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jodiwilldare's reviews
1523 reviews
American Widow by Alissa Torres
2.0
I wanted to read American Widow by Alissa Torres ever since I spied it on Largehearted Boy’s list of favorite graphic novels of 2008. When it arrived in a big box of books David sent me I was giddy. I was intrigued for years by the bare bones of the story — young woman loses husband on 9-11 while seven months pregnant. Yikes, right?
So I was ready when I popped open the cover on a rainy Saturday — Kleenex and a big bottle of water to stave off the dehydration that can come when one sheds a copious amounts of tears. Bring it on, I said.
I’m sad to report, it was not brought. It feels callous to diss on a book written by a young widow who lost her husband in a great, senseless tragedy, especially a young widow who is now raising their son alone. But you know what? I have to say this book left me cold. While it was quite educational, it was not emotionally gripping.
What the what what? How can this story so fraught with sadness not be gripping?
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So I was ready when I popped open the cover on a rainy Saturday — Kleenex and a big bottle of water to stave off the dehydration that can come when one sheds a copious amounts of tears. Bring it on, I said.
I’m sad to report, it was not brought. It feels callous to diss on a book written by a young widow who lost her husband in a great, senseless tragedy, especially a young widow who is now raising their son alone. But you know what? I have to say this book left me cold. While it was quite educational, it was not emotionally gripping.
What the what what? How can this story so fraught with sadness not be gripping?
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Fly Over State by Emma Straub
3.0
When Michael Schaub and the Largehearted Boy started raving about Emma Schaub’s Fly-over State on Twitter, it took me roughly 48 seconds to order up the book. That kind of hype cannot be withstood. Besides, nobody has influenced my reading over the past few years more than they have.
It was high hopes and an open heart that I dove into this odd little book by Emma Straub. That’s not meant to be dismissive. It is an odd little book. It’s only 77 pages and contains two short stories. The, for lack of a better term, supersized short story “Fly-over State” (it’s too short to be a novella, probably too long to be considered a traditional short story, but then I have no idea what the rules are on these kinds of things) and a regular-sized short story “Hot Springs Eternal.” The format is unique and I hope to see more odd little books like it. Plus, for only $8, you can’t go wrong.
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It was high hopes and an open heart that I dove into this odd little book by Emma Straub. That’s not meant to be dismissive. It is an odd little book. It’s only 77 pages and contains two short stories. The, for lack of a better term, supersized short story “Fly-over State” (it’s too short to be a novella, probably too long to be considered a traditional short story, but then I have no idea what the rules are on these kinds of things) and a regular-sized short story “Hot Springs Eternal.” The format is unique and I hope to see more odd little books like it. Plus, for only $8, you can’t go wrong.
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Stuck in the Middle: 17 Comics from an Unpleasant Age by Ariel Schrag
3.0
I need you to journey back in time with me. Back to the place before my brain was infected with Scott Pilgrim and when Ariel Schrag was the queen of my graphic novel universe. Remember that? Those were good times.
But then my universe came crashing down when I embarked on reading Likewise the third, and final book in Schrag’s High School Chronicles. Written in a Ullyssesesque stream of consciousness, I couldn’t take Likewise. My annoyance with the the WTFness of the narrative was a disappointment. I’d read pages and pages and then, like waking up from some sort of reverie, wonder what the hell was going on.
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But then my universe came crashing down when I embarked on reading Likewise the third, and final book in Schrag’s High School Chronicles. Written in a Ullyssesesque stream of consciousness, I couldn’t take Likewise. My annoyance with the the WTFness of the narrative was a disappointment. I’d read pages and pages and then, like waking up from some sort of reverie, wonder what the hell was going on.
Read more
The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff
4.0
I’m gonna get the disclaimer out of the way right now. I know Steve. Not only is he a friend of mine but we’re in writing group together. What does that mean? It means that every few weeks we get together and eat tator tots at Grumpy’s and talk about how we can make our stories better which means he’s used to me telling him the things that aren’t quite working in his writing.
Why am I telling you all this? Because some people will say it’s a conflict of interest for me to review Steve’s book. Maybe it is. But the way I see it, I review his writing all the damn time, it’s just that the rest of the Internet doesn’t get to hear that. However, if you like, Internet, you can totally come to Grumpy’s and listen to us talk. The tator tots are good.
All that being said, you might want to take this review with a grain of salt. I understand that. Besides, you don’t have to take my word for how good it is, METRO Magazine already dubbed it the “Young Adult Book of the Year.” So you can listen to them, if you like. None of them are in our writing group.
