sex Object by Jessica Valenti
Shrill by Lindy West
The Geek Feminist Revolution edited by Kameron Hurley
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling
Afterlife with Archie Vol 2 by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Vol 1 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Fortunately, only two of those are available right now and I'm abiding by my rule to buy nothing before my birthday. I have no idea what is taking the Archie trades so long. tIt will have been over 2 years since the first trade came out when they finally released the second. It's like they're trying to get people to lose interest in the series.
I think it's possible to abide by my 16 book limit but my 2 thus far plus a potential 2 from the reddit exchange (if my Santa is good) plus the list above gives me a grand total of 11. Thank gods for libraries. Speaking of libraries...
I've been watching a ton of BookTube with my favorites being BooksandLala, BooksandQuills, and Books and Pieces. A lot of BookTubers are either young or really into young adult (PeruseProject, Ariel Bissett, ABookUtopia etc.). So I've been seeing a lot of YA flash by and I want to see what the buzz is all about. I won't have a chance to hit the library before the 27th but I plan on checking out at least 2 or 3 of the following:
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen
Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
The Future of Us by Jay Asher
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
These are all titles that sparked my interest so we'll see what someone who is thisclose to 29 thinks about reading stuff for teenagers.
No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love and Wandering by Clara Bensen
Sex Object by Jessica Valenti
Shrill by Lindy West
The Geek Feminist Revolution edited by Kameron Hurley
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling
Afterlife with Archie Vol 2 by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Vol 1 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Fortunately, only two of those are available right now and I'm abiding by my rule to buy nothing before my birthday. I have no idea what is taking the Archie trades so long. tIt will have been over 2 years since the first trade came out when they finally released the second. It's like they're trying to get people to lose interest in the series.
I think it's possible to abide by my 16 book limit but my 2 thus far plus a potential 2 from the reddit exchange (if my Santa is good) plus the list above gives me a grand total of 11. Thank gods for libraries. Speaking of libraries...
I've been watching a ton of BookTube with my favorites being BooksandLala, BooksandQuills, and Books and Pieces. A lot of BookTubers are either young or really into young adult (PeruseProject, Ariel Bissett, ABookUtopia etc.). So I've been seeing a lot of YA flash by and I want to see what the buzz is all about. I won't have a chance to hit the library before the 27th but I plan on checking out at least 2 or 3 of the following:
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen
Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
The Future of Us by Jay Asher
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
These are all titles that sparked my interest so we'll see what someone who is thisclose to 29 thinks about reading stuff for teenagers.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Richer Reading Life Book #1
I'm opening the books section with The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, a book by a woman. I've dealt with depression for many years but I've done it pretty quietly since very few people I know understand the complexity of what that means. I wanted to dive into a book that was written by someone who understood that struggle. Despite dying several decades before I was born, Sylvia Plath gets it.
The struggle for Esther (the protagonist) is that there is nothing particularly wrong in her life but she can't read or sleep. She's deeply unhappy and no one around her appreciates what her ailment means. This was back in the days of shock treatment and a suicide attempt meant being institutionalized. While I squirmed hearing Esther talk about slashing her wrists, I'm glad there is something out there for ordinary folks to understand what this all means.
I love the quote explaining the title: "If Mrs. Guinea had given me a ticket to Europe, or a round-the-world cruise, it wouldn't have made one scrap of difference to me, because wherever I sat—on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok—I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air." Put us in the most perfect place in the world with the best people and our brain chemicals will prevent us from enjoying it.
She also nails the fear every person with a mental illness struggles with: "How did I know that someday—at college, in Europe, somewhere, anywhere—the bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldn’t descend again?" We live our lives knowing that if the medication changes or a big life event happens, we can go back to that dark place. We don't live in fear but can never forget that is an ever lurking possibility in our lives.
Plath died tragically young, by suicide, leaving this as her only novel. I have her collection of journal entries and her collected poetry on my birthday wish list so we'll see what happens. I want to explore more of her work because there's something beautiful in someone's words reaching across space, time, and death to make someone else feel understood.
The struggle for Esther (the protagonist) is that there is nothing particularly wrong in her life but she can't read or sleep. She's deeply unhappy and no one around her appreciates what her ailment means. This was back in the days of shock treatment and a suicide attempt meant being institutionalized. While I squirmed hearing Esther talk about slashing her wrists, I'm glad there is something out there for ordinary folks to understand what this all means.
I love the quote explaining the title: "If Mrs. Guinea had given me a ticket to Europe, or a round-the-world cruise, it wouldn't have made one scrap of difference to me, because wherever I sat—on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok—I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air." Put us in the most perfect place in the world with the best people and our brain chemicals will prevent us from enjoying it.
