This broke me out of a fortnight-long reading slump. The Face/Off essay was one of the funniest things I've ever read. I wish this book was three timeThis broke me out of a fortnight-long reading slump. The Face/Off essay was one of the funniest things I've ever read. I wish this book was three times the length (and usually I wish books were half the length; that's how much I enjoyed this). ...more
This is a book I'll be returning to again and again. Possibly the best I've read in 2020. This is a book I'll be returning to again and again. Possibly the best I've read in 2020. ...more
Personal essays; I know, I know. But these ones are actually good. Not only are they beautifully written and observed, they're actually about somethinPersonal essays; I know, I know. But these ones are actually good. Not only are they beautifully written and observed, they're actually about something. Some essay collections feel like the writer thought 'need to write an essay, hmm, what can I write about...'; Emilie Pine seems to approach it from the other way. Each of these essays feel vital, like she had to write them. I loved this book and I can't wait to read more from Pine. ...more
I had such high hopes for this book! The title and marketing were great, and Bolin gives excellent interviews. The problem is that the book is only abI had such high hopes for this book! The title and marketing were great, and Bolin gives excellent interviews. The problem is that the book is only about 30% actually about what the title promises. The rest is personal essays, and they felt less ‘I have something vital to say’ than ‘I have to fill some pages’.
The parts on dead girls in pop culture are very good, and it’s worth reading the whole book just for that. But a large section of the book is about the author moving to LA, and what LA means, and Joan Didion writing about LA. And I just don’t care at all about LA, no matter how interesting you make it seem (and to be honest it doesn’t seem super interesting here). So for me personally, that was disappointing. I guess if you’re interested in LA then you’ll be very happy with those bits.
So I’d definitely read more from Bolin. But I’ll just read the pop culture bits and skip over the personal essay stuff. ...more
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