I finished reading Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply two weeks ago, and it wrecked me. I haven’t been able to read more than ten pages in any book since, which kind of makes sense considering…
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Magic in Essex County
Last week I was talking with my writing teacher, Dale, about graphic novels. I was reading one before class started and he, pretty unfamiliar with the form, was curious what a lit snob like me…
Doctor’s orders
Consider the quaint family sitcom from a simpler time, when the teen-aged son is caught with cigarettes in his letter jacket. In order to teach him a lesson, the Dad character says, “I think it’s…
Still Alice
I can't remember the last time I read a book and cried nearly every page. Lisa Genova doesn't mess around; Still Alice goes right for the jugular. Alice is a Harvard psychology professor in her…
You need to read ‘About Kevin’ so we can talk about it
Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! You need to read We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. It’s the kind of book that the minute you finish it, all you want to do…
Fanning the flambe
After reading food-memoir-Julia-Child-love-letter-turned-movie Julie & Julia by Julie Powell, I have two regrets: A) I wish I had come up with an idea like this. But not this one. I’m never going to eat liver,…
I Kill Giants shows how much ass little girls can kick
Barbara Thorson’s got a few problems. She’s a smart and smartass weirdo fifth grader with big glasses, problems at home, a fondness for funky head gear, mostly of the animal ear variety — bunny, mouse,…
Dag, I was wrong for doubting Colson Whitehead
Dear @colsonwhitehead, I’m sorry for doubting you. I was going to write this apology/review in a series of 140 character paragraphs (ala tweet) but that’s too much of a pain in the ass and would…
Sometimes I cannot control my gushing
This might be stating the obvious, but I love reading. It’s my favorite pastime and something I do every single day. That being said, not many books are fun to read. It’s not like reading…
600+ words and the wonder of The Turtle Catcher still eludes me
The first twenty-six pages of Nicole Helget’s The Turtle Catcher are so intense that you will find yourself gasping for air while reading them, having become so engrossed you forget to breathe. The book opens…
The lovely, loveable Local
I fell fast and hard for Local, a graphic novel by Brian Wood with art by Ryan Kelly. From about the fourth page on I would read each panel and sigh dreamily, caressing every page…
The best book I’ve read all year: An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination
I’ve been trying to write about Elizabeth McCracken’s memoir An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination for three weeks. I’ve read it twice and I’m still having a hard time finding the words….