She also nails the fear every person with a mental illness struggles with: "How did I know that someday—at college, in Europe, somewhere, anywhere—the bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldn’t descend again?" We live our lives knowing that if the medication changes or a big life event happens, we can go back to that dark place. We don't live in fear but can never forget that is an ever lurking possibility in our lives.
Plath died tragically young, by suicide, leaving this as her only novel. I have her collection of journal entries and her collected poetry on my birthday wish list so we'll see what happens. I want to explore more of her work because there's something beautiful in someone's words reaching across space, time, and death to make someone else feel understood.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Downsizing
I love the tiny house movement. I spent my adolescence watching nothing but McMansions get built. I spent time wondering why nobody was building houses like the ones from my childhood. Houses that were 1,200-2,000 square feet. Families are getting smaller so how much space do we need?
I subscribe to Tiny House Talk's email and often realize how easy it could be to live tiny. I saw this video of a couple who converted a bus into a tiny mobile home and it's absolutely lovely. (Although I do wonder how they have 'adult time' with minimal curtains.) It made me realize how simple it would be. In theory, I could do this.
I'd just have to give up a few different hobbies I really enjoy.
I like to cosplay. Nothing too intense but if you like to wear costumes, it requires stuff. The costume itself, accessories, possibly makeup. Makeup is another thing I enjoy. Even if I parsed down my collection, not that much would go. I enjoy being able to experiment with this lipstick, that eye shadow, this eyeliner and maybe this blush. I've maxed out on lipstick storage. It's too the point where I own enough stuff that I feel bad not wearing makeup some of the time. I want to be able to wear out some of.
I love to read and after my birthday, I will be doing a culling of my collection again but I can't imagine life without physical books. I stopped buying ebooks because I realized I rarely read them. I enjoy holding the story, feeling the pages, seeing the typeface, maybe catching a new/old book smell.
I want to own fewer things and cut back on my consumption but I'm not ready to give everything up yet. Living tiny is an extreme choice that reminds us we need to swing back to a happy medium between McMansion and micro-home. I love and admire the tiny lifestyle but it's not what's best for me right now.
Monday, February 15, 2016
The Gift of Giving
I signed up for the reddit gift exchange for books and eagerly awaited my match. I like to think I'm above average in finding a good book for someone. Today I got my match and I was reminded that I'm not like the rest of the world.
I got a Nicholas Sparks fan. WHY??????
I hate Nicholas Sparks. He's arrogant, unoriginal, and smug. He reuses the same basic story line over and over again. Person (usually a woman) meets someone. For some reason, this is not the greatest idea. Dramatic tension as they fight it then fall in love anyway. Cue huge dramatic reason they can't be together. Something brings them back together and they decide to make a go of it. 9 times out of 10, it ends with one of them dead.
However, my match also likes Harry Potter and is slightly younger than I am. I may have to stretch myself a bit but there was stuff there for me to work with. She likes stories where people fall in love and you get swept away by the story. Move aside Sparks. It's time for writers with more than one idea to work some magic.
I hit up BookOutlet.com (tread carefully, those deals are addictive) and cross-checked their inventory against books I've enjoyed, personal favorites, and what the deals were. Since it's President's Day and I use ebates, I got some extra savings.
There's Cake in My Future by Kim Gruenenfelder
Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
A Million Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton
My Big, Fat, Supernatural, Honeymoon edited by P. N. Elrod
Cake is smart, funny, and engaging chick lit. Elephants is a beautiful and captivating love story. Mistakes let's you play 'what-if' by choosing your own adventure with your lottery winnings. Honeymoon will give her the love story with some more exposure to genre fiction and what it has to offer.
She is also getting a mini-bookmark with young Hermione on it, Just Married MadLibs, and 4 gorgeous blank cards from society6: Cliffhanger, A Quiet Spot, Never a Quiet Year at Hogwarts, and The World Belongs to Those Who Read. Those cards come in sets of 3 so 1 of each for my first match, 1 for my rematch person, and 1 for me.
I could just shove a book in an envelope and call it a day but that's not nearly as much fun. My first reddit exchange I wasn't sure what to expect but my Santa went above and beyond what I anticipated. My second was a rematch and they were incredibly considerate of what I said I liked. They even printed me homemade stickers of Jane Austen and the deathly hallows symbol. The Nicholas Sparks fan got stiffed on her last gift exchange so I think my creativity will help make up for that Secret Krampus.
I got a Nicholas Sparks fan. WHY??????