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Why am I telling you all this? Because some people will say it’s a conflict of interest for me to review Steve’s book. Maybe it is. But the way I see it, I review his writing all the damn time, it’s just that the rest of the Internet doesn’t get to hear that. However, if you like, Internet, you can totally come to Grumpy’s and listen to us talk. The tator tots are good.
All that being said, you might want to take this review with a grain of salt. I understand that. Besides, you don’t have to take my word for how good it is, METRO Magazine already dubbed it the “Young Adult Book of the Year.” So you can listen to them, if you like. None of them are in our writing group.
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Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace by David Lipsky
4.0
There is no way for me to adequately review David Lipsky’s erm, book-length interview? biography? of David Foster Wallace, Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself. Why? Because I approached the book like it was 1986 and it was an issue of Tiger Beat featuring a fold-out poster of C. Thomas Howell.
I devoured it in the greedy, selfish way teenaged girls devour fun facts about Justin Bieber, stopping just short of making lists of things DFW and I had in common. Undoubtedly the notebook containing such a list (were it to exist) would have featured a cover filled with Jodi Chromey Foster Wallace, Jodi Foster Wallace, Jodi + David in loopy girl cursive.
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I devoured it in the greedy, selfish way teenaged girls devour fun facts about Justin Bieber, stopping just short of making lists of things DFW and I had in common. Undoubtedly the notebook containing such a list (were it to exist) would have featured a cover filled with Jodi Chromey Foster Wallace, Jodi Foster Wallace, Jodi + David in loopy girl cursive.
Read more.
Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky
4.0
More happens in the first fifty pages of Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky than in entire novels I’ve read this year. It’s the lightning speed of the story that makes this book so damn hard to put down.
Marie has recently turned thirty and been released from prison. She served six years as an accessory to bank robbery and murder. While in prison Marie spent years reading Virginie at Sea over and over again and working in the laundry. Upon her release she lands on the doorstep for her rich childhood frenemy, Ellen who hires Marie to babysit.
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Marie has recently turned thirty and been released from prison. She served six years as an accessory to bank robbery and murder. While in prison Marie spent years reading Virginie at Sea over and over again and working in the laundry. Upon her release she lands on the doorstep for her rich childhood frenemy, Ellen who hires Marie to babysit.
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Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans
4.0
Sometimes when I read short story collections I try to figure out what the author’s thing is. By thing I mean the big issue they address in their writing. While it’s easy to extrapolate from there that it’s the big issue the author him or herself is dealing with in his/her own life, I try not to make that assumptive leap.
For instance, I always thing of Mary Gaitskill’s thing as trying to reconcile sexuality with intelligence; Raymond Carver is sensitive men who cope with their sensitivity by drinking; George Saunders – things that will make a reader’s brain melt; and Amy Bloom is love is fucked up but we’re gonna do it anyway.
Whee. I could do that all day. But I won’t, because I’ve come to talk about Danielle Evans’ short story collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self. If I were to guess Evans’ “thing” it would be smart black girl copes with being smart black girl. Which sounds kind of dismissive, but it’s not at all.
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For instance, I always thing of Mary Gaitskill’s thing as trying to reconcile sexuality with intelligence; Raymond Carver is sensitive men who cope with their sensitivity by drinking; George Saunders – things that will make a reader’s brain melt; and Amy Bloom is love is fucked up but we’re gonna do it anyway.
Whee. I could do that all day. But I won’t, because I’ve come to talk about Danielle Evans’ short story collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self. If I were to guess Evans’ “thing” it would be smart black girl copes with being smart black girl. Which sounds kind of dismissive, but it’s not at all.
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Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan, John Green
4.0
This is the tale of two Will Graysons. Capitalized Will Grayson who is BFFs with Tiny Cooper, a huge gay football star at their high school. And lower case will grayson who is a depressed loner with an internet boyfriend named Issac and one friend, a girl, who wants to be more than friends.
On a cold night in Chicago, the Will Graysons bump into each other in a porn shop. From that night on their lives sort of orbit around each other, but more specifically Tiny Cooper, and inevitably collide in grand, dramatic teenage fashion. Which is not to say that this book is overloaded with the kind of drama that is interesting only to teens and kind of grating to adults. It’s not. There’s a good mix of teenage bullshit drama and actual, serious, life-altering challenges to make the book totally engaging.
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On a cold night in Chicago, the Will Graysons bump into each other in a porn shop. From that night on their lives sort of orbit around each other, but more specifically Tiny Cooper, and inevitably collide in grand, dramatic teenage fashion. Which is not to say that this book is overloaded with the kind of drama that is interesting only to teens and kind of grating to adults. It’s not. There’s a good mix of teenage bullshit drama and actual, serious, life-altering challenges to make the book totally engaging.
Read more