alexandriaslibrary's reviews
244 reviews

Shirley Jackson never misses. Three, tight, paranoid short stories about girls!

Hard to get my words together for this one. I am sad at how long it took me to pick this up. Sad at how familiar this world of looming fascism feels. Sad that none of my friends have read this or even heard about this one. 

Set in 1939/1940 Amsterdam, Bea and an acquaintance Erica move into together. Erica is a boyish journalist who has unstable relationships with a number of shrill women (a lesbian after my own heart). Bea is repressed, closeted, ashamed, but the connection she has with Erica is so undeniable that she cannot be apart from her. 

"I could no longer live without her; with her I could have only the strange existence that her miserable childhood had predetermined for her, and in which I could only be the spectator."

Baby’s first Nin! Delightful, erotic, tangy

Tea…. like Ronan Farrow doing a profile on Timothee Chalomet. I had no idea Brando was such a weirdo but in a really familiar way. He would’ve loved Lana del Rey

Brilliant and moving. A novella from the 1860s following a teenage boy who becomes enamored with his neighbor (a poor yet very charming princess). Perfect if you love an old gossipy story with passion and stakes

Incredibly compelling short stories. Each distinct yet reflective of the full collection. Grief, the internet, and bad relationships are also my personal trifecta!

Loved “Keith Prime”, “The Age of Love” and “You Will Never Be Forgotten”

Mike Davis everyone! You are guided by an expert through the ecology of LA and the bigger questions of fear in LA. Davis confronts the ugliness of our urban identity and its racial tensions, class inequality, and ecological disasters. 

For anyone who is looking to think more critically about LA and also read about the 1990s predication of LAs future (spoiler alert, alarmingly accurate)

I was hesitant to pick this one up and now cannot believe I once felt that way. Raw, unflinching, gross and horny. (No one writes sex like Miller) Meanders (in the good way) through dirty streets and between the legs of women, monologues on morality, and a narrative masterpiece. Proof that any story can be compelling with the write voice 

A braided story of a mother and her twin daughters who reunite after their childhood trauma drove them apart. Normally I’m not huge on multiple POVs but this was very well done, each character felt really well rounded and unique. Also the food writing here is top notch!

LOVE her voice, can’t wait to dive into her novels. So unusual, so crisp, so “contemporary” for stories written decades ago

For fans of Sayaka Murata or Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah