Horror and other comics from a lesser-known EC contributor. My favorites were the horror comics at the start of the book. Moon Girl, a Wonder Woman imHorror and other comics from a lesser-known EC contributor. My favorites were the horror comics at the start of the book. Moon Girl, a Wonder Woman imitation, is fairly anemic. But the last comic in this volume, about werewolves in the mountains, is fun. ...more
Charming, action-filled mystery caper from the author of the Thursday Murder Club series. I didn't understand some of the British humo(u)r, but I enjoCharming, action-filled mystery caper from the author of the Thursday Murder Club series. I didn't understand some of the British humo(u)r, but I enjoyed it very much all the same. Richard Osman has created some delightful characters. Is the multimillion-selling author in this one based on Jackie Collins, Jilly Cooper, or someone else?...more
Sensitively written and imaginatively illustrated book about rocks from the small (the ones that fit in your pocket) to the huge (the big rock we all Sensitively written and imaginatively illustrated book about rocks from the small (the ones that fit in your pocket) to the huge (the big rock we all live on)....more
Spicy advice from 1936! There is liquor! There are morals! There are bed jackets! (Apparently three or four different bed jackets are needed for diffeSpicy advice from 1936! There is liquor! There are morals! There are bed jackets! (Apparently three or four different bed jackets are needed for different circumstances. I had no idea. This was decades before the Snuggie.)
I don't live alone right now, but I certainly loved it when I did.
The author assumes that the reader will be able to hire a maid or other servant full-time or part-time for just a few dollars a week. No word on whether that person lives alone and likes it.
Marjorie Hillis was a Vogue employee of many years when she wrote this witty and highly opinionated guide. The book was a huge success in pop culture and financially, and Miss Hillis went on to marry (and stop living alone) three years after its initial publication....more
Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker staff writer and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, conducted more than 300 in-depth interviews on the topic of . . . reality teEmily Nussbaum, New Yorker staff writer and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, conducted more than 300 in-depth interviews on the topic of . . . reality television?! The title is a bit of a cheat because it comes from the movie The Truman Show. But the whole thing is written well and held my interest, even though I haven't seen some of the shows Nussbaum writes about. (But I have seen a lot of them. Even The Gong Show.) I didn't know that the whole reality vs. scripted conflict goes all the way back to radio, when people complained that writers and actors and musicians were being thrown out of work by a show called—I'm not kidding—Candid Microphone....more
I laughed out loud about two dozen times. This is especially impressive because some of the essays are quite sad. What is it like when your dad is a sI laughed out loud about two dozen times. This is especially impressive because some of the essays are quite sad. What is it like when your dad is a spy? Lonely. What is it like to be a little kid in Florida? Rather shitty, especially when your mom is poor and refuses to get rid of her abusive, erratic boyfriend. What is it like when your mom accidentally burns down the house she was in the process of selling? Well, your relationship with her certainly isn't going to get better.
DeRuiter seems to be a thoroughgoing optimist now, which surprised me given the circumstances of her upbringing. It sounds as if she married a delightful man, which certainly sweetens life. And she has never been on a diet. And she got a book deal! And I think she and/or her husband might be extremely rich?
One of the essay titles made me gasp: "Bikini Body of Christ." So if you find that title blasphemous or otherwise offensive, that may be a sign that this essay collection is not for you....more
I love this series. Fast-paced plots, appealing characters, and so funny. I didn't know that I wanted humor in my mystery novels! I'm sad that this isI love this series. Fast-paced plots, appealing characters, and so funny. I didn't know that I wanted humor in my mystery novels! I'm sad that this is the last in the series so far, but the author has promised to write at least one more....more
"The money's in the basement." —Karen Carpenter, explaining why she sang in low tones despite having an impressive vocal range
"But Richard is the star"The money's in the basement." —Karen Carpenter, explaining why she sang in low tones despite having an impressive vocal range
"But Richard is the star, Karen's just the drummer." —Agnes Carpenter, blatantly favoring one of her children and completely misjudging the Carpenters' sound
Karen Carpenter and her brother Richard chased success. They wanted money and fame and popularity, and as a result they tended to choose safe, dated, or even reactionary musical styles. Even during and after the period where their sales plateaued, they strongly resisted trying new styles and forms. As a result, many music fans considered them to be awkward, sentimental, or fake. But THAT VOICE. It's one of the most distinctive and appealing in pop music history.
Karen and Richard's mother sounds appalling, blatantly favoring Richard and discouraging Karen from seeking therapy for the anorexia that killed her. Their father is meekly uncommunicative. And Richard sounds controlling and tiresome, full of bitterness and complaints whether the records are selling well or not. (The one time in the book when he seems pleased about something is in 1994, when the superb tribute album If I Were a Carpenter came out.)
Both Richard and Karen experienced severe anxiety, which they sought to control in different ways. Richard got addicted to downers, but because doctors had a better idea of how to treat his addiction, he survived. Karen became anorexic and bulimic and abused laxatives. Doctors knew very little about treating eating disorders at the time, so she did not survive.