I hate Nicholas Sparks. He's arrogant, unoriginal, and smug. He reuses the same basic story line over and over again. Person (usually a woman) meets someone. For some reason, this is not the greatest idea. Dramatic tension as they fight it then fall in love anyway. Cue huge dramatic reason they can't be together. Something brings them back together and they decide to make a go of it. 9 times out of 10, it ends with one of them dead.
However, my match also likes Harry Potter and is slightly younger than I am. I may have to stretch myself a bit but there was stuff there for me to work with. She likes stories where people fall in love and you get swept away by the story. Move aside Sparks. It's time for writers with more than one idea to work some magic.
I hit up BookOutlet.com (tread carefully, those deals are addictive) and cross-checked their inventory against books I've enjoyed, personal favorites, and what the deals were. Since it's President's Day and I use ebates, I got some extra savings.
There's Cake in My Future by Kim Gruenenfelder
Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
A Million Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton
My Big, Fat, Supernatural, Honeymoon edited by P. N. Elrod
Cake is smart, funny, and engaging chick lit. Elephants is a beautiful and captivating love story. Mistakes let's you play 'what-if' by choosing your own adventure with your lottery winnings. Honeymoon will give her the love story with some more exposure to genre fiction and what it has to offer.
She is also getting a mini-bookmark with young Hermione on it, Just Married MadLibs, and 4 gorgeous blank cards from society6: Cliffhanger, A Quiet Spot, Never a Quiet Year at Hogwarts, and The World Belongs to Those Who Read. Those cards come in sets of 3 so 1 of each for my first match, 1 for my rematch person, and 1 for me.
I could just shove a book in an envelope and call it a day but that's not nearly as much fun. My first reddit exchange I wasn't sure what to expect but my Santa went above and beyond what I anticipated. My second was a rematch and they were incredibly considerate of what I said I liked. They even printed me homemade stickers of Jane Austen and the deathly hallows symbol. The Nicholas Sparks fan got stiffed on her last gift exchange so I think my creativity will help make up for that Secret Krampus.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Richer Reading Life Activity #2 and 2016 Book #2
My second activity that I'm checking off is attending a book event. This Is Why You're Single had a book event last Tuesday and yours truly was in attendance. I'm not sure how everyone else heard about it but I listen to the podcast. When they had people from the podcast clap, there was a second where I wondered "Really? Just me?"
Despite that, Boyfriend and I had a great time. We did activities for our V-Day this year. He's listened to a few episodes of the podcast with me and has enjoyed it so he was excited for the show. Since the writers, Laura Lane and Angela Spera, are performers, they did comedy sketches of the different reasons along with 3 guys.
My favorite reason was "You Travel in Packs" where Spera, Lane, and a dude in drag were actively keeping one guy away from each other. The final guy was narrating it Crocodile Hunter-style. It was phenomenal. My second favorite was "You Want a Good How-We-Met Story" where the grandparents are explaining how they met to their grandkids. The written word can't do justice to trying to make swiping right sound romantic or 'getting poke' sound quaint. I wish there'd been more silliness.
They did a few Q&As with a local Post columnist and then signed books. A surprising number of folks weren't interested in getting their book signed so I was able to go right up and tell both of them why Boyfriend and I were there. We got hugs and Laura took our picture! It was a very fun night and we made it home in time to catch most of the hockey game.
I want to check off a few challenge books before I read theirs but I'm looking forward to see Lane and Spera's wit in print. Did I also mention that it was only $4 extra to get the book? Yup. We've got book #2 of 2016 on our hands.
Despite that, Boyfriend and I had a great time. We did activities for our V-Day this year. He's listened to a few episodes of the podcast with me and has enjoyed it so he was excited for the show. Since the writers, Laura Lane and Angela Spera, are performers, they did comedy sketches of the different reasons along with 3 guys.
My favorite reason was "You Travel in Packs" where Spera, Lane, and a dude in drag were actively keeping one guy away from each other. The final guy was narrating it Crocodile Hunter-style. It was phenomenal. My second favorite was "You Want a Good How-We-Met Story" where the grandparents are explaining how they met to their grandkids. The written word can't do justice to trying to make swiping right sound romantic or 'getting poke' sound quaint. I wish there'd been more silliness.
They did a few Q&As with a local Post columnist and then signed books. A surprising number of folks weren't interested in getting their book signed so I was able to go right up and tell both of them why Boyfriend and I were there. We got hugs and Laura took our picture! It was a very fun night and we made it home in time to catch most of the hockey game.
I want to check off a few challenge books before I read theirs but I'm looking forward to see Lane and Spera's wit in print. Did I also mention that it was only $4 extra to get the book? Yup. We've got book #2 of 2016 on our hands.
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