The premise of These Violent Delights is absolute catnip for me: Romeo and Juliet, retold in 1920s Shanghai as rival gangs. So, Shakespeare influence, check; decadence of the Roaring Twenties, check; political intrigue and organized crime in pre-Revolution China—just download it straight into my brain! So the charitable analysis of how I ended up feelingContinue reading “‘Violent’ Doesn’t Quite ‘Delight’”
Tag Archives: Glad I got to cross that off
‘Last Stone’ an Uncritical Story of Iffy Policing
A lot of the books that end up on my TBR come from other reviews, which isn’t ideal for reviewing purposes but usually by the time I get around to reading them I’ve forgotten what the book is about, let alone what a reviewer said about it. That’s the case with The Last Stone byContinue reading “‘Last Stone’ an Uncritical Story of Iffy Policing”
Vermilion is just really, really disappointing
I’ve been doing a pretty good job of getting the very oldest titles off my TBR, especially since starting this project. There are a few dusty, more obscure ones I’ve had trouble tracking down and had to wait until the ol’ budget was flush enough to make an order. Vermilion is one of those. IContinue reading “Vermilion is just really, really disappointing”
‘Paradise’ has 2/3 of a Great Book
CW: Suicide, Incest, Sexual Abuse There’s this seafood restaurant downtown that is pretty pricy, but once my husband and I were given a gift card for it. The first two courses were incredible—fresh, flavorful, succulent. The third was bizarre and borderline inedible, though we may have just thought it was so gross because we’re unculturedContinue reading “‘Paradise’ has 2/3 of a Great Book”
Leave ‘Only Kid Left’ Behind
I did it. I finally did it. Last year, as I was starting this project, I ordered a bunch of the books I couldn’t find at my library and didn’t already have. (Fitting, then, that I’m posting this on the one-year anniversary of this blog.) One of the first to arrive from that inaugural batchContinue reading “Leave ‘Only Kid Left’ Behind”
‘City’ is Too Indulgent, but Does Linger
I love Elizabeth Gilbert’s work. Eat, Pray, Love came into my life at a very precise time of need and soothed and supported me in ways I didn’t think was possible from a book. Committed opened my eyes to facets of marriage and the history of matrimony that I didn’t know I didn’t know. AndContinue reading “‘City’ is Too Indulgent, but Does Linger”
Mean-spirited Musing Mars ‘Me’
I don’t know about anyone else, but I am sick of other generations telling me what it’s like to be a millennial. I already know I don’t go to Chili’s. I already know avocado toast is delicious. I already know I’m hopelessly mired in a horrible financial outlook not of my own making. So I’mContinue reading “Mean-spirited Musing Mars ‘Me’”
Idea of ‘If Walls Could Talk’ Frames ‘Yellow’
It has always fascinated me how many stories four walls can hold. The mundane and the dramatic coexist on the same stage in a home. A house’s lifespan is not like that of the humans who live inside it; within its years of providing comfort and shelter, it can contain multitudes of stories. This isContinue reading “Idea of ‘If Walls Could Talk’ Frames ‘Yellow’”
‘Spin’ Flies but Doesn’t Make the Cut
YA Fantasy has given us more teenage female warrior characters since Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I am not complaining. Hunger Games deserves (much of) its hype. I tore through the Throne of Glass series like I was in the middle of a desert and it was a cool glass of water. But it’s alsoContinue reading “‘Spin’ Flies but Doesn’t Make the Cut”
Which ‘Witch on Lime Street’?
This one has been an albatross around my neck. I borrowed a digital version from the online library ages ago and read what I felt was a significant amount before it was due and then I remember to renew it. Every time I turn the pages of my TBR list to see what I canContinue reading “Which ‘Witch on Lime Street’?”
Ring Reads 