Also, Karen dealt with a tremendous amount of sexism. Her brother and their record company made her give up the drums and front the band. They criticized her drum playing, but there was never any effort to make her better at the drums. Take a look at this clip to see how talented she was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o82d9... If you don't have time for the whole thing, just watch the drum solo at the end.
The other thing that gets me is how (male) colleagues assumed they understood her without asking her about anything. The parents considered Richard a musical prodigy from the age of three. They moved the family from Connecticut to southern California when the kids were teenagers so that Richard would have a better chance of professional success. Karen watched and listened all the time. She tried different instruments without much success. She became obsessed with jazz drumming as a young teenager. She worked with a choral teacher for years, both before and after she got famous. She joined the high school marching band and became the first girl on the drum line there, working her way up to co-leading the band. She experimented with singing in a higher and a lower register. And then she goes to an audition with Richard when she's sixteen and these guys insist "she was born with that voice, it just came out of her." What absolute bullshit. She worked and researched and strategized to get that sound....more
Seventeen and a half hours! Seventeen and a half hours of audiobook details about Regency-era sports, clothing, sexism, debtors' prisons, breakfasts, Seventeen and a half hours! Seventeen and a half hours of audiobook details about Regency-era sports, clothing, sexism, debtors' prisons, breakfasts, manners, theater, stagecoaches, fashion, and liquor! I loved it. I don't know much about this era, so a lot of the information was eye opening. Some of my favorite bits:
• The first person to publish a work about atheism in English was Percy Bysshe Shelley. His 1811 essay "The Necessity of Atheism" got him kicked out of Oxford.
• Toll takers did not have to provide change. If the toll cost sixpence and you only had shillings, you had to pay a shilling. So travelers brought many sixpences with them.
• If you wanted to travel on a stagecoach but couldn't afford it, you could pay half price if you were willing to sit on top of the stagecoach and hang on the entire time.
• Cookbooks became very popular during this period. The goal for the author of one of the most popular cookbooks was for any servant who could read to become a cook. I'm sure you can see the potential convenience and savings of this.
• The Prince Regent, later King George IV, was very powerful during the latter part of his father's reign because not only did poor old George III have bouts of insanity, but he eventually became deaf and blind as well. Most British people intensely disliked the Prince Regent for being rude, lazy, gluttonous, mean, and wasteful. He wore spectacular clothing, though.
• The famous dandy Beau Brummel spent three hours every morning washing and getting dressed. He was besties with the Prince Regent but eventually they had a big fight and Brummel insulted the prince by calling him "your fat friend" in public....more
Such a charming, funny, murderous series. My only concern is that the author has introduced so many farfetched yet appealing characters that it is staSuch a charming, funny, murderous series. My only concern is that the author has introduced so many farfetched yet appealing characters that it is starting to become difficult to keep track of them all....more
Informative but mostly lighthearted account of how Black and Brown people have been portrayed in English-language horror movies. Things have gotten beInformative but mostly lighthearted account of how Black and Brown people have been portrayed in English-language horror movies. Things have gotten better but there are still double standards and omissions. The author explains that Black people deserve portrayals in all genres of movies doing all types of things, just as characters of other races do. I burst out laughing when the author brought home this point by saying, "Black people like Etsy too."...more
Rollicking and very funny story of a dog being her most doglike. There is play-by-play of joyful mayhem plus a nap. Kids have loved books about makingRollicking and very funny story of a dog being her most doglike. There is play-by-play of joyful mayhem plus a nap. Kids have loved books about making a mess at least since the Cat in the Hat, so I think this one will go over well. This is a read-aloud book rather than an on-your-own read, though, since the vocabulary includes impassive and formation....more
This is a fun story with some toilet jokes and just a little hint of scariness. The art is full of surprises, my favorite ofGet the flock out of here!
This is a fun story with some toilet jokes and just a little hint of scariness. The art is full of surprises, my favorite of which is a large soft drink labeled BLADDER BUSTER.
I can't wait for the sequel, Van Full of Toucans....more
Utterly delightful (and rhyming) account of a little bear's first bearplane trip. What do bears at the bearport do when they're waiting for their bearUtterly delightful (and rhyming) account of a little bear's first bearplane trip. What do bears at the bearport do when they're waiting for their bearplane to take off? They eat salmon on a stick, of course....more
Appealing, well-sourced account of how all those Marvel movies got made and why some of the ones at the start were bad but some of the ones in the midAppealing, well-sourced account of how all those Marvel movies got made and why some of the ones at the start were bad but some of the ones in the middle were good and some of the more recent ones were bad but maybe the next ones will be good again. When Disney bought Marvel, the mouse people did their due diligence and found out how many characters they were getting. Do you want to guess how many?
s p o i l e r
s p a c e
SEVEN THOUSAND. That's a lot of intellectual property. And they're not all going to be winners. ...more
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